The Tortoise and the Hare

I've been like the Tortoise with my sewing lately, slow and steady. Just a little bit each day. Today, I'm going to be the Hare with blog posts. I've got so much stuff that I've wanted to post and today I'm going to go posting crazy! Weeeeeeeee. Here it goes.

Where to begin, where to begin?

On Saturday, I spent the day at my friend Kathy's house. She is borrowing her mother-in-law's sewing machine and I was there to help her learn how to use it, help her finish her messenger bag and work on some of my projects (especially big things that need space to lay out-- she has a LOT more space than I do.) She made lots of progress on her bag and just needs to put the strap on. Plus, she has a pretty good handle on how the machine works.

I was focused on trimming up some Heartstring blocks and putting them together into a top. The center is done and now it needs some borders.

Messenger bag = Done!

Ayy, ay, ay, it's been too long since my last post! I keep composing posts in my head, but haven't gotten them onto the computer! And the longer I go without posting, the harder it is to get back into the swing of things. I have the best intentions-- really, I do.

Let's see... I'll try to pick up where I left off. Maybe I should try for shorter posts with less words? Would that lead to more consistent blogging? Who knows.

I finished my messenger bag! I love it and am using it all the time. It turned out fantastic!

Meanwhile, I packaged Kathy's bag parts up and put them in a shoe box. Everything is neat and tidy and ready to go. The other day, Putty had a vet appointment and I was having trouble finding him. It turns out he was helping out with Kathy's bag. Apparently there wasn't enough cat hair on it. This is where he was:

Crafty Saturday

This past Saturday, my friend Kathy came over to my house and we were crafty-- or at least we tried to be! Kathy was inspired to make a tote bag by something she had seen at an art show. Our plan was to pick a pattern from one of the many that I had and then "shop my stash" for fabric. The pattern picking went easy. She loved this messenger bag pattern from All People Quilts. The stash fabric shopping wasn't quite as smooth. Not a problem, we had plenty of time, so we ran to the fabric store. Originally, I was just going to assist Kathy with creating her bag and maybe work on some of my other projects, but the allure of all of the fabrics at the store proved too much for me. The last thing I need is another bag! Oh well.

We both found some great home decor fabrics. Mine is mod and geometric:

And hers is posh and sophisticated:

We only got some of the cutting done on Saturday (and a tiny bit of the sewing), but the day was a smashing success, because it forced me to get my sewing room back to a functional state. I took some pictures while cleaning and organizing, but they didn't turn out very well. Plus, I still have a lot of sorting and purging to do to really feel that the room is done. But I'm just happy it's functional. Yesterday I picked up where we left off on Saturday and have my bag about 80% done and I'm thrilled that I can just walk into my room and create again. =)