Fabric Baskets

 Sewing the squares together

 Attaching the linen bottom

 Attaching the batting

 Sewing up the sides

 Finished! Love the bright lining

 Eye candy

 So addicting I made another one

Things In Progress for the Etsy Store

Projects cut and laid out

Zakka inspired pouch

A pile of pincushions

Pincushions in all their glory

My Wristlet Experiment

So after reading like a hundred tutorials (not really, but it felt like it) I felt I was ready to experiment on making my own. Shout out to Ayumi over at http://ayumills.blogspot.com/ for providing such beautiful pics and instructions. You rock! The easiest part was making the strap. Took me like five minutes to sew it together.

Next came putting the pouch together. I had a moment of confusion when I was sewing the lining to the zipper as Ayumi had instructed, as usually I would make a zipper sandwich and sew the lining and the outer fabric together all in one shot. But who am I to question the awesomeness of Ayumi? So I pressed on.

After some fiddling around to line up the fabrics and make sure the strap was securely fastened to the bag, I finally got the entire thing stitched together.

Now it was time to "birth the bag". Trust me when I say this was the easiest birthing I ever had to do. Thankfully I wised up after making a few pouches and remembered to leave at least a 3-4" opening in the lining to do this magical act.

I then stitched the opening closed and tucked in the lining, making sure to poke the ends out with my trusty scissors. I love those scissors.

And here's the finished product. I'm so proud of myself. So much so that I will be making TONS of these.

InStyling

As I'm prepping for my Spring 2012! line, I decided to pick up a copy of the new InStyle magazine("the magazine choice of designers" so says Rachel Roy) and flip through for inspiration.

Now, this book is almost as thick, and weighs almost as much as a phone book, but so damn worth it. My eyeballs and brain were trying to process all the fabulous colours and things in it but after 20 minutes I had to take a break.
New rule for reading this magazine: Only read four pages every two hours.



Look at how thick this thing is:


Here are a few pages I ripped out and hung on the Inspiration Board:

It's been 2 hours since my last page so I'm off to go delight my senses in some more fashion editorial deliciousness.

Measure Here...Cut Down There

So for the past week or so I've been perfecting my pattern process in order to make the most fabulous purses mankind has ever seen (Read: My mother). But the reality of situation is that sometimes things that work out perfectly in your mind gets all warped when it hits the real world.
But I am pleased to report that after fiddling with the patterns I bought from this wonderful Etsy seller http://www.etsy.com/shop/whilebabynaps , and making a few purses (yet to be unveiled) I got up the courage to make my own pattern.

Here is one of the patterns I bought. It makes a coin purse. So cute!




And here is a peek into my pattern making process. My measuring tape got a workout. Thanks to Dev and Enrique for holding down my mental while I experimented with seam allowances and perfecting the shape for the rounded frame.




Now the true test is cutting out the pattern on fabric, sewing it up and fitting it into the round frame. Eeep!
If all goes well look out for a slew of those coin purses in my upcoming Etsy shop.
I'll keep you guys updated and post pics (good and bad)soon.

Purse of the Week

This week's handbag candy is brought to you by Banana Republic, the store I always say I'm going to shop at but never quite make the effort to go patronize. But this handbag just might be the extra push I need.

Meet the Karlie top-handle leather bag. This bag screams "sophisticated working woman", or in my case "working woman trying to look sophisticated".

The Karlie is 100% leather and designed with a top handle as well as a detachable shoulder strap. It's approximately 15 3/4" tall, and the handle drop is approximately 9"; shoulder strap length is approximately 15". It also comes with a protective dust bag included which in my opinion is a must have for all your bags for the sake of maintaining the bag's appearance and longevity.

Okay. Less talking, more showing. Check it out.





Priced at $220.00 I say it is completely worth it. It comes in cognac, camel(shown)and navy. Go get it girls!

My Fabric Obsession

So in anticipation of making cute coin purses and fabric clutches I went on a fabric shopping spree. And according to my accountant (the ATM receipt from the Chase Bank across the street) this is going to be my last spree for a while.
It's safe to say at this point that I'm officially a fabric junkie. Are there support groups for that?
Anyway, here are some pics of my stash.

One of my purchases came from a seller on Etsy (shout out to fivemonkeyfabrics!), whom I will be making more purchases from.

Here is what I bought:



So damn gorgeous!

Next I bought a collection (read: waaaaaay too many) from Contemporarycloth.com.
Here they are:













Lawd! I am ready to sew!

