Winter Blues in Fall

I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of October already. I greatly dislike the speed at which the days zoom by when one is no longer a child (when five minutes seemed like a year!). I was able to scratch a thing or two off the list in the past week - always a good thing!

A bit ago a girl I work with asked me to make her a bag for her mother-in-law. She told me she was thinking blue and green. After going through different combinations and shades, we narrowed it down to pretty much basic blue and basic green (as opposed to varying shades of aquas and limes). The print that we settled upon was Amy Butler's Trailing Orchids from her Soul Blossoms line.

These are not colors that I am typically drawn to, personally speaking, and I thought that finding matching fabrics might be a bit of a problem. A few recent hunks of fabric that were given to me fit the bill so exactly it was almost as if the giver knew I was going to need those exact shades in the near future. I used one of my favorite patterns that I've made a ton of times before, slightly modified from the original. 

I stared and stared at the blues, talking myself into and out of how well they matched. But as I got going I thought that any other shade of blue would have blended in TOO much and that the slight contrast would really make everything on this pop. This fabric looks like regular quilting cotton, but is part of Amy's fashion corduroy collection. OH. MY. HEAVENS. I wanted to touch and pat and fold this fabric forever, it is so beautifully soft and cozy. It doesn't fray out the wazoo when you cut it and it stitches up wonderfully. I did use woven interfacing as it is a pinwale corduroy and not a thick and sturdy one, but it kept its drape and was a joy to work with from start to finish.

I put a zippered pocket on the inside, as well as a slip-in pocket. It may be the finest zip pocket I've ever done, but it was also the worst photograph I've ever taken so there's no photo (I didn't realize this until a little while ago and the bag is out of my hands so you'll just have to humor me and picture it). I also did a recessed zipper. I forgot about buying zippers before I started this, so I'm glad I have a bit of a stash problem when it comes to them and had a few blues and greens to choose from.

Here's a photo of the back--the green didn't photograph well, but it is almost the exact same shade as the lining you see peeking out:

This is one of my favorite patterns - it's comfy to carry, and it's roomy without being obnoxiously large. I really should make one for myself. One day.

In other news, it SNOWED yesterday! It was an icy, freezing snow, and didn't add much beauty in the way a soft blanket of the white stuff does, but the occurrence of a snowstorm before Halloween here in Philadelphia made me silly happy. And I don't need much more than a coating to declare it a snow day. I wore comfy pants all day, sister Rachel came over and we played all manner of old-school board games (Mall Madness, Mystery Mansion, Rummikub), ate breakfast for dinner, and curled up on separate sofas for late night TV (she under 3 different blankets, me with my knitting needles to finish a dishcloth that has been hanging there for weeks). Sister Alicia had plans related to her friend's wedding, but afterwards she was home and it was just like old times, all of us up late together, watching TV and chatting. Fun stuff. A perfect Saturday.

I've got quite a thinker of a project up next, but I'm hoping it'll end up being one of those projects that takes more thinking than doing. I'm planning on a broken needle or two, however....wish me luck!

Linking up here this week:

Skip to My Lou *** Sumo's Sweet Stuff *** Pinkapotamus *** Ask Anna *** Sew Can Do *** Craftomaniac *** Homemaker on a Dime *** C.R.A.F.T. *** Running With  Glitter *** Sarahndipities *** Sugar Bee Crafts *** All Thingz Related *** Creative Itch Boutique *** Funky Polkadot Giraffe *** Chef in Training *** Tip Junkie *** My Girlish Whims *** Sew Much Ado *** Blue Cricket Design *** Free Pretty Things for You *** Tea Rose Home *** Someday Crafts *** Somewhat Simple *** Fireflies and Jellybeans *** Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom *** Today's Creative Blog *** Between U and Me *** Creation Corner *** The Shabby Nest *** While He Was Napping *** Tatertots and Jello *** Be Different Act Normal *** To Sew With Love