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.

There Was Sewing Done

 I made a similar book bag a few weeks ago and immediately received an order for another.
This customer wanted elephants inside the tote.

I was looking for a blue kokka elephant fabric for the inside lining but had to settle on this pasha elephant instead. I believe I have some blue elephants but they may be airplanes instead. Zowie - there goes my mental mindkeeping. I'm almost certain they are inside my sewing room hiding in plain site.
 
haha - here they are. they can't hide forever...

 The book tote is completely reversible so she can put her big books out there or throw the elephants around.

I had some Yoko Saito books come through my library queue and I'm enjoying thumbing through for inspiration. My blogging friend, Mrs. N,  is learning to do Japanese patchwork and I thought to do some myself.


I had to work today for a few hours. I'm very proud of myself - I rode my bike into town and back. Its just over 3 miles to my work place. I need to do this more often. My schedule changes so much and it's difficult to predict. I don't want to be on my busy roads at twilight.
I could always bike in, and if I need to, call my hubby to come pick me up.


We celebrated Memorial Day yesterday with BBQ baby back ribs, baked beans and potato salad.
The weather has been much cooler than a year ago when we were already sweltering under 100' days. This May has been averaging 70' or so making it very comfortable to sit outside on the patio and enjoy our dinner.


I'm trying to get my yard in shape and my new nemesis is the garter snake.
This is the year of the garter snake. 

 

The last few years have been all about cute baby rabbits which are not to be seen (at all!) this year. A whole lotta shrieking has been heard around here as Mr. Snake slithers away from where I'm about to step.


My vegetable garden is still a mass of weeds but I'm almost through whacking them down so I can roto till and re-do the compost piles and show those garter snakes who's the boss.

---breathe---

I made some more microwave cozy hot pads for my etsy shop too. Sewing is easy on these but it took me three sessions in the sewing room to get them done. I just love these red thimbles on the fabric. I found this fabric in Hawaii back in January. So perfect for the sewing enthusiast!

On that note, I'm ready again to try and get computer viruses just so I can watch The Great British Sewing Bee which is now up to season 4.

Recently. someone released season 1 to youtube but I think I would buy it if it were available. This show is sew much better than Project Runway with real sewing getting done and no drama - at all!  Getting little snippets is not my preferred way to watch tv. I saw on Netflix, they are carrying the Great British Bake-off ---- so maybe they will add the Sewing show too.

I had both kids home last week - not at the same time. It was so pleasant to catch up on their news. I am so grateful both of my kids are functioning adults and really living their lives.
 
We'll see the son again multiple times this month as he moves from central oregon to his new digs south of us  and settles in on his pharmaceutical residency. He graduates as a doctor in two weeks. Proud mama.

Fair Premiums

 Another successful fair year here in Canbyland.
This foxy pieced pillow earned Class Champion. Woot!

 I made this Monopoly table topper many years ago and decided it was time to move it on. You can buy it here in my etsy shop. This was my successful effort at making a square from obviously printed off-grain and off-kilter fabric from Joann's. I had to do some strange manipulations to get the three fabrics to behave. I also made the tassels on the four corners.

 This airplane tote won a blue ribbon

 As did this Bella Wallet

 My chickie hotpad won second in the potholder class.

 All seven of the items I entered.
I won ribbons on five.

 So much fun. They are all listed in my etsy shop, RunningWithNeedles. When I sell these handmade items, I include the fair ribbon.  A little touch of fun-ness.


So - work stuff: Getting my time off - thanks to the union. Supervisor is still wanting to argue it, but seriously - so not my problem.

We are probably not going to Madras this weekend. Not only do we have forest fires (smoke) to contend with but there is another long-range forecast for rain - which may or may not happen. {{no rain in over four months except for piddly drops here and there that evaporated before they hit the ground}

I'm fine with this. I got to go flying last week and it really lightened my load. I am so zen in my head right now.

Oh - yes! I won $16 in fair premiums this year. Double WOOT!

Sewing Hooky

 I get easily distracted.  

I am supposed to be sewing some work shorts and a top that was personally fitted to my body. Instead, I am playing sewing hooky.
aka *avoidance* and *procrastination*
.

 My inspiration was an airplane tote on Etsy.

At this shop.

Man - I have this fabric!

Her tote has external pockets, mine has internal pockets.

My airplane tote is going into the etsy shop. I am overwhelmed at her pricing. $38 for a tote.
I have the most difficult time finding the magic price point. Some things I make are above and beyond and pretty spectacular.  I don't struggle as much pricing those items.

I'm very aware of how much time I spend sewing as well as my material cost.
What I struggle with are the okay (basic to me)  items - $38 for a tote bag???

Would you pay $38 for a tote?

It does have a pretty nifty single welt pocket....

