Sewing – Page 7 – handmade by Carole Carr

Oops, I did it again. Travel bag number two.

Published on January 12, 2015January 12, 2015 by car2oleLeave a comment

I guess they’re kinda like potato chips…can’t stop at one. I made another travel bag this weekend.

My lovely sewing assistant Tippy is performing his quality control functions. You can tell by the pictures that this bag is big enough to carry a 20 pound cat. I don’t know about you, but that is always one of my considerations when I choose a travel bag.

Thank you, Tippy.

The pattern for this bag is the Cargo Duffle by Noodlehead, and it’s free on the Robert Kaufman website. http://www.robertkaufman.com/quilting/quilts_patterns/Cargo_Duffle/ I’ve been saving this fabric for just the right project. It is Charley Harper fabric by Birch Organic Fabrics.

I plan to use the front pockets for my phone, earbuds, boarding passes, etc. I used nice, sturdy snaps so they won’t randomly unfurl my goodies at the airport. No magnetic snap disasters in my future.

I added an elastic pocket on one end for a water bottle, easily accessible so I can surrender it at the security checkpoint.

I just love the fat little cardinals on this thing. Did you know that the cardinal is the state bird of Missour-uh? (And six other states.) I figure that is why I have always loved cardinals. There are also squirrels on the two pockets. That makes me think of my dad, sitting in a lawn chair in the back yard, BB gun across his lap. Just waiting for those fluffy-tailed rats to come into his yard, daring them to try.

Maybe this is the bag for my trip to Honolulu this weekend? Ooh, there are choices. First I have to name it. Any ideas?

Stay crafty, my friends.

Say my name. And a sneaky preview.

Published on January 11, 2015January 11, 2015 by car2ole2 Comments

Boats get names. Fighter planes get names. Children, pets, body parts get names. In some places, houses get names.

It’s a lot of responsibility naming things. And I love it. My dad got a fishing boat years ago, and I wanted to name it Chicken of the Sea. When we moved to Hawaii, I was tickled because they name their houses here. In Hawaiian. I consider that a challenge.

We were inspired by our 20 pound baby panther. And an ornery feral cat that adopted us (we named her Monique, after a flamboyantly sassy former friend of Miss O.) With the help of an adorable twelve-year-old girl, a student at a Hawaiian speaking school, we came up with a name for our house: ka hale o na popoki makani. The house of the windy cats. This is why I like naming things.

Now we get to bring this into the crafty world. Fire up the Destiny, time to personalize some golf shirts for the Mr.

Do you think any of the fancy golfing guys will know that he his wearing a shirt with a shout out to farting cats?

While we’re on the topic of names, one of my friends unintentionally came up with a good one. He commented on Facebook about a picture of my travel bag, “looks like repressed fantasies.” OMG, may I present the Repressed Fantasies Travel Bag.

I know you’ve already seen it, I just wanted to put it out there with it’s new name.

I’ve started a new project, inspired by the great reactions I got to the Repressed Fantasies Travel Bag. Here’s a little sneaky peeky.

Charley Harper and cardinals.

Stay crafty, my friends.

My new travel bag. Do you think the Mayans drank tequila?

Published on January 9, 2015January 9, 2015 by car2ole1 Comment

I love the way this bag turned out! Probably because the fabric is just so amazing. Made by Alexander Henry, it is called Contigo. Apparently that means “with you” in Spanish. I also looked up “me equivoque,” which means “I was wrong.” So now I suppose I’ve got a carry-on offering apologies from the ancient Mayans. I guess they felt the need to apologize to that woman who fainted from the excitement of becoming a human sacrifice. Or something like that. See the tequila bottle to the left of then agave plant?

What a great pattern! I used the Aragon Bag pattern by Sew Sweetness. You can buy it here: https://sewsweetness.com/shop/aragon-bag I made a few modifications so it will work for me. I left off the front pocket, since I didn’t want my handsome Mayan bisected with a flap. Although I had no problem bisecting Our Lady with a zipper.

I also made it two inches deeper, so hopefully I can cram enough in it for my weekend in Waikiki. I put a sturdy layer in the bottom and attached six feet so it doesn’t get airport cooties on it in transit.

Check out the skeleton dude taking a shot!

Rustled up some charming little fellows for the interior. I don’t think you can ever have too many zip pockets.

Looking forward to field testing this next Friday. Hopefully it will scare away some little kids in the airport. Hmmm…I wonder what other cool things I could make with Contigo fabric?

Stay crafty, my friends.

If I had that headdress I’d be a Rockette.

Published on January 8, 2015January 8, 2015 by car2ole1 Comment

I just got an idea yesterday that I needed a cute travel bag. So I overthought it for awhile And decided to make the Aragon Bag, a pattern by Sew Sweetness.

