Secret Tote Bag Swap

As I am a sucker for bags, I jumped on board for the Secret Tote Swap happening over on Flickr. My partner requested a large bag and mentioned that purple was her favorite color. My mentality is the bigger the better when it comes to bags ha! I purchased the Super Tote pattern by Noodlehead several months back, but never got around to making it. I knew I wanted to do some time of embellishing on the front of the bag, and the large exterior pocket lends well to that. I used a print from Center City for the various purples on the exterior, some Allison Glass text for the pocket and accents and this awesome city clock embroidery pattern from Urban Threads. 

The Super Tote was very easy to assembly and I was surprised how quickly it sewed up! I spent much more time on the embroidery than the construction of the bag. 

Please excuse my terrible job pressing it! I was in a hurry to get it sent off to it's new home!

I was so incredibly lucky to get Mara of Simon Says Sew as my partner, she was my partner in the Triple Zip Swap last year and she does AMAZING things!! I seriously about cried when I pulled out this tote, pictures absolutely do not do it justice, it's gorgeous!!! She made a matching boxy pouch that I adore, and included all kinds of goodies. She was so sweet in incorporating little extras in the bag, an extra front pocket with a magnetic snap, a key holder on the interior and all this incredible quilting. I have been carrying it around as a purse because I love it so. Why not carry a tote as a purse?! I really need to get out and take some more pics of all the awesomness of this bag! Thankfully the weather is starting to warm up so I'm not stuck choosing between freezing or taking pictures inside. 

I'm heading to Camp Stitchalot this Weekend and I'm so stoked! I'm spending this week picking out projects and getting things together. I am hoping to get all the cutting and interfacing done so I can spend the weekend without all the icky business of doing those unpleasant tasks (I hope I am not the only one who hates those things!). 

Happy Tuesday!

Triple Zip Swap Recieved

I posted earlier about the triple zip swap Stephanie from Quarter Incher put together on Flickr. Last week I received this yummy package in my box!

I love, love, love text fabrics and this pouch is so much fun! I totally lucked out with my partner. It was a nice ending to a not so nice week. Thanks a ton Monique :)

Camp Stitchalot in Rapture

Thanks to Snowmaggedon round 17,  I was able to get some sewing done this weekend, most notably,  a Camp Stitchalot Bag in Pat Bravo's Rapture line. I was honored to be asked to make a few shop samples for Pink Castle Fabrics showing how quilting cottons could be used for more than just quilting, specifically using some Sew Sweetness bag patterns. The first project, is a Camp Stitchalot bag in Rapture.  I fell in love with Rapture the second I pulled these prints from the box...pictures do not do these beauties justice, the colors are so vibrant and the prints are just gorgeous.

 The Camp Stitchalot is designed to be an artist's tote, and has tons of pockets and spaces for whatever tools you need for your craft. The exterior has a front pocket with a magnetic snap closure, the exterior has three separate slip pockets that are secured with a flap and magnetic snap.

 

 The inside has 2 slip pockets on the lining panels and 4 zippered vinyl pockets, these can easily be made into divided pockets for more storage space. Imagine ALL the goodies you can stuff into this bag!

The construction of this bag is very straight forward and isn't complicated to put together. However, all the layers does add a bit of difficulty to it. This was my first time using By Annie's Soft and Stable (I usually substitute headliner fabric) and it was really, really nice to work with. The only trouble I had was that it's just a tad thicker than the headliner and I found that I really needed to use my walking foot when top stitching to keep it from getting all wonky. The vinyl was a bit tricky but honestly was much easier to work with than I had expected. Surprisingly,  I didn't need my walking foot to sew it at all. The trickest part was sewing through all 4 vinyl pockets and the lining., for that I had to employ both my walking foot and a leather needle (I think my machine laughed at me when I attempted it with a denim needle).

I ended up finishing the binding by hand, as I was afraid of my machine not cooperating going through all those layers and stitching the bias tape on neatly. I finished it while watching last night's episode of The Walking Dead. If you watch the show, then you'll understand that I NEED to have something in my hands to keep my nerves in check.

