New Bags

I have been making some new bags but as usual, I am very slow in posting them. I wonder if this is because I secretly want to keep them for myself. This is the everyday messenger bag. It's a little smaller than most of my bags but big enough to fit all of the daily essentials. I love the simplicity and the pleated corners that give it depth. I only have one in the shop right now but there will be more coming.......eventually.

Quilt Top

I have finished the baby quilt top. It came together very fast. This is the kind of quilting I like! I think it took me longer to cut out the blocks. Here's a not very good picture of the top. It turned out a lot cuter than I expected it too. Now I'm going to have a problem giving it away. The back will be a polka dot fabric that matched these fabrics very well. I will show you that in the finished product.

Work in Progress

I should really be working on some bags and wallets for my shop but I felt like doing something different today. I cut out charm squares to make a baby quilt for a girl I work with. I am using Michael Miller fabrics and this tutorial from Oh ,Fransson! who in my opinion makes some of the best modern quilts I have seen. It looks like a fast and easy quilt for a baby which is good since I am still working on my quilting skills. She is having a boy and I am using mostly blue but had to add some of the purple in due to a shortage of fabric. I think it still works for a boy.

Plans for 2010

I did this last year in place of resolutions and it worked fairly well, so I've decided to try it again. I have taken what seems to be a very long break from both blogging and my Etsy shop. This was mainly due to a sudden move that took longer than I anticipated and before I knew it, the holidays were here. I have still been sewing but it has mainly been items for my new, fabulous (I think) apartment and holiday gifts. So here is a list I have been somewhat been forming in my head of things I need to do to get back on track. I will probably will add some and take some away but I hope that blogging on it will help keep me on track.
1. Finishing organizing my new sewing room/closet so it is more functional.
2. Post the new bags and pouches I have already sewn in my shop.
3. Work out a sewing schedule that works with my full-time job schedule to better utilize my
time.
4. Finish the new bag design that has been in my head for a couple of months that I haven't had
time to try out and write.
5. Try and blog at least 3 times a week.
6. Try to list or renew new items in my shop daily.
7. On a personal note try to get back to running at least 4 times a week. This gives me the
energy and motivation I need to get through my busy days.

Please feel free to add any tips you have to manage your time and keep organized. They are always greatly appreciated.

August Bag Giveaway

I really meant to post this earlier in the month but I don't know where the time went. I have lots of new items and a couch overhaul that I have been dying to show but I just can't seem to find the time to post. I will really try to be better now that summer is almost over. I am probably the only one who is happy about that but I can't help it. I love the cool weather and the smell of fall. I am able to get so much more work done when my sewing room is not so hot.
So to celebrate the start of fall, I am giving away my last side tie tote in Amy Butler's Coriander Clay fabric from the Belle collection. This is one of my favourite bags and it has been discontinued.
To enter just post a comment about my store and let me know what fabrics you're loving for fall. The contest will end at Sunday September 6th at 8:00 a.m. Est. Please include you're email in your post.

July Bag Giveaway

I know I'm late again this month. I just don't know where July went! To celebrate my 2 year anniversary of selling on Etsy and also for hitting 300 in sales, I am giving away 2 bags this month. To enter just post a comment on this post about my shop, your favourite sewing blogs or anything sewing related ie sites, fabric, tips etc... To gain another entry, blog about this giveaway and post your blog link in the comment section. I will run the contest until 12:00 P.M. EST August 3rd. Please make sure your email address is easy to find or right in your post so I can easily contact the winners. Here are the bags up for grabs this month. To make things fair I will package the bags now and send them out to the winners when they are chosen, so I don't know who is getting which bag. Good Luck!

The life of a wallet

I am often asked how I can sew so many items without any help. I took some pictures today to show how I do it. I plan my items to try and sew in the same colour groups. The wallets I sewed today all used gray thread so I didn't have to keep re-threading my machine. This is a huge time saver.
First, I cut everything out. This is probably the most time consuming with wallets because there are so many pieces. I then put the fusible interfacing on everything now I'm ready to sew. I sew all the change sections first, then the cardholders.



Next I assemble and sew the inside of the wallet. Once that's done I make all the closure tabs. I add snaps to them and the main wallet piece. I then sew the two together. I turn them all the right side out, iron them and top stitch.



It took about 3 hours with a couple of small breaks to make 5 wallets. I love seeing them all finished and lined up. These wallets will be posted in my shop in a couple of days.