The Second Bag

Just a quick post to show you the second bag that I made for my neighbor.  I'm so pleased with the way that these came out; I hope they provide lots and lots of good use! 

Sewing For Myself: Well... Sort Of

In keeping with the theme of taking time for myself, I decided that I really needed to boost my exercise routine. I love to exercise, and running is my work-out of choice (because it serves a dual purpose of physical and mental exercise). But a knee injury had left me feeling despondent and resolved to being in my 40s. Luckily for me, my neighbor and friend is a personal trainer and agreed to take me on in exchange for some messenger bags! Win-Win! Here is the first bag that I made for her. I love it's sunny brightness combined with the art nouveau design. Of course, the print is designed by Anna Maria Horner, one of my favorites! And since I've been working out with my neighbor, I'm feeling much stronger and was even able to run a little bit last weekend without knee pain. HOORAY!

The Second in a Series of Three

I am behind, as usual.  I have been trying to finish a prototype for a smaller messenger bag for almost a year now.  I can't believe it's actually taken me this long, but that's neither here nor there.  Finally, I got my act together and drafted the pattern.  I finished my prototype, and .... it is still too big.  I'm trying to go for a smaller, more accessible price point, but this one will end up being just over $100...too much.  However, I actually think this bag is a practical size: it's perfect as a book bag. So here's what I'm thinking:  I will offer three sizes to pick from: The Kitchen Sink (my giant messenger), The Book Worm (a medium size), and the Tomboy, which will still hold a lot, but won't take up so much room on your body.  Of course this means that I'm back to the drawing board to re-scale the pattern once again, but it shouldn't take me a year to do it this time!  Here are the pictures of the medium sized bag: it's 12 inches (30.5 cm) wide, 9.5 inches (24 cm) tall and 4inches (10cm) deep. I used fabric designed by Amy butler for both the inside and the outer flap and back.  This smaller size features two pockets on the back (not found on the bigger bag) and only two pockets on the inside instead of three. 

Happy Monday, everyone!

Another Giveaway

Despite my best efforts to take a break, there's just a lot going on that I have to share with you! I'm participating in a giveaway on someone else's blog. And it's a big one! We're giving away this new bag that I just finished! If you're interested in playing, you'll have to do a little work. Head on over to Erin's Blog: Pour Some Sugar On Me to find further details. If you don't want to deal with the tweeting and the following (and if you don't know what I'm talking about, this giveway might not be the one for you), that's okay! You can admire my handiwork here and I will try and offer another bag giveaway sometime in the future here in the safety of my own blog. But this is a really great bag, so it's worth a little effort!

Brian and I had a lovely dinner last night together. We ate at a restaraunt called the Iron Rabbit, which serves really delicious fancy food in a casual setting. It was fun to be "out on the town" on our own (thank-You Melissa and James for watching our girl)! Thanks to our friends here for the Birthday wishes!