New Purse For Me

 This is a cute little crossbody purse I made for myself.

Mostly the Sunshine Wristlet by Bagstock patterns, I added some hardware to add an adjustable strap.

I used some of my favorite cork fabric along with some cotton fabric that has a cork design.
This purse has an outside pocket for my phone and a zippered security pocket inside the zippered body. Perfect small size for me.

I took it on my trip to Reno to see my son.

I cut out another to sew up for my RunningWithHandmade Etsy shop. Must sew now.

I have decided straps are my least favorite part to make.

Unfinished Projects

 I had some unexpected time off the day job in April and I was able to start multiple projects.
Will I finish them?

UFO's are unfinished objects in the sewing room.

 Except for this one.
My daughter came to visit and brought this dress with her. Somehow she had obtained it for free but it was a tad frumpy with full-length sleeves. She asked me to put pockets in. When my kids ask me to jump, I immediately reply, "How high?"

The dress is a sheer overlay over a base fabric. Both float free of each other in the skirt. Unpicking the side seams of both  to insert a piece of pocket went well. I happened to have a pocket pattern piece out for a dress I'm working on (crap, forgot to add those photos to the laptop).
We drafted it a tad longer to accommodate our penchant for carrying our life in our pockets.

I promptly installed the first pocket upside-down. Did I mention the outer fabric was a sheer and fraying like crazy? Had to un-pick all the seams and re-install correctly.

This dress also had sheer long sleeves that ended in a wide 'cuff' that was elasticized. Very frumpy. So dd chopped them off neatly. Her solution was fine as she will always wear a cardigan in her office. But I was on a roll and offered to finish them with a silk rayon vintage bias binding to make them neat - just in case she were ever to encounter hot sunshine in alaska.

 This is my other project I'm working on. I referred to it in a previous post. It sat in time-out until I could  visit Pencil Girl (DrawnToSewing on IG!!!).

I like the back pleat but the whole shirt was too long for my 5'3" frame. So she helped me figure out the length and tinker with the neckline.

 I am going to utilize the mesh around the neckline.
I originally placed a triangle of mesh at the back neckline but I will make that a more shallow design detail.

 Pencil Girl said this was a bit short (about 5" shorter), I may hem it a little longer. Between Papa Bear long and baby bear short.

 I'm mostly all done with this Sunshine Wristlet, aka, a nice cross-body bag for me. A little large to be called a wristlet, it's the perfect shape for my crap. I'm not a big purse gal.

 This strap is to hold the wristlet in your hand and place your fingers underneath. I have zero intention of doing that but it turned out to be a nice detail.

I still need to make the cross-body strap. I don't have enough cork to make the strap lengthwise with the grain. I have enough to make it the other way - which stretches a bit. I'm figuring out how to stabilize the strap so it doesn't stretch.

I also made another little bag but haven't take photos yet. I'm kind of excited about it. It needs a finishing detail as well.

As you can see, multiple projects just needing one or two more steps to finish.

slip pocket on backside added to drop phone into

I did make a set of greeting cards from my dd's awesome photos. Sunset and Sunrise at Turnagain Arm in Alaska. If you're interested, they are in my RunningWithHandmade Etsy shop.

Four photos - four cards. Blank inside.

I have another week off in May, so I'm sure I'll be sewing like crazy.
We'll see if we make some finishes.

The Daily Drizzle

Purple Lilac dripping

Flowering Currant dripping

Flowering Plum dripping

Mini Iris's dripping

 What do you do when you are getting increasingly irked by The Daily Drizzle.

Oregon has had it's year of ice and snow, which happens every ten years or so. But the rain and gray skies continue. I would give anything for two consecutive days of sunshine. My garden is still so soggy, I think my sweet peas will rot before they grow.

We joke, of course: "Oregonians don't tan, we rust."

Actually, we just fall prey to seasonal something disorder where the gray clouds occupy 100% of our conversations. And you can tell the native Oregonians from the transplanted. Oregonians whine really, really well. (as soon as the UFO sun comes out, we will be whining about the the heat, the glare, the ...)

