Starting on More Bags

Mom started painting the next set of bags. This one will be a sunflower. She is going to do another poppy also.

I'm working on turning this birdie painting into a bag. Starting on the lining - fun blue and green leaves.

Think I will probably try to make some fabric flowers to list in the shop this week as well. But for now, I'm taking the kids to see Cars 2.

Woohoo!

Our first bag is finished! I just sewed the straps on and snapped the final pics. Going to post it for sale on Etsy next. (Pics taken in our backyard.)

Not a Productive Day

If I am sitting in the room with them, unoccupied, the girls will get along fine and play together nicely. The minute they sense that I have left the room, all Hell breaks loose. If I try to sneak away to the bathroom, I hear screaming. Stealthily make my way to the washer to put in a load, screaming. And if I try to touch the sewing machine? Forget it. It seemed like they couldn't spend five minutes together today without fighting, drama, screaming. I did snap this pic to prove that they *can* be nice to each other.

In any case, that means a not very productive day on the sewing front. I did manage to sew the lining of the bag and get the inside and outside attached to each other. Pretty good prototype, so far. A few things I will change for the next one. I didn't realize canvas would shrink so much once it was painted on. So I think we will paint first and then trim to size. Mom and I are trying to decide what other flowers to do. Think a sunflower might be next. I need to stop procrastinating and get to work. All I have left to do is add the handles and our first bag will be done! Here is another in progress pic for you.

Name Signs

Here is something else I've been doing with my time. I've done a few for friends, one for my oldest and one for one of her friends. The owl was supposed to be for my youngest, but after I started it, I thought it looked so cute without a name that I finished it that way. On the nights that my husband puts the girls to bed, I sneak down to the quiet of the living room. I stream a bunch of episodes of something funny and relax and sketch these out. Once they look good, I go back over them in archival ink. Last step is to add a little color with some colored pencil. Looks like I need to get a decent set of colored pencils with a better range of colors. Maybe I'll check that out this week. Mom and I are going shopping for the perfect fabric to line the Poppy Bag tomorrow. Can't wait to see it finished. Already have several people interested. Yay!

It's About Time

So, I finally decided to do it. Have a blog. Technically I already have a book review blog with my BFF, but I can't read as fast as she does, so it is very neglected (by me, that is). I got laid off this year and so I spend my days making all the stuff that was on my To Make list while I was working. I think all my Facebook friends were probably getting sick of seeing pics of all the Works in Progress, so here we are. Right now, my mom and I are trying something new. She paints on canvas, then I embroider on the painting, then sew it into a tote bag. Pretty fun for both of us. Here is our current Work In Progress. And yeah, trying we're trying to sell stuff to make up for me being unemployed. Check out our shop.