Well, it is April 19th and it is snowing here in Madison, WI. I always try to remind myself at this time of year that it is not unheard of to have snow in May and the one week of spring we can expect will get here eventually, but it just makes for a very long winter...
What else is going on here? In a word (or two), not much. This weekend, I cut out pieces for three bags - another 241 tote (I have already gifted the first two I made) and two Cabrio totes (that link takes you to Sew Spoiled's Etsy shop, I bought mine at SewMamaSew). (Sew Spoiled had a sewalong a couple months ago and there are gorgeous versions in the Flickr group.) Not too much quilting going on, though.
On Sunday I put together one of the Cabrio totes and I am 99% done - it just needs the final topstitching.
I think the only change I made was to use fusible fleece for the lining pieces. The pattern seemed well-written and was easy to follow - I mean, I made it, which means most anyone could make it! One thing my photos don't show well is that the straps run from the bottom of the bag, around the sides, giving it a little more support, which is nice in a roomy tote. The top is a bit narrow, to give the bag that lantern shape, but it's workable.
Personally I find it really helpful to have a photo, either in a blog post about the pattern or in the shop photo, showing a person actually holding the bag or purse, so you can have some idea of proportion rather than just design. (Both of these totes have photos on the respective blogs.) Of course, most patterns give you dimensions, but I still like a visual.
The only thing that irks me a little are the straps. This bag is meant to be convertible, so that you can wear it backpack-style, as well. So, where the two straps meet when it is in shoulder-bag position, they don't lie flush with each other. (I didn't take a good example photo...) I probably won't use it as a backpack, so I may just go with one strap next time or fiddle around with the two straps so they lie together, since I do like the added support of the longer straps. But otherwise I really like the bag - you can get a lot in there!
And this is just a piece of red pleather.
Yes, indeed, the 80's are back. Actually, I found this at Joann's in the red tag section and since it was Daffodil Days, red tag stuff was 50% off and I thought this might make a nice bag some day!
And finally, I'm about to say something controversial.
I'm about to choose sides in an ages-old debate.
I am a dog person.
There, I said it.
I like cats fine and I love many self-proclaimed cat people, but since I have family members who are deathly allergic to cats, we never had cats, just dogs. I have two right now. A little 'un and a big 'un. The little one is 11 years old and she has two beds and some pillows and a nice crate and a million blankets and a flannel sleep sack I made her (she burrows!) but for some reason, she really just likes to sit in the plastic bin that is full of extra leashes, toys, blankets, and even a bottle of "doggie relaxer" (it doesn't work, FYI).
Also, she wraps herself up like that - frigid winter, sweltering summer, she likes to be swaddled!
No comments:
Post a Comment