Biking For Fabric

 Jackpot.
What can I say?
The gods of garage sales smiled at me once again.

This was the fabric sale advertised in the church parking lot on a Sunday.

 And it did fit into my tiny biking backpack.  Well - my plastic grocery bags hung off the handlebars without getting caught into the spokes....

$19 for almost 7 pounds of fabric. The little old lady was selling fabric by the pound!

$7 was for two Gutermann Toldi serger cones of thread - 2500m in off white. Sewing rope bowls used up all of my little stash of off white and here I find some more - full cones, mind you, both for less than half of what one cone would have cost new.

She had it all laid out neatly, fabrics separated by color and type. Lots of vintage cottons, from small pieces to large pieces.

See that aqua blue 1/2" stripe at front right. Yards and yards. (5?). And on top of that, the aqua and brown possibly Pendleton plaid wool. Also yards and yards.

So the airplane print is not a favorite. Obviously a juvenile home decorator print for a nursery.
There are multiple pieces in various sizes and I will list this one first. I'll keep some of the smaller bits so I can add to my collection.

I will sell the big pieces in my etsy shop and recoup my costs several times over and have loads of thread to make more rope bowls.....

Just a wee bit more than six miles on my bike today! Yay.

 I tried on my new sewing shirt and find it fits on top but is too snug at tummy.

I like the color so I'll need to think of a hack to open the width on this tshirt up a bit. Maybe with some lace. It's too long, so maybe I can cut off the bottom few inches to add them in somewhere else.... I'm going to send this project into dreamland for a while. Maybe do some pinning (Pinterest) to gather ideas.

Estate Sale Bonanza

 A week ago, I went to an estate sale just out of town about three miles or so.
I hit the crafter's bonanza.

This top photo is three Hawaiian Prints (says so on the selvedge!) in beautiful rayon cotton. The fabric that drapes wonderfully.

The next photo is one of several lengths of Pendleton Wool. One is tagged Pendleton. These were all stored in a cedar chest. Lucky me. Cuz the rest of the fabrics were stored willy-nilly and I will have to double-check them for whatever lurks within.

Pendleton $6.00/yard!

 A buttload of zippers. 10 cents each or 'Let's Make A Deal'. I came back on Sunday (Half-price day) and found the rest of the zippers.

There were a lot of laces and trims but there were also a lot of musty mousiness. I left those.
A house, outbuildings, shop, barn. Filled with vintage loveliness.

 This pattern goes with the Hawaiian prints above. This is a well-known Muu-Muu designer.

 My co-worker and I both write a ton of letters. Fun critter-shaped letters. She loved these!

Vintage novelty prints.

 A stack of Hawaiian, Wools, pretty striped Swedish blue and yellow stripe.

 The orange and black is a stunning authentic batik.

 This is a Japanese style Tricot.
Yes, tricot knit. The kind you make slips out of.
I just love the colors and the japanese pictorial. Eagles, cranes, Swordfish, 60's mod water.

 What a fab haul.

I had an phone emergency last week. My barely three-month old phone slipped off the couch arm and hit the rug in just the right spot. The screen didn't break but the LCD thingy came loose and the screen is all wacky-doodle. I managed to retrieve these photos and thank god I had moved the Japan photos to my laptop a month ago.

I had finally got the new phone all set up just the way I wanted and BAM! -- dead in the water. It will cost too much to repair. I'm using the old Samsung S2 for now. My new blogging app - Blogaway - won't work on the older phone. I had gotten used to it's photo loading capabilities.

 Come to find out, a lot of the newer Samsungs: S4, S4 Mini (me), S5 all have this problem of not taking any guff. Reports of sticking it in your pocket causing the LCD to break loose, Hitting it against your keys in your purse, dropping just one time....

yeah.

I might switch to an I-Phone next time I  have spare money. Although, I will be selling the pendleton wool as well as all of the above estate goodies, so maybe some spare change will make its way to me by Christmas.

Catching up on some planned blog posts - three to go, -- now that I retrieved the photos off the S4 Mini by way of the Samsung Kies program.

Pendleton 2ZH

I started this bag - the Two Zip Hipster last weekend.  This is designed by Erin of Dog Under My Desk (DUMD) and features a cross-body strap and a recessed zipper.
I made one before out of Orange Ikea fabric:



On my first one, I followed the directions with only one minor change. This time, I changed a lot.
First off, I wanted to use Pendleton wool fabric and the purse needed to be a tad wider. Having only 1/2 yard of this turquoise and brown Pendleton print meant I had to be creative in the cutting layout.
I found a great thin suede to use as an accent piece (faux piping) and as trim on the front pocket.
Like the first time, I ironed the pocket lining to peek above the edge
 
Other people have enlarged the pattern 110% but not me. I only wanted the width to be larger. The depth of the bag was just about perfect. That meant I had to study all the pattern pieces to make sure I was adding the same amount to each abutting piece. I added just less than an inch to the width.

