It’s a Harry Potter World

Tags

Harry Potter Purse, Purse making, sewing, Swoon Patterns

It’s a Harry Potter World… or at least it will be for my middle daughter next month on her birthday. And dang if I am not super impressed with myself for already having TWO items done! Over a month in advance!! (It remains to be seen if I actually FINISH everything now!)

I have an abundance of HP fabric because Holly requested Carolyn PJ’s a while back. I bought some fabric, and then kept buying and soon realized she would be getting a whole lot more than jammies! So I started with a purse and wristlet!

I used the newly released digital Harry Potter Prints by Camelot Fabrics. They are quite lovely and have a nice selection!

I kinda sorta had an idea in my head for how I wanted this to look and unfortunately it is kinda rough. I started with the Swoon Bucket bag but made quite a few changes, which accounts for the few mistakes I had. Sometimes thinking it through to the end for me is tough!

I cut out all my pieces, interfaced, added the vinyl pieces in where I wanted it and was ready to go.

 

My goal was turning the bucket back into something that looked more like a purse vs tote. I wanted to add vinyl, and that drawstring section at the top. Like I said, I had a picture in my head! My first mistake was in the printing but I did not realize it until well into the sewing and I was not going to give up at that point. My base was WAY too big! Like seriously! I figure I must have printed the other parts incorrectly as the purse is definitely smaller than expected.

But I kept going! I had silver grommets and no brass which may have gone better but I did not feel like going to the fabric store. So they are silver! I did learn that grommets are EASY to put in vinyl! Or I was having a good day!

My second mistake was towards the end- The bag was done, but I had no strap. I SHOULD have inserted the small strap pieces into the stitching as I was attaching the vinyl to the main body. But I was completely done with the “bag sans strap” and no way was I going to remove all the top stitching etc. So, in the effort to be upfront and real… I cheated. I just attached it and used sharpie on that ragged edge. Sigh.

The inside is HP lined as well.

I am SUPER pleased with how my new Bernina performed. It sewed through all the handle and tie thickness with no issues! Thank you Bernina!

Yes, I am a work in progress! Got a little dicey on that X!

I went with crossbody style and made a longer strap so she could wear it easily when she takes the train to school. Less chance of her leaving it somewhere when it is strapped across the body!

Anyway, I am pretty happy with it regardless, and I KNOW Holly will love it. I am going to make her an Harry Potter sunglass case and earbud holder so she can stay organized. Despite the purse turning out smaller than I envisioned I did manage to make a bag that her Kindle would fit into also- her Kindle goes EVERYWHERE with her!

Here is her wristlet. This was a quick and fun little make. I think I may need to make one from each house! Pattern is also by Swoon- Coraline.

I have a lot of traveling to do this month but hope to get things sewn when I am home. I actually just counted and at the end of January I will have spent 17 days in Houston and 14 days in San Diego. At that rate I don’t think I will be sewing piles of items this year! I have finished 6 already though! 🙂 2 button down shirts, a flannel, the above purse and wristlet and my dryer sheets. (Yes, I am counting my dryer sheets!)

The KISS shirt I made my son is AWESOME… Here is a sneakie peak!

Hope you all have had a great start to 2017! I am going for 100 items sewn this year and joined the FB group as incentive. That tallies up to only 8 a month. I should be able to do that? If you are interested, check it out!

Happy Sewing!

~Laurie

Currently watching Shades of Blue…

DIY Dryer Sheets

Tags

DIY, DIY dryer sheets, dryer sheets, essential oils, home, sewing, sewing dryer sheets

On January 1st I was perusing Pinterest and I stumbled on this great idea and promptly added it to my DIY board. Now, I confess I have done VERY few things that I have pinned on my DIY board but this one seemed quick and easy and since I knew we were almost out of fabric softener sheets I decided to get them made up within the first week of the New Year. And guess what? I did! Bye Bye Bounce sheets!

