Cosmo Bag: aka “Biker Chick Purse”

John has decided that because of the lining this is my “Biker Chick Purse”. Funny Hon, really, funny.

So here you go:

Outside:

Button Detail:



Inside w/ pocket closed



Inside w/ pocket unzipped




It’s a pretty neat little pattern. I am not sure that I will be making a ton more as it is a pretty distinctive style, but it makes up pretty quickly. The interior instructions seem really strange on how they have you assemble the zipper pocket, but it works out really nice. In fact I am going to keep this in mind for using in other future purses.
On other sewing related items.

I got the lace overlay all pinned onto the bodice of my wedding outfit last night. That was interesting as the crepe wants to shift around a lot. I am going to have to baste it all together before beginning any real sewing. I just was not up to the task last night so pinning was as far as I got.

Burda’s US website Burda Style seems to be getting up & going. I haven’t gotten a chance to check everything out yet, but it looks like it’s going to be a “must frequent site”. I see that my pal Stacy already has one of her Burda creations posted (good for you Stacy!).

Then back to the Onion patterns I am still contemplating an order…… I’ll let you know what I come up with.

Would you believe……

That it is snowing here again. We are under a “lake effect snow” warning again & they are predicting another 6-10” on top of what we got yesterday.

I realized after my post yesterday that I should have prefaced it with the fact that it was nearly 40ºF here on Sat. Then only 20ºF & over 12” of snow yesterday. Not that I am complaining, it's jsut a big change. It is beautiful & my drive to work this am wasn’t really bad at all, just a little slow. Now if I could get a snow day out of it I would be in heaven!

So let’s talk some sewing.

I have my wedding outfit all cut out. I was going to start sewing on it but I still hadn’t finished my Cosmo bag & the machine was all set up for that. So I went ahead & finished that up yesterday. I don’t have pictures as I was done about 10pm last night & wasn’t interested in getting my lazy butt off the couch to do it. I really like the way it turned out. John wanted to know if I was going to be wanting a Harley next based on the lining fabric. Smarty pants.

Now on to some patterns that I am contemplating……I need something to use that stash with right?

Stacy & I were talking about the new Onion patterns* that we got an e-mail about the other day.

We are both digging #5038 – Knit tops with waist seam. I am so in love with the “Perfect T’s” at Old Navy & this looks to be those only fancier to me.

That skirt is really cute too.

Also I really like the look of the #4021 – Pants with details. (Fly front pant. Narrow waistband with casing with strings (the pant is meant to be slightly gathered at waist). 3 darts on each side of front knee. Darts at back.) I have a pair of linen pants like this from Express that just love for the summer time, only those have inset pockets but that should be easy to change or just us these.(Judi these remind me of those Loes Hinds ones we almsot bought at Fabric Gallery).

#5036 – Blouse - Shirt/blouse with puffy or long sleeves (Blouse with standing collar and curved yoke on front and back. Button closure.)

#2012 - Vintage dress - Vintage styled dress with horizontal seams on front and back. (Super feminine vintage inspired empire style mock wrap dress in two lengths with option of wing sleeves or long sleeves. Gathers under the bust. Darts on back. Zipper at left side seam)

I also really like the 5032 - Knit wrap tops but I wonder if it is different enough for the Jalie crossover top pattern that I already have to make it worth getting.

Darn I wish that I would just win the lottery already & not have to be concerned about such trivial things like how much $ I spend on patterns, fabric, trims, shoes, etc..... Oh well…..

Also there aren’t many reviews of the Onion patterns on the Pattern Review site (except that on coat seems like everyone made that thing). So if anyone has tried them I would love to hear about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* sorry I couldn’t get a direct link to each pattern or copy the pictures. So if you are really interested in seeing them you will have to look them up. They are pretty cute patterns.

Snow Snow Snow!

Well winter has finally come to SW MI. We have gotten about 12” of snow in the last 24 hours & it is still coming down. Although it is not coming down in the huge fluffy flakes that it was last night so I don’t think that we will be getting a ton more today. Then again our weather tends to change on a dime.

To give you some idea of what we are dealing with here are some pictures. It is very pretty.


Puppy Dog loves the snow. For her it’s like a huge pop cycle I have to be careful that she doesn’t eat too much of it, but she is so funny to watch.


See here in the country we don’t bother with snow shovels, we just plow the front walk with the four-wheeler. Are we Hill Jacks or what?


