Tag: Bag

A Tote for my Cargo

Posted on Posted in BagsTagged , 17 Comments

Oh my, in between a full work week and my daughter’s birthday with family party, friend party and special dinner all orchestrated by her, I have had very little free time for creating. Fortunately today before I start more work this weekend, I squeezed in a couple hours to work on my Noodlehead Cargo Tote. I have been sewing along with Sophie and several other crafty women here: C’est la vie: { CARGO DUFFLE SEW ALONG: PART I: choosing fabrics / choisir les tissus }.

It’s been really fun to see what fabric combinations other folks are coming up with and Sophie is giving some much appreciated details in her posts.  I have three bags cut out and with limited time on my hands today, decided to forge ahead with my Lotta Glimma and Carolyn Friedlander fabric combo.  As I am still trying to get used to my new industrial Juki machine, I opted to add some repurposed leather to the mix donated generously by Bianca (Thanks! I made them!.) and sew most of it with this machine.  I was a little intimidated as I know how unforgiving leather can be but thankfully this suede hides my mistakes fairly well.

IMG_4988

IMG_4987

IMG_4983

IMG_4977

What’s that you say?  You want to see the inside?  Let’s just say that I’m super psyched that Kristen from Skirt as Top has a tutorial for lining that I will be trying out. (catnap cargo duffle (with mini tutorial on how to add a lining) | skirt as top.)  Halfway through quilting the sides I realized that the beige bobbin thread looked pretty darn ugly on my brown interior canvas.  C’est la vie.  I’ve decided also to skip the snaps as I made this one for myself and I like having my pockets open and easily accessible.  My hat is off to Anna who designed another great bag.  A bag’s success or failure for me often ride on whether the handles are beefy enough to hold the bag and gear (I tend to overstuff bags) and whether the weight of the body is hefty enough to keep it from seeming too homemade.  This bag rates well on both.  Free pattern here:noodlehead: Cargo Duffle Pattern for Robert Kaufman.

I’ll end with a picture of my girlie taken a little over a year ago on a trip to Venice.  At now 13, she is still thankfully uninterested in makeup, clothes or getting her ears pierced but can almost always be found with a book in hand.  BTW she requested and I made this cheesecake for her birthday dinner: chocolate peanut butter cheesecake | smitten kitchen.

BOMB.COM!!!!

IMG_0146

The Bianca Clutch

Posted on Posted in BagsTagged , , , 3 Comments

The digital age has changed irrevocably our day to day lives.  The way we interact and make connections has forever changed.  Through various forms of social media, we now can date (thank goodness I am married!!), we can reconnect with friends from high school and we can make new friends on line.  I was reminded of this recently when I received a surprise package from Texas. Via Flickr, I have been introduced to the work of many talented people.  One such person is Bianca (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48608470@N06/).  Bianca has THE best style.  She makes clothes that compliment her so well and her hand stitching is amazing.  Soon I also discovered her blog (http://thanksimadethem.blogspot.com) where you can find great tutorials and inspiration.  Bianca somehow read my mind after I got my new industrial machine and picked up a leather jacket from a thrift shop for me.  Little did she know that I had been requesting old leather jackets from friends and family with the idea of repurposing to no avail!  In any case, Bianca’s wonderful gift came and today I decided to put my new machine and this leather to work.

IMG_4751

I pulled together some of my favorite Carolyn Friedlander Botanics and followed an online tutorial for a fold over clutch I had been eyeing. (http://youandmie.com/tag/foldover-clutch/)

IMG_4758

To add some extra bulk to this quilting cotton I used a medium fusible interfacing and I quilted the lining. (This is one of my favorite bag making tricks as I often like a little more heft to my bags but prefer a smooth nonquilted outside.) My Juki did well and I am delighted with this bag. I only used a small amount of the leather in this coat and look forward to using more. Thank you so much Bianca!!

