Catch Up Time

 While I was packing up at the hotel after our premiere visit with Lil Lady, I couldn't help but notice the plethora a mama's collection bags surrounding us in the room.  Five totaled, with another one on the arm of Eldest/Admin at the hospital and two more with Baby Girl.  Whew!  Market/craft bags, Amy Butler Diaper bag, purses and Anna Maria Horner Here We Go Bag......And I gotta admit it; I love it!  I love seeing my bags in action.  I love seeing them be used and carted around with their owners. Last summer, during the mama's collection First Annual Gathering of Friends Retreat sonowiknow.blogspot.com/2010/07/sigh.html, all of us attendees went to the Farmer's Market armed with a bag made just for the event and I distinctly remember the glee I felt at watching a dozen or more of my bags flittering through the market on the very reliable shoulders of those that came from near and far to attend the retreat.  So I really do get emotionally attached to my creations and love seeing them by lovingly used.

 Despite a very distracted December, I sought comfort from the busyness of my thoughts by creating more bags for several friends.

 The 'Vera' bag was interestingly difficult and made me understand why Vera Bradley's bags are so........pricey.....This bag had a total of ten pockets in/on it and an official zipper closure and I designed it myself just by observing a multitude of VB's bags.  The only one I ever owned was back in the nineties and I got it from a thrift store.  The bag challenged me but it was fun.  Hubby helped with that analytical mind of his.  Thank Goodness.

 Lil Lady needed some extra little 'cosmetic' bags for her Diaper Bag.sonowiknow.blogspot.com/2010/11/sewing-sidetracks.html  These sweet little binkie/comb/nail bags should serve her well maybe up to college?  The material is vintage flour sacks so they have survived a lot already....

Speaking of Lil Lady.....Did I tell you how precious she is??

Oh dear!
How is Mimi ever going to concentrate in her sewing room.....?

Spontaneous Purseage

Spontaneous Purseage: Unknown origin; Phraseology used to describe sudden, irresistible urges to design and create a gift purse, not ordered or even expected; just simply a desire to gift those we love.  Usually comes in unusual forms and out of ordinary design.  No protocol required; design as you go with fabric on hand; nothing purchased for the project.  Fun as Saturday.  Good stuff.

As you know from other posts, I have an extraordinary Daughter In Law, Lovely Wife.  She has many endearing attributes, but one of my favorites is our passion for all things chocolate.  And that we share a November birthday.  And that she loves Eldest Son unabashedly.  And that she loves my purses and giggles like a little girl when I gift her with one.  She will pet it and caress it and look forward to The Changing of the Purse. (Don't you love it, Ladies, when we get a new purse and the time comes to Make the Upgrade?  Men could not possibly understand the joy that comes from that process.  Akin to opening a new box of shoes....)
So knowing that we would we feting ES in all his birthday splendor, I felt compelled to bring Lovely Wife a new Summer Purse.
Some Amy Butler Scraps from The 2G's Mama's Summer Bag, an old American Eagle belt for the handle and a smattering of vintage buttons, and a lining from the vintage gingham from Pauline's Autumn Auction.  I smiled while I sewed, picturing LW carrying this fun, whimsical bag around.  (I was also grinning because I was listening to Garrison Keillor's 'Pontoon' on audio book while I was sewing.  Hysterical.  Of course.)

As expected, Lovely Wife Loved The Bag.
She loved all the appropriately sized pockets and the silly handle.  She loved the fabric and the size.  And I loved it that she loved it.

Spontaneous Purseage.  Never know when it will hit.  Will you be next??

Break Out!

Sometimes, you just gotta do it.
An idea is just floating around and fabric is just too fun, that something, something not pre ordained or manufactured, pattern-wise, just has to pop out.
2G's mama was needing a summer bag.
2G'S mama loves Amy Butler fabric.
2G's mama is an appreciative audience.
So off I go to the sewing room, eager to produce a One of a Kind design.
Did I have a design in mind?
Nope.
Just stood there looking at the fabric, waiting for the direction. Thought about her needs. She likes puffy, fleece interlined, soft formed bags. Her mama needs dictate that there are lots of pockets, making, keys, pens, change, crayons accessible. Her little shoulders tell me that her shoulder strap should be narrow and strong for all the dinosaurs and dollies and books that will get crammed in for the road. A stout magnetic snap to keep the contents together when she has to throw it down to chase after an errant child bent on destruction.
But it must be pretty as well as utilitarian. Lightweight and feminine. A girly workhorse of sorts.


And so the process begins as the framework and objective is established.
The first cut is made and I follow the needed design from my heart and mind to the cloth.
From that point of committment, it all flows.
From picking out a coordinating lining, to how to finish the pockets, it just flows.
I realize that this in not much help for those of you that rely on pesky things like measuring tape, rulers, algebra and geometry (I kinda just shuddered just writing those two words) but that is how I roll. Experience, familiarity with how things go together and a clear desire to want to make something.
Crazy, huh?