I have a feeling that we will not be making church this week. We have an 800-foot long driveway that needs to be plowed. Also our friends that live next door are just as far off the road & John usually plows for them as well. For the drive he gets out the tractor.

Here is the a view of the yard from the front door:


This one if from my kitchen window looking toward the driveway:


On an un-snow related topic, yesterday was a good thrifting day! The Goddess of Thrift (because of course if there was such an entity watching over thrifting it would have to be a woman right?) must have been smiling on me. I had great luck finding items for Heidi for the Brown & Pink swap. Unfortunately as I know she pops in here I can’t share any pictures just yet, but I think that I did pretty good if I do say so myself!

I think that today will be spent at home, doing laundry & baking banana bread. Also I have my dress for the wedding nest month partially cut out & I hope that I will get that finished up as well. I didn’t get as much done on that yesterday as I had hoped because after the thrifting I had to finish cleaning up the sewing area that I had started on Fri. Now I feel much more like spending time in there without the fear of being buried alive by an avalanche of fabric patterns & trims. It feels good to have a tiddy area to work in again.

What's everyone else working on this winter weekend?

Thrifting & WIP's

Wow this cold has really been kicking my butt this week. I have basically done nothing but go home & crash every night this week.
On Wed. I mustered the energy to stop at Goodwill on the way home to see if I might find something for my partner Heidi in for the Pink & Brown swap. I did not. I did however find this fun stuff.

Seeing as I have been working on my shawl for nearly 2 years that spending .99 for this one was very justifiable. Not exactly period correct for the Victorian Era, but it will do.

Back of the shawl.

I thought these were pretty cool & for $1.99 for both the valance & the curtain a steal! The fabric reminds me of barkcloth but the original packaging calls it sailcloth. They need a good soaking in some Oxy Clean but I think that they will come out great. I haven't decided to keep them as is, sell then on Ebay or use them to make some purses to sell in my sad empty Etsy shop. I am leaning toward the purses. Any suggestions?

Some fun trims that will end up either on purses or costumes.


Never fear Heidi I am heading out tomorrow to one of my favorite antique stores to try my luck there.

So I have a couple WIP’s this week.

First up is the “wedding outfit”. Nothing but deciding on fabric & cutting out the pattern was accomplished this week. So I must get working on it this weekend. I decided on the sleeveless crossover. I am going to use a crepe backed satin for the skirt, because I don’t have enough of the pinstripe to cut it on the bias. After talking with Judi & Mom they both felt that it was probably important to the design for it to be cut on the bias in order to lay right. So be it. I am toying with the idea of using the velvet ribbon on the crossover edges as well as the velvet ribbon with a beaded sating ribbon on it at the empire waist. I don’t have enough of the beaded ribbon to use it on the crossover as well as the waist. Also I am not sure it might be too ribbon if used on both places. I’ll have to see as I go along I think.

My next WIP is my half finished Indygo Junctions Cosmo bag. I have fabric left over from the “Amber Joy” bag & I was trying to decide what to do with it. I need a new “winter” bag & hadn’t decided on what to make yet. I think that it is going to be really cute once it is finished. The skull fabric will be the lining. So the bottom piece is the flap & you are looking at the inside of it.

Have a great weekend everyone!

I am sick of being sick......

So as I spent most of yesterday on the couch. It was kind of nice to just rest & I was able to spend sometime contemplating the outfit I need to make for my bosses’ daughter’s wedding next month. I am now thinking that instead of that top & pants that I should go with a dress. I have a feeling that it is going to be pretty fancy & even though I would rather war pants I might feel underdressed. I’ll just have to pray that we don’t get a blizzard that week.

So my new idea is this: I really like the idea of the lace top on the top with the black bottom & the purple ribbon at the empire waist. I was looking through the ribbon stash other day & came across some purple beaded ribbon that would be perfect on top of the velvet ribbon. It is smaller & the velvet would peak out from the sides.

As I was flipping though the pattern stash yesterday in my sickness fog I found New Look 6040. I was thinking either D or B. I think that I have enough of the black pin stripe for the skirt & then solid black for the top with the lace over top. My concern is that they have you cut the skirt on the bias unless you are making D with a boarder print. Then you cut it across the grain. I don’t have enough of the pin stripe to do it on the bias. I could use a solid black for the skirt that I already have. Here is the pattern that I am thinking of for the dress:




I was trying to decide what kind of wrap/jacket I could make. Then I remembered that I have a stretch velvet duster coat thing. I bought it for a Christmas party years ago. it’s kind of like this to give an idea:

Well only I think mine has a collar, 3-4 buttons at the top & is more fitted, but other than all that exactly like that one. Geez!

