Happy New Year and Sophia!

First I just want to say Happy New Year! I am so excited for what this year will bring for me and my family. My last day at work was Wednesday and I can't wait to get into the routine of staying at home with my son. However, he ended up staying with his grandparents this week unexpectedly, so that will have to wait till he comes home on Saturday.


Meanwhile, I wanted to show you the completed Sophia Carry-All that I made for my future sister-in-law. I am pretty proud of how it came out, though those of you with more experience will see it definitely isn't perfect.

Triumphs:

1. I love the way the lining came out. I think I did my best work on it!
2. I love the combination of fabrics.
3. I made bias strips and piping on my own for the first time!

Tragedies:

1. Sewing in the piping. I definitely could have done a better job of this, but it was my first go!
2. Sewing in the bottom of the bag. This step was extremely difficult for me, to say the least. It's a little bit wonky to prove it.

Overall, I'm pleased with how it came out and I hope she likes it. I didn't get to see her over the holidays so it's being passed on to her.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to sew more and another is to blog more, so thanks for reading and I hope I'll have more to share in the new year!

New sewing machine? Need feedback!

Well, I've let loads of time go by again without posting. I've been busy, though! I finished my 4th (yes, 4th!) Nappy Bag.

I started the Sophia Carry-All and everything was going swimmingly until...

my sewing machine crapped out on me again. Argh! I have decided to purchase a new machine anyway, but I was trying to wait until after Christmas so that I could apply gift money to it. So, I need your help! Please let me know if you have a recommendation for a particular machine. I am looking to upgrade to fully electronic. Are there features you couldn't do without (or wish you had?). C'mon, help me out! Leave me a comment if you have advice or recommendations. Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Zippy pouches

Well, it's been a busy week, but I did manage to get some sewing done! I finished up some zippy pouches for stocking stuffers.

I learn something new every time I take up a new project. This one gave me lots of practice sewing in zippers with my zipper foot. What a great use for scrap fabric. Now on to those Nappy and Sophia Bags!

(Sorry, everyone whose stocking surprise I just ruined!)

Back to sewing!

Just wanted to say that I actually managed to sew a seam last night! That's as far as I got because I went to plug in my iron and discovered I only have one working outlet in what was meant to be my sewing room! So sewing stalled while I had a meltdown about moving into a 60 year old house in which the electrical system is much less than optimal. We already need a new breaker box and my husband has had to rewire one socket in addition to having all sorts of fun trying to get the plug for the dryer wired correctly. And did I mention there's no dishwasher?

Ok, enough whining. I'll get this outlet situation sorted and be back at it tonight. Here's my list of upcoming projects:

1. Zippy pouches using this tutorial
2. Yet another Nappy Bag by request
3. A Christmas present for my soon-to-be sister-in-law. I'm thinking Amy Butler's new Sophia bag.

Once I get those tackled I'll add to the list.

A whole month?

Warning: Long and rambling post.

Wow, I can't believe it's been that long since I posted here! I certainly hadn't intended to neglect my blog for so long. We've finally gotten moved into our new house and closed yesterday, so I'm hoping to get out the sewing machine tonight and try to remember everything I've forgotten in the last month!

We moved out of our previous house on October 28 and then spent nearly 2 weeks living with my parents (!) while waiting to be able to move into our new place. We were finally able to start moving in on November 9th. Lucky for me, I have a really great mother-in-law who came up and helped me finish up the cleaning and get a lot of my unpacking done (Thanks, Helen!). Between unpacking and the Thanksgiving holiday, I haven't had a moment to spare for sewing. That changes tonight!

In other news, this move makes it official: I will be a stay-at-home mom starting January 3rd. This is a dream come true for me!

I have several projects that I am hoping to complete for Christmas gifts and to brighten my new home. I'll be posting about those over the next few days. Stay tuned, I won't go this long without posting again!

Thomas Tote Bag

I had originally planned this post as a tutorial, but life has gotten in the way as usual. Things are just too busy trying to pack and move, but I did want to share! This is a tote that I made for my nephew's third birthday coming up next weekend. I am going to fill it with some activities in hopes that it can be taken anywhere he might need to be kept busy. He's a big Thomas fan, so I chose fabric accordingly.



Here's a picture of my nearly 3 year old boy (henceforth to be called "J" on this blog) modeling. As you can see, the straps were a bit long for the under 3 foot set, so I shortened them about 6 inches after the picture was taken.


Some construction details for those who might be interested:

• I used French seams to keep the inside of the bag clean since I didn't want to go as far as lining it.
• I squared the corners at 1 inch.
• I used a facing to finish the top edge and secure the straps, which are just red webbing.

All supplies were purchased at Walmart for less than $4!

On a personal note, we have to be out of our house on the 28th but still are unsure where we are going. We'll be moving in with my parents should the house we are currently bidding on fall through. Sewing could come to a complete standstill during this time. Must finish that Halloween cape for Super J before that happens!

I Love Ebay!

Finally! I had looked high and low for a skirt pattern to match the picture in my head for that gray corduroy I bought recently. I wanted a knee-length, button-front a-line skirt. I wasn't being picky or anything ;) I had checked every pattern company I could think of, including all of the independents of which I was aware. Then, last night, it finally occurred to me to check on ebay, and lo and behold, the very thing! I only paid $5.60 including shipping for a brand new, uncut pattern. This is more than I usually pay for a pattern, but I was willing to go all out for this one since I had a very specific idea of what I wanted. Apparently this pattern is a 2002, no longer in production.

Thank you, ebay!