pinquitos change purse

bean bag zipper pouch

I love how these little purses turned out. They weren’t at all what I was thinking, but I really wanted to show off the flowers and mountains. A square zipper pouch was the best way to do just that.

bean bag zipper pouch

I didn’t want to wash them because I was afraid that the color might fade, but I had to because they were kind of dirty. I was worried that they might unravel, so I sewed a basting stitch around the edges before I put them in the wash. Good thing, too! The edges totally frayed up to the stitches.

The bags were a little delicate and I wanted to make them more substantial so I used some cotton quilt batting to give them their shape. I used the front of the bag for the outside and the back of the bag for the lining. To solve the fraying issue, I enclosed the raw edges in a french seam. There were a few holes from the original stitching that didn’t work themselves out in the wash. They don’t look like they are going to unravel, but I dotted them with some Fray Check just in case. These were super fun to make and I finished them in one evening.

recycle: bean bags purchased at garage sale, leftover batting from stash, one zipper was thrifted, one zipper was reclaimed from a garment

thrifty yarn ideas

Hey all you knitters and crocheters! Vickie Howell has posted some creative ideas on how to keep those needles and hooks going in this crazy economy. My favorite suggestion is recycling sweaters for the yarn. I tried this once, but had a tough time picking the seams. I wound up giving it away to someone with more patience. Next time, I’ll check out the seams more carefully. You can read her entire list of ideas here.

resource: Vickie has lots of eco-friendly project ideas. I’m saving my Amy’s burrito wrappers to make this cute purse.

Bean bag update: I finished these, but it’s too late for a photo shoot. I wound up making little change purse zipper pouches. They are so cute! Details after I get some pics.

clothes

I’ve been thinking about this post for almost 24 hours; right after I left the clothing store. I don’t want it to sound like a rant or whine, but I can’t get these thoughts out of my head. So, here goes.

I recently did a clean sweep in my closet. I got rid of all of the old clothes that didn’t fit or look good post-pregnancy. It was hard. There were some things that I really loved, but couldn’t alter because they were too small. I avoided my spring and summer pants, though. I wasn’t ready to face them.

The temps are going to be in the 80s this week and yesterday I decided to see what fit. Yeah, it wasn’t good. Nursing my daughter on a no-dairy diet made me a very skinny woman. Very skinny. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I could use losing a few pounds, but there was no way I was going to fit into some of my post-pregnancy capris. So I decided to take my gift card (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and buy a few staples before I started my Wardrobe Refashion pledge. And here comes my shocking revelation:

I can’t believe how much clothes cost!

Maybe I’ve been spending too much time in thrift stores. Maybe I spend too much time in the fabric store. Let me also be clear: I don’t have a problem paying top dollar for quality items made out of good fabric that are built to last. No problem at all. But the clothes I tried on yesterday were not of that quality. I think maybe they will last two seasons if I am good to them. Everything that I purchased was on sale and I was still shocked when I got my total at the register. And here’s the kicker. I was at Kohl’s. Not the Gap or Banana Republic or Talbots, but Kohl’s! $40 for Kohl’s brand capri’s? $36 for a cotton t-shirt? Really? No wonder the whole store was 40% off.

I seriously need to learn how to sew my own pants.

. . . . .

new on julie-k: bean bags

bean bags

I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with these bean bags. Originally, I thought zipper pouches, but if I do the standard long rectangle orientation, the art will be sideways. Does that matter? I think it would be better to have the zipper on the top. Is that weird?

bean bags

I also thought they might look cool as box bags, but, again, the art would be sideways. I’m thinking of designing a box bag that is wider at the base so it will stand up on its own.

recycle: Bags were an impulse buy at “The Mother of All Garage Sales.” The flowers were too cute to pass up! Stay tuned for the “after” pic.

wardrobe refashion preparations

I’m getting ready for a two month pledge of not buying any new clothes. Starting May 1, I’m pledging to refashion what I already own. I can’t remember how I found Wardrobe Refashion, but I’m so glad I did. The projects are really inspiring!

I cleaned out my closet a few weeks ago and realized I have plenty of spring and summer clothes, but I’m not in love with a lot of them. Part of the reason is because what I really like I can’t seem to find in stores. I guess that’s the problem with reading all of the cool sewing books and blogs out there. I buy things that are practical. Things that look “fine.”

I want to love my clothes, though. I want them to fit well. Store bought always misses the mark for me with that. I want to take what I have and fix them so they are more than just “fine.”

I don’t think it will be hard to keep the pledge because I don’t really like clothes shopping. Thankfully, patterns aren’t on the “don’t” list. I’ve got a list of tops that I can’t wait to make. I’m just waiting for the next 99 cent Simpllicity sale so I can get started.

Anyone want to join me?

lunch with the girls

I’ve been looking forward to this afternoon all week. I’m going to lunch with the girls. Time away from my husband and daughter that doesn’t include any errands or work. Not even any knitting. Just eating, chatting and maybe a glass of wine.

There used to be a time in my life where lunch with friends on the weekend happened all the time. Quite often it was brunch with a bloody mary to recover from the crazy night before. My, how times have changed.

There is something to be said about the infrequency of these events, though. I look forward to them all week. I appreciate them more. I cherish alone time with my girlfriends. Lunch becomes a special event, not just a meal.

The strange thing is that after getting a few hours of alone time, I can’t wait to come home and be with my two favorite people. How is that? All I want all week is to be away for a few hours and then I can’t wait to get back. Motherhood sure can be weird sometimes.

. . . . .

new on julie-k: wardrobe refashion preparations

easter weekend

crafty eggs

I’ve finally got some Easter pics up in the gallery. We had a really low key weekend. Saturday morning we hung out with friends and dyed eggs. Sunday morning we gave Bella her basket and hunted for eggs downstairs. She at a whole peeps and we’ve decided that she’s not having anymore candy until Halloween.

bella and peeps

We spent a lot of time on iChat with family in Maryland, took some naps and had ham for dinner. Bella never got out of her jammies. It was a nice, relaxing holiday with my two favorite people.

. . . . .

new on julie-k: siouxsie t-shirt tote bag

siouxsie t-shirt tote bag

Thanks to some artful sewing inspiration, I’ve finished a project that has been sitting in the to-do pile for way too long.

I wanted to turn one of my ’80s Siouxsie shirts into a tote, but didn’t want a typical floppy t-shirt bag. My friend was planning to throw away (yes, throw away!) this black conference tote. You know the kind: plastic-y canvas material covered in screen-printed logos.

siouxsie before

I used the bag to measure my pieces of the t-shirt and boxed the bottom of both; sewing through the canvas was easier than I thought! Then I slid the t-shirt over the canvas bag, folded down the top and stitched all the way around. I stitched in some velvet ribbon for a tie closure.

siouxsie bag after

siouxsie bag after

This was such an easy way to make a t-shirt bag. I’m really happy with the results and can’t wait to start using it!

recycle: t-shirt came from my closet, tote bag saved from the landfill, velvet ribbon ties from thrifted notions in my stash

doll for shelley

It’s getting harder and harder to come up with something original to make for all of the baby showers we’re having at knitting group. I wanted to give something different than the expected blanket, bib or sweater. After I found this little doll on ravelry, I grabbed my yarn and started right away. For those of you not on ravelry, you can find the free pattern on Owlishly. Isn’t she adorable? She looks tiny in this pic, but she’s actually about six inches tall. I think she turned out perfect.

sleepy sarah

stash: I used new materials for the doll, which I usually do for baby gifts, but the yarn, embroidery thread and stuffing all came from my stash.