IMG_4797

IMG_4807

A Place to Store Ideas

Posted on Posted in BagsTagged , , , 2 Comments

I whipped up an Idea Pouch from Michelle Patterns (pattern here: http://www.michellepatterns.com/product/idea-pouch-pdf-sewing-pattern).  It fits a standard composition book nicely and holds lots of pens in the inner pocket.  I can imagine making up a similar pouch for my guy out of Corudura or leather.  Pretty pleased with myself that the apples on the front pocket and flap match up.  In my case, it’s always better to be lucky then good. 🙂

IMG_4534

IMG_4536

A Vintage Bag

Posted on Posted in BagsTagged , , 3 Comments

One of the main reasons for purchasing an industrial machine was so that I could repurpose some of my heavy treasured vintage tapestries.  The heavy fabric took a toll on my traditional machine.  Ms. Juki and I are still getting acquainted but with some give and take we are starting to get to know each other better.  A beautiful Hmong baby carrier has been staring at me from my sewing room corner so yesterday after work I pulled together my fave organic cotton canvas from Marcus fabrics and some of my last Muench leather handles and put this beauty together.  My new machine made it sooooo much easier to sew together then my previous attempts pre-Ms. Juki.  I have about 15 other crafting projects swirling in my head while also working on Pediatric Mock Code scenarios for work, dealing with THE WORST Influenza season of my career and guiding my kids through major school projects.  Life is busy but good.

IMG_4489

IMG_4507

Below are some other beautiful fabrics staring me down. 🙂

IMG_3463

Michelle Patterns Pocket Clutch

Posted on Posted in BagsTagged , , , , 5 Comments

Continuing to foster the “soft” side of my personality, I sewed up a Pocket Clutch from Michelle Patterns (pattern here: http://www.michellepatterns.com/product/pocket-clutch-pdf-sewing-pattern).  This was such a nice departure from my other recent projects.  It is so tiny and delicate with two inner pockets.  I used one of my favorite vintage buttons and the pattern is simple and straightforward.  I give it a strong recommend.  Alas, I think the Yang part of my creative personality is going to be hard to control.  I spent the rest of the morning drawing up plans for another geometric baby quilt, this time in black and white. 🙂

IMG_4469

Valentine’s Day Preparations

Posted on Posted in BagsTagged , , , , Leave a comment

We’ve had rain the past couple days and it feels wonderful!!! (such strange words from this former Seattle native) Not only has the rain given our plants and trees much needed moisture, it has given me even more reason to stay inside and make things. Typically I don’t think much about Valentine’s day as my husband and I aren’t sentimental that way (when was our anniversary again?) but I’m looking forward to the holiday this year and have been pondering all things heart-shaped.

IMG_4358

My daughter has been felting some three dimentional animals lately. She and her girlfriend’s are all making each other handmade things (even without my prompting-so cool!). One gal is knitting a hat, one is sewing stuffed animals and my girlie is 3-D felting. She has her supplies strewn all over our dining room so this morning again with hearts on the mind, I whipped up a heart bag for her to store them in. Hope she likes it.

IMG_4364

In addition, I’ve been eyeing some sweater pieces I felted with thoughts of making a pillow or bag with heart embellishments and I have been working some of my special beads into bracelets (such an easy project, see here for details:  https://entropyalwayswinsblog.com/2013/11/27/african-christmas-bead-necklacebracelet/)

IMG_4376

IMG_4282

I think it is going to be a colorful February.

A Man-Purse for Kris

Posted on Posted in BagsTagged , , , , 4 Comments

The other day I was laying in Savasana at the end of yoga class (you know, the time when your mind is supposed to be blank, ha!) when I started pondering projects for my new Juki.  For some reason my husband’s old climbing ropes taking up space in our garage came to mind.

