bow ties are cool.

so last week my gentleman needed to have a bow tie. asap. me? i wasn't worried, friday night i whipped one up for saturday morning, super cute and super suave at the same time, cause bow ties are cool. (a very wise doctor said that once.) i had him pick out some fabric from my ever growing stacks and voila!

like i said, it's super cute week, and is that not super cute! (and cool, don't forget cool.) it's with a bit of jennifer paganelli, which you can never go wrong on, and it snaps shut with a bit of velcro on the ends. (so perfect for the man in your life who can't actually tie a bow tie.)

  

it's simple construction, basically a bunch of rectangles, some interfacing and velcro. ok, ok, so the original pattern that i used was borrowed, from a one for small boys, but my big boy is a small boy at heart, who loves a good bow tie! you can check out the great post at living the swell life. it's simple and you only need to change the width of the band to create one for your man, or little one, you know, whichevs.

super cute week, city clutch

so i have decided, it's official, it's super cute week! yay! so all week i am going to show off super cute things! oh, and super simple things too! yay!

first up on the super cute train... the city clutch...

the city clutch is a quick and easy project, using less than half a yard of two fabrics. it was inspired by, well, wanting a cute little bag for when all you need is your phone, wallet, and keys. it stemmed from a bag that my friend had for years and years (and maybe still does) that she uses for every occasion.

the flap is held down with two easy pieces of velcro. did i feel like getting into zippers, eh, not this time. it's an easy breezy kinda thing, you dig, and velcro is definitely easy peasy lemon squeezey!

so how do you do it you may ask...start by cutting some rectangles...

exterior:
2 at 7"x12"
1 at 8"x12"
1 at 2.5" x 12"

lining:
2 at 7"x12"
1 at 8"x12"

 

start by creating the flap for the bag... fold over at a 30 degree-ish angle to create the look you want... i just kind of eye ball it so that the flap is angled, yet long enough for my liking...

 

you then want to apply your velcro to the lining piece on the right side. position it in the corners, giving yourself at least an inch from the edges. stitch it in place...

 

now you want to go ahead and sew the two angled pieces together, with right sides facing along the two short sides and the angled side... clip the corners and turn right side out...

once you've done this it's time to place and stitch the other sides of velcro to the front piece of the bag. over lay the flap piece with about 1/4 hanging from the top edge and align your velcro where the flap velcro lays. stitch in place...

now you can go ahead and stitch the front and back of the exterior together, right sides facing along the two short sides and bottom... (don't forget to clip the corners!) 

repeat with the interior lining pieces.

 

now you can go ahead and turn the exterior bag right side out...

fold over and press a 1/4 inch inward, creating a clean edge around the top of the pouch. repeat with the lining, folding towards the wrong side of the fabric. this will allow you to insert the lining inside the bag with clean edges matching along the top...

 

now it's time to create the handle strap... take the 2.5"x12" strip, fold it in half, wrong side out, lengthwise, and stitch raw edges at a 1/4" seam allowance. then turn right side out and press...

now you should have four pieces, it's time to attach them all!  

start by inserting the raw edges of the handle in the side of the bag, right along the side seam. pin in place. also pin the front top edges, matching the lining and exterior. insert the back flap as shown, 1/4" with the lining showing as seen...

stitch into place all the way around using a 1/4" seam allowance. guess what, you're done! yay! 

 

super cute!

quilt club day!

today is quilt club at spool... 1:30. be there.

what cute quilts have been made at spool, oh so many, just look! (up, silly.) quilt club is gonna be, well i dunno what quilt club is gonna be, but i do know there will be some quilting, sewing, gabbing, and helping as we discuss the many exhilarating aspects of quilting. (yes, i said exhilarating!)

and it's also there if you just need some help with something, like, say mitering a corner is more like making a croque monsieur than making a simple good old fashion grilled cheese, well, crack out the american slices, cuz it's cookin' time!

and of course you know i always love to talk about colors, cottons, and creativity! yay! sew! so totally stop by will ya... (ps, go to www.spoolsewing.com in case you don't know how to get there!)

finally...

finally... lazy bones kayhart has finished and presented her latest quilt to it's happy (i hope) new owner... check it!

