Bring some heat INTO the kitchen!

There's something sexy about an apron.  Correction: There's LOTS sexy about an apron.
Especially sexy aprons like these!

I have a lot of fun putting little half aprons together - fantastic for keeping your frontside dry when you're doing dishes.  Nothing worse than finishing off pile a dishes with a wetspot on your tummy.
That didn't sound wholesome.

The half apron is also great for those final dinner preparations with company lingering around the kitchen.  Not only do you have someplace to quickly wipe off your fingertips, you instantly bring credibility to your meal -- not to mention you look awesome making it!
"This beef is a little overdone, but look at that apron! It must've been intentional. She knows what she's doing."

Girly Fairytale Messenger Bag

The bright pink stitching really sets this one off. 

I don't know how I ever lived without this scalloped stitch.

This bag came together quickly after cutting, but I really took my time placing and cutting the pieces to make the most of this pattern. 

I'm not sure how I ever overlooked this pattern - I guess I wasn't in a girly state of mind. 

Look! A pink squirrel!!!  Eating apples, or something apple-like.  Well, not eating so much as reaching and picking. But there will be eating of these apple-like tree fruit. Oh yes!

There's a scene with two albino bunnies with a bright red eye running across a field with a wooden fence - so adorable.

I couldn't fit all of these elements of adorableness on this particular bag.  Thank jeebus I got three metres of this fabric!



But what I DID get on this back - on the back - is the foxy red fox with the birthday cap. Or toque.  I haven't decided. 

He's got his tongue sticking out, like he's licking his bright red chops.  On the pattern he's actually staring at the running bunnies.  So I'm happy to have saved the bunnies from the lecherous stare of the birthday fox.


I think of this fabric pattern as telling a fairytale.  There's the cartoony hungry red fox, the running bunnies, and the pink squirrel climbing a tree for his meal. 

There's a poem in there somewhere.  I'll tell it to myself when I go to sleep.

Bonsoir!

Yellow Purse of Joy (and Birds)

Your first time is never easy.  There's lots of fumbling around, second guessing, and self-doubt.  Lots of wondering, am I doing this correctly? This doesn't feel right. 

I'm talking about your first time with a new pattern. 

I achieved happy results after all - and I'm going to keep it! 

I couldn't help showing it around at work today - I'm so proud and it's so cute!!!  It's not every day you can overcome a big challenge and come out with a sweet looking prize like this!



This is a very sturdy and attractive purse!

FUN FACT:  It holds twice the volume of my current purse.  I checked. 

I work directly with three engineers - they like measuring things. A lot. Their strange brain patterns could be rubbing off... just a little bit. 

And here's best part - the handles go over my shoulder.  The perfect Mom purse!  The magnetic closure and cellphone pocket are the crowning details.

I'm quite tempted to make more! Any takers?

Almost called it "The Bag Lady"

My business. I was encouraged by two separate people (men, does it have to be said) to call my business The Bag Lady.  It's catchy, but seriously? Who wants their adorable creations to be associated with rusty shopping carts and matted hair? Pas moi.

I enjoy making fabric tote bags. They're easy, and the best part is you don't have to stick to a pattern!

These bags here were some of the first bags I made with my new sewing machine.  The printed fabric was picked up at the Midland Fabricland's big closing sale for super cheap.  I got way too much of it!

I've named it Pink Avocado.

These bags are all different and special in their own way - they're variations of each other with unique stitch patterns.

Not only are they the perfect bag to go clothes shopping with, they work very well for packing a lunch for work.  They're a medium-weight cotton, so they fold up nicely and fit in your purse*.

(*as long as it's a Mom-sized purse).

Here are a few more bags:

Pink paisley and a delicious watery blue lined bags.  I gave one of these pink ones to a coworker as a gift of appreciation - she's been giving so much of herself to help a family member with breast cancer... it felt very nice to help lift her spirits.

Here are my happy/ mating/ fighting/ debating mountain goats again. 