I want this tassel on my zipper but I'm not sure how to attach it. I need me some jewelry findings. I'll go ask creative girl tomorrow. I'm sure it involves a bead header cap, a jump ring, some glue . . .

I had a thrifted cross body strap that matched well enough - so I had to change the connecting hardware.      {...but this meant I did not have to sew a 60" strap}.

Purse hardware is very spendy. I  find purses that don't look great at garage sales and cut off the metal hardware - usually a buck in my neck of the woods. The hardware on this purse could easily be $15-20 at the fabric store.

 My limited fabric meant I had to piece the front piece. Because it's hidden by then front zip pocket, no big deal - just measure against the pattern piece to make sure the end result is the correct size

I think I will hand stitch that label on more securely, or not.

Love how the recessed zip looks!

 I wanted a two-way zip, based on my last 2ZH, but I think that was because that purse was a tad narrow in width. It's nice, but it meant I had to mentally do my zipper installation a teeny  bit different.

I just received these metal zipper ends from Emmaline Bags. Best bling ever!
Looks so much less home-sewn.

Turned inside out. I added the long strappy thing to hold a double sided coin purse (not made).
I read some advice on traveling in Japan about their coinage. Some coins are best to get rid of right away, and to separate your change as you receive it so you can move it on.

***Side note: I heard the best joke at work today!
When does it rain money?
Whenever there's a change in the weather.

 I, of course, had to add an inside zip pocket for secure storage. And lined it with some airplanes  ;-)      The white background is easier to see things inside a purse.

 The opposite side holds a standard (with pattern) slip pocket. I decorated it with my trimmings.

I have two weeks to go before my trip. Tomorrow I'm shopping for a lightweight, but warm rain jacket as well as other assorted travel doodads.

I had wanted to sew a pendleton carry-on but that's too ambitious for my limited time. I can board with a carry-on and one personal item. In the ways of air travel, this purse will be in my giant black airplane purse.

I am very happy with how this turned out,  even if my seam ripper had to rip out some stupidity occasionally.


I first used this pendleton fabric on this big shopping tote bag:




***April 2015 update:
This worked terrific on Japan trip. I received many compliments.
The two-way zip actually worked very well. Just the right height for my water bottle, sometimes the bottle placement meant using one zipper pull-tab or the other. I think I'm on a mission to put two-way zips in all my bags from now on.
It was easy to manage multiple showings of passport wallet, change purse (Lots of japanese coinage!) and regular wallet. Japan is very cash-based, unlike USA & Europe.
This bag had the right amount of pockets for traveling.

Pendleton Pillow Time

I had a request by the nephew to make a U of O pillow ;'()


He was here in the summer and saw one on the top shelf of my sewing room. I used to do holiday bazaars and still had a couple of Oregon State &  University of Oregon pillows leftover - need to photograph them and throw them into the etsy shop.

I thought while I was at it, I might as well sew some new pillows for the son's new place.
I had one 24" pillow form in stash - the others are a small 16". The 24" is nice and big for three young men.
You have to have a matched pair of pillows  - I certainly have enough wool. I may even go for a triplet set.
It's a great excuse to go to the fabric store to buy another 24" form. 

 I sewed some Pendleton pillows last fall for a friend and repeated it on a larger scale.
 

 Her's came out at 18" and they look kinda puny on today's humongous couches.

I picked up the red plaid shirting at the Pendleton booth at SewExpo this spring. The rest of the wool strips are from my stash. I've been sewing for 2 1/2 days straight from my stash and has it decreased in size???
{rhetorical question - do not answer}{{unless you have a joke about the size of stashes}}

Here is the U of O pillow case (18") folded into a ziploc bag. This is how I am mailing it.
Yes, you can mail in a see-thru ziploc bag. Use the freezer ones as they are thicker. Tape well - no loose edges.
The recipient (and me, too) gets ridiculously excited to see the actual item inside the packaging they are getting in the mail. Smiles all around!

Usually at 18", the envelope back will pop open (exposing the dirty underside of pillow business). I incorporate zipper installations to keep things square. My stash did not include a green nor a yellow zipper so I did a wide envelope back.

One side is cotton, the other is soft polar fleece.

