#Blog like crazy Moxie Crossbody Bag~Final...Finally!

#Blog like crazy 
Moxie Crossbody Bag~Final...Finally!

I got back to my purse sewing and finally finished the Betz White, April 2017 Bag of the Month Club, Moxie Crossbody Bag.  Whew....

I am a huge fan of Betz White.  She is of the reduce and reuse mindset and encourages sewers to remake garments into something else instead of putting them in a landfill.  Her patterns are well written and easy to follow and her bags are well thought out and a pleasure to use. 

This pattern gave me some problems but more because of my lack of attention to detail.  My exterior fabric was the same inside and out so even though I was careful to cut mirror images for the asymmetrical handles, when I went to apply to interfacing, I flipped them and put the interfacing on the wrong side.  When I went to put them together, they did not match up.  This led to me having to remove the pocket, remake the outer bag and put the whole thing back together again...sigh...

However, I am glad I persevered because this is going to be MY new purse.  I love the colors, fabric and the look of it and it's small enough to not be cumbersome but large enough to use daily.  Here she is in all her glory....

The exterior fabric is Essex Linen (from fabric.com) and the flamingos and the matching pink is fabric I bought on vacation at Fabric by the Sea outside of Bar Harbor, Maine.  I spent 2 lovely hours in that fabulous store.  If you ever get out that way, it's totally worth the time. 

What to do next....

#Blog Like Crazy Baby Dress 2

#Blog Like Crazy
Baby Dress 2

Sewing heals my soul.  I don't know why.  I take nothing and make it into something and it makes me feel so much better.  If I'm angry or sad, sewing helps me find a better place to be.  When I'm uplifted and happy, it helps me share that feeling with others through what I create. 

When I heard about this babies passing, I was so sad.  Then I thought that every little girl deserves a beautiful dress and maybe making one for her will help me deal with the sadness.  I prayed for this baby and her family while I was sewing, so I think the dress will also be a blessing.   I hope it helps her mom, in some small way, deal with this tragedy. 

#Blog Like Crazy Baby dress

#Blog Like Crazy
Baby Dress

I have set the purse aside for the moment to work on a very small baby dress.  My dear friends daughter was expecting twins and has learned that one of them has passed away.  I was so sadden to hear this news and wondered what could I possibly do to help this young woman.  I had the thought to make a small dress and bonnet for her for the baby. 

After much searching, I finally decided that a preemie pattern would be to big and have settled on a doll pattern.  I am making the dress in pink and white.  Every little girl should have something beautiful to wear and even if the dress cannot be worn, I hope that it's making will help heal her mothers heart. 

#Blog Like Crazy

#Blog Like Crazy

Just found a blogging challenge that encourages you to blog daily during November and even though I'm a day late, I'm going to join in!

I'm working on a purse pattern from Betz White, that was part of the Bag of the Month purse club in April 2017.  The pattern looked super easy but I've run into complications while cutting that I didn't figure out until I tried to complete the last step....

Looks good here....

But when I tried to add the lining I realized I had flipped the outside fabric and but the interfacing on the wrong side...

The asymmetrical handles do not line up.
I have no more lining fabric so I am going to have to remove the pocket from the outer and add it to new pieces.
Some days you do more UNSEWING than sewing.....persistence is the name of the game. 

McCalls M6964 T-shirt

McCalls M6964 T-shirt

I've had some of this fabric for quite a while but haven't been healthy enough to sew....until now!

I've been a fan of Palmer/Pletsch for decades.  The patterns are well written and always have good tips on how to make the garment more professional looking.  This pattern has a great fit tip for busty figures.  Not my issue so I didn't use it but good to see in a t shirt pattern.

I used my new Dritz Styling Design Ruler to add some give at the hips.  Not sure how I ever survived without this ruler!  Once I altered the pattern, the trickiest part was cutting VERY thin knit fabric which wants to slide everywhere.  Also an issue when sewing but I finally mastered it.

The neck bind it a smidge to big but it will do.  On the next one, I'll remove 1/2 an inch before I start sewing.  Here's the final shirt...

Back at it....Swoon Sydney

Swoon Sydney

After a number of health issues have thrown me off my sewing game, I am back at it with a new purse pattern.

I've been wanting to make this pattern for quite a while but it's a bit big for my taste so I had to wait until someone requested it.  Perfect Christmas gift for a friend.

I made it out of Gray Essex Linen with a white lining with gray and pink accents.  The contrasting fabric is a black vinyl scrap.

As always the swoon pattern was easy to follow and well written.  I LOVED that the purse is finally turned right side out through a pocket in the lining (which I almost did not put in the purse because there are so many other pockets)!  You then stitch the bottom of the pocket and stuff it into the lining and No One is the wiser.  It has a zipper top, zip pocket in the lining and zip pocket on the outside behind the two expandable pockets. The back has a double slip pocket.  Lots and lots of storage!  I made the gusset out of vinyl so it can be set on the floor without worrying about it getting everything inside wet.

My friend is very conservative hence the lack of color.  Hope she likes it!

Garden Apron

I've been out of commission for a while tending to skin cancer but I am back to my sewing machine and made a garden apron!
I love to garden and since I live in Michigan, it is a very short gardening season.  One of my biggest challenges when gardening has always been I lose my tools as I go.  I set them down in the grass and then spend 10 minutes looking for them.  I've been thinking about the apron for a couple of years actually but now that I'm retired, I have plenty of time to make everything!
I spent time looking online for a pattern but nothing fit my needs.  I realized that I've been sewing for decades and that I can do this!  So I did!  I'm quite happy with how it turned out.

The back is made out of denim from the legs of jeans I made into shorts for my granddaughter.  The rest of the fabric is scraps from my stash.  The webbing across the top is also a scrap leftover from a lunch tote I made.

The main piece is 10 by 17(wide).  I took my tools to the sewing table to decide how deep to make the pockets and how big to make the hooks on the webbing.  I made 4 pockets and 5 hooks.  There is even a spot for my cell phone.  I did interface the front pocket and waistband with SF101 to give them stability.

This is the first time in a loooong time that I did not have to UNsew a portion of the project.  It came together exactly how I imagined!