 I normally don't like repetition, I don't like sewing the same things over and over and I don't like using the same fabrics over again. However, these fabrics have me completely smitten. I absolutely will be using them again!

Maybe if I keep using these bright fabrics, I can will spring to make an appearance sometime in 2014!

Linking up to Bag Brag Tuesdays

Oh Spit! Diaper Bag

My sister asked me to make a bag for her best friend's baby shower this weekend...last Saturday. Nothing like a week's notice huh? I've made diaper bags in the past, specifically one designed by Kay Whitt in her Sew Serendipity Bags and it was a great pattern, BUT it was pretty labor intensive (at least the last time I made one it seemed that way, but I was still pretty new to making bags at the time).

I showed my sister some patterns I had on hand, and she picked out the Oh Spit! Diaper Bag pattern from Big City Bags by Sara Lawson. I'll have to admit that although I hadn't yet made that pattern, I was relieved she picked this one because I'm familiar with Sara's patterns and they are all so easy to follow. 

After a trip to JoAnn Fabrics (she apparently didn't like the ones in my stash), she picked out these cute monsters and I had hoped to finish it by the end of last weekend. I quickly assembled the exterior, straps and zipper panel and then set it aside for the week. I was NOT looking forward to doing the hand sewing that would be necessary to finish the binding on the bag.

I bit the bullet and attached the binding last night while binge watching Twin Peaks on Netflix...don't judge. I'm still not great at hand sewing but at least I'm getting better, thank you YouTube.

This morning I finished the changing pad to go with the bag and used my walking foot for the first time. Holy Moly what a difference!! The last time I used PUL, I seriously wanted to cry, it stretched and bunched and was just generally uncooperative. With the addition of the walking foot, getting through the PUL was a breeze. My machine easily went through the layers of PUL, headliner fabric, interfacing and fabric like a dream with NO bunching or stretching. MAGIC! 

I followed the pattern exactly as written, with the only exception of using automotive headliner fabric in place of the Thermolam that is called for. I often use this in place of other stabilizers like By Annie's Soft and Stable or Thermolam simply because it's MUCH cheaper and has a similar end result. As always, the pattern was a breeze to follow and the most challenging part was attaching the binding by hand at the end. Those of you more experienced with binding could probably totally do it by machine, I was just chicken. The top has a recessed separating zip closure, several interior slip pockets and pockets on the front and back, as well as elasticized pockets on both sides. It also has instructions for a coordinating changing pad. I think if I were to make this bag again, I would just place the exterior in the lining, leaving a hole for turning and complete the bag that way, versus leaving the top edge unfinished until the addition of the bias tape. That's just my personal preference and dislike of sewing on binding.

                                   

Triple Zip Finished

I did the Triple Zip Swap last year and had a blast, so when Stephanie from Quarter Incher announced round 2,  I jumped in on the fun despite my crazy to do list. Thankfully it takes longer to pick out the fabrics than it does to actually sew a triple zip!

If you haven't given the Triple Zip a go round yet, you absolutely should! It's so much easier than it looks and it comes together really quickly. I think I did the whole pouch from cutting to finishing in about 2 hours. I follow the alternate finishing technique by Marci Girl Designs, because it just seems to make more sense to me.

My partner requested some pink in the bag, and I've been dying to cut into my stack of Safari Moon.  I guess it was meant to be. 

This guy will be off to his new home next week after I stuff some goodies inside. I hope you like it partner!

Coconut oil for the accident prone sewer

 

I've totally jumped on the coconut oil band wagon. It has become a part of my daily life as a moisturizer, a make up remover and as a cleanser. It has replaced almost all of my cooking oils. There are oodles of sites touting the wonders of this stuff. As someone with crazy dry skin, I slather this stuff on to combat itchy winter skin. 

What I didn't realize is that this stuff has some medicinal properties as well. I've used it mixed with tea tree oil to very effectively clear up my son's athlete foot and help with his eczema. According to some, it has both antibacterial and anti fungal properties. 

