Working with New Material :: Leather

 I have wanted to do this for awhile now and have finally had the chance to work with leather.  I love the idea of adding leather to bags and best of all, I've been saving outdated leather coats and using them on my bags.

I am still in the experimenting stages and the first time I started working with it, I am not going to lie, I was a little intimidated and nervous.  Leather is not something you can work with and if you make a mistake like incorrect stitches - rip them out and sew again.  Once that needle punctures the leather that hole is there for good.  Top stitching definitely needs to be done right the first time.

 Stitch length and your pressure foot are another important aspect of sewing with leather.  You want to make sure the stitch is long because if it is too short the thread will rip through the leather.  A teflon foot is a must for leather too, otherwise the leather will stick to your regular foot and pull the leather as you are sewing.  The teflon foot allows the leather to glide through as you are sewing.  If you don't have a teflon foot I think a walking foot would probably work as well.

I have only been able to work on a couple of bags and still tweeking the design.

The size of this bag is great.  There is enough room inside to hold a lot of your important stuff and closes with a zipper. The inside perimeter is lined with pockets so you can organize all your items and the outside has a large zipper across the front.

I am really pleased with how this bag turned out. The fabric combination with the black leather base and handles makes this a stunning combination.

I gave it to my Mom for Mother's Day and she was really excited about it when she got it.

What do you think?  Is this the type of bag you would carry?

Sneak Peak

Here's a sneak peak of what I am feverishly working on.  It's been in the works for awhile now and I can happily say that it is just about done!

I have been sewing so much for the past week, that I have put my back out.  It would go into spasms and hurt so much I had to take Advil to ease the pain - it was ridiculous.  Then on top of that I finally got the lousy cold that everyone else in the family has had.  Thanks family!

I can't wait for you to see what I have been working on.  Can you guess?

Do You Like Bears?

If so, you are going to love this new outfit that was just listed in the shop.


A white cotton tee with a gingham square framing a bear head. The pants are a medium weight cotton weave. The two together make a very fashionable outfit.

Check them out here and here.

** don't forget - there's a special going on right now for every applique top and pant or skirt you purchase you can get $5.00 off. Hurry cause this special is ending August 31st!

Modeling and Samples

Usually when I have new items to photo, I use Quinn, which is OK for most product shots, but sometimes it's nice to have a real, live, breathing model. I was able to have one on the weekend when I finished this new sample outfit and actually went to a little girl for her birthday. The model was fantastic. She is a natural! Most of the poses she came up with herself, which made it real easy to photograph.

I am quite happy with how the pieces turned out and the fabric I used was great. The skirt, which is a slight A-line design with a flat front and elastic back is made with a denim weight cotton with white and pink stripes and the peasant top is a lightweight gauze material.
I didn't have quite enough width for the skirt so I had to add in a panel piece. I didn't want to show the seams so I camouflaged it with rick rack. To the admirer it is just a decorative element. To the designer a design element to the problem.Look for this skirt in different fabrics and variations of the top coming soon!

When you get Lemons make Lemonade

Every Mother's Day for the last few years I have had my parents over for breakfast. My Mom always make a fuss and thinks it's not fair since I'm a mother too, but I really don't mind, I enjoy it.

Having them over I usually just get her a card or a plant for the garden, but this year I decided at the last minute that I would make her an apron and matching pot holders. The apron sewed up easy the pot holders on the other hand not so easy. You would think two little squares zip zip and you are done but I wanted to put bias binding around the edges and I usually don't have a hard time if it's straight lines and even when I do curves they turn out pretty good, but for some reason they just looked like crap. On the one side they looked fine, but then I flipped them over and what a mess. The stitching was all over the place and when I looked at the corners... oh what a mess. What was I to do, what was I to do? Throw them out? No, didn't want to do that, other than the binding they looked pretty good and they matched the apron and lets face it, I hate throwing perfectly good fabric out. There had to be a way to fix it and there was. After I thought about it for a bit, I free motioned around the bias so there were stitching lines going everywhere. I did them both and after they were done, I loved them both.


I made another set for my MIL but skipped the bias on the potholders.

Another New Boys Shirt and Pants

I've added a new little boy's shirt and pants to the shop.

Find them here and here.

Have a great weekend!

It's Friday.... Again!

I needed a break. I am working on my yearend... need I say more?!

I noticed that for a journal that is all about sewing there hasn't been much posting about it has there?!!

So I thought I would share.

I made this for a new baby girl. I think it turned out beautifully - what do you think? All the colours are sweet and girly with lots of textures and so cozy. Even fresh and spring like. I was sad to let it go, even my girls loved it and wanted to keep it.