My concern is that would the skirt be ok if I cut it on the straight grain instead of the bias? Seeing as they don’t cut view D that way when using the boarder print I am not sure.

I can’t decide on sleeveless or ¾ sleeves either. I was thinking that if I did the sleeves I might not line them, but that might look funny. Any thoughts?

Maybe lings will be clearer once my head empties out from this cold.

Also I might add that our power outage earlier in the week apparently fried our modem at home. So I do not get back to any one who e-mailed until next week you know why.

Have a great weekend all!

Let there be LIGHT!

So we got our power back yesterday. Thank goodness! I was able to shower & I am sure that John was rejoicing over that! Of course I am now on the verge of getting sick & felt really icky by the time I got home. I did however manage to finish my quilt block for Penelope Kim’s quilt.

Now I think that I have mentioned that I am no quilter before right. I am fairly happy with the way it came out. I would have liked the appliqué to be a little bit more centered, but oh well. It looks kind of cute & once it is hidden in with all the good looking blacks from the other ladies I think that you won’t be able to notice its wonkiness.


I have to say a big thank you to the ladies that organized this. It is so sweet of them & generous. Kudos Patricia & Shanna. Thank you for letting me be part of your fabulous gift.

So who wants to see my new blouse? Yup I managed to get some pictures of it on “Francesca” last night. I also realized after looking at them that I need to get her a different T-shirt so that the neckline isn’t so distracting. A little history on “Francesca”, I worked in the display department at Sears when I was in High School. We set up all the windows, mannequins signage, etc….. They were actually going to throw “Francesca” away! She was like brand new! Now she is much tinier in the waist than me (I think she is a 34” 23” 34”, Lucky girl!) but I padded her up to closer to my measurements & Ta Da! Instant cheap dress form. That is why she has the white t-shirt, to keep her padding in place. I think that I might have to see if I can’t finder her one that is higher on the neck, or maybe just recover her all together. Either way she works great.

So on with the top. I still haven’t worn it yet (it was 22ºF when I left for work this am!) but I think that I will really like it when I am finally able to.


I strung a necklace to go with this top last night but couldn’t bring myself to get up off the couch to get the crimps to finish it off. In fact I would have stayed home today but there were a couple things that I needed to get done for today that I didn’t trust feel right having anyone else do.



Here is a close up of the buttons. I actually picked the fabric & buttons out specifically for this top. I usually don’t plan that well. I see fabric I like buy it then try to figure what in the work I will make out of it. This was so much easier! Once I have finished my self imposed fabric buying hiatus I will try to stick to that line of purchasing. Of course as I have about 2 tons of fabric that might be a while.

So maybe I need to call this my “LLA” blouse seeing as she was the one that ordered me to make something for myself last weekend. She is rather bossy I dare say. ;)

And then everything thing went black!

Bummer!

John just called me & our power just went out! Where was that at 6 am this morning when I was dreading my drive to work! Noooooooo you couldn’t have gone out then power could you! You just had to wait until I am almost leaving work! Damn power!

I actually took LLA’s advice & worked on something for ME over the weekend! I finished my Simp 4111 – Built By Wendy Blouse.


I made the one with no ties but longer sleeves. I had intended on wearing it today but then the temps were below 30ºF this am so I opted for warmer clothes thinking that I would be able to get a picture of it when I get home. HA!

Oh well there is something to be said for heating with wood & having a gas stove. We might be in the dark, but we will be warm & can eat!

TGIF, a couple WIPs & Gratitude

First off Thank you for being Friday! Honestly it felt that this week would never end. I think that after you have 2 – 3day weeks in a row that they should be followed up with 2 – 4day weeks so that you can ease back into things. Goodness!

WIPs

I actually have something that I am working on & have been for quite sometime. The first are the pockets of a split skirt that have been finished for months & months. They just want for the rest of their skirt to be cut out & sewed up. Well that & the front panel to be finished trimming & embroidered. See I have to tack the tan soutache on by hand then sew it down by machine. The little red dots are hand embroidered, so this maybe a WIP a while longer, but I thought if I posted it I might be more motivated to finish her up.