In any case, I sewed some more cork lip balm teeny zippy bags.
In my RunningWithHandmade etsy shop right now. (If you look at the web page view of my blog, the shop showcases on the sidebar).

This is a great way to use up scraps, especially of my high-priced cork fabric. I'm happy to use up every square inch of this fabric.
 
I'm even contemplating a blog post listing the Top Twenty Things You Can Sew With Your Cork Scraps. I dislike these lists, especially the sewing ones. The lists are generally not curated, tested, or tried out. I've seen tutorials/patterns on these lists that are a nightmare to sew with poorly written instructions, etc.. The author of those lists is blatantly passing along bad info. 

In order for me to write one of those posts, I would have to try out each entry. No hardship there as I like trying new patterns/tutorials.

Over the course of trying new patterns/tutorials, one acquires lots of hardware. I need to use up what I have. In the photo above, there's just a couple that match.

Cute reproduction 1930's Dogs at play linings.

EOS ball style lip balm pouches

Since January, we've only had a few days with full sun. None consecutive. It's getting on our nerves a bit. Normally, I turn off the heat in our house about April 15th. This year, as we approach May, it's still on.

I think we are finally past the frost date. I recall a few years ago, one occurring on my Mom's birthday of April 19th, but I think we are free and clear - if the drizzle ever lets up.


In fact, this is a fabulous year for all those new people moving to Portland  (173/day) dreaming of getting back to nature, going green, making a difference, actually being an artist and getting paid, etc.


People watch Portlandia and then want to move here to experience Oregon. They slave away at their non-profit dreaming of owning a farm and being one with nature. At five years, they make the leap to getting that farm, usually on five acres (5 acres! lol). It takes another five years to figure out that it is impossible to make money on five acres. That getting back to nature is a 24/7 hell hole of a job, Trying to keep the organics - organic. The animals housed humanely is really all about the amount of manure and where else can you put it.
The never ending rain ought to help clinch this year's hopefuls.

Did you know Oregon has 383 words to describe rain? just kidding, I think.

Hapai Tote

 This is a largish tote that I sewed this weekend. Santa was pretty good to me this year - this Hapai Tote was offered as a kit from CloBird Designs. It arrived in January and didn't sit around too long.

It's designed by Jessica Curzan of SewDaKine in Hawaii. This is who I order my cork fabric from.

For this tote kit, I opened it up and was rather dismayed to find it was all taupe. The cork, the lining, the main fabric were all shades of nothingness. I almost started sewing it with the burgundy thread in my sewing machine but decided to sew it as a normal person who never deviates and always has matching thread in the sewing machine. (It was screamin'difficult for only ten minutes)

 I liked how Jessica designed this. She also runs  a Production Sewing group on Facebook. Keep the shapes simple, cut multiples at a time, sew each section, then move on to the next. Already things I'm interested in. Jessica puts it out there in a fun, productive way. She is earning a living (plus) sewing bags. A goal to emulate.

 Once I was finished, it was still beige, and the rainy day was so not helping on the camera lighting.  I added a Hawaiian zipper charm and then hung it up to ignore for a couple of hours.
 
 I decided it needed a giant tassel.
 
I still have Kyle's turquoise tassel that she sent me. It was the right size but not quite right, color wise. I rummaged around and found a burgundy vinyl and quickly made a tassel that *helps*.

I love how the pattern designer added a recessed zipper to this bag. It keeps things from toppling out. This bag is made with firmer materials like cork and canvas but it still likes to collapse a bit.

Her directions are for the intermediate sewist. There were a couple of directions that a beginner would need help deciphering.

It's big enough to throw a couple of beach towels in. It's also washable. Yes, that cork is washable. It's a renewable resource, backed onto a stabilizer fabric. It doesn't fray, making this easy to execute.

I'm still staring at it and knowing it will pop over to the etsy shop to be sold to someone who appreciates it more.

