You might yawn....

....because I've shown you this particular bag a squillion times before. But the thing I love about making made-to-order bags is that each one is different. This one came together almost like a dream. I usually have a few hiccups no matter how many times I make something--my mind wanders, I reverse something in my head and thus under my needle--but this one was so easy breezy. 

I'm not sure if it's this particular print, the dash of red, or what, but every time I glance at this one I get a little "Oh!" sort of thought flitting through my brain. The colors are just so classic, and the floral not an "old lady" floral. Side note: I apologize to any old ladies reading this. I use the term "old lady floral" a bit, and I mean nothing derogatory by it. I use it strictly as an objective fabric pattern term.

The pleats on this one came out with a bit more oomph than usual. I made it as I always do, but these would not succumb to the iron and are thus much more flirtatious and feminine. This is my favorite part of the bag to make. I adore pleats, and they're so simple and satisfying to pull off.

I remember that the first time I added this kind of pocket to a bag gusset it took me forever to figure out one. Now they're just like pshh, whatever. I now have a harder time remembering to make sure it's secure in the side seam when I stitch.

I swear that zipper pull is silver. The last time I ordered them I got matte silver instead of shiny. The matte photographs like bronze. That irks me to way too high a degree.

That single line of bias tape at the top of the slip pocket is my favorite part of this bag. There is something about that contrast that I just love. I have no idea why such a simple, silly thing should delight me so, but it does.

That's all I've got right now. I decided it would be a good idea to assembly-line produce three diaper bag orders I have. Two of them are repeats (see here and here), but the third is the sweetest pink and white thing ever. I've got the insides to whip up, and then the final stitch-together and they're done. I cannot WAIT to show you the wee girlie bag. Like so excited to show you I could squeal :)

Long weekends agree with me greatly. I don't wanna go to work tomorrow.

Linking up here:

Skip to My Lou *** Pinkapotamus *** Ask Anna *** Sew Can Do *** Craftomaniac *** Homemaker on a Dime *** C.R.A.F.T. *** Running With  Glitter *** Sarahndipities *** 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 *** Homework *** Pincushion Creations *** 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 *** Sugar Pink Boutique *** Craftionary *** Under the Table and Dreaming

Happy Easter!

I hope you all have a lovely Easter, if it's your wont to celebrate it! If it's not, I hope you have a delightful Sunday, doing whatever it is you find yourself doing :)

Abnormal Egg Dying

I was so stinkin' efficient today. We were let out of work early today for our long weekend. I came home, cleaned my car, cleaned and dusted the bedroom (and boy it needed it! slightly embarrassed....) and dyed Easter eggs with the boy. I couldn't believe he still wanted to do them, but he asked my mom to boil some eggs and buy the stuff so there you go. He has always gotten bored with it after about the 6th egg, and that still rings true. This year, though, he decided to experiment a little bit more.

He was trying to squeeeeeeeeze an egg to see if he could crack it. I jokingly said "Try hitting it on your forehead and see what happens." Apparently he thought I was serious, because whack!! And the durn thing cracked. He then proceeded to crack a few more in such a manner. Sometimes I sincerely don't know about that kid.

Once opened, he devised 3 "experiments." First, he removed the yolk from an egg and dropped it into the cup of dye. Just to see. Then he dropped the other 2 peeled eggs into different cups of dye. And we waited.

 In the blue cup--those little flakes you see? Egg yolk. It broke apart a little bit.

 Ugh, gross. This ended up in a few other cups before he was done with it.

He took out the yellow egg to see what was going on with it. And since it was sitting in vinegar and water he decided to take a bite. No difference was reported from an "ordinary" egg.

Then we moved onto the green egg, which sat for a full ten minutes. Unpeeled eggs absorb the dye so much better, but they're kind of wiggly and gross.