But with time, patience, testing, and a lot of hopeahoping, it starts to take shape and tells me how it should be finished up.

And then the best part.
Giving a bag that has been designed specifically for her, with her needs and likes in mind...
Ah, that is the best part...

Daffodilly Spring Bag!

I was getting restless.

I had been carrying my winter bag too long and it was time.

After all, I had purchased some dandy butter yellow suede months ago for such a time as this.

And last night,

 It Was Time.
Soft, soft butter yellow suede.
Amy Butler Martini lining.
Abundant pockets.
Jazzy hook and eye closure.
Fabric linked handle (for my skinny shoulders)
Weighted rounded front flap.
Fleece interfaced lining to make it soft.
Next step, to Scotchgard the lovely fabric.
I know, I know; silly to make such a light color purse...Stains are sure to be an issue....My thoughts as well, then I realized, that I tire easily of my purses and rotate them regularly.  By the time this one is murky, I'll be ready for My Summer Bag!
For now, I'll enjoy this one!
Watch for it!!
What are you carrying this spring?

Happy Spring/Equinox!!

How do you celebrate the onset of Spring?
Apparently, around these parts, neighbors ring your doorbell with over five yards of yummy, sunny yellow and white seersucker, hand it to your butler/Hubby and tell you Happy Spring!
That is exactly how Neighbor Nancy gifted me yesterday! And I don't think it was even out of someone's garbage or her garage! How excited was I? Pretty dang, I can tell you. Spent a good part of the evening touching it, wondering of all wonders, what kind a summery fun I can make out of it!

Lest you think that I'm a Complete Social washout, without a thing to do except fondle seersucker, I'll have you know that I have quite a busy agenda on a Saturday night....
Like completely and totally fall in love with this living room in my latest Better Homes and Gardens.
It's been a long seven years since a paint brush has touched my living room walls but I kept holding out for something that I REALLY loved.
Found it.
I want that couch, those curtains and I'm thinking that bookcase looks pretty amazing as well...
Searching for that drapery material right after I'm finished with you....

Then, next on my busy schedule, I finished up my Tea Cozy for the conference this coming weekend. Crocheted a fancy shmancy ring to top it. It's good to have a dramatic pull so that when you remove the cozy, you say Voila! and present your hidden, hot tea (or casserole or Hubby's oatmeal in the morning)
Hubby has said that he feels like a magician when he removes the cozy off his Heart Friendly Morning Oatmeal.
So.
This week, I placed a fake little toad (yes, I have those kind of things around my house) under the cozy and waited in the living room to hear girly like screams from an unsuspecting nearly 57 year old man (also , hoping that I wouldn't instigate a heart attack.)
However, Hard Nosed Hubby barely flinched. Just gave a friendly, 'Ribbid' and dug into his oatmeal. Guess living with me all these years, has taught him to be on his guard. Always.

The library has warned me, via email, that My Wonderful Book is due on Monday, so early to bed for me so that I can curl up properly to finish this interesting book. I'm a great Kaye Gibbons fan. This one is different but oh so good. It helps that Hubby and I have been watching Ken Burn's Civil War Series. The book's background thread is the Civil War and it's horror; good reference points.....

Then, because Hubby has a similiar busy Saturday schedule, he helped me figure out another one of Amy Butler's wonderful, insanely difficult pattern...

The sleeve was courtesy of his engineering skill and patience with the detail....

So.
That wraps up my First Spring Weekend Saturday Night.
Sedation necessary?

Prayerful Productivity

My dear Crazy Dee had a triple (turns out quadruple) bypass today in the big city, far away from me.
I'm a pacer, a fiddler, a nervous nellie kinda gal when it comes to things out of my league.
If I could have walked to the big city to be with her, my adrenaline could have done it. But I was grounded here, in prayer warrior mode with more than a bit of wigglies going on.
So here was my day today while I prayed for CD and her crazy heart....

An Amy Butler little kimono top got cut out....

My third pair of AB booties for the childbirth conference next week...

Several Spitty Cloths....

A really fun appliqued Summer Bankie....

Some more work on the 2G's mama's apron repurposing...An old skirt and an even older pattern..(I believe it was one of my first solo patterns in the 70's..)

Actually, the Jitteries started last night when I decided that a discarded pair of shorts from Youngest Son might just make the perfect summer nap sack for yours truly...

And in between all this busy work, my heart hurt for my friend with a long road of recovery ahead of her...
I stared out my OPEN window this early spring day and felt renewed by the hope of the season and for the determination that I have to get her better and what that means...
Is she up to it?
Probably not today, but for all the tomorrows that Our Father has for her, she will be empowered by HIS help, for HIS work....

Be blessed, My Friend Dee.....