The Long Weekend before Back to School

I hope everyone had a great long weekend. I know I did! It was fun and busy and even a little bit sad. It was the last long weekend before school started today. I don't know where the summer went, but it seems like it just started because we are finally starting to get some really hot weather which we have been waiting for all summer long!

On Thursday, I went to see Celine Dion in concert. She was amazing! Her voice is incredible. Whether you like her or not you have to admit she has a voice and talent like no other. I wanted so badly to see her in Las Vegas, but unfortunately that never happened so when her tickets went on sale last winter, Hubby got them for Christmas for me. I was so excited to go and the seats where great.
(picture from this site:http://music.aol.com/picture/celine-dion/singer-celine-dion-poses-for-photos-at/07-958-5403)

Friday was an amusement park day and a birthday party all rolled into one. That was a lot of fun, but tiring.

We did a few other fun things that we usually do to end the summer vacation and we also got ready for another school year which started today. It was so surreal walking the girls to school. It felt like I just did it yesterday. It's a gorgeous day - hot and sunny and promises to be like that all week - FIGURES! Anyhoo, the house is quite and boy did I ever get a lot done this morning when you don't have to chase and entertain kids all day.

I also got some sewing in. Sweetpea got some new coloured pencils and markers for school and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to make one of these.Both pencils and markers fit in each pocket
I let Sweetpea pick out the fabric she wanted. She chose a Laura Ashley plaid print together with a pink gingham and I had white linen to make the pockets.I had the perfect ribbon to go with the fabric. Don't you just love when that happens...I do!
Since she will be taking it to school, I thought to embroider her name and what's inside (pencils and markers, of course!) on a tag I made and sewed it on the outside.It rolls up larger than usual 12 pencil case. There are 26 pencils and 20 markers. I have to say I am really loving how this turned out. The fabrics together are perfect and so girly.

Sweetpea wasn't sure what I was up to and didn't know exactly what I was going to make so when she saw the finished product she squealed in delight. Needless to say once Sunshine saw it- she wanted one two. So I will be making another one. Plus I see a few more in my future as Christmas presents and if any birthdays come along I think this will make a perfect gift.
If anyone is interested, I could do a tutorial on it. It is really fast and easy to whip one of these up once you figure out the size you want. Just let me know in the comments. If I get enough interest I will do one in the next couple of days or so.

Hard Bottom vs Soft

I can't decide. What do you like better? Hard bottom based handbags or soft? I've done both applications and like them, but do you really have to have a hard insert in the bottom of all bags. Is it necessary? Why do you like one application better than the other? Is it a selling feature to have a hard insert? I know it gives it more sturdiness, sometimes structure and helps it to stand up, but sometimes the way the bag is constructed it is sturdy all on it's own. Do you need the extra? Do you like it better when the bottom doesn't sage or does that really matter to you? I would love to know what you prefer and why.

That's one of the two pots I have at the front of the house that I planted at the beginning of the summer. I love the combination of flowers I put together. You should see it now the potato plant (light green plant) is huge now and hangs close to the ground. Unfortunately, the blue flowers didn't make it, but everything is nice and full now.

It has nothing to do with this post. But I couldn't go pictureless so I popped this in.

Brown Bear

A new outfit. This time for a boy. I enjoyed making it. I plan to add a lot more outfits for boys as I get a lot of "all these girl outfits are adorably cute, but I only have boys". Well, that's about to change because in the next little while I hope to have some "adorably cute clothes for boys." So here is a sneak peek at what's to come.


They are a comfy elastic waist pant, but dressier than that because of all the details. Stitching along the outside pant leg and I incorporated the gingham in the pants by adding a pocket at the back (sorry, I forgot to take a picture.) All the details make them look more like a dress pant.

The gingham was then added into the shirt applique to tie the two together.



I was over at TreeFall earlier and Manda has some exciting news. She has a new job and it has to do with a new Magazine. Go on over and read all about it.

I can't believe it is Friday already and on top of that August 1st. Summer is flying by. It's another long weekend. We don't have any set plans for it, maybe just going out to dinner, which is kinda nice since it's been busy the last little while, so it will be nice to do nothing and relax.

Hope you have a good weekend.

2 Piece

I've been able to get back to my sewing machine. Feels so good to get back at it - I was able to make this fun outfit.A shirred halter top with matching capris with ruffle bottoms. So cute!


Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Dragonfly Dress

A new dress added to my Etsy Shop. A real investment piece for your little girl. Go read all about it here.