I happened upon my favorite use for this stuff purely by accident. As a sewer and a certified klutz, I seem to burn myself with an iron way more than any reasonable person should. After a particularly nasty bout with the iron, I was left with two very painful burns on my arm that I was sure was going to blister and hurt for days. I frantically searched for something with aloe in it to soothe my skin, and having nothing, thought why not try the coconut oil? In my mind it was kind of the same thing. Except it really, really worked. 

I slathered on the coconut oil, hoping for the best and I was quite frankly amazed at the result. Within 30 minutes, the burn barely hurt and by the next morning...IT DIDN'T HURT AT ALL. Not even a little. Physically, it still looked bad, but no pain at all. Looking at the burn, it absolutely should have blistered but it didn't. Within a couple days it had scabbed over. I kept applying the coconut oil and it didn't scar. 

Since then, I've used it every time and had the same amazing results. It's like magic! I've told a few of my friends and they've experienced the same result. It's seriously amazing. 

The next time you have a mishap with your iron, rinse the burn under cold water (which should be the first thing you do with a burn regardless), then liberally apply coconut oil to the area. Repeat frequently, especially for the first couple of days. 

****I should add that I am not a physician and I'm not giving medical advice, if you have a burn that requires medical treatment then please, please do so. Coconut oil should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment for severe burns. I've used it only on burns that were minor enough that I would not have otherwise sought out medical treatment. ****

My Valentine's Gift to Me

So far 2014 has started with some pretty amazing stuff for me, and I'm really excited about the possibilities that are in store for the rest of the year. I still feel like I am such an amateur at many things sewing related, and in many ways I am. I can finally say that I am proud of what I create, even when it's not perfect. I've always been a bit of a perfectionist by nature, but I've learned that sometimes those imperfections are what makes something beautiful.

As I think about what I would like to learn this year and the ways in which I want to grow, the true control freak in me is thinking about how to put these in to concrete measurable goals. I've found so much support and inspiration in the online sewing community and for the first time, I think it's time that I start stepping outside of my comfort zone (in many areas actually). I'm such a concrete person, and I think in many ways that also shows up in what I create. I like geometrics, straight lines, precision and I think this is often reflected in my fabric choices in my projects. It's my comfort zone. A very structured and predictable comfort zone.

I feel like with each completed project, I improve and I grow. I learn a new skills, I see a different way to solve a problem. I become more abstract in my thinking. As much as I thought this would be uncomfortable, it's been refreshing for me. Initially, I followed patterns, because it's what's "known", I didn't have to worry about whether something will work, and even if I thought I could do it in a different way that would be for easier for me, I didn't because I'm afraid I would mess it up. Lately when following patterns, if I have thought my way would work better for me, I just did it. And you know what?  It worked. That probably seems insignificant, but to me it was assurance that I could do something that was outside the box. Maybe I just did have some idea of what I was doing after all.

I am starting to think in terms of what I would like to do, not in terms of what I think I "can" do. And you know what, it's actually a lot less scary than I thought. I'm by no means an expert, or even close to it, but I realize that if I want to learn something, the only person stopping me is myself.

So, as we roll into this year, I've got a changed outlook on what I am capable of doing. I have had this fear of quilting, because I'm not good enough to quilt. I've never made a quilt, so by default I just can't. Guess what? I'm going to make a quilt, I'm going to make a perfectly imperfect quilt and that's ok. I'll make a quilt.

I'm also going to make more clothes for myself, because I CAN. Will I mess up? Yep. Will they be perfect? Nope. And I've finally come to realize that's perfectly ok.

I'm going  to do those things that I said I wasn't good enough to. I'm going to mess up, and I'm going to learn from those mistakes. So, that is my goal for this year. To be good enough to allow myself to mess up, and embrace that as a part of the process...maybe even the most important part of the process. Which, as my fellow type As can agree, may be the hardest goal of all. Sometimes it's ok to do something even if you know it's not going to be perfect.

To everyone out there that wonders if they can do something? You can, you absolutely can. The message to myself and to everyone else who says they can't or they are afraid, is that sometimes you have to realize that imperfections are what make it beautiful after all.

Happy Valentines day :)