it's a take on an amish bar quilt... three 2 inch bars make each panel. the middle panel is a group of vertical and horizontal bars, ended with a set of horizontals, and the again by a set of verticals.

i didn't really have any particular idea in mind when i started, i just loved the habitat purple, anna maria starburst and art gallery floral as a grouping... that's how i roll... ha. then i thought to myself, oh lindsay, what do you love? and the answer... jewel tones, suddenly i had a palette surrounded by a deep jade.

for the back i wanted to cut back a bit... though i love the more is more aesthetic, i wasn't sure she would love it, so i thought back to my number one rule of quilting... anna maria horner always works, and if not, well, we don't need to speak to each other... so i did a new loulouthi print. (fyi: lindsay loves!)

so it all came out great! it's been delivered to it's new happy home, newly built to house my favorite suburban family! (shhh... but i totally only did it so i would get invited back!)

i think that'll happen now!

ok, lame, i haven't been posting about sewing... sorry. i have been sewing though, just not in the normal way. commission work means i have to follow a plan... and get it done. (still working on super secret project though too, just so's you's know's...)

(secret project swatch!)

 i will be finishing my project tomorrow, so i will be straight back into serious quilt mode... teaching new classes in a week or so. yay! and i have the super secret project... plus i am going to be making a quilt for my new niece... emily doesn't know what's gonna hit her. (super cute pink cuddly-ness i'm sure.) i'm not sure what i'm going to do for it, but i know it will include some sarah jane... i love this!!!

woo hoo quilthome.com and woo hoo sarah jane studios! if i ever were to have a daughter her room would be decked out in sarah jane prints... and now quilts! (is it ok to not want the baby, and just the baby room? eh... i'll have to ponder that one.)

 

my new favorite thing...

so one of my favorite things, erm, persons, is caroline tiger. she is a philly-ian with a neato blog about design here in the city... (and she was one of my bride's at work!) but then through her articles in the philadelphia inquirer i found another new thing to love... aphrochic!

check out those prints! sigh. jeanine hays has some of the most wonderfulest wallpapers, linens, and pillows around.... would it be ok to spend my entire life surrounded by yellow ikat? hmmm... maybe!

that's all! ciao!

simply put... nice.

so i have baby quilt class this saturday, nice. it's such a fun class, simple and yet, well the results always amaze. don't you just love that, say when you go into something new and think, "erm, um, ok, i hope i don't screw this up." and then you come out at the other and end and whamo, it was waaaaay less complicated than you made it out to be? that, simply put, is baby blanket...

two super cute prints snuggled together, bound in happiness and ready for baby sunshine. you got it!

sticking with that theme of super easy happiness, i just found the coolest new book...

yeah, that's right, sewing in straight lines only to achieve sewing awesomeness! there is a great one hour skirt in here that reminds me of the anna maria flirting the issue skirt. i am always saying in that class, and many others, that i am a fan of the easy sewing line, and that by just tweaking some other little notions you can sew straight and twist people's minds at the same time with your wonder skills!

i cannot wait to get this book, just check out the super cute skirt on the cover, hmmm, a bit of winter wool perhaps. (shush your mouth!)

how true...

i was on burda last night and i saw this, and thought... how true! go check it out... here!

sewing do's and dont's... sometimes i feel like i am rushing for no good reason, or i feel guilty for not working on my projects enough, but you know, it's for fun and for keeps, not for mean annoying time... i sew cause i wanna, and frankly, i know, quilting isn't exactly what the cool kids are doing these days... yeah, there are lots of girls in glasses making crocheted cupcakes or putting mustaches on, well, everything, but it doesn't mean that it's front line coolness.. and that's ok... i don't have to be project runway or sewing with nancy, i just have to be me. word.

it's what he said...

ok, so click the box first... it's not bad, but you should click the box first... check it out, and then come back...

that, my friend, is the theme from the ever so well known psycho, masterpiece du hitchcock... this is the dress i made from simplicity pattern 2363...

what the french could be the correlation... ah, well, you see, when i put my creation on, my man said "i have the perfect music for that..." then, he went and found mr. alfred h. thanks...