Here is what it will be like when finished. I haven’t even considered the vest yet, or maybe I should make a jacket instead…… hmmmm…


The second is a crocheted shawl that I have been working on for oh…..lets see …. 1 ½ - 2 years. It is also for me to wear for SASS events. I can get about a row or two down & then my hand gets worn out! The wider it gets the longer it seems to be taking, but I have been trying to work on it a bit each night at least. It’s a good in front of the boob tube project.



On with the gratitude….

I am always in awe when I read blogs that post a list every Friday, and then I am shamed that I don’t do the same. So for once I am actually on the ball. Shhh don’t tell anyone, cause then they will expect it all the time.

1) My husband ~ my little couch riding K-Fed wanna be that he is. Bless his little heart he actually did some work this week(at our house & other places to be unnamed), applied for the like 2 job listings in our entire tri county area that didn’t require a hair net & paper hat as part of the uniform (no offense, as these are good job for certain people, John is not one of them), he did some more leg work on “The House Problem” that might actually produce some results (but lets not get too carried away yet) & he has a job interview on Wed. Gotta love that man! Go Honey!


Just had to include a picture of my little studded muffin, also from out honeymoon. I forgot that I had so many good ones.

2) My Puppy Dog ~ There is nothing like the unconditional love of your dog. Even though she now thinks that John is the best thing since chopped liver since he is home all the time now. Hmph!

3) My mom ~ there has never been a woman that has more eternal optimism. God love her, she drives me up the wall when all I want to do is wallow in my own misery but she is my rock of radiant sunshine & glass half full.

4) For my friends ~ here, there & in blog land. They cook ya dinner, uplift, inspire, encourage, allow me to vent & help me to want to strive to better myself. For that I thank you.

5) And finally for the new minute glimmer of hope that has come to light with our house problem, could it be possible that there are politicians that actually give a damn about the people that got them to where they are. Could it be that there are still state officials that are out for the little guy & not just themselves? Can there possibly be a better ending than me going postal at the township hall? Well I wont’ get too carried away but a girl can hope. I’ll keep ya posted.

And now just cause it is so pretty & Bekka & I have been "talking" about it so much lately. Here is a picture that I took on our honeymoon at Elk Mountain Ranch in CO. Now you can see why I want that ranch in the mountains. After seeing it for real there is nothing like it!


Have a wonderful weekend all!

Twosies

I got from Bekka:

Two names you go by:
MéLisa
Me

Two parts of your heritage:
Hungarian
Irish

Two things that scare you:Fanaticism – be it religious, animal rights or political, people get crazy!
My co-worker’s butt crack

Two everyday essentials:
Lotion – Hello it’s dry up here
Wedding band & engagement rings

Two things you are wearing right now:
Diamond stud earrings – Christmas gift from John in 2000
Tan uncut cord jeans

Two of your favorite current bands/artists:
Gary Allen
Crash Test Dummies

Two things you want in a relationship (other than love):
Understanding
Fun, because that is the most important thing *

Two truths:
I am a good shot
I have been in a nudy bar

Two favorite hobbies:
making jewelry
sewing

Two things you have to do this week:
Mail Christmas gifts
work on some clothing orders

Two stores you shop at:
Goodwill
Brush Creek Antiques

Two shows you like to watch:
Criminal Minds
The Office – I swear that I have worked with all those people

Two things you'd buy if money were no object:
A herd of Alpaca & a spotty butt horse or two
A ranch with hundreds of acres, a gorgeous view of the mountains, a nice size house with a rock’n kitchen, sewing/jewelry making studio & huge front porch to sit & drink my coffee on admiring the view.

Two wishes for 2007:
Have the house situation resolved
Have an option of what to do next with our lives, instead of being “stuck”


*An inside joke between John & I.

I might be an academic loser but…….

Look what I can make!



This is the purse that I made for my mom for Christmas. It’s kind of funny really because Mom is the quilter not me. She gave me several “Charm packs” when she was here this past fall (she sells them in her store) I love looking at them cause they are so pretty but thought oh man what am I going to make with these.

Well TaDa!

Here is a look inside:



A close up of the closure:


I used a vintage button & vintage lace my the o'l stash.

