A few purses..

I've had this fabric for 2 years. Now it's finally something. yay!

My first bag from a pattern.. it was stressful but worth it!


I bought this pattern that I can sell and it's amazing I love this clutch and i love the fabric as well. I still have a lot left it was on clearance for like 2 dollars a yard so I bought the whole bolt. It's also covering the cork board in the sewing room. Really cute.

Ruffle'n it up!

THE ALISA BAG.
oh boy! I've made some ruffles! This is the begging of something adorable! I need some batting or something to stiffen up the sides of the bag, so i'll be looking into that. Then I'll need to decided on a xlarge clutch with a zipper, or a purse-like tote. I guess I could always ask ALISA, and what her person style would be for it. Well the inside is a heart patterned fabric. I'll update when the project is finished, ideas are welcome!

Sewing.. finally.

WELP! I had to give up on the machine my aunt gave me, at least for now. I'd be sewing for 5 minutes then trying to fix the tension for 4 hrs. It was going to be the end of me, if I didn't do something! My mom finally agreed to get me a NEW sewing machine. A SINGER at that. My brothers both got new cell phones & new clothes.. so... all & all I think that it's fair! Here she is..

and she hums and sews like a beaut. She only has 8 stitch patterns but i'm okay with that, a 4 step buttonholer (which i used and it is simple). :o) the simple sound of her sewing straight & in reverse makes me smile ear to ear! And I finally got a project finished!! FINALLY!!! I will be taking on this really cute pattern for a purse next. mmhm. I'm moving right along!

The Claudia bag. (obviously named after her because she picked out the fabric)

It has double straps for handles.

My first button hole! yay! Also my first hand sewn button.

The inside fabric is cute. I was going to add a pocket but it seems that you have to think ahead for that..and I didn't. NEXT TIME ;O)

Tension or the lack thereof!

This little dial here is the source of all my problems.

Tension ... when it's taken apart. It's just too much. Then I get to looking at all the newer machines that make it look so much easier. I did see a billboard today about "NOT GIVING UP"... "rise to the occasion" .. so I'm trying to have faith. Anyway.. I'm sure that i'll figure it out. Sometimes it just takes staring at it for a while.

Current Project?! almost forgot.
A tote, the fabric Claudia picked out a few years ago.. when I first had the idea for this project. but of course it comes with it's very own problems. I thought that I could sew the liner to the outside fabric before I put the two pieces together. That would be a mistake. The fabric is too thick, even with using a bigger needle. Even with using bigger thread. blah. See. It's too thick. It could be because of this tension problem though. Okay and I was thinking about cutting this bag down in half and making two clutches from it instead. HMM. What to do. I'll have to think on it. It's sunny out, and it's hard to turn this face .. time for a walk.

Swallow the defeat?

Welp.. THERE SHE IS. A simple tote, no lining. I thought it'd be great to stitch a Swallow onto the corner.. problem is I don't think i'll be able to maneuver the machine to do this, might have to be hand sewn. I was going to add a cherry blossom branch as well. Hm.. what to do.

One singer down..

Well Sunday seemed to be a glorious day. My Filipino grandma gave me a Singer sewing machine after I had called her to see if she still had any from her alteration shop she used to have on campus. It was rusty but I was hopeful. After lots of oil and a trip to a few stores for a bobbin case that I ended up not even needing, I thought I had it all figured out . There was one part that I could not get to moving , the fabric 'dog feed'. I need this in order to keep the fabric moving evenly while sewing. In my frustration I called my aunt to vent, and she told me that she had one sitting in her garage that I could have!!! I was so excited! She was really the last person I would have thought of to have one laying around. I was excited to have my grandma give me a sewing machine, because I thought it was special to have something passed down to me. My aunt giving me hers thought will serve the same purpose though. Plus, my grandma said as soon as I got it down, and was really making some good projects that she might purchase me a new one. SOOOO here goes nothing!


My aunts sewing machine is a little older then the one my grandma gave me but I'm starting to tinker and get the hand of it. I think the hardest part for me is the tension thing. hm... I need a sewing for dummies book I think. I'm going to take a class next month with a few friends..I think it'll be a lot of fun. We hope to open an Etsy store. If you've never been to Etsy.com it's pretty amazing. I'll plan on having lots of posts about the cute things I find on there! Well I'm going to start my first project now, a over the shoulder hipster bag. maybe with a design of some sort on the top.