Wouldn't you think that the die would have gone through the egg? I'd have put money on it. I would think the shell is gone, that white filmy layer just inside the shell is gone, so what's holding the dye back? I guess a non-porous surface is...or something. I tried to sound smart but it faded quickly there... I'm wondering if we had just left it in the dye for a super long time if it would have eventually worked its way in deeper.

In a completely abnormal way, I really like this photo.

After the yolk ball was plopped into a few different colors, it still hadn't changed color much but looked really gross.

And when we cut it there was no dye on the inside, either. Side note: I can no longer eat the yolk of a hard-boiled egg. I'm sorry if you now can't, either.

Of course we had normal-looking eggs as well. It wasn't some kind of sicko egg-dying session through and through....

 Of course he couldn't dye an egg straight-up. He had to dip them in multiple colors "just to see."

Those little Paas color kits have not changed one lick in a gazillion years except for one thing--they don't give you a crayon anymore. How's a person supposed to make a polka dot egg without the crayon? Luckily this rainbow cardboard band stepped in to cheer things up.

So that's that. It was an oddly full day, but a good one. And now I've got all day tomorrow to do what I want. Which looks like it's going to be sewing. Diaper bags. I'm assembly-lining 3 of them. We'll see how that works out. Ta for now!

The Baby Shower

This past weekend we had the baby shower for my sissie Rachel. The only thing she requested (because I told her to shut it and stop being a control freak before she could name a bunch of other stuff) was that it not be a restaurant shower. There's something to be said for not worrying about food prep and seating, etc., but there's a bit more to be said for being able to linger as long as you'd like afterwards and not having to worry about fitting all the gifts into your car lickety-split.

We kept everything pretty simple. Our Easter decorations are up, so there was plenty of soft pretty colors around. Most of the shower decorations were things that we found at craft and party stores. I insisted that we make giant tissue paper flower ball thingees. Then I insisted that we not use them because I apparently underestimated the amount of skill needed to accordion-fold tissue paper and fluff it up. Everyone patronized me quite nicely, and if you didn't look too closely they looked alright....

The yellow one is ok (and there's another at the other side of this window that's not in the pic). The green one was fine too, but in this picture I think I had just smashed my hand into the center trying to get it to stick better. I climbed back up and fluffed it afterwards, but I'd understand if you thought this was how it really looked. Other sissie Alicia did up the banister in crepe streamers and topped off the newel post with a giant multi-colored flower. I didn't take a picture. It was really warm, and I was sweating, and I couldn't be bothered. Because when I get hot I get mean and disinterested. True story.

On to the favors. We've all been to showers before where you end up with something really cute, or that took a lot of work, but is completely useless. For the money that you put out for these things we wanted them to be cute and have the possibility of functionality. So we went with these:

These jars are perfect for holding weensy bits like buttons or safety pins or beads or what have you. And Easter M&Ms are the perfect colors for a baby shower. The chocolates are all gone now. OK, they were all gone by Monday, I think.

Isn't that a sweet looking cake? It's a chocolate chip pound cake from a good old-fashioned bakery. It even tasted excellent the next night with an ice cold glass of milk.

Sticky buns and cream puffs on the bottom. Yum and yum. And yum. Yum. I had two of each. On the top is something called "high hats." I called them gnome hats. There's cake and cream on the inside, covered in chocolate. I lost track of the yums. I should really be ashamed of myself. I'm not, though. In case you were wondering.

This was a baby carriage fruit tray with a fruit baby. The baby head kind of creeped me out at first. But the fresh fruit and the fruit dip were quite delish. I could honestly just sit all day and scoop fruit dip into my mouth.

I only have a few shots of my sister, because my other sister had my camera to take photos and it was almost as though she was waiting for her to have a weird look on her face to snap. So I'm only showing you the photos that won't get me a phone call that starts "Um, you better take those down!"

There was not much of a chance of her being surprised beyond this point, because about a half dozen of us were standing there just inside the door with cameras aimed at it. I don't think people should scream and scare very pregnant ladies anyway...I always thought that was weird.