These were very simple and quick! I used this tutorial, although I am sure there are quite a few out there. But this one explained WHY those dryer sheets are so bad for us. I did not realize they were TOXIC until I read this! That pretty much clinched the “I am making my own” stance!

The first thing I did was rummage around in my bag of “too big fabric scraps to throw away” and found leftovers from Kadi’s Carolyn Pajamas and a coordinating polka dot! I know the colors are kind of girly but I like them! I cut out four 8″ squares of each.

These are the supplies I needed. White vinegar and an essential oil. (Not pictured- measuring cup.) I have quite a few essential oils as my daughter sells them. Since I am sharing these with my brother I let him pick his favorites. I ended up with 3 to choose from… Lavender, Eucalyptus, and Thieves Oil which is a blend.

I went with Thieves Oil. 😀 Next, I serged the edges of my 8 squares. The hardest part of this was changing my thread to white. I hate changing my serger thread but know it must be done! I had black on there prior to this. Black would not have been pretty!

All serged and ready to go! I added 1/2 cup of the white vinegar and 10 drops of essential oil into my jar. Simple!!

Next, I folded up those 8 squares and into the jar they went! I seriously spent less than 20 minutes making these. Voila- Dryer sheets!

I am pretty pleased with this simple DIY project. These are completely re-usable and after use can be put back in the jar. When the vinegar and oil mixture runs low I will just add more! I can’t wait to do a load of laundry and try these out!

Do you have any simple DIY projects you love? I would love to try some more for around my house!

Happy sewing!!

~Laurie

 

2016 is So Yesterday…

Tags

2017, Bernina, Rennaissaince costumes, sew exhausted, sewing

And 2017 is so today!

Warning– Long post… because it has been a while since I have blogged. Whenever I start a post like that (and it has been more than once), I feel as if I should repent.

“Forgive me readers, for I have sinned.”

My intentions have been good, but the actual doing has not always been on par. Ah well… 2016 and poor blogging are all in the past! 😉 Here is to a new year!

I had a pretty decent year! I have adjusted to life in Texas and actually find I like it here. There are things I miss about my life in CA… great weather, real tacos, the beach, real tacos… but I don’t mind. It has given my kids a chance to grow up and me a chance to do more of my own thing!

The only really major change in 2016 I have experienced is that I quit my job as an executive assistant in N. Houston, and now work virtually again for an old boss. I LOVE working virtually, especially since I drove an hour each way every day. That got old after a while!  But now, since my old boss who is now my new boss is based in San Diego I get to travel to my old stomping grounds. I actually spent 3 weeks there between Thanksgiving and Christmas. And am heading back in less than a week. I guess I kind of have the best of both worlds now. A better cost of living here in Houston AND I get to spend time with my friends and family in CA regularly- and eat tacos!

About the tacos- Mexican food in San Diego is different then Mexican food in Houston. Here, whenever I go to a Mexican restaurant they want to dump queso (melted cheese) on everything. Don’t get me wrong, queso has it’s place but I miss the good carne asada and carnitas street tacos I used to get. I have not found food like that here- although I am not saying it doesn’t exist!

Mmmmmm… Street tacos and a Craft Beer!

That said- there is plenty of good eating here… Really!

One of the best times I had this year was the Renaissance Faire I attended in November. It is touted as being one of the best in the nation- and I believe it! I had a fabulous time. I made my costume- I wanted to be an Elven Warrior and embrace the mystical side of the Renaissance.  I went all out and am happy I did. I can’t wait for next year! I have to share some of the photos I took- although I am having fun I did not think about taking actual GOOD photos of the costume so please forgive!

This first fellow Renn Faire attender was an Elf Murderer. (See the string of ears?) But he allowed me to keep mine!

The last pic is my brother- all decked out in a kilt. The best thing about this Renn Faire was there were quite a few people in amazing costumes, lots of hilarious shows, and one place that had craft beer! Woot woot!