Well this fabric is just pretty darn awesome. At first I called her Mary, then I figured out she is Our Lady of Guadalupe. But I am just tickled that she now has a green zipper passing through her breasticular area. I’m pretty sure I’m going to like this bag. Though I don’t think it’s big enough for a weekend getaway. And in an astonishing turn of events, the darling Miss O declared her undying love for the project in it’s infancy. I think she thinks it should be hers. There might be a tussle.

Okay. This dude just plain makes my day. The guy on the right, the one with the hella good hair/feather headdress. And how ’bout that skeletal dude with the shot, the one who looks like he’s wearing a zipper pull as a monocle? But really, you should check out the zippers. There is something intrinsically satisfying about having awesome, colorful zippers sitting around just waiting to be inserted. In fabric. Through Mayans.

I think this might be a whole bag tomorrow. And I know just the person to model it for the photo shoot.

Stay crafty, my friends.

Sewing by hand. Not kidding.

Published on January 7, 2015January 7, 2015 by car2ole11 Comments

Hire an exorcist, I have been possessed. In my defense, I accidentally ran across some pictures of what is called a millefiori quilt. Err merr gawsh. Go google it.

I couldn’t help myself. I knew I had to try it. Even though all of my instincts are on high alert. Even though my fight-or-flight instinct was screaming, “run away!” Because they are made BY HAND. You know, like sewing with a proper needle and thread. And probably a thimble. Because needles are sharp. (Some of the needles even have the word sharp written right on the label, in case you couldn’t remember.)

Then I found something called The New Hexagon – Millefiore Quilt-Along. Heaven help us all. The brainchild of Katja Marek, it uses her new book The New Hexagon. She’s using her superpowers to suck in all of us unsuspecting fabric collectors. She’s egging us on, drawing us in with a Facebook group and encouraging comments on our progress. And I don’t think she sleeps, either.

Here’s my first hexagon, hexie if you’re a savvy quilty/sewy person.

Don’t you dare comment on the fact that you can see my crappy little hand stitches, petite though they are. I took them all out and had a do-over. Not anal much, huh? I will put up a new pic soon, along with my next row or so.

Wish me luck on my (insane) adventure!

Now go make something pretty.

Mark Twain is in the house! Holla!

Published on January 5, 2015January 5, 2015 by car2ole3 Comments

I’m from the state of Missouri. The one pronounced Mi-zor-uh. And there’s a famous dude that came from the same town in which I was born. So today I’m sending some love to Hannibal!

There is an adorable quilt shop there called the Hickory Stick. I spend hours there every time I visit my mom. I blame that shop (and my mom) for my newish obsession with quilting. On my last trip I saw the most amazing quilt with Mark Twain’s head on it. And I knew it must be mine.

They used the Mark Twain/Hannibal fabrics, which are way too muted for my loud tastes. And I’ve been longing for a red, white and blue quilt. So tuh-duh! Meet my patriotic friend Mark!

We’ve got your boyhood home there on the bottom, along with a fence, freshly whitewashed. The swirly star thingies are paddlewheel blocks, and they look like paddlewheels (in case you live under a rock and don’t know what paddlewheels look like.)

By the way, Mark is NOT a printed panel, I machine appliquéd his cute little head on there. That was some fussy work! And I scanned his autograph on my cool new Destiny sewing machine and stitched it out with the press of a button. (Now I’m just bragging. Sorry.)

I changed Mark’s quote to one that better suits my own badass outlook on life. Stitched that puppy out on my machine also. The quote used in the pattern is, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” I seriously considered using my very favorite quote, “Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.”

When you go to Hannibal, give a shout out to Pat and the wonderful folks at the Hickory Stick Quilt Shop. And check them out on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hickory-Stick-Quilt-Shop/283780778455063 They have this cool pattern by Susan Marth, it’s called A Tribute to Mark Twain. And say hi to my mom on the hill.

Long distance sewing and a Ghastlie bag

Published on October 30, 2014October 31, 2014 by car2oleLeave a comment

One of my outlaws, who shall remain nameless, crossed over to the dark side recently. I’m tickled to say that I inspired her to make her very first quilt!

I’m so proud of myself. Oh yeah, I’m proud of her too. The tricky part of this project was teaching her how to do the binding on the quilt. While separated by AN ENTIRE OCEAN!

I hereby declare that I have invented a new job for myself…long-distance sewing tutor! Maybe I should offer one-on-one lessons via FaceTime. Do you think that would be a legitimate market niche? I was surprised at how much fun it was and how well it went. I’m sure it helps that she’s a quick study, but come on! It’s all about me! I’m going in the other room to admire myself in the mirror now.

Okay, I’m back.

You know I’ve been on this purse-making kick. I’m having lots of fun with it, not sure why. One supposition is that it allows me to buy little chunks of a whole lot of fabrics. I can buy a half yard, and don’t feel like I’ve made a lifelong commitment. I ran across some of the funniest fabrics, the characters are called the Ghastlies. Crackin’ me up. So I made a purse. And it turned out cute. (The pattern is by Charlie’s Aunt, High Tea Clutch Bag.)

