Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there. ~Josh Billings

The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground. ~Author Unknown

You maybe be wondering what became of my pile O’WIP's from last Fridays post. Weeeeellllll I got some things done that I wanted to but as always not as much as I would have liked.

Saturday I had hoped would be super productive because John was working, but the project I was working on too much longer than I had anticipated.

After this post about recycling plastic bags into crocheted shopping totes I have really had the whole plastic bag issue on my mind. I have my plastic bags all laid out ready to be turned into “yarn” but that is as far as I have gotten on that project. I did however have another idea. Creating reusable shopping bags from re purposed materials thus eliminated plastic shopping bags by using cute & stylish shopping bags made from materials that may have otherwise ended up in a landfill! Talk about killing two birds with one stone! (not that I regularly throw stones & certainly not at birds mind you, but you get the idea.)

That is the project that was giving me fits on Sat. The bag design that I was using as my inspiration was lined & I was trying to make my bag unlined but with just as neat & tidy of a finish. I had to try & try again to get the finished product to where I was satisfied. After many a seam being ripped I am pretty happy with the way it turned out.



All the seams as stitched & then encased in bias tape for a clean finish & added strength. The sides have gussets for added roominess. I added a pocket to the front for coupons, shopping list, pen, whatever.



So here is my WIP pile for this Fri.


Back left: cut out & ready to sew – 4 Western Heritage shirts, split skirt, AB Covington Bag
Back Middle: traced patterns – Onion 5036 blouse & vest pattern for the 3 vest I have an order for. I had to add 3” in the length for this guy!
Back & Front Right: More WIP’s to be cut out, another purse (haven’t decided on a pattern yet), more shopping bags & a plain split skirt (I think, I hate making just a plain one with the other fancy soutache trimmed ones, I have my reputation to up hold after all! Bawahahahah!I crack myself up!), some more purse fabric & other assorted WIPs.
Front Left: Cut & ready to sew - Reusable Shopping bags

So I didn't do too terrible, not as much as I would have liked but I think that even if I had an entire week to work non stop I still wouldn't make a dent in all the projects I would like to get done!

Here is a close up of the pocket for another shopping bag. I had stitched the rick rack on & I really like how it turned out.


How serendipitous is this? I started this post yesterday & was starting to finish it up this morning. As usual I was checking out my new feeds on Bloglines (is it just me or are the feeds like crack? I get so excited when I see new post pop up on someone’s blog! I would have to say that the Big Dance has nothing on Feeds when it comes to squashing productivity!). Anyway I am really enjoying the Adorn Mag blog as I mentioned yesterday (almost as much as the mag it's self I might add) so anyway what would the post for the day be about? Green crafters! (Hi Linda!) I just stumbled onto Sew Green the other day & have to admit that I haven't had a chance to delve into it as much as I want to but I was intrigued. Also LP mentions that she uses a tote bag to do her grocery shopping (See great minds do think alike!)along with how several other eco-conscious craft vendors are working to do their part.

Definitely worth checking out!

You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. ~Jack London

WIP’s

Well we learned yesterday that John had has to work this Sat. Bummer! He has to work one Sat a month & it is supposed to be the 3rd Sat of the month but something with the # of Sat in March makes it work out that he has to work tomorrow. Poor thing. He was so looking forward to 2 days of rest as he is not over his sinus infection yet.

The good thing is that I should be able to get some sewing done! Lemonaid from lemons my dears!

Now I have a ton of sewing orders that I should be working on. A fellow shooter dropped off fabric for 3 additional vest to me last night. I need to draw up a pattern to fit his tall thin frame first. I might try to do that & get the vest cut out. Also I have another vest & 2 other shirts that still need cutting out for some other guys. I would like to get those cut out as well.

Then there is this WIP that I have been working on quite a bit lately.



It goes with these pockets.

When I was home sick it was the only thing that I could bare to work on because I didn’t have to leave the couch! It is the front panel of the split skirt. I need to get the rest of the skirt cut out. Maybe I will have a cutting fest & add it to the pile of cutting listed above.

I also have these WIP’s:



The 3 fabrics in the back row, left & center, are thrifted sheets & on the right pillowcases. I have an idea that I have been working out in my mind for something for my Etsy shop. You didn’t know that I had an Etsy shop? That’s because I have never put anything in it! I’ll keep you posted as to how that goes.

The purple fabric in the front right is going to eventually become the Onion 5036 Blouse. The other fabric is a slinky knit that I am not sure what I will make out if it yet. It matches a skirt that I already own & some fabric that has yet to become a skirt, but I haven’t decided on a top pattern yet.

One last item, a completed WIP! I know that you will remember how I was going on & on about my bosses’ daughter’s wedding and what to wear. I actually did finish the dress, but didn’t get to wear it. There was a wardrobe malfunction with the velvet duster jacket that I was going to wear with it. As it was in the teens the day of the wedding I did feel that I would be any where near warm enough in a sleeveless dress & no cover up. I opted for wearing something else. It was more business like than I would have liked but warm.

However when the next event that requires a dress arises I am ready! I like the way the dress turned out except for the zipper in the back. I don’t think that it was my doing but the zipper at the bottom wants to bow out. It could be because the skirt is cut on the bias I am not sure. I might be able to iron it into submission or maybe by wearing the dress it will work it’s self out? I am not sure & seeing as it is still in the 20’s I won’t worry about it right now. Here is the close up of the bodice detail.


I would love to hear what is on everyone else’s weekend to do list!

I hope that everyone has a great & productive weekend!