Sewing clothes...

I love to sew.
I do.
I make a lot of bags.
I have even made clothes for myself: pajama pants I obviously only wear at home, Thai fisherman pants (ditto), and a lovely sleeveless dress from an Amy Butler pattern that is still on a hanger, waiting to be hemmed. OK, I make clothes for fun, just for me and I NEVER wear them in public- my family notwithstanding.
Well, this is about to change. I just discovered Natalie Chanin (www.alabamachanin.com). Our local public library carries her first two books: Alabama Stitch Book and Alabama Studio Style which I found by accident last week while looking for something else. The books include stitching, stenciling and sewing techniques to make cotton jersey clothing. I can't wait to start sewing :)

 


I also bought a book by Japanese designer Kyoko Sakauchi, with many simple cotton and linen designs. The only hiccup is that the book is in Japanese, so it will take a bit longer to figure out the explanations.
                                                 

The studio has been humming with activity, orders are coming in regularly- which I am SO thankful for. I finally figured out how to make the Juki work properly. For an industrial sewing machine, it is pretty fickle, and will misbehave if the stars are not perfectly aligned...
The Juki is perfect though for sewing many layers of fabric and leather too.

I would love to know if you have tried any of Chanin's techniques or Sakauchi's designs. Please leave a comment.

End of summer sale

I am having a 20% off sale on all in-stock bags in my Bag du Jour  shop on Etsy. Here are some of the bags available for sale (plenty more in the shop):

                                                   

                                                   

Please visit my shop on Etsy: Bagdujour.etsy.com

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!