What I've been Up to...

I've been kinda all over the map lately. Getting my spring/summer items ready and inventory stocked. One day working on children's clothing, another day making diaper bags, working on the computer, booking shows, looking after drapery orders, and sometimes switching gears and doing all of that in one day. It's a lot of work for one person and sometimes it gets overwhelming, but I love what I do, so it makes it all worthwhile. When things get hectic, with the things that I have to do, I like to take a break and work on something different, play with my fabrics and see what I come up with.

Enter Exhibit A.... The Bag~Organic
I love this bag! The combination of fabrics - the nutmeg brown linen and the oversized weave of the floral fabric brought together with the grosgrain ribbon, just pleases my eye. It's very organic feeling -hence the name. It has a fabric loop and wood ring closure. Silver metal rectangle rings on the handle, with lots of slip pockets inside to keep everything organized.

Then I tried another one....Garden Path

This bag turned out beautiful too. In soft sage green and mushroom linen, brought together with a strip of floral. It has a button/loop closure. The strap is held by a wooden ring on either side, again, with lots of pockets inside to keep everything organized.

These bags were fun to create, and I am sure , if I get enough positive response about them, there will be more in my future, but for now, I have to get back to the "To Do" list.

At this point, I am not going to be listing them on ETSY, possibly later, however, you could always email me if you are interested in either of these bags.

Catch-Up

Sorry for the lack of posts. I just noticed it's been almost a month since I last put an entry in. Part of the problem has been computer... or lack thereof. I had to get a new computer. The old one was just having too many problems, and it was only three years old. It was also getting too slow - it would take me forever just to load things up. So I have been busy getting things transferred to the new one. What a pain that is.. and soooo time comsuming. Thank goodness for the internet, though. I think I am pretty computer savvy, but there are somethings I am just not sure of... so I googled them and sure enough I found the answer. What a great feeling that is to concur a problem. On top of that issue. I have been without internet for the past few days and talking with my ISP, which shall remain nameless, is enough to drive a person to drink. Anyway, since I last posted, Easter has come and went. Hope everyone had a nice one. Prior to that, I threw all caution to the wind and hired a cleaning lady. I had fought with myself for a long time as to whether or not I should get one. Is she going to clean the way I like it? I should really do it myself. What if I don't like what she does? Should I really let someone else do it? These are all things that were going on back in forth in my head before I finally just said I am going to do it! Boy, I'm glad I did! She came the Wednesday before Easter and cleaned the whole house in 4 hours! I was ex-tactic. I was jumping around like a kid with candy in her pocket. I got so much done that day, while my whole house was getting cleaned.. it was wonderful. Whoever said "oh you get more satisfaction out of cleaning it yourself, was DEAD wrong. I was completely satisfied, and then some! I was hosting Easter on Sunday. I can't tell you how the stress level went down having my home cleaned. I didn't have to worry that I had to clean the bathrooms, or clean the floors or wash the cupboards before everyone came..... cause it was all done. All I worried about was getting groceries, preparing the mean and I even got all my laundry done. My house was in order and I was ready to enjoy my company. I definitely urge you if you are thinking or struggling with this same dilemma, to go out and get yourself someone to clean your home. It will make you feel great... and don't you deserve it?!

I also got a lot of sewing done, working on some new designs and booking some spring shows.

Here are some of the things I have been working on.... Dragonfly dress/top (that is based on the pillowcase idea) and wide pants... more to come soon!

First time I made yo-yo's... why, oh why, did I wait so long???

New shirred dresses. Do you know how hard it is to photograph a busy little girl.....


Plus a whole lot more that I just haven't had a chance to photograph yet. Hopefully, next week.

It's Friday... again! I'm so glad. Have a super weekend.

This is were I usually am all day

I wanted to share some sewing projects I have been working on, but the pictures are in my camera and the battery is dead, so you will have to wait til it charges up.

So instead, I thought I would share parts of my space with you. Some shots of where all the magic sewing gets done.

My beloved machines. The sewing machine and serger, side by side. The best way to have them, I think. You just have to wheel on over once the seams are sewn to serge them up - never leaving your seat.

They are true work horses. I sometimes wish they had an odometer to see how much mileage I have put on these babies. Don't you think it would be interesting to know?

Ahhhh, the colourful thread! Husband and I made this thread wall last summer. I have so much thread and never anywhere to put it. I had seen all those commercial made thread holders, but they where never big enough and I always thought flimsy. So, I made my own and I love it! It holds so much. It's on the wall at the end of my sewing machine table, again easy to roll over and grab a colour.

