A Name, a name...

I have been debating on a name for this bag.

I wanted something different than along the line of a  "Pleated Bag" so I debate....Shoulder Sac, Shoulder Sack, Pleated Sack, Pleated Bucket....well I guess regardless of a name, I have been dying to cut into my recent purchase of hemp/cotton fabric.  I pickup a few shades, but by far, the gray is my favorite.   My other favorite is the recent addition of a  roll of 10oz Cotton Canvas that I will be using for the lining.  I like the contrast between the dark exterior and light interior and the canvas makes the lining extra durable.   

I spent another day cutting lining for several bags and then adding the interior pockets, a 2-slip pocket on one side and a zipper pocket on the other. The next day, after cutting the exterior for just this bag, I spent the whole day experimenting with the pattern.  I ended up with a 6" gusset which rounded the sharp corners which made for a large bag. 

I just love the look and feel of this bag.  It's extra large and with an adjustable strap you can wear it over the shoulder or messenger style. I have placed the bag in my Etsy shop and can be found here.

Time Flies

Where did I go....
I've been so busy sewing and making product (as my sister says) preparing for the Fine Arts & Designers Crafts on Bleecker that I have not had any time to tweet or catch up on my blog. 

My trip to NYC last week was great, as we wandered around, took in a Broadway show on Saturday (which was wickedly good)...

Attended the show on Bleecker on Sunday and then helped my sister with landscaping on Monday.
Now that my weekend is over, it's time to get back to work. 

Spring Clutch

Well, it's suppose to be in the high 80s today in lovely Sunny Florida, which means that Spring must be here for most of the rest of the country.   The change in the weather has me thinking about Spring Accessories and hence the Lantern Bloom Clutch.  (This girl can be found  here.)

I have been playing around with this pattern and now that I have completed a second one of this clutch, I already have plans for some improvements. Look for a rounded gussets to add some depth and I since I am craving to start working with eco-friendly fabrics, I will start using a heavy canvas in natural to add some rigidity to the bag.

As you can see from below, I spent last  weekend cutting lining and attaching the interior slip and zippered pockets.

Fabric Swatches

Lately, I have been getting numerous requests for custom orders and questions regarding possible fabric choices.  Therefore I have decided to add a page of Fabric Swatches which can be found here under the category of Fabric Swatches.  While it's not a complete photo list of my current stash, it will at least give the folks at home some options.

These two delicious fabrics will be appearing in my Summer Clutches Collection (soon to be in my shop).  It's a wonderful Cotton/Hemp fabric and the two colors shown are Butter (above) & Sea Spray (to the right).

Celebrate Earth Day

It's Earth Day.

On the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, my goal this year is to be a more responsible member of the planet. 

Here's a list of some simple  things that I did that you can do too:

• Paint: I didn't realize how much painting we have done in this house. When our city was having their annual "dump your paint" day, DH pulled all the nearly empty cans of old paint from the garage, we were surprised about the amount we had laying around. The nice thing about the recycle paint program is that the company that receives this donated paint, in turn recycles it into new paint that they offer for free to the residents of our City.  They have a Cafe Latte color that I have been eyeballing....

• Electronics:  I think Best Buy is running an ad right now to drop off old laptops instead of discarding them in the garbage.
• Old Cellphones:  When we clean out one of the old night tables in our bedroom, I found old cellphone batteries (one was from the old Motorola Brick!).  We took these to our local mobile company who has a battery recycle program
• Printer Ink Cartridges:  Most office supplies stores will give you $$$ off for returning empty print cartridges. 
• Eyeglasses:  After learning that reading glasses were not cutting it anymore and I started wearing progressives (nice word for bi-focals?), I realized I still had a collection of old glasses.  There are many charitable organization that would love to receive your old glasses.  I wrote about it here.