cath kidston purse

Just before I went handwork crazy with all those hexagons I got this book for my birthday.

Fun projects and great pictures, but the best part - it comes with PRECUT pieces for making the purse on the cover. PRECUT! Ready to sew. How wonderful is that?

Talk about a quick way to have a sense of accomplishment. I love to sew - I hate to do the prep work (kind of like painting a room). I did add a lining to the bag to give it more structure and included a zippered pocket, but still, the rest was already cut out!

Now if only all the garment projects I have in the wings would magically prep themselves for sewing. I need some elves to come visit me.

vintage fabric from the states

Glenn and I spent a wonderful afternoon at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Friday. We had an outdoor lunch watching planes practice for the air and water show, a guided tour from a friend, and of course, a trip to the gift shop. I found the book in the title while browsing and had to bring it home when I opened the pages and saw the following:

Feedsacks from my collection!

Not the same colorway, but thrilling just the same.

Definitely worth picking up if you're a vintage fabric junkie like me. It's all about the pictures though - the writing is in Japanese.

read all about it

The bad news: It's too cold to sew with my machine. (My sewing space is set up in the basement which is beyond frigid right now. There are ice crystals in the liquid detergent by the laundry sink.)

The good news: I'm slowly working my way through the Arrested Development DVD's and old needlework projects.

And I'm reading some great new books given to me by friends.

This one is beyond cute. I went through it with my post it notes and have about 8 patterns that need to go to the copy center for enlargement so I can start making things from it. There's a little house shaped caddy for a digital camera that's on the to do list for a friend. I discovered the shape is wrong for my camera, but it'll be perfect with a minor alteration for a Nintendo DS. (Yes, I'm getting my own. You want to make something of it?) I've also been on the lookout for wallets and the bunny one in here cracks me up.

When I first flipped through this one, I thought it was a great 50's spoof. It's not. I read the introduction last night and found that this book is a reprint of an actual series of comics printed in Britian in the 50's for young girls. In any case, it's fun and the projects are hilarious. Need a hanging laundry bag? Make one from an outgrown blouse. Though that's not far from making a hanging dust cover for a coat from an old pillowcase, so I'll just be quiet now. Moving on.

I'm trying so hard to work outside my comfort zone with quilting in general. Sometimes it works. Sometimes I just want to go back to the safety of the patterns I've saved. This book is great for inspiration and keeps me from giving up entirely on improvisational work. Funny that I'm reading this one just as Jacquie starts this project. I feel like I have too much on my plate right now to join them, but I'll be checking in with her to keep the creative juices flowing.

Keep warm.