Anyone that sews, or does any kind of crafting knows that they need lots of storage and lots of shelving. This does double duty. It's a shelf that holds all my notions and extras. I store them in recycled plastic spring mix salad containers. These are great containers for holding my different sized zippers, ribbon, scraps and hardware. I also use it as a clothes rack to hang my completed projects.

It's way up high out of the way, but easy to reach. I don't have a lot of square footage. So when that happens you have to look up and go verticle. It's a great way to use otherwise dead space.

My studio is in my basement. It isn't really finished other than the ugly pine wood walls that the previous owner put up. That is why you see the raw beams in the ceiling. It's not the most esthetically pleasing place and I would love to soon make it over into a gushing gorgeous space, but for now, I am working with what I've got and I try to surround myself and put things in it that I love.

Baby Gift

Don't you just love making baby gifts? I do. They are so much fun and cute to create.

I think I mentioned earlier that I became an aunt again to a sweet baby boy. The perfect opportunity to make these.... bibs and burp clothes!

I don't have an embroidery machine so I just drew the letter "J" with my disappearing pen and appliquéd with a zigzag stitch and embroidery thread over it. Turned out not too bad... yes?



When I saw this flannel I knew I had to make it into a robot shape... it just had that element of robotness.(I don't think that is a word, but you get what I am saying... right?) I am quite pleased with myself as to how it turned out. I drew it freehand.



Anyways, not a lot of sewing going on these days other than above. I can say that I have made some accounting headway and I hope to get it under control soon... I mean I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If that is at all possible.

Since the holidays, I haven't been able to get my ass in gear. There is so much that I need to get done and I am moving at a snails pace. I think I am in that February funk and it isn't even February yet. I hope February moves as fast as January has. It has been soooo cold here, the sun rarely if at all comes out and we are on a snow advisory today (we are suppose to get a shit load...lucky us -eyes roll back..very grumpy). All I want to do is hibernate, now if we can just get thru February spring is right around the corner...yipee!

Have a good Thursday!

Last of the....

December gifts is this little zippered pouch. It's for a young girl who also had a birthday in December. However, she hasn't gotten it yet because she doesn't actually have her party til January or February. With all the hoopla over Christmas her mom feels that it is better to celebrate her birthday with her friends after the busy season is over.It's a fun little bag that I've had in the memory bank for awhile now and of course as I have said before the perfect opportunity to try it out.

It's black denim with accents and lining in red gingham. It has a large zippered compartment with a pocket in the front and a two pockets in the back.The strap is long enough to cross over your shoulder or simply keep it on one shoulder. I think it's a great bag for when you are going out and only need a few things, however, it is large enough to carry quite a bit, sling it over your shoulder and off you go. All in all I am pretty happy with the way it turned out. However, there are a few things that I would tweak if I was to make it again.

So, those are all the 2007 gifts... now onto 2008. I have already been busy making gifts and I will hopefully be able to show you them soon. I need to get them done and get back to work. This being off during the holidays has really slowed me down, however, it doesn't help when you have a sick little one at home and you are busy being Nurse Nightingale.

As for the accounting...ya right... still working on that, at a very slow pace. I am waiting for my accountant, no not the one that told me all the wrong information, my other one to answer a question. So you can't say I am procrastinating if I am actually waiting for some information... can you?

Lunch Bag and the Thought Process

My sister-in-law asked me about a year ago if I could make her a lunch bag. Of course I said "sure". However, I had no idea when I was going to make it.

Her birthday was last week. Guess what?! I had the perfect gift I was going to give to her. Finally, I had motivation to make this bag that she asked for so long ago.

What colour to make the bag? She just got herself a new coat in green... green bag it is!

I basically used my Emily Tote pattern to make her bag with a few minor adjustments/additions. She gave me a container that she likes to use for her lunch so that I could make sure it would fit... and fit it did. Love that. So I got to work. What else does a lunch bag need. Well, she uses a fork sometimes, so I added an inside side pocket that fits her knife and fork as well as a napkin. Then I thought "lunch" messy sometimes leaks, so instead of using regular fabric, I used 100% nylon. Any minor spills or leaks can easily be wiped clean. Now onto handles. I put short ones on, but then thought what if her hands are full and she needs to free them up a bit. I added a longer strap so that she could easily sling it over her shoulder, if need be.


When she opened up her present last week, she was THRILLED! Thrilled that I remembered and thrilled that I finally made it. She loved the colour and the whole concept of the bag.
I also bought her a red whistle kettle that she admired the last time we went shopping. She loved that too!