Some things I made today

I’m pretty happy with the way this bag came out.  It was the first tote bag I ever made with interfacing and an applique.  I think I might try the iron-in interfacing next time.  I used the sew-in kind on this and it was a little hard to manage.  The applique was surprisingly easy to do.

I also made this hand bag out of Amy Butler fabric today.  I wish the top stitching I did around the top of the bag wasn’t so wonky…. but other than that it looks cute.

Color Easter eggs with vegetables!

This looks like a great idea!   
http://www.curbly.com/Chrisjob/posts/3840-Curbly-Video-Podcast-Naturally-Dyed-Easter-Eggs-

Zippers!

These are good zipper tutorials for anyone afraid of zippers (me!).  I made a little zipper pouch last night and it came out halfway decent.  My pictures of it didn’t come out so well though… that’s why they aren’t here.  I think I need a new camera.
Anyway – here are the tutorials. 

http://www.twelve22.org/2006/07/zipper_tutorial.html

http://u-handbag.typepad.com/uhandblog/2007/02/had_a_quiet_wee.html

More than slightly imperfect

Wow.  Have you ever started a simple sewing project and it turns into a 3 hour fiasco?
This cute little bag should have taken me an hour (give or take) and it ended up taking FOREVER!  I did one thing wrong after another – from sewing the wrong sides together, to making the lining the wrong size, and then making the handles two different sizes!  I guess my mind is elsewhere tonight!!!! 

Here is a picture of the inside pocket.  I hand painted all of the vines on the bag.

A rainy Saturday afternoon

Its been pouring all day so I decided to do a little sewing.  I made this pinafore (not quite a dress, not quite a shirt) out of Amy Butler and Michael Miller fabric.  It is fully reversible.  As you can see, I haven’t attached the buttons yet but it is almost done.  The size is 9 – 12 months.  It would look really cute with a pair of jeans or a pair of white capri pants or shorts.  I hope to get a few of these up on etsy in the near future.

Not quite ready for Etsy

I’m not quite ready to sell on Etsy yet but I think I’m getting there.  I made this reversible dress out of Joel Dewberry fabric and another tan colored fabric that I got at Joann Fabrics (not shown).  I think this would also look cute with a sash across the waist.

Loud but cute

I’m on a tote bag kick lately.  This is the first one that I have made with a squared off bottom.  I used some InnerFuse so the bottom would be stiff.  Next time I’ll try using some on the sides so it stands up by itself.  Its totally reversible with Katie Jump Rope fabric on one side and Michael Miller fabric on the other.  The Michael Miller side has a pocket.  I like it best with the orange on the outside and the green on the inside.

It feels good

I thought I would be sewing all the time once I bought a house.  I would have much more space than I had when I was living at my mother’s house.  Well, it hasn’t actually gone that way.  You see, I had big dreams… I was going to make curtains, pillows, bags, etc. and I was going to sell them online!!!  YES!!!  I was going to be rich doing this because my curtains were going to be soooooo much cuter than the ones you find in stores or online.   THEN, I made some valances for a friend and while they came out nice, they took way longer than I thought they would.  That made me realize how expensive my curtains would have to be because they took so long to make.  That is where my dream died.
Fast forward a few months – after a conversation with a coworker my dream is starting to come back.  Why not just start small – VERY SMALL.  I can make a few things and put them up on etsy.  Why not?  If they sell then great and if not, that’s okay too. 
Check out the cute little tote bag I made tonight.  Its reversible!  I love both fabrics.  In fact, I also made a pillow cover out of the green fabric for my couch.

School is a crazy place

I teach Middle School in a city with a high poverty rate.  This is a conversation I overheard while on lunch duty today.   It involved 2 boys and a girl – none of which are the cleanest kids you’ve ever seen.  The 2 boys are known to all (students and teachers alike) as the smelliest boys in the class.  The girl, while she isn’t as ripe, has the greasiest hair you’ve ever seen.  She occasionally smells.

Boy #1 and boy #2 are eating lunch.  Girl walks over and out of the blue says “Hey, boy #1, you smell like boy #2 on a good day.”  Without skipping a beat boy #1 says “Talk to me after you wash your hair.”

 Tushay, boy #1.

Failed attempt

My attempt to get the treadmill inside yesterday failed miserably.  My mother and I couldn’t lift it and we were afraid we would scratch the floors so we just left it in the garage.  Its not really in the best condition anyway.  Maybe I should buy a new one and have it delivered so I can put it together in the spot where I want to keep it.  Or, maybe I could save $800 and walk outside!!!  THE HORROR!

No spring chicken

In December I bought a house (2 bedrooms, 4 rooms total).  Needless to say I don’t have much extra space for anything.  Since I have no basement, my treadmill has been sitting out in the garage waiting for me to pay a little attention to it.  My garage is not a place that I desire to spend a lot of time in.  My furnace is out there and so are my washing machine and dryer.  So…. I decided yesterday that I’m moving my treadmill into my living room so I can watch TV and exercise.  I know this is not the most desirable place for it but its not like I have company over all the time and I need to exercise, dammit.  If I don’t use it as much as I think I’m going to then I will move it back out to the garage.

More homemade soup

Lately I’ve been adding a little grated Parmesan cheese to my homemade soup right before I eat it.  Delicious!!!!