I hope you appreciate that blurry photo. Look at that bump! She's all in front, though. They say that's how it is when you carry a boy. We made her wear a "Mommy To Be" sash too. Just in case there was anyone who wasn't sure.

My grandma crocheted this blanket for her. It's a soft blue that photographed white. I'm just past halfway done with mine. I'm knitting it, though. That's my excuse on why I'm only halfway. Grandma made each of her grandkids a huuuuuuge bed-sized afghan using this stitch years ago. The next time we go for a visit I'm going to ask for a lesson, and then I'll share with you :)

And the obligatory paper plate and ribbon hat picture. It took two plates to make that monstrosity.

That's all I was able to manage. We were so busy all weekend getting ready and cleaning and prepping some of the food and decorating and moving furniture that I didn't get the photos I was hoping to. She loved it and was happy, so that's all that matters.

Wanna know who wasn't happy?

This guy would have been absolutely bonkers with all the people, so he had to go lay sod at my brother's house with the guys. Hehehe. I'll admit it--I like to think my dog is a person.

I'm not sure where the time went between when I clicked 'write new post' and now, but I must trot to bed to be ready for my last workday before a nice long weekend. See you soon!

Hahahaha: I needed a chuckle

I had a very busy weekend and am still a bit wiped out. I almost cried when the alarm went off this morning, and spent the day fighting an "I'm tired" headache. I didn't think I'd be able to make it through my aerobics class, so I played hookey and went to Joann's. I had gotten what I needed and was wandering around in that aimless way I do when I'm shopping while tired and head achy when this little kid almost plowed into me while I was nearing the end of an aisle. He says to me, dead serious, "Watch out down there," pointing towards the aisle he just emerged from, and then ran for it. Naturally (or probably not naturally because it's a weird conclusion to jump to) I thought "Oh man, did he take a whiz in the aisle?" But no. He just wanted to warn me against this:

I have no idea how the giraffe got mixed up with this crowd. At least he wasn't doing that annoying screaming thing kids tend to do in any store I happen to be in. I'm sure the Joann's employees were very excited to pick these up and return them to their shelf homes, haha.

I think I need sleep. I'll have baby shower pics to share with you soon. Oh yes, that's where my energy went this weekend :)

Ta for now!

Electric Youth in a Handbag

My knees hurt. My feet hurt. It's only partially because I'm getting old, harharhar. I'll let you know why later in the week (not why I'm getting old but why they hurt). Hopefully you can stand the suspense until then. So while I'm sitting here fussing on the internet and putting my feet up I figured I'd show you the order that I just finished.

The original idea for this one was supposed to be a yellow, gray and white combo. Naturally I could not find a single thing that pleased me. If I was looking for yellow, orange, and green there would have been an abundance of the yellow/gray/white. That's the way the universe treats my fabric whims. I called my customer (a.k.a. my friend who was ordering this for her mom for Mother's Day) and asked what she thought. I was staring at a cute print with some pink in it, and totally on my wavelength she goes "I was thinking that a pink and gray scheme would be cute too...." In my hands and off to the cutting table. A few evenings of the ol' hack 'n stitch and I was done.

I was waffling between gray and pink for the accents, but I think the gray is much better. As much as I like pink I think it would have made this bag entirely too sweet. I know it's such a little thing but that front pocket drives me crazy to sew. It makes the straps more difficult to stitch where I place them, and it bulks up the seam something fierce. Otherwise, this one goes together pleasingly quick.

Here's the back without the pocket:

I played with the shape on this one a little more so it's not as wide as it usually is. I've been very good lately about taking notes on things. I usually just follow a basic pattern and do the rest from memory. It goes so much faster if I write down what I did that I like and reference it later. What? You say "Duh, that's obvious!?" Yeah, it is. Slow learner over here...

I like the tapered shaping on the gusset. Usually I wing it and cut it the same width, but it makes the bag so much more barrel-shaped and shapeless at the same time. This offers some subtle shaping that's a little bit more feminine.