Boot(ie) Weather

In a scene repeated for the third time in two weeks, we once again embrace our Winterly Tools and fight the Gifts of Nature.
Hubby and I watched this amount start yesterday on our way home from Bloomington. Little did we know that when we said, in unison, Here it comes!, did we ever figure on 12 inches.
So.
It's here and once again I do what comes naturally...
OFF TO THE SEWING ROOM!
One more snowfall brings us closer to spring, Spring brings us closer to gardening and gardening makes me abandon the inside of my house for another few months until the heat of summer forces me indoors for respites.
Much sewing to accomplish and an Etsy shop to still start and more work on the book.
So snow on. (please forgive my selfishness)

Today's project:
Amy Butler's Cutie Booties.
Like most of Beloved Amy's patterns, I strongly desired more sketches for my poor non technical brain. But tis good practice for me to stretch it a bit every now and then.
Pretty, bright fabrics from Randi at Fresh Squeezed Fabrics made me forget the howling and blowing of snow off my roof outside my sewing room window. Brrrrrr.

Don't you love fun linings?

And here are the completed little Cutie Booties!
Adorable, huh?
(The second one was harder to do than the first. What?! Told you about that left brain situation I have)
Sunny, bright, fun addition to my growing inventory for the childbirth conference.

Unless I can be convinced otherwise.......

Sunny Bag!

Another Birdie Sling from Amy Butler.....!
(I should be able to do these in my sleep soon!)

It's really impossible to be in a bad mood sewing on this fabric!

It's really possible that I could use an inordinate amount of exclamation points just talking about this bag whose owner is Baby Girl! Should it be named Baby Girl's Sunshiny Bag?!

Sewing on this grand material made me even pull out The Rick Rack! It just needed a little complementary blue to really offset it's yellow yumminess.....!

It has been delivered to Baby Girl and pronounced 'Fab- u - Lussssssss'.......

Bags and a Bonus!

The promised sauce recipe!
The Too Many Tomatoes Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

3 lbs of tomatoes, chopped
1 onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small can tomato paste
2 paste cans of water
3 leaves of fresh basil, chopped finely
1 tbls oregano
3 leaves of fresh parsley
1 tbls italian seasoning
3 tbls sugar
3 tbls kosher salt
1 tsp course ground pepper
1 oz can tomato sauce
1 tbl olive oil
1 tsp butter

Heat the oil and butter and add chopped onions and garlic till onions are clear. Add the chopped tomatoes slowly (puree if you have a food mill but I like the chunkiness of the fresh tomatoes) and add spices. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer about an hour. Yum.

For last night's dinner, I added low calorie meatballs:

1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1 lb. ground chicken
1 egg
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 leaves of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Mix all with your hands and form into balls about an inch and a half in diameter. Place on a pie plate in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour....



And the newest bags completed!

The wonderfully HUGE Birdie Sling from Amy Butler! The fabric from Craft Town in Salem Indiana, a wonderful store with ever so friendly, helpful staff......

My turn, my turn!! A bag for myself!

Used fabric from First Class Clutter and an embellishment, courtesy of the attic in my home in Moline, many years ago....The purse is comfy and easy to get into and is lined with an amazing silk from Jan at FCC as well.....

Ah, sweet indulgence....

Vivien's Choice

Today, Vivien's mama, Vivien and I went to the fabric store. It seems I travel with my sewing machine these days, making London Shades, quilts or kitchen curtains at each of my progeny's homes. I cannot tell you how much I love to do it. It's grand to be allowed to be a part of their homemaking.

My daughter introduced me to the joys of Amy Butler's vibrant fabrics years ago. I made a sun dress for her for an thus began the love affair. It was only appropriate that when nursery material was needed for Vivien's room, that my daughter would look to Amy to supply the needed inspiration. And we got it in spades. The mentioned shades, the quilt, the matching bumper pads, the diaper bag and even her spit up cloths have all been adorned with lovely fabric.

And Vivien loves it.

My daughter will hear her 'talking' to the Mandarin Dots, the Morning Glory, and others of the Midwest Modern II and Lotus line. She is content to lie on her quilt made with a patchwork of all her fabrics. Her very large diaper bag, featured in Amy's book Little Stitches for Little Ones, is big enough to hold her and it catches her attention as well.

So today, when we were at the fabric store and while the clerk was measuring out several pieces of home decorating fabric for the bags that I make, her little eyes were scoping out the design and the colors. She could barely wait till her little hands could touch the appealing fabrics. Even though, this time, it was not Amy Butler, her trained eye discerned that, this indeed was good enough to give it attention. The clerk was entertained by her young interest so we explained how she has always( 4 months!) loved good design.

My daughters have been moderately interested in sewing. Vivien's mama is great with yarn, knitting things beyond my comprehension. My youngest daughter, enjoys utilizing sewing for her artistic bent. So my hope is that Miss Viv will be my apprentice in the years to come. I hope that she will follow me into my sewing room, expecting me to explain patterns and techniques every time she visits. Will she be the one to inherit my collection of vintage linens and make something very special with them? Could it be that she will out do me in every aspect of sewing?

I certainly hope so.