so basically i look like mrs. bates...

i don't think mrs. bates would wear a belt such as that one, but hey, i get it... it's a bit gran... but you know what, it came out just like the picture...

bottom right, yes? yes. now i don't know what to do with it, i mean, i did do a good job... my darts are pretty kean, and it falls correctly, it's just a bit, gran. (man, i said it again.) i followed their sizing too... maybe it's a bit big? according to their sheet i am a 14 (gasp!) but i could have probably done a 10 and been ok. hate that about patterns... i dunno, i guess it's a halloween costume, as they say...

or a sweet outfit to wear to a phish concert! ha!

i know, i'm terrible.

i haven't posted in, what, two weeks? bah. i know in blog time that is like, fifteen years... bummer. it's just been a bit strange lately... ok, not like eerie music strange, but like, man it's hot outside, and i turned 30 (gasp!), and i have been working on things that i cannot show yet...

i have been busy with a project for a lovely lady in need of new curtains and pillows... so fun when you know that your work is going to be part of an amazing transformation of a beautiful house! (ok, so it's not like i put in the drywall or anything, but pillows really go add an element of romance to a space, so there!)

i also am working on some super hush hush work, that i just cannot divulge at this time... you know how it is... i am back though, so help me, i'm back...

hot days and bright colors

man it's hot, like every day it's hot. hot. hot! but, eh, i'm not really complaining, i mean, it's summer, duh! you know the best part of summer? it's the bright hues that make it up, i mean, think about it, vibrant red skies at night, sailors delight, as they say... bright grass, green after a summer storm, wonderful. looking out in my mother's yard i saw pretty flowers all around, (though i think she sees failure, i think they are super cool!)

 

doesn't that say sunshine?!?

as you may know, there is nothing better than fuchsia!!!

i have really been getting into philip jacob's prints lately, particularly the flowers...

 kinda like laura ashley on acid at times, which is totally a good thing!

sunshine!

(sometimes you just have to look at the light...)

i'm back!

holy canoli! what a week! i spent a luxurious week in maine, doing nothing special... hiking, walking, biking, sitting watching hoarders with my dad... good stuff. we went and spent a week at the old kennebunkport, home of my lovely family. isn't it nice sometimes when you can go on vacation and just hang out... no itinerary, just fun. sigh...

ok back to reality, and sewing patterns!

for my birthday, this thursday, don't ya know... my mom took me to joann to get some stuff. nice! i grabbed a few new patterns this week and these are super cute. they are lisette, which i don't really know anything about, but i am v. excited to try them. i got a neato shirt dress, with matching lisette fabric. (sometimes you just gotta follow the rules...) and a cute little jacket/dress combo pack.

but what's really cool is this...

check out these two simplicity patterns, one is from today and one is from 1972. can you guess which is which? ha! of course, but just check it out, the old is new again, and man oh man i have to make myself that amazing red caftan!!! yay!!!

i bought two old patterns at the great secret shop... in arundel, maine there is an antique mall, lots of crazy stuff, and there is a wonderful little booth full of old patterns, cookbooks, and fabric. it makes me so happy, i always get something there. i would have bought tons of patterns if i wasn't on such a time constriction that day...  i had bought some cute fabric for the new simplicity dress but maybe i will use it for the old one...

the print has a cute 70's vibe, yes? well, mom thought so anyway... i also grabbed a late 70's mccall's pattern...

it says it's a one night pattern, hmmm.... we'll have to see... haven't sewn in a week, hope i'm not rusty!

weekender... you bet!

tah-dah! done! yay! weekender bag ready to travel... throw some junk in there and let's go!

what do i have to say about the amy butler weekender bag... hmmm.... well, i would say that it is not a beginner project. it's the interfacing really, peltex heavy duty can really add up as you sew. i didn't need to use 16 needles though, as were recommended, but maybe i was just lucky on that one.

i would say the hardest part for me, other than the heavy sewing of course, was matching up the main panels with the top/bottom. that got a bit stressful. (i.e. me swearing, ed saying "what's wrong?" and me swearing some more.)