Suspension bridge zipper, slip pocket (and a zip on the opposite side). I find making pockets a little annoying, but they're a necessary evil -- I love having pockets in my own bags so I can't begrudge the extra work for someone else. I amuse myself by adding little touches like bias tape along the top.

Parts of this fabric--like the outlined pink flower above--remind me of the eighties (in a good way!--I used to loooooooove pink and gray together. When I was really young in the 80s. Because I'm not old. Ahem). Remember that song by Debbie Gibson - 'Electric Youth?' It kept playing in my head while I was working on this. Not that I remember it or anything. Because I'm not getting old, remember?

There was also a request for a few little zippy pouches. I was proud of my zipper economy skills. I started with 2 zippers, and got 4 out of them - 2 in the bag, and one for each zippy purse. Wanna know how? I took off the purse zipper, and replaced it with a larger pull (I always do this). I was crazy obsessed with getting the right measurement for it, so when I cut off the excess length (I buy loooong zippers--same price for more versatility) I had enough for the change purse (and used the extra pull for that. I used a long zipper on the inside, saved the other half, and luckily had an extra pull (that I had taken off aNOTHer zipper) to add to it. I was oddly pleased with myself for this. If you could have peeked inside my head you would have thought I had just saved the world or something.

Does this photo remind anyone else of those "look how many generations in one photo" pictures people take at family reunions? This bag started off as the Highbrow Hobo by u-handbag. I loooove the original bag very much, and have fabric set aside to make myself one. But most of the time I'm asked to make it a little larger, so I added the gusset, and of course use a zipper instead of a snap, but these are all doable adjustments. You can find the pattern for sale here if you're interested.

So that's about it. You may think I'd be making progress, but here's the thing. For every project bag I empty something else fills it right back up. Which is good. But busy! But let me tell you - I am really happy with my new organization system. Everything I need is right there in the bag, just like a little kit. When the bag is empty I'm all done. I like it. Plus it's much easier to keep everything out of the way in the bin under my sewing table than in scattered stacks all over the dining room.

I've got a baby blankie that needs some stitching. Have a restful Sunday!

Linking here this week:

Skip to My Lou *** Pinkapotamus *** Ask Anna *** Sew Can Do *** Craftomaniac *** Homemaker on a Dime *** C.R.A.F.T. *** Running With  Glitter *** Sarahndipities *** 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 *** Homework *** Pincushion Creations *** 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 *** Sugar Pink Boutique *** Craftionary *** Under the Table and Dreaming

Wonky Fan Block

Hey there hi there ho there! Is anyone else in a mild state of shock that we are almost into April? At work I overheard "first quarter reports are due blah blah blah" and had to look at the calendar to make sure it wasn't some big fat liar with his pants on fire talking. Sincerely--where in the heck did all the time go? I don't like it, guys. Too fast.

Anyhoodle, we're still on the wonky blocks in the QAL, and this one I dig man, ya know? I think the checks might be overkill and I should have chosen a more subtle background, but eh. I'm not going to start therapy over it. I would like to make a properly pieced fan block at some point--it can't be that much different than a dresden plate block cut in quarters, can it? And I bought a dresden ruler for when I had high hopes of free time, so maybe I'll give it a shot.

I don't think it's as obviously crooked as I would have liked for it to be... What's the deal with that? When I'm supposed to sew straight it's a mess, when I have the freedom to wonk things behave themselves. At least the "handle" part of the fan is absolutely ginormous. OMG, ginormous is a word recognized by spell-check. I expected the red squiggly, but nope--it's a word.

The red was a little too empty, so I slapped favorite decorative stitch on it. Wanna hear about a tragedy? I'm out of red and white polka dots. GASP! I know, I know, that will be rectified immediately. It's like when I don't have a spare spool of white thread beyond the one I'm using. I think the effect is called 'palpitations.'

I think that's all I've got to say about that. Happy Friday!