Holy "Mini Man Bag" Batman!!!

So this adorable young man

is my 6 year old grandson David .

He asked me weeks ago to make him 

a "Man bag" to carry his important "stuff".

His daddy has a bag for his laptop

and important paperwork,

so of course, 

David needed one too.

It had to be red.....

his new favorite color :)

Luckily I had this ultra cool Batman fabric

with a red background in my stash,

waiting for just such an occasion! 

I wanted it to look rugged and "manly"

so I used heavy red canvas for the outside

and black cotton webbing for the shoulder strap

with just a hint of the Batman fabric for some fun on the flap. 

The interior is fully lined in the Batman print.

I made one pocket on the front

to carry his Awana ID card

and any other important documents he needs to bring along. 

He's super excited about his new bag.

He hasn't taken it off except to sleep last night :)

It totally makes me smile to see him so happy!

Now his little sister wants one 

and she's already picked out Disney Little Mermaid fabric

from Nana's stash for her bag.

Good thing I drew up a pattern while I was 

making David's bag :)

Evie's bag will be a girlier verson of the same bag.

I'll offer the Pdf pattern in my etsy shop

once I have a chance to type it all up.

Owl always love a great bag :)

My daughter's birthday was several weeks ago,

but illness and other circumstances out of my control

meant that I didn't get to see her until yesterday.

So now I can show you what I made for her.

I used the  Keyka Lous Messenger Bag again.

LOVE this pattern and LOVE the bag.

The company name has changed to Michelle Patterns,

but she no longer sells this pattern.

You can see other bags I've made

 using this pattern here and here.

I used this bright Owl fabric

that my daughter had mentioned that she liked

and a soft cotton canvas in black

with black and white polka dots for the lining.

(Don't you just love when a project comes out so cute

you want to keep it for yourself?)

I love all the pockets in this bag.

There are pockets on each side of the bag

as well as pockets on the front and backside

and cell phone pockets inside.

It's just a great sized bag for everyday

and totally FTS :)

The pattern might look daunting,

but it's not at all.

I already have another one cut out and ready to sew

for myself this time....

So now I'm working on finishing up a "Man Bag"

for my 6 year old grandson David :)

I'll post pics soon.

You gotta love a sturdy German girl :)

My menagerie of old sewing machines is growing :)

My mom was gifted this vintage Pfaff

by a daughter of her good friend.

And now she's been gifted to me!

She's an industrial model 230.

From what I tell online,

she was made in Germany in 1956.

I've named her Heidi :)

She has her original owner's manual

and many attachments.

She does all these fun stitches too!

And I'm in love with her wooden cabinet!

It weights at TON and is solid wood.

It's going to get a light sanding and a coat of red paint.

She works with a knee controller 

which will take a minute to get used to

but I think she's Wunderbar!!!

Peddler's Market Feb 2014

  Today I went to the Peddler's Market

at Piecemakers Quilt Shop in Costa Mesa

with my friend Amy :)

They have this event twice a year.

Once in February and again in August.

It's like an Estate Sale on steroids :)

This is what I came home with.

A large square hand embroidered linen tablecloth for $5.00!

That darling happy flower pattern is repeated on all 4 corners!

A smaller hand embroidered table topper for $1.00

A vintage box of thread for $1.00

(what will I do with it? I have no idea. I just loved the look)

Assorted fabrics for $1.00 a yard and

a few pieces were free....yes free!

 Look at the dark blue button hole stitch and those tiny daisies!

All that handwork and I bought it for $1.00....

 Another close up of the happy daisies :)

You may be wondering what Amy bought?

How about a vintage sewing machine with the case 

and original owner's manual for......

wait for it......

FIVE DOLLARS!!!!

Yeah....it was a really good day :)

I Heart Cross Stitch :)

I've been a bit busy with sewing work lately,

but I found time to finish this little heart today.

I've had the cross stitch done since before Christmas.

I have no idea who designed this chart.

It was in a stack of cross stitch charts given to me.

If anyone knows who designed it,

please let me know. 

I stitched in on 28ct Victorian Red Lugana

with 1 thread Ecru over 1.

I just love the look of those tiny stitches :)

Feels so good to scratch this little treasure off my "to do" list....

She Who Sews Blog Hop !!!

I'm so excited about this hop!

I told myself that I would take a break 

for a while from the hops

and get caught up on some projects that need 

to get done......

And then Madam Samm went and did it.....

She posted this fantastic fabric called

"Handmaids" by J. Wecker Frisch and I was sucked in.

I'm pretty sure I squealed when I saw it.

This time around we are supposed to use the fabric

to update our sewing room.

Well I am constantly changing thread colors

and find myself with bobbins and spools of thread

laying next to my sewing machine.

And of course, I knock the bobbins on to the ground....Ugh.

So I went on ebay and typed in "thread caddy"

to see what I could find.

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!!

An adorable vintage wooden rocking chair pin cushion

with pegs for your thread and bobbins!

I fell deeply in love.

So I bought one and decided to give it new life.

And then I bought 3 more....:)

I tried to google info about these darling little chairs.

I can't find any "one" source for them.

Each one seems to have it's own origin.

I've read that it was a pattern

 in an old woodworking magazine from the 50's.

One woman said her grandfather made them in his garage

and sold them door to door in the 1930's.

They are all similar, but still different.

I purchased 4 that had the scissor holder included.

I also found one that has a small drawer underneath for 

buttons or accessories.

I first sanded them down,

then used primer.

Then 2 coats of paint and a coat of acrylic sealer.

I picked my favorite "beauty" from the fabric

and embelished her eyes, lips, hair, wings, 

necklace hearts and pins.

Then I used coordinating fabric

to make the cushions for the little chair

that I painted red (of course).

I wrestled with the idea of painting white polka dots

on the chair, but in the end I wanted

the fabric to really stand out.

It turned out to be a lot more work than I originally thought.

But I have to say that I love them all

now that they are done :)

I have a feeling that my little granddaughters

are going to want to play Barbies with these

when they see them.

They would be the perfect size for Barbie after all.

It was my intention to make a new ironing board cover

with this fabric as well,

but I managed to catch the H5N1 flu

and I've been miserable and useless for about 2 weeks now.

So I will get it done very soon.

I'd like to Thank Madam Samm 

for another awesome hop 

and Carla (from Creatin' in the Sticks) 

for being such an 

awesome cheerleader!!!

Please be sure to stop by the other creative bloggers

who are sharing their creations today :)

Just Let Me Quilt

Hill Valley Quilter

My Whittle Adventures

Kids and Sewing

.

Moosestash Quilting

I Piece 2 Mary

I'm so excited....and I just can't hide it......

I'm super excited to share my news with you all!

Last year I was asked by the very talented 

Cathy Haberman of Hands On Design

if I would be interested in designing a bag

around a chart she would design.

Of course I said YES!

This is what we came up with.

It's just so fun and bright

and represents all the things I love about stitching!

This pattern will be released at the upcoming

Needlework Show this month

 and will be available to purchase

 from your favorite Needlework shops very soon.

It just makes me want to dance :)