And last but not least- one of my favorite photos is me with a Storm Trooper. The weekend we attended was Scottish weekend and we came across a group of Storm Troopers all sporting plaid. Pretty cool right?! (Damn, I am such a nerd!)

That’s a bit of my personal life in a nutshell- but how about my sewing life! Sewing is the real reason I come here to write. 🙂

I made these super cute pajamas for my girls. All they wanted for Christmas was matching Christmas jammies. I used the Carolyn PJ bottoms for all three- although Juliette wanted shorts w/ ruffles so instead of cuffs I added ruffles. Juliette has a boxy version of the Carolyn Top w/ 3 quarter sleeves for the top. They were a hit!

Two new machines came and joined me in my sewing room. Both are brand new and both are pretty exciting! I got a coverstitch machine- YAY!! Just a basic one but I love it already! I triple stitch hemmed some knits the other day and it was AMAZING!

And brand new to my desk- a Bernina 560E. I am beyond thrilled! It is a huge investment and I am super pleased with it so far. There is going to be a learning curve here but I am certain I am up for it. I will talk about the learning process in future blog posts- right now it is so new I have only sewed a straight line and some buttonholes!

As for sewing- I have been doing quite a bit, and have quite a few stash busting projects lined up. I joined the FB group SewAlongs and Sewing Contests and will be participating in the SSW:DS or “Seasonal Sew Wardrobe: Deep Stash Edition.” I have until April to sew a wardrobe from stash. Since I have LOTS of stashed fabrics and WAY too many stashed patterns I have lots to choose from. I already gathered up the fabrics I will be using.

Yes, 4 of those fabrics are black. But, I decided since I am happiest wearing black I needed to embrace it! When this wardrobe is done I will have a black skirt, a black dress, a black pair of pants, and a black blouse. It’s kinda perfect in my opinion. ALL those black items will easily flow into other wardrobes I build this year! Along with all that black I am making a solid bright pink blouse, a blouse AND skirt from the floral print, a bring pink knit top, and FINALLY I will be making my “Cityscape” Duster coat. I only have a few patterns chosen so far- A black Sewaholic Davey dress, Floral Sewaholic Hollyburn OR Gabriola, a sleeveless blouse from McCalls 7324 and the Burda Duster Coat. This wardrobe will be my March project. I have been losing weight and want to lose a few more before I make all that awesomeness.

January is “activewear” month for me. I am pulling from my stash again as I have TONS of fabric. Since I have started “running” (I use that term loosely as it is currently more a jog) and going to the gym I want more workout wear. There are quite a few great patterns out now and I have found some amazing fabrics! But I am going to save this for my next post!

I made quite a bit of awesomeness in 2016. I actually made over 30 short sleeved button down shirts for various men in my life. My son is now sporting at least 9, and my brother owns 5. (Minions and Star Wars!) I love making fun/ cool men’s shirts and have made everything from Jaws, Deadpool, Comic Books, and more. ANy cool fabric I can find I turn into a shirt.

Next up in the Men’s Shirt Making Queue- I found KISS fabric… Isn’t it AMAZING?!

It is all cut and ready to sew and will be my first make of 2017! (Typical- a make that is not for me!) I bought enough of this fabric to make myself a purse. I have started making purses for myself- since I want to experience fun fabric as well. I recently finished this Batman purse. If I am not using Batman, I am using my Nevermore Purse. Who needs Coach?!

I have to admit, I could go on and on… That’s what happens when one does not blog regularly. So, I will leave you with this bit of goodness on what has been going on in my life and I will be back soon with a review of my Batman purse, my Activewear plan, and a new men’s shirt or two!

Here is to new adventures, happy experiences and a WHOLE LOT of SEWING in 2017… I wish you all the best!

~Laurie

PS. I am on Instagram where I regularly post. If you use IG you can find me sewing here: https://www.instagram.com/lauriesue83/ … And drinking craft beer here: https://www.instagram.com/beersnobette/

PPS. Our new family member. Puppy cuteness!