Brand new bag

Mama's got a brand new bag.  I made it myself but that makes it better. Right?

Here it is in the process of being made....

How to finish it? Decisions, decisions.

I'm happy with the final product.

I used the this pattern. It's really easy to follow and makes a cute bag.

A cute little bag

Wow! So much time goes by so quickly and I suddenly realize that I haven't posted here in ages. How does that even happen?

Awhile back I made a quick little bag. Turns out that 'little' is the key word here. The bag came out much to small for me to use for anything, so my daughter is using it as a makeup bag.

Anyway, you can find the 'instructions' here. I'm using the term instructions a little loosely because there are only pictures. It's all a guessing game.

I started with this pair of capris that I never wear. I figured that the side pockets would be great on the outside of the bag.

 

I did my best to figure it all out by following along with the pictures and this is what I ended up with.

 

 

 I with it had turned out bigger because I really like it, but it's working for her so I figure that makes it a success!!

 

You can never have too many purses....

Or maybe I should say that I wouldn't ever admit to having too many purses.

And to go with that kind of thinking, I made this cute little bag for myself.

The pattern is really easy and it only took a couple of hours, start to finish, to get the purse made. I did make one change to the pattern though. I have a concealed carry license and often carry a firearm with me, so I really like to have a place to put it. Ha! Anyway, I added two large pockets to the inside of the purse. They start from a couple of inches below the top of the purse and extend all the way to the bottom. Because I put them in the middle, it actually separates the inside of the purse into two sections. It wasn't part of the original pattern, but it was a really easy little tweak.

I took the purse with me while we were in Las Vegas and actually had someone (a woman in an accounting class with me) ask me about it and express interest in maybe purchasing one. That's always the best compliment, isn't it?

I got the pattern from a link that my daughter sent me via Pinterest, but now I can't find it for the life of me. It's not in my Pinterest 'likes' or on any of my boards. I even did a search of where I thought it linked back to and still can't find it. How crazy is that?! I printed out the instructions, so I'll dig those up and post the link here as an update.

I have a finish!!

Oh my! I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last posted. Where has the time gone?

I have been busy, but doing orders for people (which I am grateful for) so I haven't done as many new things to show here.

I did, however, make a new purse for myself.

 

I used my new sewing machine to embroider the initial on the front of the bag (woohoo!) and to sew the bag together. I also included two large pockets in the center of the bag.

 

For the outer fabric, I used a cotton tablecloth that I bought at Target on clearance and used some red ticking from my stash to line the inside and make my pockets. I didn't have a pattern, so I was just winging it.

I'm happy with how the bag turned out, but it's rather big. Well, bigger than my other big purses. lol My husband said that he wasn't going to be seen with me if I was carrying that suitcase. But, he lies because he's already been out in public with me. Ha!

But, in his defense (and he'll probably never let me forget it) when I was at the grocery store the other day, the cashier thought it was my own shopping bag to put the groceries in (poor guy, awkward silence followed after I told him it was my purse.)

Joint project

One of my daughters (Kirsten) really likes crochet. I taught her some basic stuff and she made a few scarfs and is working on an afghan. I just have to say that the afghan is really long and she's doing it all in single crochet. By the time she's done with it, it's going to be too heavy for her to lift up onto her loft bed. LOL

Anyway, when we were at the library not too long ago she checked out a book on crochet and chose a bag to make.

She chose her own colors and got started on the bag right away.

I say it was a joint effort because there were a couple of rounds on the flowers where the instructions were pretty confusing so I did those. Then, she put all of the squares together and crocheted the rest of the bag.

We went to the quilting store and she picked out a fabric that I used to line the bag for her so that she could use it at school without pens and pencils falling through.

I had some concerns about the crochet on the strap being tight enough to hold much weight without stretching. After her first day of carrying it at school, she came home and said that it had stretched down to past her knees. LOL So, I took the excess and stitched it together to make a bow at the top and then lined the rest of the strap with the same fabric that the bag is lined with. It seems to be working and she's carrying the bag everyday.

I'm just so proud of her for stepping out and trying new things without being afraid of it being too hard.

Too Busy

I've been too busy to get anything completed. I'm working on things, but nothing has gotten finished.

Well, that, and it's gotten cold here. My 'studio' is a room off the garage and for whatever reason, the heat doesn't make it all the way out there. So, since it's been in the 20's outside it's been about in the 40's in there. And, you know what? It's hard to sew with mittens on. LOL

Anyway, I've been wanting to post this brag for awhile and just hadn't ever taken a picture.

This is a leather purse that my husband made for me.

He wanted to do a lot more tooling than just that little bit in the corner (it's on the other side of the purse too) but I just really wanted something simple. I had him put black in the background of the tooling because then I can use it with anything. I love it, and love that he made it.