Mama's Got A Brand New Bag

First of all, I want to thank you all for your words of support and praise for Peter. I struggle with deciding how much personal info to share on this blog and sometimes I just choose not to talk about Peter because this is such a big part of who he is right now and a big part of what we do in our everyday lives (like me correcting him every time he doesn't respond yes/no to a yes/no question, like driving to speech and occupational therapy and pre-school and making sure he has playtime with other kids and such). I'm glad I shared - I certainly feel your support and appreciate it!
So, here it is, the new bag. Just try not to look at how much I need to vacuum my sewing room floor. This was the only room that is getting enough light for pictures today. It's been so dreary for the past few days. And if I had taken the time to clean it before taking pictures, the light would have been gone. Anyway, back to the bag - overall, I'm pleased with how it turned out. I wanted something a little more tote looking, but still with enough detail and uniqueness to look like more than just a tote. I think I might make this a little bigger by widening it a few inches. Right now, it's about the same size as my bell bag. One of my aims in creating a few new bags for the shop was to offer a wider range of sizes - some larger, some smaller. This one was supposed to be the larger, so it really needs a couple more inches in width. I also want to make the straps just a little bit longer. These just barely fit over my shoulder and they definitely need a little more room there. The bag is still totally usable though and it's definitely going to be mine! Hooray - a new bag for me!
Other than size and strap length, I'm very pleased with it - it has a lot of structure (I love that it sits up on its own - thanks to some stiff interfacing) and I like the shape. It was fun to put together. The quilted straps were a little tedious, but I love how they turned out, so they were definitely worth it. I'm hoping to have a couple in the shop by the end of the next week. And thank you to Sandi for the fabric - isn't it fabulous? It should be in stores soon.

Have a fun weekend everyone!

the past few days

Have I been a little absent lately? I've had a pretty big project going the past few days - this quilt! These new fabrics from my friend Sandi are debuting at Quilt Market this weekend. Aren't they fabulous? I'm loving how they look in the golden morning light. But, I can truthfully say they look amazing in any sort of light. Go tell your local quilt shop to get some!

And if this quilt combined with more quality time with my chicos has made me be here a little less, I apologize. But, making this quilt is putting a big smile on my face and my boys are smiling too, so I suppose that's what really matters. I hope you're finding something to make you smile too.

Day Trip

Today the boys and I headed south to meet my Mom in a city halfway between us.

"So, where are we off to Mom?" they say with muffins in hand.

Good tunes are essential for a good road trip. We started out with a little Feist, then a bit of Sarah, and on the way home? Mana, of course. Luckily, my kids like my music.

First stop? An emergency pit stop at the po-dunkville mercantile because I forgot to go before we left home and drank a Diet Dr. Pepper in the first 15 minutes on the road.

And a landmark sighting for all of you Napoleon Dynamite fans - the Cuttin Curral really does exist! We have been fans for a while (Little P can do the Napoleon dance), but now that we live in Napoleon's neck of the woods, we find it more entertaining than ever .

After a bit of shopping and lunch, we had to get ice cream. As you can see, the boys loved it!

It was a good day!

And the reason for our little jaunt, besides some quality time with Grandma? Could the motivation for this trip really be that innocent and wholesome? OK, I admit it - there is fabric involved! I needed some white cotton velveteen for a little Christmas project I'm working on and I couldn't find it anywhere in our town or online. So, I did what any girl with a fabric loving mama that lives in a bigger city would do - I called her up and asked her to find some for me. She came through right away. Thanks Mom! For the fabric and for such a fun day!

weekend plans

My order from Sew, Mama, Sew was in my mailbox yesterday! It was so lovely to open - all the fabric folded so beautifully and tied up so nicely. I meant to take a picture of it before I ripped into it, but I was too impatient. And among other yardage (oh, yes - there was much more than this - maybe I'll show some of that later...), I got some bits and pieces of these Halloween fabrics. Then I stopped by the local quilt shop today and picked up the polka dots and now I think I'm ready to whip up something festive!

I realized I haven't really been sharing anything I've been making lately (lots of fabric, but no wips or finished project). I certainly have been sewing, but it's mostly been purses, which is something you've all seen before. But, I am officially declaring the next few days purse free, so it's time to figure out the costumes (Ryan is still not 100% on board with Peter Pan family costumes, so I'm thinking about plan B), time to do some fall clothing sewing, and time to get some aprons back in the shop.

Help, Please

"Help, please," is what we have taught Little P to say when he needs something from us. He doesn't always use it, but he usually tries. And "Help, please" is what I need from you today. I signed up to do a craft show the weekend before Thanksgiving and I am feeling overwhelmed. It's still six weeks away, but I don't really have any idea what I'm doing. I don't know how much inventory I should prepare (it's a three day show), I have no clue how I should to set-up my display, and I'm not sure exactly what items to take. Purses and aprons are definitely in, but I want some lower cost items and some things that appeal to a wider audience. So, any advice you have, I'd love to hear it! Do you have any ideas on how to set up, where to get things to display items on (like where can a get something to hang my purses on), how much inventory to take, how to make my space look more appealing (the show is in a home and I'll have a six-foot space against the wall), and what items have sold well for you in person as opposed to online. I'm looking at the set-up as an investment - something I will be able to use for future shows, so I'm willing to not be totally thrifty, but I don't have all the money in the world, so it does need to be somewhat economical.

And did anyone else hit the 50% Clearance at JoAnn this week? This is my little collection from that - the green is for a shirt for me, the tan floral for purses, the brown denim for a jacket for me, and the pinks and reds for Valentine banners. I probably would have gotten more, but I just put in a fairly large order to Sew, Mama, Sew too, so I was trying to be somewhat prudent.