 I watched a Peggy Sager's video on Saturday - a Silhouette Patterns webinar on sewing pants. She went over a single welt pocket and I had to have a go at one.

It's almost like putting a zipper pocket in, but not quite.

Here's the inside double pocket on the other side. I love this stripe lining.
I left the selvedge edge at the bottom (No hemming - lazy me)

 I settled down today and started sewing the work shorts. Three sets of pockets and lots and lots of top-stitching. A butt-load of top-stitching!   Before I ran out of bobbin thread,  I finished the fronts and started on the side pockets. 

The side pockets have flaps with a buttonhole. That's where I'm at. I need to re-thread the bobbin and get back into the sewing room. I have the fan going because we are back up at 100 degrees (with a tiny respite earlier this week --- teaser rain and mid-seventies).

I am bribing myself with one chocolate chip per top-stitched seam. Seams (ha!) to be working.

SewMamaSew Giveaway Day Spring 2015

 Welcome to SewMamaSew's Giveaway Day.

 
***GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED - Monday May 11, 2015

CONGRATS!!! to LEO of STRANDKORBTRAUM who said:

"hmmm not white - that's so hard to keep clean when it comes to bags - or mabye it's just me shleppign my bags along everywhere ...
hmmm dark green, may green and some sunflower yellow .."

I agree - the white would be a bear to keep clean. I already have plans to make this with different fabrics. -- Kathy

Thank you to everyone who entered. Its amazing to me that many bloggers who host giveaways have been harping on 'no-reply' commenters for the last couple of years and still - I had over 30. There is no way to contact you based on your blogger profile. Please google No-reply to find easy to understand fixes.  If you are reading this and you commented, please click on your name - which is highlighted - to see what I mean. You have to enable your email address to show.

This was another fun giveaway day with SewMamaSew and I loved all the comments.


I've participated since SMS started coordinating these awesome giveaways and I'm proud to offer up my recent sew. 

SMS is from my neck of the woods, here in Oregon.

 Marni Weaver of HaberdasheryFun recently posted an asymetrical bag tute on SMS.


I was drawn to the color blocking but not so in love with the white. Which you need to make those colors pop. I challenged myself to make the bag as directed and not deviate.

Those who know me are probably laughing in the aisles right now. I am an intermediate sewist and I always have to change something up. This took me about 2 1/2 hours to complete on Tuesday morning. It's a pretty fast sew.

Nice, clean color-blocking.

With very cool handles. I like this tote a lot. 
It's the perfect size for carrying library books, beach towels, stuff.
With stuff inside, it's around 12" high by 12" long x 5"wide.


A little about me: I've been blogging for a while now. I still  get a thrill when anyone comments and I've made some wonderful online friendships via blogging as well as physically met up with blogging friends. I was recently in Japan living it up in all the wonderful fabric shops (so cheap!)
I love to sew and I've mostly condensed my 'stash' into one room. I'll sew just about anything.

I live on an airpark. We keep our planes in a hangar on the property and can fly whenever the weather is nice. I've made the cockpit cover for our biplane as well as the luggage bin in both planes. You can get extra points in the giveaway by saying which planes my hubby and I own.

You can find me on Instagram (RocketGirl50), Pinterest (Katydid), Facebook (RunningWithNeedles). I'm even on Twitter (via etsy).    I don't require you to follow me or whatever - unless you want to. Then I'd probably do some weird happy dance.

I have an Etsy shop - RunningWithNeedles - where I hope to clear 1000 sales this year.

My giveaway is open to anyone in the world. International comments are welcome. All you have to do is answer my question.

***What color fabrics would you use?
 
I plan on doing some prints next time, adding pockets and doing the handles a little differently. Maybe some of those Cotton & Steel fabrics. If you happened to make one, maybe a link to yours.

Giveaway open from Wednesday,May 6 - Mother's Day, 2015.
I will choose the winner very randomly and post this bag to it's new home next week.



To see more giveaways, return to SMS for:

Handmade Items.
Fabric & Supplies.

85 Yen Tote Bag

 I found this piece (3/4 meter) for 85 yen when I visited my friend in Japan. She knows all the secret local yokel fabric stops in Japan. 

I knew I would make a tote bag with it and I sewed it yesterday.

I started with 17" squares and let my sewing  evolve with these free-style cut flower details.

I used a black pleather for the handles and cut the flowers from them. Once cut, I knew I wasn't gonna be able to sew them on - all those tiny curves... Then I decided to use double sided tape, still not quite right. Took a break and about half-hour later, it occurred to me to use buttons. No buttons this weird green (a little lighter than split pea). I finally found my covered button stash.  I'm very pleased with this detail.

 One slip pocket inside. Unusual for me,  I know.
I typically add three or four. This simple tote begged to stop at one.

