"After winter comes the summer. After night comes the dawn. And after every storm, there comes clear, open skies."

While the snow sits, lazely melting in my yard, I am pulled toward daydreams of warm, sunny days. It has been a doozey of winter, beginning with a treachorous wind storm. As the snow melts, I am amazed at how many trees were felled during our early winter winds. Quite of a bit a destruction is beginning to reveal itself. Makes me wonder what our summer has in store for us. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live somewhere a little less extreme. Then I look out my window at my beautiful new house and feel quite content where I am. While our moving plans become more concrete with each hired contractor, I wander into my soon-to-be sewing studio and stand in the middle of the room. Life is good, and about to get even better.

Front of bag with button.

Currently, I sew away in my little corner of the living room. It takes me weeks to complete most projects, as I have to put them away each time we use our dining room table. I finally finished my Fourteen May June bag last night. I used some Anna Maria Horner fat quarters and one of my favorite, over-the-top vintage rhinestone buttons.  

This was a fun little bag, and I love the colors. I still have to stitch up my Zakka Pencil Case for the sew-along, but maybe tonight... I have it all cut out, and that is half the battle.

Back of bag with pocket.

Dada's beard, Mama!

Now, if I could just keep my darling Carly from coloring herself from head to toe every chance she gets. Thank goodness for "washable" Crayolas. It is really hard to get mad, for she has such an appreciation for color and decoration. Really, whose fault is that?

It's the most (insert your fav adjective) time of the year...

I got married on November 25, 2000. We had originally planned a spring wedding, but I couldn't picture myself getting married in spring. I love this time of year. We have a few feet of snow on the ground, and as I glance out my window, I can see the chickadees digging their way into the feeder. It so peaceful outside. I live for these Sunday mornings.

My plan for today is to dig my snowshoes out of the shed and check out the trails behind my house. We have a ski conversion kit for our stroller, so I tow little Carly behind me while the older kids come with. Quite often, they end up hitching a ride on either side of the stroller. We never venture too far from home.

I also want to make a Christmas sewing list. I have some great ideas, but I know Christmas always sneaks up faster than I'm ready for. 

I have been playing around with Anna Maria Horner's new pattern, the student art tote, in the evenings. I finished it, but didn't like how the middle divider turned out. So I went to the Calico Whale, found some fabric that was absolutely perfect, and redid the lining with the divider. I think it will be a great entry for the Celebrate Color contest. Too bad you can't feel how soft the outer panels are! Perfect bag for this time of year...

Student Art Tote with new lining. Second time was most certainly the charm!

Outside of the tote. I used denim zippers and upholstery fabric for the outer panels.

 I realize that this would have been one of those times that I should have used muslin for my first attempt. Perhaps I should invest in some serious yardage. I have been experimenting with projects more and more lately. I want to venture into clothing, and I found the most beautiful, inspirational book last week.

Kay Whitt is a teacher turned designer, and her book, Sew Serendipity, is wonderful. I am still carrying it around with me. She also has a blog that I have been visiting lately.

If I could live in her clothing, I would. I love her eye for color, and how she mixes fabric prints. 

Celebrate Color: I Finally Finished Something!

I finally have a submission for the Celebrate Color contest. Just finished it up an hour ago, and I think it's pretty cute. The pattern was fun, easy to understand, and comes in two different sizes. I made the larger one, as I can't leave the house without half of what I own coming with me.

Alexander Henry's new fall fabric "rivoli girl."

I lined the inside with Anna Maria Horner's "Framed" in oilcloth.

The pattern is Amy Butler's Frency Tote.

 It took me a while to cut into my fabric. I fell in love with the girls on Alexander Henry's new fall line, and couldn't decide which two girls I wanted to fussy cut. Trust me, it took way too long. 

I also had to deal with a few distractions. But honestly, who doesn't want to dive into a jar of buttons and just play. Really? It's just me?

This is the first time in a while that we've been able to just relax. I'm loving it. After a very busy week at work (so very excited about my new library!), we are all happy to hunker down on this chilly, perfectly fall day.

Gramma got the kiddos matching jammies... Love the look on her face.

 

And...I ordered some custom tags from Gutentags. So fun! Totally worth checking out! I matched the font on my tags with the font I used in my blog header. Pretty tricky, right? 

The Ruthie Clutch

I have had this pattern for almost a year. I adore the retro look but I had to wait until I had the perfect button to finish off the bag. At least that was my excuse. Not sure why I was a little afraid of this pattern, but I'm glad I finally gave it a try. Carly immediately fell in love with it and I had to remove 1 pacifier, 2 crayons, a Zooble and a small little chocolate thumbprint before wrapping it as a birthday present.

I can't wait to make this pattern again! Currently on the lookout for the perfect fabric and of course, vintage button. Ahhhh, how I love an old button! 

Documenting my passion...

After a very long self-doubt filled hiatus, I gingerly took my mom's Elna out of storage. It sat on my kitchen table for a few days. Just sat there. I would sit in front of it, smile, and then walk away. I had sewn for years with my mom, and she was always, well, there. She would fix my mistakes, rip my seems, gently guide my ideas and before I knew it, I had a quilt. Or a bag. Or hemmed pants. After we all lost her to an unbelievable short battle with a horrible cancer, the quilt room became off limits. It seemed I couldn't sew without her. 

I couldn't remember a thing she had taught me. So we boxed up all the fabrics, donated her unfinished quilt tops, and left the Elna sitting in a closet. Not a day went by that I wasn't tempted to dig it out. And then, a few kids later and several other life altering events, I walked into our local quilt shop. I was nervous, but the amazing fabrics that were spilling out of metal paint cans were calling to me.
On display was a really cute tote. I am a bag girl by birth, so I was enthralled. It was Anna Marie Horner's Multi-Tasker tote. The owner was teaching a class on how to sew it, so I purchased the pattern, some fabric and this is how my mother's Elna came to sit on my kitchen table.
I was amazed at how much I was able to remember. I loved the class, and the hum of my mother's machine was calming and comforting. I went home and eventually made two more totes. I have been sewing ever since, and every time I sit at what I finally consider to be MY machine (or at least both of ours) I feel close to my mother. And I love it.
Now that I am trying more and more patterns, I realized I should be documenting what I'm making, so I can at least keep track. This blog, barely touched since it began a LONG time ago, will hopefully serve that purpose. So my first sewing post contains a picture of the bags that started it all. 

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