IMG_4274

When my husband and I finished Med School in Seattle we moved to Cleveland to start his ER and my Pediatric Residency. This was a rather traumatic move for my guy who had become quite the rock climber, climbing El Capitan when we were in school and spending every free moment in the mountains. In Cleveland there was not a lot of outdoor Rock climbing to find and he needed a partner to accompany him. With minimal climbing experience under my belt, my husband would drag me to every local rock wall and granite quarry. On one such adventure, we ran into a young college kid who was equally as thrilled with climbing. Kris had quite the style. He knew how to make polyester from Value Village look good and was “popping tags” way before Macklemore made it cool. Some people are just gifted that way I guess. 😉 Kris was also the first guy I knew who had a man-purse. I was so thankful to him at the time for getting me out of rock climbing duty and of course introducing us to great music and style.

IMG_4253

Kris has since moved to Colorado to be closer to the mountains he loves. He is now a High School teacher with a wife and daughter and reportedly has the same awesome style. He’s told me he still wears the fleece jacket I made him, reinforced with duct tape, from that time when we all had no money. A couple of his students dressed up as their favorite teacher for Halloween this year.

IMG_4255

I’ve been putting together a gift package for Kris and his family to include a hat for his daughter, a toddler harness my kids have grown out of and I decided to use the climbing rope to make a new man-purse for our friend.  I used some Cordura and my favorite organic cotton canvas as well as Pellon heavy duty one sided fusible interfacing and a favorite print from Ikea for the lining.

IMG_4270

IMG_4268

My Juki handled herself quite well and I was pleased how easily she sewed through so many layers including the climbing rope.  I’m looking forward to trying out some other new designs.

Baby and Mom Gift Trio in the Mail

Posted on Posted in Bags, QuiltingTagged , , , , 1 Comment

I think I’m done with red for a bit.

IMG_4246

I finished quilting up my simple triangle baby quilt (https://entropyalwayswinsblog.com/2014/01/16/a-modern-baby-quilt-top/) and have packaged it up along with a bag for mom (https://entropyalwayswinsblog.com/2014/01/18/a-momma-bag/) and Rufus the dog (https://entropyalwayswinsblog.com/2014/01/10/introducing-rufus/) for baby.  I did some simple geometric quilting for the quilt and used a vintage cotton/linen fabric for the back.

IMG_4249

IMG_4234

PASTELS, HERE I COME!

Humbled

Posted on Posted in BagsTagged , , , 1 Comment

I have the most amazing group of artist friends. One of my faves is Vicki who is quite the world traveler and photographer. In addition to doing graduate work teaching Spanish, she is a part time dental hygienist who spends time every year going to remote locations of the world providing dental care to folks who have never seen a dentist or a hygienist. Yep, I know how to pick friends. Anyway, Vicki just returned from a trip to India and invited several of us over to see her pictures. Her work is lovely and the subject matter eye-opening. Seeing her photos of beautiful young women dressed in their colorful saris spreading dirt and gravel to repair the roads makes me think how underdressed I am most of the time in some variation of scrubs or yoga clothing.

IMG_4135

IMG_4140

IMG_4139

Travel too is one of my passions and I love the Mark Twain quote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness”. By seeing the world we gain a better understanding of other cultures and also a better insight into our own biases and beliefs.

photo

Vicki picked up some amazing textiles on her journey, one of which was an elaborate antique shirt that she had custom fitted. Despite some extensive time fitting her in India, the shirt was quite binding and she felt that she would never wear it. Knowing my love of textiles and repurposing, she offered it up to me to remake into something she would use. With great care and delicacy, I ripped seams and cut into this 90 year old garment. GASP! I used the back fabric to make a bag strap and folded the front into a simple bag shape. I used some of my own linen which i random straight line quilted with cotton and fusible batting as the liner to give the bag some extra structure. I then used a vintage button from my growing collection to help secure the top.

IMG_4201

I think she and I are both pleased with the result but hearing back from the person who helped her buy the original shirt gave me a chance to ponder. The town’s specialty are these handsewn textiles in which they rightly take huge pride. In the end, Vicki’s guide in India was also pleased with my repurposing but I think also a little surprised that I would alter it so. It gives me a better appreciation of all the handmade textiles I so treasure at home and overseas as well as the people and history involved in their making.