There's something about this fabric that makes me feel sad when I cut it.  I feel like I need to apologize for breaking up the beautiful late-winter early-spring scenes... "Don't worry guys, you're going to turn into something useful and adorable! Please don't scream when I cut you!!"

This is another set of larger tote bags, all with the wildly psychedelic stained glass fabric. 

These are really sturdy bags with doubled-up handles.  The handles are wide, so they don't dig

into your hands if you've got a heavy load going.  You could probably carry a whole whackload of butternut squash home from the farmer's market in these and not worry about anything bottoming out or your hands being cut into.

I'm not sure why this happened, but when I became Mrs. Bird I got into collecting things with birds. Big Time!

I just about fell over when I saw this fabric for the first time.  How I managed to leave the store without the entire bolt of fabric over my shoulder is a mystery (and a testament to my ever-improving sense of self-control).

These are various birds all over this large bold print...  in cages, in flight and perched on rooftops. 

Put this bag over your shoulder, there will likely be a bird perched there, looking out at the world.

This is another of the larger bags, the fabric is super sturdy - great for a teacher or student carrying books - groceries of all shapes and weights - miscellaneous toys for a daytrip to Grandmaman's - or your indoor shoes when it's snowy and slushy out.

The bag design that started it...

This messenger bag design came from One Yard Wonders - it's designed for a kid, but up the dimensions a couple inches and make the handle a bit longer, and you've got yourself a very grown-up sized bag.  I still have the one I made for Dezi - it's the prototype and a testament to how far my sewing skills have come in a few short months.

The book calls for a bag with the same fabric for the insides and outsides and pockets, but changing it up is much more fun.  Those who know me know that I have a hard time sticking to convention.

I've produced a few messenger bags to date... have a look! 



That birds fabric is going everywhere at our place



Very masculine, with dark grey and black outside with birds lining on inside.

My old sewing machine, a Crappy Tire special, had a real hard time with the topstitching around the handle and the top of the bag.  And for some reason, it kept getting bound up on the velcro, so I had to sew the velcro by hand.

This was one of the last things I produced on that overpriced paperweight. 







Black stained glass fabric, with velvety corduroy and handy iPhone sized pocket.  This crazy fabric is from Ikea, and I'm happy to have used the last of it.  It's chaotic and loud, kinda like a colourful version of the Guernica. But without the death and destruction.

City Birds (Oiseaux urbains) bag with the velvety corduroy lining. I had a real hard time letting this one leave the house this morning.

 

Check out the detailing on the stitching, dear jeebus I love my new sewing machine. It looks like bird tracks; very apt considering the print.

I can't wait until these things start selling so that I can justify a road trip to Toronto for more fabric. 

Bleu alpin (Alpine blue) bag, again with velvety corduroy lining. 



Messenger bag, front side




Plushy olive corduroy lining

 

I decided that after about 20 hours on my new machine I was skilled enough to go with a bold hot pink accent topstitch.  I can't get enough of the bird feet stitch. 



The rams may be in love, or about to fight.  You can never tell with those animals, their eyes aren't very expressive.









Threading the needle

Let's get started from the beginning, shall we?

It's Summer 2010, I've got a big bin of fabric and a couple new books (including Small Stash Sewing by my favourite blogger Melissa Averinos of YummyGoods - eeeee!).  I find a pattern for a sweet kid's sized messenger bag, and make it for my little guy Dez, who is a very grown up 2 year old.  He's always asking to hold the grocery bag at the Farmer's Market... so I make him his own bag.

Fast forward to early Autumn... a local shop owner asks me about the bag, loves the bag, wants one for his wife. Said he's going to PAY me for it. (Say whaaaa?)
I make him a replica, special, custom.  He pays me. He says, "You should sell these in my store." And he was serious!

Thanks a bunch to Andre at Ciboulette et cie in lovely Midland, Ontario for giving me an opportunity to have my sewing skills pay some bills. At least my fabric bills, at this point.