I was thinking about some closure thingy,
but I'm not coming up with anything that won't ruin the simple lines of this tote.
There's a little Marimekko thing going on with the flowers.

My best thought is to crochet a chain of black and make a bigger covered button....
Or, I might just say, "It's finished."

Pendleton Tote Bag

I leave for SewExpo tomorrow and my tote bag is finished.


It's got a zipper inserted into the side seam.
My purchases can get stuffed into the tote but my wallet will be instantly accessible in this secure pocket.

Close-up of my personal touch.
I was actually tossing the sewing room looking for pendleton labels when I spied these beyond cute, tiny airplane beads.


This project is a great example of how I sew - on the fly. Making it up as I sew. This requires some bag construction knowledge/experience but these projects turn out with amazing details even if the sewing room had a tiny tornado rip through.

This was my inspiration piece. Someone made this to sell on Etsy and I just loved that little zippered pocket. Tote bags aren't my favorite bag as I lose stuff inside.




My Pendleton fabric was not wide enough so I added these interfaced brown wool strips to make it 20" wide.
I interfaced after I sewed those strips down when I was pressing the seam. The brown strip wool was not as heavy as my Pendleton motif fabric.

To insert the zipper, I basted the seam together and then basted the zipper tape to the seam allowances.
I turned it over and top-stitched it down - your zipper tapes have at least two stitch lines to secure them this way.
Then I had to re-figure how to add that pocket so its edge against the zipper was finished.

It's like a chess game - staying two moves ahead of your actual sewing.
I rough cut the pocket rectangles.

By the way, both the pendleton motif fabric and my turquoise wool lining fabric came from the Pendleton booth at last year's SewExpo - on major sale Saturday afternoon. They don't want to haul anything back to the Portland warehouse.


Basically, I topstitched the pocket lining down the zipper tape along the previous seam line.

And then.... I realized my pocket was going to sag inside. My pocket was not secured to anything but the zipper.
So I added a piece of muslin to the top of the pocket to catch in the totebag waistband. That would keep my pocket straight by hanging it from the top of the totebag - the waistband if you will.

And I cut two of those muslin pieces for both sides of the  pocket (not sewn together yet) when I realized the pocket when sewn together would go to one side and I just needed the one thin piece of muslin. I was happy not to bulk up that waistband any more than I had to.

There it is, laid to one side. This pocket will between the outer fabric and the lining.


Nice finished edges that will not get caught in the zipper teeth.
I also back-stitched at the top & bottom of the zip to keep it from opening further. I used a dark brown thread that is practically invisible on that brown herringbone (thrifted wool).



I, occasionally, get neurotic that my serged tails will unravel. When I was sewing the brown naugahyde to the motif fabric, I grabbed the tail and sewed over it.
I also was not sure how the serger would do on the thick naugahyde so I sewed it instead.

I wanted to use leather for the bottom but my stash wasn't color matching. I had this nice piece of brown variegated naugahyde which worked fine.

I collect sewing 'stuff' and I do try to use what is in my stash.


I boxed the corners at 4.75" as per my plan. Yes - I did start out with a plan. You have to measure!
I wanted the 'leather' to come up about 3 inches on the side before the bottom started.
I allowed 6" wide for the "leather".
3" side + 2 3/8" bottom (4.75" divided in half) + 2 x seam allowances of 1/4"+ (thick fabrics) = 6".
I hope you got that 'cuz there'll be a test later.


Pendleton gave me some labels which I cannot find for the life of me so I ripped one off of a thrifted Pendleton shirt.
If you're going to make something out of Pendleton Wool - yay! local business! - then you need to do a shout out with a label.
I don't know if you caught my subtle humor: the "TALL" sewn on to the side of the label - 'cuz this is a tall tote!

Wondering what to do for a pocket inside. I like pockets to be obvious so making them from the beautiful turquoise lining was not an option. I found this scarf (Pendleton!) in one of my wool boxes and cut it up without a qualm to make my pocket.

It was a narrow 5" wide scarf so I found the matching stripe and cut two of them and then sewed them together to make my much deeper pocket. The colors went well with the outside - like it was planned from the drawing board.  lol

I did the typical tote bag finish by inserting the lining inside the outer with wrong sides together and sewed around the top, leaving a gap for turning.
Three lines of top-stitching.

And then  - I have to go to work this afternoon so I stole the handles off my recently completed Year of the Rabbit tote and finished the purse before I could think of anything else to add.

I did want leather handles with an arrow-shaped piece to secure them to the bag but I don't have time to cruise to Joann's or Michaels or ...

Did I mention I will get something special when I show up at the Pendleton booth?
Anybody who shows up with something made with pendleton gets a prize.