Stay tuned to see what I'll make with all these goodies. Hopefully they won't suck because that would just be an insult to the fabric...and my debit card.

Come and Get Me Winter!

So with all this purse/clutch making going on it seems I haven't crocheted in a looooong time. So after a bout with some insomnia last week I FINALLY finished the scarf I started to make for myself after the busyness of the Christmas ordering season died down. I must say that at first I wasn't too sure how the colours would look together, but as I worked up the scarf I was pleasantly surprised. It's a very chunky scarf, and can double as a hood for those extra windy days we've been having lately in NYC. I love it :)

Take a look for yourself:



The middle colour is actually a beige yarn mixed with a pale pink and purple yarn. It gives the scarf some added dimension, and anchors the solid colours quite nicely.
I wore the scarf last Friday and guess what? I got an order to make one in pastel colours :)
Man, I guess I was really rocking the hell out of my scarf.
But there's just something about wearing an accessory that you made that just puts an added swagger in your stride. It's like you're saying "Look at my talent bitches." *Z snaps*

Workspaces and Such.....

So today I decided to clean up my workroom in anticipation of the hectic week ahead I predict I'm going to have. Now, my workroom is actually a portion of my bedroom that I converted. It's a small space, but I've managed to maneuver my worktable in a way that makes the most of the space.

The round shape of the table gives me a 360 degree access that I've come to enjoy mainly because I'm not bumping into edges as I move from my sewing machine to the cutting space at the back.

I love the bench also as Bran usually keeps me company when I'm sewing(he's usually engrossed in his DS). I find this oddly calming. But I'm weird like that. A few times he's fallen asleep on my lap as I sewed. I guess the whir of the machine was his lullaby :)

Here's what the space looks like:


Notice the colourful window border? It's a collection of fake autumn leaves and glittery star-shaped ornaments. It never fails to put me in a good mood.
On the table I have my Inspirational Swatch board, and at the back are my patterns for my fabric clutches and coin purses. At the bottom right is my little flowerpot of some Kalanchoe (a succulent that provides consumers with a durable flowering pot plant requiring very little maintenance in the home or office). I'm don't have a green thumb, so let's see if this plant can survive living with me and my plant-killing ways :/


I converted a tall coffee mug as a holder for my scissors, brushes, spatulas and clips. The pattern on the mug is exquisite. So much so that I wish I had some fabric in that pattern *sigh*

So there you have it. My workroom. Mind you this might be the last time you see it looking so pristine. I'm in the midst of some downtime until most of my supplies arrive from my vendors. But as soon as I have everything on hand it's gonna be pace to get the Spring 2012 line together by the May deadline I gave myself.

*Note to self* Calm down with the overachieving

Golden Ticket

UPDATE:

The store was impressive, but somehow it wasn’t for me. I thought they would’ve catered to a more expansive crowd of crafters/designers and would have a decent selection of bag/purse supplies, but sadly this was not true. There were buttons by the hundreds, crystals by the thousands, tassels as far as my eyeballs could see, and a VERY tall and impressive shelving unit of ribbons and cords. The staff was pleasant enough and helped politely when I asked where the cotton webbing was located. But when I saw the price ($2.98 per yard) I promptly put it back because I could get it cheaper elsewhere for $1.15 a yard. I would recommend this store though to anyone who wants to add some pizzazz to their fashion creations, but as a bag maker it didn’t fit well into my craftdom.

Side Note: They had an ultra cool spinning display in the window that looked like a wedding cake made up of pearls, ribbons, buttons and sequins. That was worth going into the store to see it up close and personal.

So all that being said, I’m going to stick with buying my stuff online as I get what I want without having to leave the comfort of my home or office, and having it delivered for a minimal delivery fee. Less stress for me…and that’s always a good thing.

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After work today I will be heading to M&J Trim. Who or what is M&J Trim you ask? Well according to most New Yorkers in the fashion industry it is THE BEST place to shop for all things trimy and buttony, sparkley, and zipper. The owner of the store describes it as “the Willy Wonka of trimming since 1936”. Nuff said. I've got my Golden Ticket a.k.a. My Metrocard and I am going to this notion Disneyland.

Here are a few pics of what the store looks like for you guys not living in New York.

Say a prayer for me and my debit card. This will be my first time going to this talked about store, and I must say that I am excited. I don’t think my brain and eyeballs will be able to keep up with all the glorious trinkets. My fellow crafters know what I'm talking about. I will update you guys later on my "finds".