SEWmuchKNITting

My son's girlfriend needed a new messenger bag to carry her books, etc while at college, and of course my son thought: "Mom could make that"! I had fun putting this together for Cassie's birthday. First, I took a look at the book I have by Lexi Barnes, Sew What Bags , and made up a prototype of one I thought would work. I found this book to be a great resource, the diagrams and suggestions for sewing a messenger bag were very helpful, but my first attempt turned out too big and wasn't the style that I was looking for. I then looked around the web, searching for dimensions for bags that are sold retail that I knew she would like, and came up with what I think is a great-looking bag that is trendy and functional. I purchased the quilting cotton at my local JoAnn Fabrics, and quilted it with a craft fleece in a simple diagonal quilt pattern. I think that this step took the most time! I stabilized the bag some more with cotton duck cloth, and also used a fusible sta...

I have had my Multnomah shawl completed for a few months now, but now that the temperatures in Michigan are hovering around 90 degrees, it is too hot to wear a wool shawl! Love the finished product! These pics are before blocking: I finally got to use the blocking wires I purchased a couple of years ago: Detail shot of the feather and fan border: I love this colorway and the way the self-striping yarn worked with this pattern. The purples are lovely, and the shot of chartreuse really pops. Yarn: Noro Kureoyon sock Needles: US size 4 Finished size: 60" X 20"

It's been a month or better since my last post, but I do have projects to share, trust me! My dear Dad passed away on June 21, so I have been taking some time to work with my grief and everything that comes with that. So look for a finished project or two to be posted over the next few days. :-)

I absolutely love wearing these simple, knit dresses....especially in the summer! I've been on the look-out for a great pattern to use this brown, black, orange and white border print fabric that I picked up last summer at Vogue Fabrics in Evanston, Illinois, and I think I found it in McCall's 5423! Tho difficult to see, there is a sewn-on small dolman-like sleeve, and a narrow empire waist elastic casing. The pattern shows a wide sash, but I didn't feel it was necessary for my dress. And look at that border....it reminds me of slices of kiwi! Although this deep V opening is figure-flattering, I will need to wear a cami with this dress! I like the cute little V-neck opening at the back, and LOVE that there isn't a zipper! This dress is definitely going into the suitcase for my trip to NYC!