SewExpo Dreaming

Many attendees have been coming to this show for 30 years. Yay! SewExpo!
They have outfits.
They come  together. Whole entire generations take classes.
The 4-H style shows, The Vogue style shows....
 .

As promised, here's what I purchased at SewExpo this year.

My favorite Batik Booth - Indonesian Batiks - had them in knits!
T-shirt possibilities.

 My new favorite Go-to cleaner for vintage linens.
This did a fabulous job on my Airplane quilt.
I found it on sale in a booth.

 This booth was visited twice.

Not only for the Sashiko threads and indigo fabric but the darling Kawaii Japanese prints.
Look at those buttons!

'Round the world in cute Kawaii fashion. See the statue of liberty? The Eiffel tower?
Had to get both colorways.

Laundry/Sewing Small motif

 Snow White and Little Miss Riding Hood. Extremely easy to put in my Pendleton Tote.

This booth is where I ran into my neighbor. She bought this Marilyn fabric to make something for our neighbor who is obsessed with Marilyn Monroe. I bought some to make a Messenger -style bag for Miss Obsessive as well.

Random pieces of fabric.
 My sashiko indigo is on the far left. Cool blue spots {{on sale!!}} and some wordy sewing fab fabrics.

 My friend, Pencil Girl,  was home with bronchitis so I smart-phoned her with photos as I purchased - so she could feel like she was right next to me.
The above fabrics - one is a Liberty of London Tana lawn fabric, the others are knock-offs by Michael Miller, called "London Calling".
My Japanese friend, Crafty Tokyo Mama, has been sewing with these fabrics lately, so I bought some for her and me to play with.

 I actually did not purchase these fabrics at  SewExpo. I bought them at Fiber & Stitches in St. Helens when I saw this Bucket bag made out of them. Anybody wonder why? Got to have me more airplane fabrics!

This is called the Saffron Bucket Bag.

 See the film squares where you can fussy cut a cool airplane?
The booth at SewExpo also utilized the airplane fabrics. I just love the red stripe.

I don't need another bucket-type tote bag, but utilizing the film squares to highlight airplane images is very inspiring!

The Pendleton Wool Booth. One of my favorites.
No huge clearance sales like last year. But still - 35% off fabric cuts - Good price.
The lumberjack wool was special priced at $13/yd - could not resist. I can't even wear wool - skin itchies.
By the time I got there on Friday afternoon - they had given out all the 'prizes' for sewing something with Pendleton. They still had some business card holders - which I got last year - so I sent this one off to Pencil Girl. They were impressed with my Pendleton Tote bag. And the side zipper!

 
These labels were in the Pendleton booth. Got distracted by lumberjack wool.
These are much better than the old style: "Made with love by Mom" labels.
Should've got some.

 One booth had a notions scramble where you could fill a gallon ziploc for a buck!
All these bra measuring tapes. Not to be confused with regular measuring tapes.
I filled my bag mostly with the measuring tapes, tiny snaps, and embroidery needles.

 Saw some rivets which I picked up. I live at least 30 minutes from a good fabric store and I don't think they stock these. My choices are pretty much online so when I saw these, I bought them.
Decorate pants/shorts/bags/etc.

This booth came from Montana - Quilt Gallery.
I sat next to them at breakfast for two mornings at the hotel.
I like the detailing on this messenger bag.
It almost looks like you could get a laptop in there. Which is big. Too big.


This was a quilt in grays and reds that I was inspired by.
{Repeat after me; " I don't quilt"}








At the hotel. Is this inspiring or what?





These are the sites for the American Sewing Guild Chapters. Apparently, Oregon is a hotbed of members.



This is a reminder for Pencil Girl and I to play with our Resin, purchased last year. ummm. . . 




I'm guilty of not buying this pattern. It's just a zipped pouch with vinyl replacing one of the fabrics. Small rectangles of fabric. Probably not enough direction on sewing vinyl.
I like the idea of being able to see what's inside.


I really enjoyed Tula Pink on Saturday's Quilter's Night Out.
She designs fabric for FreeStyle Fabrics. Her class the next morning was on what  it takes to be a designer.


 




She uses the computer but starts with a sketch pad. Another designer, Kaffe Fassett, sends in oil paintings of his color designs.
Tula Pink is a brand name which is important as basically, you are an independent contractor and your fabric lines need to be promoted by YOU.

She sews her quilts but sends them out to be long-arm quilted  by a very gifted long-armer.
I just love the humor in this triangle quilt which faintly resembles a space shift. The quilting provides the blast burners and a ladder up to the ship on the left.