Sheesh! Monday already?!?!?!

I had one helluva weekend.  Nothing exciting, just got lots done between today and yesterday because Friday night I laid on the couch and watched 6 episodes of 'Lost' on DVD. My sister Alicia told me for 3 straight seasons to catch up because I'd love it but I was all "Nah. I wouldn't like it."  I only became interested during the last season, which I wasn't going to find out the ending to only go back and watch the first 5 seasons already knowing the deal.  So I'm halfway through the second season now, and she was right. I love it. I have a touch of an advantage--she told me to pay attention to everything, so that's what I'm doing instead of just sitting there all ho-hum about it, possibly missing some detail I might need later.

OK, so I did NOT mean to go on about that for a whole paragraph.  I want to show you my newest bag:

This here bag is the 'Pleated Pinafore' purse from u-handbag (where else?)

This was going to be a summer bag, but I never got around to it.  So I used some wool from the ol' stash to make a scrum-diddly-umptious fall/winter bag.  There were some new skills for me in this pattern:  I made my own piping using my brand new piping foot, and I made covered buttons.  Both of these were very satisfying, lemme tellya.  Throw that in with the pleat (I love making pleats!) and it was a bag o' fun.

Neat recessed zipper

For the most part I didn't do too bad with matching up the plaid lines.  I forgot about them when I was cutting so I got kind of lucky when it worked out ok.

I'd show you the inside but you can't really see anything--it's pitch black in there.  I forgot that I severely dislike working with black--so hard to see to line everything up or rip out your stitches! Is this just me?  Anywhoodle, this bag is for a charity raffle at the high school of the granddaughter of a lady I work with.  She asked if I'd be willing to donate a bag for the mother/daughter tea.  I tried to make something that both the mother and the daughter might want, and I think this will work--because both my mother and my sister want it, haha.  I think it would go great with a pair of leggings and boots that are like Uggs but aren't as clunky and gross as Uggs; or with jeans and a sweet leather jacket. 

That was Saturday.  This morning a friend of mine came over with her son so I could fix his much-loved pillow. This thing was very much loved--it was falling apart and she didn't know how else she could fix it. She tried to switch it with a new pillow but he was having none of it. She brought me a panel from a wall-hanging that was what the front used to look like; I added some soft interfacing and simply sewed it to the front, leaving the edging and back in tact.  I could have very easily thrown together a new pillow, but it needed to have the same tactile qualities for the most part--the softness of the back, the piped edging, the smell, etc.).  I was concerned he'd know it wasn't quite the same, but she said he went for his nap no problem, so yay.  Hopefully it holds until he doesn't need it anymore.

This afternoon I whipped up a quick little fall project which I'll show you as soon as I get the pictures taken.  I'll probably do a mini-tutorial--the idea isn't mine, but I made some changes to the original to get what I want. Easy-peasy and really cute and fall-ish. Even Alicia thought they were cute (and she and I are rarely on the same crafty wavelength).  This evening I made a quick little iPod case for a friend. I had originally intended to use a sew-in purse frame, but I couldn't get the pattern right for several tries (I hate wasting fabric!).  If I had a hammer nearby this thing would have been smashed thinner than a dime, I was so frustrated. So I did something much simpler and cuter with an elastic-loop and button closure. Nothing fancy, but it will serve it's purpose, and I won't lose my mind. I used this tutorial I found on Sew, Mama, Sew. 

Soooo...that's about all I have for now. I love when the weekend is over and I feel like I accomplished something. Enjoy your Monday!