It's way too big for  me. Perfect for a beach tote - size wise - but the colors don't make me happy. I might do some more work on it - maybe some hand-stitching in a burgundy color to match the tassel.

Fabric Swap

 I've grown fond of Instagram in the last couple of years. Once I figured out how to make it work for me.

 I get posts from the immediate family that has also discovered IG, but mainly my 'friends' are other sewing peoples and, of course, my airplane peoples. My feed on IG is all about the 94% awesome inspiring photos from people who have left the politics and other stuff you should not say in polite company - at home.

Sewing inspiration, airplane inspiration and nature inspiration. IG is now one of the first things I look at in the morning after I complete my online business chores.

My facebook feed, on the other hand,  is cluttered with friends, family, old high school friends, very interesting people and the other "interesting" people.

It became a chore to read FB during election time. Facebook didn't give me too  much joy - until I discovered sewing groups. Since I comment and look at these sewing photos often, my facebook is now 65% sewing posts.

In one of my FB sewing groups, a query was sent out. One of the gals, in Alaska, home to very few fabric stores, proposed a trade. My ears perked up as I had fallen into sewing lust over this print of Sled Dogs on batik in a turquoise colorway:

You might guess that this Iditarod print was only available in Alaska.

My trading partner wanted these religious fabrics she had seen made up into a wallet from one of the other purse groups we both belong too. I found them at HobbyLobby and we quickly fixed our trade. My sled dogs for an equal $amount in the prints below.

As with all trades, adding something extra is de rigueur. I made Alaska Girl a coin purse featuring a map fabric that just happened to show both Alaska and Oregon with a backing of cork. I don't believe she has sewn with cork yet so I included a scrap as well. And I won't tell you how many yards of the map fabric happened to fall into my cart to get free shipping.

The front is vinyl to be able to see what coins you have. The back is green (sea foam) cork which gives this coin purse stability. Completed with a lace zip.

Sweet trade!


I also like IG because it offers a 2-for-1 deal of being able to post a photo on IG and at the same time post to FB.

I already received my swap with an included coordinating fat quarter of fabric to my sled dog mushers. Awesome possum.

Little Cork Coin Pouch

 Inspiration from one of my facebook sewing groups. I almost derailed to make this right then and there. But I held firm and finished my other two "must do" projects.

This one was super fast to sew. No lining. The cork fabric is backed by a thin knit fabric which works quite well for a finished look inside.

The facebook sewist placed a cut-out heart there but my patch was round, therefore the cut-out was a circle.

Too stinkin'cute. And fast.



***...and two days later, added a copper rivet at the connector for strength. See first photo.

Cork Wallet

 One of the nephews suffers from  having a December 18th birthday.
At 14 years old, I think it's high time he learns about the combined birthday/Christmas gift.

Of course I caved.
I'm the airplane auntie.

 This was a quick, easy sew. I would do one part different, but otherwise the directions were very clear to follow.

Made with cork fabric, the pattern is designed with non-fraying materials in mind. This produces a very thin wallet.

The back piece is cork and it is 'lined' with cotton fabric (did you notice the airplanes?).
The pattern has you cut the cork and cotton lining separately and then make them the same size by folding in the 'seam allowances' of the cotton fabric just so and it will magically match the cork fabric dimensions. Sure. Between the cotton stretching as I ironed the raw edges under and the cork stretching a wee bit. Ahem.

But I have a solution of cutting the cotton fabric first. Then I will use a template cut from card stock that is near the finished size to help with ironing the raw edges under. Then I will lay my finished cotton lining on top of the cork fabric and draw an outline and cut out. Then they will match easier.

Except for turning the raw edges under on the cotton lining, all other edges are raw - hence the name of the pattern - Rawly Wallet by Clo Bird Designs.

 There is a 3-piece credit card pocket on the right side of the wallet and an ID slip pocket on the left. You can customize by adding more card pockets to both sides. You can add decoration to the front or onto the pocket. I added a piece of the fabric selvedge to the ID pocket - "Flying High".

Folded in half, it's quite slim.

I'm going to make more of these as these wallets are quick to sew.