Totelicious Pattern

Last night I finally listed a new sewing pattern in my Etsy shop, yay! The shopper tote has been a good seller for me so why not share my innermost secrets with the world? Uh, yeah. Anyhoo, now you can make one for yourself, or your grandma! You'll learn to sew French Seams in this one and I've included some options for different pockets & such. I'm pretty happy with it and very relieved to have it done. On to the next one...mini wallet or tissue cozy, I think.

Some Things & Stuff

So on Monday I thought I'd try a new approach to my daily/weekly schedule. It went really well for one day. At least I tried. Because I've been spending a lot of late evenings trying to restock my bib supply, I spent all day Monday cutting out bibs. I used a lot of my stash which was a real bonus. In the end I'd cut about 70 + the 8 I need for an order off my website. I even got some bib liners cut. (My bibs are all lined with a layer of flannel). I'm really trying to get ahead of the game a bit right now. I've taken Thursday's market off hoping to do just that.
Yesterday I started a new bag design from some old April Cornell fabrics I got before I moved to the UK. I had planned a quilted tote with these fabrics, but then decided against it. Turns out that the new bag pretty much is a quilted tote. I was going to box the bottom, but I think it works better like this. I don't really like the result, but I think with a few alterations it could be a nice bag. I used a slightly different technique for this one than I'm used to. I made the lining and outer bag as one complete piece before putting it together. That means it was basically a quilted place mat that I added pockets & handles to. The side seams on the inside are not great, but I have an idea for that. Anyway, it's kind of nice to work on something new for a change, I'm sure you know what I mean. And I got a chance to use some pretty fabrics that have been feeling very left out. Not a total loss.

And last but not least, another huge dud. I saw Kayla's post yesterday about the sweet little ball she'd made for a friend's child. She'd posted a link to a tutorial so I thought I'd whip one up for kicks. Again, I pulled out some fabrics from my 30's repro stash and made one in pinks, green & yellow. It turned out terrible because I didn't mark the points. I knew I should have. Ugh. What a mess. It's not even round, gosh sakes. LOL, at least the bibs are okay.
p.s. Good news about baby Mark. He's had a very rough time since his surgery on Thursday, but it sounds like he might be going home soon. Thanks again for all the well wishes. Hopefully I'll get to see him next weekend when Nick & I go to OC for a quick weekend.

A Little Random

How's everyone doing? It's Friday, but as you full-time crafters know, there's no Friday in crafting. I work every day. It kills me to take a whole day off, haha. I try though. Sometimes I do take a break on the weekend so Nick & I can go somewhere. I don't want to jinx anything, but tomorrow we're going to look at rings (if you know what I mean).
We'll be stopping in Oakland to scout the Farmer's Market there too. I hear my stuff would be "gone" if I sold there. Even though it's not in Marin, it's part of the Marin Farmer's Market Association. That means I can sell there if I can get a spot. Maybe when we get back from the UK. Oh yeah, I guess I didn't mention that we're off for England on the 25th. Just under two weeks, not too long. It'll be enough time for me to go to some of my favorite spots in London like this and this. We're over there for a wedding and to visit the family, I'm sure it'll be a great time. We're planning a little road trip to one of my favorite places while we there. I highly recommend Bath if you ever go to England. It's just beautiful. sigh. I can't wait to go with Nick. :)
In other news, I did a new market on Wednesday night. It was a complete waste of time, but now I know. My friend Julie came over from Yosemite to sit with me, thank goodness, I'd have perished if it hadn't been for her. I wouldn't have made a sale without her either. She bought a handbag & a monkey. Thanks for coming Julie!
I did actually take a partial day off yesterday. Julie and I walked over to the post office, I had oodles of orders to send out, and the farmer's market. It was a lovely walk, and on the way we fed the ducks. I thought this one was particularly handsome. Nick works from home on Thursdays so the three of us went down to Sausalito for lunch too. It was great to see a friend and take a quick breather. Now I'm back to the old sewing machine. I started to put together a huge stack of new bibs last night, so they must be finished today. I've got a quilt order to fill, and I want to make some more inexpensive kids' totes like the one Maple is using in this picture. She really likes the animal prints. I got the fabric at IKEA and I just love the bright colors. She loves it so much, I can't get her to put it down. Silly girlie.
I guess that's it for me today. I know I probably wrote too much.
Just one last thing, I was perusing some of my favorite blogs this morning and came across this new fabric line coming out next month. How cute! I can't wait to see it in person. Have a great weekend everybody.