Concert Cluth

About a month ago, I had a concert to attend.  And, as with most mom's, didn't want to carry my giant purse full of fruit snacks and diapers to the show.  I also didn't want to sling anything across my shoulders.  So, with a little bit of time on my hands, and a husband who was "working from home" for the day, I had time to come up with the "concert clutch".

This little clutch is the perfect size for your cell phone, some money, and ID, a few mints and your concert tickets of course.  Perfect for a night on the town when you don't want to carry a lot of stuff OR to just stuff in the bottom of your regular bag to pull out when you are on the go.

The clutch has gone through a few iterations, but I think I finally got the size right where I like it.  It's made with a 9" zipper and is about 5" tall.  I'm excited to start making some more.

Men's Watch Roll

I've been so deep in sewing bags lately that I guess my husband felt left out.  There isn't a lot of room in the sewing and quilting world for men's stuff.  With that in mind, and considering his watch obsession, he presented me with the idea of making a watch roll.  What's a watch roll you ask?  It's a cool place for your husband to store all his watches, especially if he travels with more than one watch on vacation or on a business trip.

I made a rough prototype out of some scratch pieces of fabric, made a few adjustments to the initial pattern and thus, the watch roll was born.  Going to the fabric store to pick out fabric with my husband was a new experience, but in the end, the finished product turned out having a really great look.

The roll has space for four watches, folds up on itself and is secured with a bungee elastic.

The Librarian Tote

It's called "The Librarian" because it's perfect for a trip to the library with the kids to bring home literary treasures.  Or, if you aren't into the library, for an extra bag on a trip, or a day of running errands.  Sturdy, fashionable, and unique.

It's fun to make and the possibilities are endless.  My brain actually explodes a little when I start thinking about all the fabric I've got stashed and all the bags I can make.  Here are a few pictures of the tote.

The dimensions pre-sew are 16" x 18" tall.  Give the seam allowances some room, and you still end up with a great sized bag.

Mini Messenger Bag

Lately, I've been working with some smaller bags.  They are quick to make, and are just too cute.  I've been working on a couple different versions for boys and for girls, and so far, they've been selling pretty well.

 I did make one last week though, that was so cute I could hardly stand it and I sold it before I even had a chance to post it to Instagram.

Last week one morning while getting dressed, I saw an old denim shirt dress in my closet that I never wear and it was just begging to be made into a little bag.  So, I carefully cut it up and turned it into a small girls messenger bag.

The friend who bought the bag asked me if it is ever hard to part with something that I've created and worked hard on.  I told her, that no, it isn't too difficult.

But, this little bag?  It was pretty hard.  I just have a soft spot in my heart for all things small and girly.

Making Progress

The idea of starting a small (very small) business was a little overwhelming at first.  Okay, it's still overwhelming, but I'm starting to finally feel like I'm at a place where things can grow.  New ventures are on the horizons, and the bags are really getting to a place where I think that they are fun and great and cool.

That being said, one of my most favorite bags of late is the adult messenger bag that I've made.  It started out as a custom order for a family member's trip and turned into something that I drew up a pattern for and whipped up a couple bags.

The bags are made of waxed canvas.  Not sure what waxed canvas is?  Well, think Army/Navy tough and waterproof.  It's not machine washable, but you could squirt it down with a hose.  Inside, they are lined with a stabilized quilting cotton for an extra durable feel.  There are a couple of pockets, an adjustable handle and overall, I want to keep them all.  But, in all actuality, I'd rather sell them.



The first bag, the custom prototype, was lined with this amazing world map fabric that I'd been hoarding for a while.


The next version got a little more sophisticated and fancy.