I love you S'more!

I made a lapin noir bag several weeks ago and it has since become my favorite bag ever. It can hold a crazy amount of stuff (a modern Mary Poppins bag) and there are so many pockets to keep everything organized. I seriously adore this bag pattern, as pretty much every pattern by Sara of Sew Sweetness.

It was just a matter of time until I made another.

As I was getting ready to place a fabric order, a co-worker asked if I could make a bag for his wife's upcoming b-day and together we picked out some fabric. Normally, I don't go for the novelty type fabrics, but I was totally smitten by these fabrics from the S'more love line. Of course I took my opportunity to make another lapin noir.

This was the result :

Look at all these pockets!!!

As a fold over bag, I made sure I got the "I love you s'more" on the cell phone pocket :)

I hope she loves it as much as I love mine! 

Goodbye Summer & Hello New Fabric

I have no idea how it is already September. It's been an absolutely lovely summer around here, with mild temps and I am sad to see it go. I do wish we had more pool time but I'll gladly forgo the pool for milder temps. As we say goodbye to cookouts, zoo trips, and days in the garden, we are trying to wring out the last little bits of summer. It's a particularly bittersweet few weeks for me, as my little one begins preschool which means he's officially a "Big Boy". I long for the days of snuggles before bed, peaceful naps and baby giggles.

As we start prepping for this big transition, I find myself with renewed energy and a desire to tackle some home projects. It just so happens that I just placed a huge fabric order that arrived earlier this week. I always find myself swooning when I get new fabric, (I know, total dork). With some fresh fabric, I have loads of what I want it to "be" floating around in my head. I always wonder what they will end up as, I rarely order fabric with a specific project in mind.

One thing I do think is on my list, before I get to those home projects, is a gym bag. I feel like too often I use the excuse of not having my workout gear handy when I leave work. If I had a cute new bag to load up with my gym clothes and shoes, I would have one less excuse to skip the gym.


I have been going back and forth with which patten would best suit me. I do love SewSweetness bags, and  I've been eying the Aeroplane bag (love the size and the length of the zipper).

The Supertote by Noodlehead has also piqued my interest, as it has the perfect sized compartments (it even has a spot for your shoes!!!).

 




Lastly I bought the most recent issue of Stitch magazine , specifically for the bag on the cover...but it does have a similar feel to the Aeroplane bag.

 



 I don't think I could go wrong with any of them really, but I am so utterly indecisive!

Triple ZIp Swap- Recieved

During Sew Mama Sew's giveaway day in May, I happened across Stephanie of Quarter Incher. She won one of my giveaways and I became a follower. She is incredibly creative and amazingly talented, you should follow her too!

Last year, there was an explosion of triple zips on my reader and flickr feed. Such a fun project to use up your scraps and practice putting in zippers. I wanted to make one, but never seemed to fit it in. So when Stephanie announced she was hosting a triple zip swap, I had to join. I don't want to share mine til my partner gets hers, but here's the AMAZING triple zip that ended up in my mailbox....I'm a very lucky girl!!

Mara at SimonSaysSew had me and sent me this gorgeous triple zip with some incredible goodies to boot! I'm seriously in love with her version and all the awesome fabrics she included!!

Peas and Carrots lunch bag

My sewing machine has decided it hates me. I managed to get it to get it to cooperate long enough to do a pattern test for Sara of SewSweetness for her new lunch bag pattern.

In defense of my machine, I did ask it to go through a layer of fabric, interfacing, headliner fabric, insulbrite AND PUL. All without a walking or Teflon foot. It was a battle of wills, one that I ALMOST lost, but after setting the tension to +3...(isn't that nuts?!) I was able to wrangle this through my little Singer.

Clearly, the fact that I can't get a decent stitch without the tension jacked all the way up should be a good indication that my machine is currently in protest. 

Aside from the difficulties with my machine, this pattern is so super straightforward and adorable! I opted for the rounded version of the bag, but there is another boxy version of the bag included with the pattern. I didn't want to deal with hand binding (as Sara recommends) for the other version of the bag, so I went with the rounded one. I think the longest part of the construction is the basting of all the layers together... as there are several layers to this bag. 

The only difficult part is getting all the layers through smoothly. I'm sure those with nicer machines and/ or walking foots will have a much easier time. I think if I had sacrificed the use of the headliner fabric it would have been easier, but it really does add a crisp structure to the bag.  

So, it's clear my machine is in need of some TLC before attempting another one, but I certainly will be, it's a wonderful sized lunch bag and with the appropriately functioning machine/ feet it would be a breeze. Even with the challenges my machine posed, I finished the whole thing in just a few hours (not including cutting). There are also some super cute zippered snack bag pattern included. I didn't get a chance to make any but they are the perfect sizes! 

My machine will be heading to the doctor ASAP! Ugh :(