Now if that weren't cute enough I also made her this:


And the Back:

Close up of the print:

And the matching mini pot holders:


I found this way too cute vintage fabric at Goodwill of all places & jsut had to get it to make Mom something. It is so her. She loves vintage Christmas decor. I used the pleated apron pattern from Amy Butler's Stitches book for the basic pattern. I shortened it (Mom's only 4'10") & oliminated the bottom trim. I think that it turned out so cute. I can't wait for her to see it.

Now I only have MIL Joyce's bage to finish up, a little zipper bag that matches Mom's patchwork purse and I should be able to mail them out this week!

Yippy!

What do I want to be when I grow up…..

That is a very good question. I have no idea. Poor John has been out looking for a job & as we are the #1 or #2 state in the country with the highest unemployment you can imagine how well this has gone.

So that has gotten me to thinking what do I want to do really. Not what I am doing I can assure you, but seeing as it is paying the bills I can’t complain too much. When I first started college out of high school my major was Fashion Design & Merchandising. I wanted to be a buyer for a line of clothing stores then maybe someday design my own lines of cloths. Then the college canceled my program & I got discouraged. So I flipped around trying to figure out what to do seeing as my 75% credits didn’t transfer to another program & there wasn’t another college in the area offering it to transfer to. I ended up getting burned out as I was working full time already & have yet to finish.

I have always wanted to finish my degree, but wasn’t sure what direction to go in. I thought maybe I would see if there wasn’t one of those career test things on line just to see what it might have to say. First off most of them I found you have to pay for. I did find a couple free ones, but the first one was free to see a teaser of the results. To see what it really said you had to pay. Uh I don’t think so.

Then I found this one: www.projectcareer.com

I am not totally sold that it isn’t there just to promote the programs of it’s sponsors but here is what it had to say based on my answers.

These are the top four career matches for me:


Communications:
Journalist
TV Broadcaster
Sports Correspondent
Public Relations Manager
Multimedia Video Editor

Agriculture and forestry industry *:Agricultural worker
Farmworker
Forest and conservation worker
Forester
Forest and conservation technician

Visual Arts**:
Artist
Sculptor
Graphic Designer
Art Director
Illustrator
Sketch artist

Natural scientific research and development services industry***:
Chemist
Medical Scientist
Microbiologist
Nanotechnologist
Aerospace Research Scientist


Ok so based on these results I am totally screwed. It is suggesting I should either work in a cut throat industry, a dying industry, a starving industry or one that I have no interest in. Fabulous! That was so helpful! Pretty much now I just feel like a bigger loser than I did before I took the damn test.

Thanks a big heaping pile of poo there Project Career!

*Employment in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry is projected to decline 11 percent over the 2004-2014 period.

** (Have I mentioned that I went to an arts high school? Give you one guess what department I was in.)
Employment of artists and related workers is expected to grow about as fast as average (14%) for all occupations through the year 2014. However, the competition for jobs is expected to be keen for both salaried and freelance jobs in all specialties, because the number of qualified workers exceeds the number of available openings. Also, because the arts attract many talented people with creative ability, the number of aspiring artists continues to grow.

*** What the frig? I don’t know where this came from at all, but I have no desire to work as a lab tech. I am glad that people do but I would not be good at it.

On with the sewing…..

I have pictures of one more finished Christmas that I made. This bag is for my 21 year old youngest sister Amber in Florida (Unlike the step sister here in MI, this sister actually likes me).
Front View

I am really happy with the way this bag came out. I started out with the pattern from Sew Simple Magazine & tweeked it. I like my version much better. So I now have the “Amber Joy” Messenger Bag. In case you haven’t noticed the trend in the bag patterns that I have been coming up with over the last couple months they are getting their names from various family members. I kind of like it. Maybe one day I will have one printed for sale. I can dream right?
Back View
Ok so what I did was totally change how I constructed it, added pockets, and changed the dimensions.
Inside Pocket

I love the fabric. Which usually isn’t my thing but with the solid black & white trim I think that is has a “neat” look to it. Then you notice that the pattern is of skulls & cross bones. By the way the fabric came from Joann’s in case anyone is interested. I also made a little zipper bag to go with it. I filled that with little goodies. Check out the skull & bead zipper pull! I have had that little skull in the o’bead stash forever & didn’t know what to do with him. Perfect!


I have also finished my mom’s gifts & just need to photograph them. I love the way her’s turned out as well. More to come……