Waxed canvas backpack- the Trekker

I had a few orders to fill this weekend, and as a reward for being a good girl and working hard, when I was finished with my orders, I played with a backpack design that I have been thinking about for a long time. Introducing the Trekker...

Waxed canvas, leather, and cotton canvas... my favorite materials...
Here is the link with all the details: https://www.etsy.com/listing/106727531/waxed-canvas-backpack-the-trekker
I really need one for myself- in red waxed canvas- yes!!!!

Red Waxed Canvas Foldover Clutch

I have been very busy in the studio this week. Regular orders and custom orders have kept me on my toes from daybreak until late at night.
So, what do  I do when I need a break? Take a walk? Take a bath? Read a book?
Nah, I just grab my sketchbook, my pencil, and my measuring tape, and I think up another design...
Last week I received a shipment of waxed canvas, including a gorgeous deep red. This beautiful color has sparked a lot of ideas, including one that I put immediately into action: the Foldover Clutch.
The clutch is quite large (13.5" x 8.5 when folded). It is lined in tan cotton canvas, and for the closure it has a wide band of thick burgundy leather with a snap. It lies flat when not in use but it holds quite a bit.

I just adore the simple lines and the overall elegance of the clutch.
It is 6:40 am. Another cup of coffee, and back to work.
Have a beautiful day!

Waxed canvas and leather tote

The studio has been humming like a beehive. Between custom orders, I have designed a new waxed canvas tote. It is made of cream waxed canvas and 4oz. brown oil-tanned leather with a hint of red.

It is fairly large, and it has a zippered pocket on the inside.

It is available here https://www.etsy.com/listing/105913933/waxed-canvas-and-leather-tote-the-carry

I also received a shipment of waxed canvas this week, including a gorgeous dark red canvas. I can't wait to use it. In the meantime, I have to fill six orders for customers- so, back to work...
Have a wonderful weekend.
G-

Another summer day...

The weather has been really great in the last couple of days: warm temperatures during the day, thunderstorms bringing much needed rain in the afternoon, and cool nights.
The garden looks great. I have green tomatoes, the zucchini are bravely blooming and the carrots will be ready to pick in a couple of weeks. I have had to come up with defensive tactics to protect all my plants from garden pests, namely deer.

When I planted my tomatoes back in June, I did not cover them that first night and in the morning, one plant had been chewed almost to the ground. I could tell what did it because of the hoof prints in the dirt. So, I covered the top of the cages with small gauge chicken wire, and stapled heavy duty plastic to the chicken wire. The plastic is repurposed- it is used to ship fabric rolls. very sturdy indeed. So my garden will never be on the front page of Home and Garden, but the coverings are very effective: the wire protects the plants from hail and four-legged thieves, and the plastic sides protect them from the wind and act as a greenhouse.

To protect the tender zucchini plants deer seem to love, I have surrounded the zucchini bed with dead branches - very organic, yay! and also- so far, cross my fingers- pretty effective.

I tried- one more time- to do some container planting and I like the results this time. Not sure what kind of yield I'll get, but hey, it's pretty!

Cherry tomatoes and zucchini

My Dr. Scholl's sandals have arrived! I am so thrilled!!! The leather is more strawberry red than the darker red I expected but I love them.

I love the way they click along on the concrete floor... and they are oh so comfortable...

I hope you will have time to work in the garden, smell the flowers, and take time for yourself today.

G-

Playing with leather

While still waiting for my industrial sewing machine to be up and running, I spent most of my weekend playing with leather. I had a couple of pieces of 3-4oz glazed cow leather that I thought would make nice everyday totes. The totes turned out well and are listed in the shop. The brown tote seems to be more popular than the burgundy one, according to shop stats.

Burgundy

Brown

Both colors (brown tote in foreground, burgundy behind it)

I am off to the leather store to purchase a couple of hides and some new tools- I LOVE having my own set of tools...
The next tote will be hand stitched- hence the new tools...Another adventure in the studio.
Cheers!

New things

I finally got my new sewing machine. YAY!
It was shipped while I was on vacation, so we opened the boxes on Sunday and, slowly but surely, Joe started putting it together. This is no small job; the directions are sketchy, the pictures dark, and  some steps are missing altogether. However, I have a very smart husband and he managed to figure things out, working on the assembly a little bit every night after work. Some nights, the air was blue...
I won't be able to use the machine just yet, as we found out that the belt is too long and we will have to order another one. Bummer...

Three of the four boxes

The top

Almost finished

What are those extra parts?

While Joe was assembling the machine, I designed a new bag for my brand new line of recycled denim/vintage fabric and leather totes. I love denim and the way it ages in different shades of blue.  

It is a pretty big bag with a square base (10"x10"), 15" high, and 20" at the top.

I hope you'll like it too.

Lap desk

While browsing at a nearby department store earlier this week, I spotted a lap desk. Ooooo, I needed to get one. Sadly, all were either scratched or chipped, and for $15.00 plus tax, I did not feel that I should re-do the top. I searched the internet and came upon this great tutorial : http://pleasedaspunch-rh.blogspot.com/2011/08/tutorial-diy-lap-desk.html
After exploring the possibilities for a top in the garage - I even considered a skim board...waaayyyy too big-, I headed out to the dime store. I spend about 30 minutes searching up and down the aisles for a suitable top for my lap desk. Finally, I found it: a 12"x16" picture frame!

Next, I chose the fabrics...always the fun part.

I decided to make the pillow out of the striped fabric and use the floral under the glass.
I popped the glass and wrapped the fabric around a piece of heavy paper the same size as the image insert.
I then followed the directions from Pleased as Punch to make the bottom pillow. Very easy. The only modification I made was the addition of a handle at the top to make the lap desk easier to grab, or perhaps to store on a peg. I stitched the handle at the same time as the piping.
Here are the results:

I like the little edge on the frame which will keep a notebook or a pencil from sliding off.

The bottom- love, love, love the fabric...

My next project is a big one: a dress from an Amy Butler pattern in the same fabrics as the ones I used for the lap desk... Will I be brave enough to wear it in public?
Cheers,
Genevieve