Any time you can pull out some ric-rac, it makes it a special day. Don’t you just think happy childhood memories when you think of ric-rac? Oh, that’s only me? Well I have a collection of ric-rac. It is nestled amongst my collections of seam binding and bias tape. I’ve lost you now, haven’t I? So here are more pictures.

DSCN4153 — If you try to get your money out, this one glares at you.

DSCN4164 — I’m pretty sure this guy works with Bob Cratchit.

Happy Halloween.

Stay crafty, my friends.

The Silence of the Fabrics

Published on October 27, 2014January 14, 2015 by car2ole2 Comments

You still wake up sometimes, don’t you? You wake up in the dark and hear the screaming of the fabrics. (To paraphrase Dr. Lecter.)

There was some fabric screaming at me the other day. So I sewed that fabric. I sewed that fabric with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

Okay. I’m done.

This little yee-haw-cowgirl-themed pursey-thing is in the mail to an unsuspecting outlaw.

Note: the pattern is the Necessary Clutch Wallet (NCW) by Emmaline Bags.

Theme of the day = Goldfish!

Published on October 22, 2014October 24, 2014 by car2ole4 Comments

Hide your disappointment if you were looking for small orange snacks.😞 ◁ That’s your disappointed face. Admit it.

Don’t know what’s up with me and purse sewing these days. I’m still at it, and it shocks the shit out of me. I’ve been making tons of those Necessary Clutch Wallets by Emmaline Bags. My stock “excuse” is that I have been trying out different combinations of interfacing. I think I’ve just about achieved my perfect combo. My fickle crafter’s mind keeps seeking out new opportunities to try out my new stiff interfacing knowledge. By the way, in that last sentence, “stiff” and “interfacing” go together. Not “interfacing” and “knowledge.”

I bought a new pdf purse pattern, the Integral Bow Clutch by Constructivism. Dang, what a cute little bag. Did you guess that it has a bow on it?

Who knew you could find goldfish in a palm tree?

This little gem is not a project for the timid. The construction techniques are unconventional. And the result? Also unconventional, mainly because nobody will ever figure out how you made it. Next time I leave the house, I’m gonna take it for a whirl.

DSCN4134 — My little vanity tags are Tiffany blue! And I’m off to my craft room to trim that little thread…

I added card slots in the interior. There’s no room for a wallet in this little bugger, and I don’t like my cards flopping all over. And flop they will, if you don’t corral them. I also added a detachable wrist strap so I can sling it around. It turned out so cute, I’m going to enter it in the Purse Palooza contest over on the Sew Sweetness Blog. Wish me luck!

These are the glamor shots I took, my little bag out and about in the garden, next to the pond, in the lemon tree…

If you like my new creation, leave me a comment. I feel like I’m talking to myself in a wind tunnel. Wondering if I should actually tell people I’m writing a blog.

Stay crafty, my friends.

I love this bag, and I’m sure glad it’s done!

Published on October 16, 2014October 24, 2014 by car2ole7 Comments

I sure wish I had kept that jeans purse I made in junior high. I think it would receive icon status, just for the “what the hell were you thinking?” reactions it would surely elicit. I know I wasn’t the only one who made one of those bags. Cut the legs off a pair of jeans. Sew across the bottom. Use one of the legs to cut a shoulder strap. Line it with horrific floral fabric. Take it to school and pretend that it makes you look cool.

Let’s just say that I like this bag way better than that any of my 1970’s creations. I got all inspired to make a cute bag by reading all the posts on blogs about Purse Palooza 2014. It’s all about sewing and it includes the word palooza. What more could a gal want?

My challenge was finding a bag that was more structured than slouchy. Although my posture may be slouchy, I prefer my bags to stand on their own. Upright and proud. I found it on Sew Mama Sew, the Blossom Handbag by Amy Butler. http://www.sewmamasew.com/2010/09/free-amy-butler-pattern-blossom-handbagshoulder-bag/

I found some really cute home dec fabric, and scoured my local (limited) resources for coordinates. I love the fabrics I used! I don’t think anyone here is looking for a pattern review, so the one thing I will say is that it is well written. My challenge came from a much different source: bulk. Bulky fabric, layers of interfacing, and then layers of that all folded up! My Viking is just a regular home sewing machine. If I were to take up serious bag-making, I would need a heavy-duty workhorse machine for the thick parts.

When those uncooperative bits came along, I just turned off my machine and walked away for a while. Like a day or so. Then I would get all excited again and force-feed the pieces through my machine. More than once I had to remind myself that finished is better than perfect. Mainly because I knew that with this machine, certain parts of this bag could never be perfect.

My trusty sewing machine balked at many of the thick parts of this bag.

Now I’m going to show this puppy off! On Facebook, here on my unknown blog, out around town. Woo hoo, look what I made!

Stay crafty, my friends.

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