December 31, 2014

One Last Sewing Gift and the Year in Review






Christmas is finally over at my house... It makes me sad, but I am looking forward to the new year.  I know it is already 2015 for some of you but at the time of this writing I still have 9 hours and 7 minutes of 2014 left.

Our last Christmas was Monday and I found this sewing gift from my stepdaughter and her family under the tree.  Could you hear me making yippee noises from where you are at???  This Gutermann swivel tower holds 80 different thread colors.  I should be set no matter what fabric I choose.  Each space holds 4 spools so I will add to it as it goes on sale.



I, also, took a look back at 2014.  Even though I wasn't so productive in the last few months, I was pretty pleased with my progress for the year.




Happy New Year!!!!!!!  Thanks for all of your support all year long.



December 26, 2014

Sharing Some Sewing Christmas Gifts






I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends.  We have three Christmas celebrations at our house and we have just completed the second one.  The third one will be Monday evening.

Here are some of the sewing items I found among my gifts.



I got some small Clover clips.  I have had the extra large green ones for awhile and while I love them they are too large for some projects.  I can't wait to use them.

 I got a bobbin box to prevent thready chaos in my sewing drawer.

 I finally own a magnetic seam guide.  I have strips of tape marking some seam lines on my sewing machines.  They are really hard to see now.  Maybe my topstitching will even be straighter.  (Look out, Maria!)

There was a gift card to JoAnn's.  I'm sure that will be gone fast!  How fun!

I, also, got a pair of Gingher dressmaking scissors that are spring loaded.  So often with my rheumatoid arthritis, my hands ache from the motion of cutting out fabric.  The only motion I have to do is to close the scissors.  They pop back open on their own.  This will really help to save my hands.  I can't wait to cut out my January bag of the month pattern when it comes!

But my best sewing gift by far was to see my youngest grandchildren with their backpacks I made them.  They loved them and I think they look adorable with them on.  Do they really have to go back to South Carolina???  I will miss them so much.  Nothing is better than Christmas through the eyes of a child.  It was pure wonderment.



December 21, 2014

Bigger on the Inside Drawstring Backpack X 2 and Mini Bigger on the Inside Backpack X 3






OK, so here it is just a few days until Christmas.  I still have so much to do but I thought I would let you know about a few things that are making me very happy right now:

- I finally started on medication for my rheumatoid arthritis on Friday.  They will have to take it slow with me and they told me it will take 4 months to start working but at least I have finally started the process.  I think I will be really looking forward to Spring.

- I finally heard from the woman who ordered the Bingo bags in Bermuda (she had medical issues).  I shipped her bags and she received them on Friday and she loves them.

- My daughter, son-in-law and the 3 youngest grandchildren (4 1/2 yrs and 2 1/2 yr twins) will soon be here from South Carolina for the holidays.

- I finally completed all of my orders and took the time to sew those youngest grandkids something, too.

I might as well add that I am in need of sewing something new and different because as you will see in this post, I have sewn  a lot of the same things over and over.  So, I am taking part in the Bag of the Month Club again starting in January and have ordered my hardware for the first bag.  I am also taking part in a sew along on Chris W Designs Pattern Group facebook page starting sometime around January 11.

Here are the final Bigger on the Inside Drawstring Backpack bags.  This is a pattern from Erin at Dog Under My Desk.  You can find the pattern here.  The first two bags will go to 12 and 14 year old girls.  It took awhile for their grandmother to pick out just the right fabric but knowing these girls, I think she nailed it.







When I finished these, I decided to make them for our littlest grandkids but I knew I couldn't make them full size.  I printed the main pieces of the body at 90%.  I kept the zipper tabs, side tabs and width of the straps the same but did shorten the straps to 90%.  The size was perfect.  Here are the two bags next to each other.  














Yes, I succumbed to the Frozen fever.  Not once, but twice.


This one is glittery inside and out (what was I thinking)?  The other one is only glittery inside.



And finally a little boy's version (although my daughter says he might be sorry he is not getting Frozen too).  That is what happens when you are the youngest and your two siblings are girls!



Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.  Join me in January.  I'll be celebrating 1 year with my blog at the end of the January.  I am 1,165 views short of 20,000 for the year.  Can I do it?  With your help I can.

December 14, 2014

Completing Christmas Orders



.
I received a call from a woman who lives down the street.  She had seen a couple of bags that I had made for another neighbor and she wanted to buy a Christmas gift for her sister.  She knew what she wanted.  She wanted a Necessary Clutch Wallet, a pattern by Janelle at Emmaline Bags.  She wanted a wrist strap and a shoulder strap for it.  This is such a popular choice and I have made many of them.  She wanted to look at what wallets I had that were already made.  Well, I have been busy completing Christmas orders and I only had two of these wallets left.  I did give her the option to choose some fabric instead and I would get it to her in a couple of days.

She was certain she had found the perfect fabric.



It was a neutral gray fabric with gray, white and light blue flowers.  It is hard to see the light blue in the picture but the flowers on the top of the picture are light blue.  So, her decision was made ...but wait.
Her eyes got big and she said'"Wait.  That fabric would be the most perfect for her."  She was pointing to a completely different fabric.  She said that her sister had just returned from a trip to London and Paris.  She was right.  Her new choice was the most perfect fabric for her.  Here is her wallet.




Here is the inside.


I will deliver it tomorrow.  I hope she likes it.  I had just purchased this fabric.  I must have known.

You can get the pattern at Emmaline Bags here.

December 1, 2014

Bag of the Month Club 2015






2014 was the first year for the Bag of the Month Club.  Every month from January through June a new bag pattern showed up in my email on the first of the month.  It was so exciting to see what the new pattern would be.  The six designers that participated are designers I select anyway because of their clear, precise directions and their beautiful bags.  If you missed out last year, here is what you missed.  These are the bags I made this year from those six patterns.



Good news!  The Bag of the Month Club is back for 2015 with the same great designers.  Go to Christine's website at Chris W Designs to learn more.

Sign up in December at a discounted price and sew along with the group.  You'll love it.  I promise!