A different kind of loot bag - pencil cases!

My daughter's 5th birthday is coming up and now that she has started school and has friends, we've decided to have her first birthday party. She insisted on having a bowling party and picked out 10 friends to invite.

Mr Blue Calla and I discussed what we wanted to give instead of loot bags. We aren't huge fans of loot bags filled with items from the dollar store. (I've thrown out most of these items in the past so I really wanted to think of something the kids can use that is of course, handmade!) When my friend Lisa came by the other day to buy a bag from me, she also brought me some fabric remnants. Turns out she designed a fabulous Lego print and brought me 2 remnants large enough for a good sewing project. We were planning on giving some mini Lego figures instead of loot bags but then I got inspired by the Lego fabric to create some pencil cases to put the Lego figures in. Here is what I came up with:

If you'd like to order some Lego fabric of your own, here is a link to Lisa's Spoonflower page.

She also has a few other fantastic prints. I have a piece of the leaf lines fabric as well and it's pretty awesome.

Time to dust off the serger

My poor BabyLock Serger has been sitting in my sewing room for months now. I just don't need to use it that often. I make bags and really don't need pretty finished seams on the inside.

However, I have been using it to finish raw edges of yardage before I wash it to make snack bags.  But that's about it. Which is a shame. So I went ahead and ordered this book:

It has a lot of information that is already in my owner's manual but much, much more detailed troubleshooting tips. It also explains the different stitch techniques you can achieve with your serger. I was hoping for a bit more information on clothing assembly/construction because I was planning on going back to how I started Blue Calla and making some clothing for kids. Regardless, it is a good start. I'm hoping to get a bit of reading done over the holidays and maybe attempt some clothing to sell at the Arts Market in the Spring.

Long time no post! (And a new hobo bag)

I know, I know. It has been a LONG time since my last post. Seeing as I only have 22 followers, I am not overly concerned. :)

The past 3 weeks have been so crazy for me. This has officially been my busiest holiday season yet. My smart phone wristlets have been very popular on Etsy and out of curiosity, I counted how many I have made since the beginning of November and it came out to 71. This is not counting the wristlets I made for my Arts Market space (which by the way, if you haven't been yet you should really go!!)

I am grateful for how busy I've been but this has almost meant NO time whatsoever for the creation of new items. Which is a big deal for me because I get bored easily. I decided over the weekend that I just HAD to create something from my idea sketchbook and take a break from the repetitive sewing.

I had an idea for a pleated front pocket that I saw on someone else's bag, which I would completely credit and link to had I thought of bookmarking the blog post. I decided to try and incorporate this style of pocket to my zippered hobo bags and here is the result:

Everything about the bag is the same as every other zippered hobo bag I've made except for the front pocket. I also added the side tabs and some fabric covered buttons on each side of the pocket's opening.   I used a combination of 3 different fabrics for the outside: a great black and white linen/cotton blend floral fabric, a black denim and a black cotton canvas. I know that some like short shoulder straps and others prefer cross body straps so this bag has both! The cross body strap clips on the o rings so if you like the shorter shoulder strap style then you can easily remove the long strap.

I used the black and white floral on the underside of the short strap. I love this type of accent - gives the bag a bit of personality!

Normally I add zipper pulls made out of satin ribbon and wooden beads that I paint myself to match the bag but when I saw these adorable zipper pulls for sale at Do Dangle Designs, I decided to try them out.

For the inside I used a Parson Gray fabric I've had for quite a while now. The inside has my typical amount of pockets: 3 slip pockets and 1 zippered pocket.

The bottom of the bag has 8 pleats total which I really like because this bag can expand to accommodate tons of "stuff".

This lovely bag is going to the Arts Market tomorrow but once everything calms down on Etsy, I plan on making more of these to sell online.

Ribbons

When I saw all of the beautiful ribbons available on Etsy, I went a little crazy and ordered quite a few. I just couldn't help myself - I love the colours, the textures, the patterns. So many possibilities! Depending on what you make of course.

I just received this stack of ribbons in a 1 inch width from Les Bon Ribbons on Etsy and they are really fabulous (except for the bright lime green one which I thought was going to be pale yellow):

Now I need to figure out how to use these. I sometimes add them as an accent on a bag which I could do again. Or I could incorporate them into clutches and wristlets? Time to brainstorm!

Upcoming Event: Local Artisans Open House

If you are looking for a great evening out, I will be 1 of 4 fabulous artists at this open house event in my neighbourhood. 

Japanese Fabrics

These beauties arrived in the mail yesterday. I just love the colours, the texture and the patterns of Japanese fabrics.

I am just finishing up some smart phone wristlets and then I really want to tackle some projects with these. I can't decide - smaller clutches/wristlets or accent pieces on large bags?

If you are interested in snapping up some of these prints for yourself, you can find them at FabricMade on Etsy.

De-stash Time!

As I continue with my work, I realize that I have made many foolish purchases in the past when it comes to fabric choices. I make purses. So why do I keep buying fabric intended for quilts and children's clothing? Well, the answer is simple. Because they are gorgeous and I want to see them in person!

So today I am starting to sort through them and whatever I haven't washed or cut will be prepped for selling on Etsy. I do have some gems hidden away in my stash.... like this beauty:

Sprites of Tillbrook by Alexander Henry

I LOVE this fabric. It is extremely rare since it has been out of print for a very long time but I just don't have any use for it. I will also be selling any hardware I don't need. At great prices. So if you sew, stay tuned!