Eclectic Purses

I have had things for sale at Eclectic on Main Street in Urbana since they opened. The coop features art and crafts from dozens of local makers, including cool jewelry and bright paintings large and small. My area of the store is in the upstairs room, where I have displayed pouches and fabric baskets of various sizes. Yesterday I dropped off at Eclectic purses. I made two types of bags that can worn across the body or on the side. Some of the purses zip closed, and some snap. All have oodles of open and zipped pockets inside and on the exterior of the bags. Before my summer farmers' market dates draw close, I have time for larger projects like purses. Made from patterns by two interesting designers (Dog Under My Desk and thesterlingowl), I'm setting aside sewing time to explore how to enjoy bits of my fabric stash in the context of these medium-sized purses.

Finished Items

The five custom order purses are completed. I am most fond of the Essex linen one. Prewashed, interfaced with both woven and craft fuse layers and topped with a large red snap, the purse says summer to me. It really is a pleasure to work on longer sewing projects while the deadline of a farmers' market booth is far off. Efficiency seems less important. Yet, I'm sticking to a supplies budget which is forcing me to use bits of fabric from the bottoms of my stash piles. I hate to use things up completely, but then again, there is always a new pattern I'd like to work with. I maintain a notebook of fabrics I'll buy as soon as summer booth sales warrant. The austerity is arbitrary, but it feels good to curate a self-sufficient hobby which continues to be more play than work.

Works in Progress

With kids tucked away at school, I enjoy a lovely, sunny day of sewing. I'm working on custom orders for 5 purses. The bodies of the purses will be navy or black denim, and one will be black Essex linen, but the linings and interior pockets will be wild. Here are the open pockets and messenger bag lids ready to attach to the subdued parts of the purses. Tomorrow's task will be all about diligent interfacing and fussy ironing of solid fabrics. Today was play.

& Another Pillow

I have been considering revisiting various quilting techniques as a way to play with some of the many scrips and scraps of fabric piled up in my sewing room. A little applique on pillows is one possibility. This ampersand pillow is reversed appliqued with a little orange embroidery floss for an outline around the character. Black piping helps the linen background stay crisp and (hopefully) modern. The reverse of the pillow is a solid piece of the patterned fabric with an orange zipper inserted for easy swapping of one pillow cover for another. Also on my mind is an initial pillow, some kind of multi-petaled flower and a dog or fish that starts on the front of the pillow and wraps around to the back side.

Looking Forward to Summer

Winter weather drags on, and continuing cold makes me anticipate the warmer days of Urbana's Market at the Square. I've selected more-or-less random dates through the summer for a purse and pouch booth. If you're out shopping for fresh Illinois fruits and vegetables, stop by and peruse fabric items. I'll be there: June 22, June 29, July 27, August 10, August 24, September 7 and September 14. Hurry up, summer!

inmyvastsparetime@gmail.com

It's time to get serious. I recently printed more business cards to insert in purses and pouches for upcoming farmers' markets and took the opportunity to add a business-only email to my particulars. Henceforth, I can be reached at inmyvastsparetime@gmail.com. Sure, the new email is free, but I get a kick out of unilaterally deciding to add or tweak elements of my home hobby/business to mimic "real" stores. Maybe I need coupons, or loyalty punch cards (make that a loyalty app, for sure) or a big sale for Presidents' Day, or even a BOGO promotion. Should I make folks "like" me on Facebook? I could invite tweets about zippers, but I'd have to learn how to do that myself, first. For today, a new email.

New Fabric

One of the great pleasures of sewing enough to populate the tables of a farmers' market booth is choosing and acquiring fresh fabric. Even though I buy more fabric than anyone on my block, I can't justify buying everything I'd want. I dutifully keep track of expenses, and aim to recoup the calendar year's purchases before a new year begins. But it's February; even the most enthusiastic holiday shoppers haven't made their lists yet. I must narrow my search for fresh fabric to the patterns and themes with broad appeal. This owl pattern fits the bill.

Two Zip and Cross-Body Pocketed Hipsters

Winter is the time to try new sewing projects. I have been hunting around for purse ideas because purses are useful and their construction pushes me to acquire new skills. In particular, I've been wanting to become proficient at installing sturdy snaps. Also, customers at the farmers' market have asked for purses that zip closed for maximum security. I found two pdf patterns that appealed. The red purse is a pattern by Erin Erickson of the business Dog Under My Desk. It features a zippered top as well as an exterior zippered pocket and an open pocket. The adjustable strap means the purse could be worn at the side or across the body. I played with the interior and added another zippered pocket along with two open pockets. A large, colored snap closes the top of the Cross-Body Pocket Hipster pattern from The Sterling Owl on Etsy. Piping at the top of the exterior pocket gives this pattern a substantial feel. The purse I'm using right now for my personal treasures is made from this pattern, and I like the extra width and easily adjustable strap.

The pattern designers of both purses allow small-scale sale of projects made from their instructions. Look for some version of a hipster to be at my farmers' market booth this summer.

Pattern Revisited

One of the first vendors I purchased from on Etsy is a pattern-designer. Her shop is called Michelle Patterns, and she features regularly-updated patterns for purses and small bags. Though designed to close with loop and button or buttonhole and button, I am revisiting the "Pyramid Pouch" wallet this time using snaps. I have acquired large snaps in a variety of colors: navy, black, purple, red, pink, and plan to make a basket-full of this small carry-all. Natural linen looks good to me as the body, so maybe I'll reserve all color for the lid and lining. If I stretch the pattern just a little and/or add a zippered pocket on the back of the purse, I could squeeze even more entertainment out of one little pdf download.

Lounging Corner

Sometimes there just isn't time to sew. Nevertheless, I feel like making something. When I need just a few minutes to organize my thoughts about a project I perch in my red lounge chair. It is refreshed for 2013 with a new accent pillow. Marimekko fabric from my friend K on the front and linen on the back are sealed with red piping. Keep your snacks and markers away. This chair is for clean creativity.

A Pouch for Everything

My sister-in-law A is a professor at Purdue University. She teaches; she does research; she manages the emerging careers of PhD candidates. I really have little idea of what that all means. But, I figure even a modern-day academic who has blogged and can use the wireless network anywhere to email, Facebook and photostream may need storage for the rogue piece of real paper. For her birthday, I mailed this pouch for her file folders. The exterior zippered pocket may work for flash drives or auxiliary cables, or just gum for later.

Work Smarter, Or At Least Neater

2012 was a good year for fabric and zippers. I sewed more and sold more than any other year. I attended more farmers' markets, tried new venues, explored a few new products and finished a smattering of custom projects. I think I have discovered the limit of my productivity; it's time to work smarter and not harder. To that end, I recently spent an entire day refolding and reorganizing my stash of fabric. Along the way I stumbled on prints I haven't used in quite awhile. Sometimes I held onto the last little bit of a pattern because I had a project in mind for "someday". Often, I hesitated to use the last of a favorite print because I didn't think I could replace it. I will endeavor this year to loosen up. It's just fabric, and they continue to make new patterns I like. Besides, it takes quite awhile to curate a fabric hoard as large as mine. Messy scrap piles of tidbits build up and slow me down. The efficient path is to slice it up and sew it--all of it (or almost all).