also, you do have to hand stitch the lining inside the bag, and if you are not a fan of that you will be perturbed. i don't really mind it, give me an episode of 48 hours and a needle and thread and i'm your girl, but i did mess up my middle finger pretty badly from trying to ram the needle through the zipper/lining/interfacing conundrum. my weird trick: i held a thimble in my mouth, and each time i had to push the needle through i brought my middle finger up to catch the thimble, brought it down, pushed the needle through, then put it back in my mouth. eh, it worked for me.

the only thing that i didn't do was buy plastic template for the false bottom. i have interfacing, i will survive. i am sure it would be a bit more professional looking if i did, but frankly i couldn't find the size needed, so what the heck, live and let live.

i recommend the project, so much so i think i am going to make another one... after my finger heals of course. man, i guess i better go on a trip now, huh? sounds good to me!!!

stitching is a picnic!

so i made something kinda cool... but apparently not cool enough... eh, who knows, wanna see?

it's a cute picnic mat, perfect to roll up and throw over your shoulder! take it to the park, the beach, the backyard, wherevs! whatcha think...

it's 54x60, made up of bright kona solids on the front: melon, lagoon, cactus and white. i went for a kind of retro kitchen floor motif, it's made up of 6 inch squares, easy to make, super easy to love...

the back is loulouthi laminate from anna maria... i love the laminate on the back. that way if you plop down on the grass and it's a bit dewy from the night before you will stay clean and dry! yay!

the binding is art gallery in a deep purple... i think it ties everything together nicely... oh! speaking of tie... you can see that this piece loves to travel... roll it in three and tie it securely shut! plus there is enough left over to make a bow and have it hang from your shoulder. good for quick city picnics! that or throw it in your bike basket and head to the park!

maybe i will make this a tutorial, what-da-ya think? anyone? it's a simple pattern with classic results. homage to easy peasy summer!

a true weekender

phew. heavy duty. i spent the better part of sunday, and a few hours on saturday night, and a few hours on monday night, working on my weekender bag from amy butler.

it's pretty intense. but i am not complaining! no sir! it's just a bit tough on the old 14 needle if you know what i mean. there is tons of interfacing in this project, but if you want it to look professional and beautiful, you gotta suck it up and make it work!

i wouldn't say it's a novice piece, but amy really does make it easy on you. this is my first pattern to follow in her collection, and i think the layout and instructions are very simple to follow, making it a dream, though time consuming... three hours of cutting. bah! i am 3/4 of the way finished, here is a primer...

of course, i am using my absolute favorite fabric of  the moment, habitat by jay mccarroll... again... whatevs, i love it. the trim and lining is just some good old fashion kona navy.

i am very happy with it, other than the fact that i did trim down the main panel seam allowances, and it's a bit harder to sew, but i am on my way...

i'm gettin' there, i'm gettin' there. i have a deadline for this one, it must be done by the end of the week or else! or else!!! i can't wait to tote through the airport looking oh so fashion-travel-ista!

you flirt!

wow, that was a lot of stuff! too bad you weren't there... missed you. i was going to post a couple of days ago but then i left my camera at spool like a schmuck. schmuck! i ran to get it today so that i could show off the projects done in my class this week... we did the flirting the issue skirt by anna maria horner. check them out!

tah dah! with some new wrenly by valerie wells! love it!

 and some cute pretty in pink action (not my words, the creators, tre-bon!) and one super cute mess! (i say that in the best way, since it's some great wild habitat by jay mccarroll.) see, you can be girly and punk rock!

i just think it's such a fun skirt, and it's easy! cut some rectangles and sew! anna maria, you genius! i have two so far, i may need to make another one! (can i use anymore exclamation points today!?! yes!!!)

sigh... ok what else? oh yeah, i am a celebrity now! kayhart checklist...

1 - have anna maria horner read and comment on your blog... CHECK!
2 - be feautured on barelymeasured.com... CHECK!

that's right! heather has done a little featurette on moi! how super neato! everyone should check it out, not only for it's fabulous expose on yours truly, but also because she is deliciously talented and has fun stuff for all!!! seriously... go!

so many other things are stewing too... hey, go USA soccer, tchau marta! and i have been working ever so hard all weekend on a amy butler dream... more on that soon. so busy! must dash!