My Alabama Chanin Bag

I have had quite a bit of fun planning my Alabama Chanin projects... Since I have owned Natalie's books for a couple of months, I have been poring over them and making lists of projects to make.
I started with a napkin to take to school, in the spirit of reusing things and reducing the usage of paper napkins. I keep the napkin in my drawer and bring it home from time to time to toss in the laundry. It is light pink with a gray border. Sorry no pix :(
The next project I picked was the tote bag because I wanted to practice the reverse applique technique. Here are a couple of pictures of the work in progress:

 I traced the stencil with permanent marker and stitched around the shapes with dark gray embroidery floss. I cheated a bit by using my own pattern for the tote- a folded over piece of fabric with square corners. I also used my brand new serger for the project...worked like a charm...

A close-up of the design

The final product

I finished the top with a topstitch- by hand, if you please- in dark gray embroidery floss. I did not split the thread, so the stitch makes more of a statement, while providing added support for the handles.

So, what have you been making lately?

New in the shop

The Foldover Waxed Canvas Clutch. Made out of ivory waxed canvas and lined with organic cotton in apple green, it will be perfect for Spring.
Check it out here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/125999362/waxed-canvas-fold-over-clutch-in-ivory

Thank you for your feedback.

Enjoy the rest of your week.
Genevieve

A couple of projects

After much research, I finally bought a serger. It is a Juki 654 DE, and so far, I love it!
It's taken me a couple of tries to get the thread tension right- my studio trashcan is full of strips of fabric that have been serged on both sides... From wool sweaters to waxed canvas and every fabric scrap in between, my little serger has serged everything.
The big plan is to use the serger to seam the large Weekender I have been working on. I was toying with a couple of different ideas:  #1, using French seams, or #2, lining the bag.
Solution # 1 will not work very well because of the thickness of the canvas and the bulkiness of the bag itself- it will be hard to put through the sewing machine; solution number 2 will add weight to an already pretty hefty bag. Hence the serging of the inside seams...Brilliant!

Back to today's projects. Spring may be coming soon to your neck of the woods, but here winter is not giving up. We had a small blizzard yesterday, and even though the sun is out today, it is below freezing. The high winds make it feel like Siberia- not that I have ever been there, but I can only imagine...

I found a stash of old wool sweaters that *somebody* must have put in the dryer at some point. After looking for design ideas on the internet, I came up with my own pair of arm warmers-

Are they cute or what???
BTW, it is really hard to take a picture of one's arm :)
The most difficult part was the thumb hole. You have to serge the edge of two strips of wool (the ones around the hand, in my case the brown strip and the narrow striped strip) from the seam side for about 1.5" before you seam the strips together. Of course you will stop the seam where the edging begins. When you do your long seam- the one that goes along the arm- , you will have what looks like a buttonhole on one side of the seam through which to put your thumb.

My other weekend project is to finish making a cover for a vintage camp cot that I purchased on ebay last Fall.
I removed the dirty white cover and made one out of 12 oz. canvas in graphite. The cover in the picture is actually the second try. The first cover was way too tight and the fabric resonated like a drum if you dropped a coin on it - yes, we tried :)
I was afraid that the seams would give away if someone over one hundred pounds sat on the cot- it is supposed to serve as casual seating in Julie's new house.

The pillows really complement the gray color. The front is a large mod floral pattern, the back is  a tiny cream and black check- see picture above. The pillow covers are removable to allow for a change in color scheme. I guess I'd better get cracking on more pillow covers.

So many fabrics, so little time...

Let me know what you think of my projects.
G.

Why I love "Chopped"!

I do not watch a lot of TV. Actually, I rarely watch TV aside from the news channels. However, there is this one show that I love to watch when I have the time: "Chopped".
I turn it on when I am cooking dinner sometimes, and I get caught up in the frenzy of chopping, dicing, and putting strange ingredients together for a delicious dish. Yes, I even talk to myself: "Come on, one more minute, plate your dishes!".
About two weeks ago, I watched a very special show. The competing chefs were school cafeteria cooks, two of them from Colorado. It was amazing to see those ladies cook and help each other during the competition- not your typical "Chopped" episode.
Just like during any other episode, one chef was chopped after each dish- to the profound dismay of the others. One of the judges was Sam Kass, one of the White House chefs.
At the end of the show, of course, only one chef was still standing, and she was awarded the $10,000 prize.
To everyone's surprise, Ted Allen called the other contestants back in the studio. They were each awarded $5,000 and an invitation to spend the day at the White House with Sam Kass, visiting the kitchen, the kitchen garden as well as having lunch there. Everybody was very emotional, the judges, the contestants, and I am sure 95% of the viewing audience- yes, I had to grab a couple of tissues as well :)
What a classy ending! I love "Chopped"!!!

Re-purposed denim and leather bag

It's taken me a while, but here it is: the new and improved denim and leather bag.
After painstakingly taking several pairs of jeans apart, cutting the denim into sewing pieces, and stitching them together in a patchwork design that works, I made what I think is one of my best totes. I used one of my favorite floral prints for the lining, with a fun, matching stripe for the slip pocket.
The handles are long enough to wear the bag over the shoulder. Just for fun, I added a key ring to the end of a handle (visible in the first picture).
I am thinking book bag, market bag, BEACH bag!!! I know, thinking way ahead here...
For more pictures and details, click here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/124030005/eco-friendly-recycled-denim-and-leather

I am currently working on a new waxed canvas tote -with lots of leather - and a men's wallet. I still need to learn to stitch leather in a straight line. If anybody out there has an idea on how to accomplish that, please let me know.
Take care,
Genevieve

Keeping my hands busy

You would think that making bags in my spare time (nights and weekends) would be enough to keep my hands busy, right? Well, not so much. I love to learn to make new crafts, even - and especially- when they are not related to sewing bags.
Several weeks ago, I saw a beautiful wrapped leather bracelet. Ooooo, I need this, I thought.... except for the price tag...
So, I went online and I found a couple of excellent tutorials:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4YLTHM8NzT0

http://www.rings-things.com/blog/2011/03/08/how-to-make-wrapped-leather-bracelets/#.UP1jwifoROw
Joann's had a 40% sale on beads when I went searching for supplies. I bought plastic beads to practice with, and glass beads in various sizes and shades for the real thing. Here is the result:

Pretty cool, n'est-ce pas?


Yesterday, I made a couple of waxed canvas and leather zippered pencil cases for the shop. I really like the waxed canvas and leather combo- I might have to keep one for myself:

Have a wonderful week!

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and I wish you all a very happy new year!

A few new items in the shop:

Oil-tanned leather clutch

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/87226170/leather-clutch-in-brown

Eco leather Zen bag

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/119613651/the-zen-bag-minimalist-leather-tote-in

Oil-tanned leather clutch in burgundy
https://www.etsy.com/listing/119608242/leather-clutch-in-burgundy

                               

Brown suede clutch
https://www.etsy.com/listing/119614777/suede-clutch-in-brown

A series of small pouches

My favorite! An envelope-style messenger in leather and canvas
https://www.etsy.com/listing/119612476/the-messenger-in-tan-waxed-canvas-and

A waxed canvas and wool iPad sleeve for my new iPad!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/119615886/waxed-canvas-ipad-sleeve

My current project is a large weekend bag in waxed canvas and leather. I was debating whether to line it or not. I am leaning toward lining. I tried to finish the seams with bias tape, but it doesn't look so hot. More on that later...

Have a fabulous Sunday!