Any suggestions?

Things are going to get busy around here for a few days, so I'm going to take some time off from making totes. Whew! On Monday, May 6th I'll be kicking off another Tote Giveaway, so check back around that time! It'll be a fun one this time, with the contestants choosing their own tote from several options.

I'm having trouble coming up with a name for this bag. What do you think "we" should name it?

Asian Beauty

You'll remember the other day I went to a "new" fabric store in town and bought this fabric. When I saw it, I thought of Mia because she is partial to all things Asian. (That might be a slight exaggeration, but she does have a fascination for that area of the globe.) I thought it might make a cute tote. At the time I questioned the choice of fabric, because I didn't know if it would "go" with anything in her wardrobe. This is the type of purse you would have to build your outfit around if you were carrying the purse for the day! It's kind of like a piece of jewelry. Here is the finished project. It's one of the prettiest totes yet! Hope she likes it! ;o) It's called "Mia's Asian Beauty."

Sew Excited !

As anyone knows that has been following this blog, I have been doing a great deal of sewing lately. Last week when Mark was working at home and I was sewing upstairs, he heard me exclaim rather loudly. My sewing machine has been acting up lately. There's nothing worse than sewing with a machine that has rampant mood changes. One minute it's going along just fine, the next minute it's in a knot ... literally. After one particularly loud exclamation, Mark came upstairs and made my world right again by saying, "Why don't you get a new one." I was speechless. I hadn't thought of that. Of course, the old gal is going on 36, so I guess it's time to throw her a party and let her enjoy retirement.

Today I picked up my new machine. I'm not sure I could love an inanimate object any more than I do my new Baby-Lock! My heart is singing! This little gal is compact and lightweight (only 12.5 pounds). My last machine had to be lifted with a crane; it was so heavy! I just can't wait to get started ...

Thanks for the gift, you great big hunk of a man you!

Yum!

This morning I went to a "new" fabric store in town. Unfortunately, our town is a bit fabric store challenged. We just don't have much of a selection, but I did find a quilting store that was fabulous. The fabrics there were expensive, but the selection was wonderful! Here is a sampling of the fabrics I bought. They are just screaming to be made into totes! :o)

Pink Polka Dot Snake!

When I first saw this polka dot fabric, I thought it was cute, but thought it would turn out too wild-pink-bubblegumish in a tote. I looked at it again a couple of days ago and decided to give it a whirl. I actually love how it turned out. Again, the snake skin fabric on the bottom. (Love it -- thank you again, Jill!) I think this tote is about as understated as hott pink polka dots can be. Of course that little pink pin didn't do anything to tone it down ... What do you think?

Part Purse / Part Pet

I think I'm going to start giving my purses names. This one has too much personality to be an inanimate object, so I'm naming it "Part Purse/Part Pet." Again, I love this turquoise/brown combination. It's so rich!

It's Easy Being Green...

Kermit the Frog may think "it's not easy being green", but the little frog on this tote seems to be quite content being green! Here's another version of the "new" pattern. It's a little bigger than the black and white one of the previous post. I love the size and the colors on this one. I found the little froggie pin at a Flea Market a few days ago and he looks right at home on this new tote!

Black & White - New Style

Today I got in the mood to change things up a little. I altered the pattern that I had been using for the totes and made this pattern. If you'll note my previous tote pattern enlarges a little toward the bottom of the bag. In the new pattern, the bag gets slimmer toward the bottom of the purse. This makes for a smaller bag -- more purselike -- although the opening is the same width for both purses. I still have to tweak the pattern a bit, but I was happy with it for a first attempt. This photo shows the button closure, which is a little different than I've done in the past. And the last photo is just a close up of the snake skin fabric I love!

Black & White

A week ago I made a couple of black and white totes. This was before Jillian clued me in on the snake skin fabric. Frankly, these would be even cuter with that fabric at the base, but I still like these a lot. The first one I gave to my sister for her birthday... it's due to arrive today at her house. That's why I took my time posting these because I didn't want her to see the tote before it arrived. I wanted to try to find a pin to go on her tote, so I went to the flea market and found this big old '60s flower power pin that I put on it. Fortunately, it is a "pin" so if it's a little too outlandish for her, she can always remove it. It does add a touch of spunk to the purse though! The second tote isn't spoken for, but I'm sure I'll find a good home for it! ;o)
A couple of you have asked what the totes look like on the inside. I fully line each tote with interfaced fabric and add a pocket.

New Blog

Here's a little heads up for my new blog. Yesterday I decided to make a separate blog for my tote making. I named it "Just Another Hang Up." I was feeling like I was a blog hog on Bake 'n Make and I didn't want to do that -- ergo the new blog. I will chronicle my tote making here from now on! Here are some pictures of the totes I've made so far...

The following tote was given away as the prize for the April "Big Give" contest...
This one was made from a vintage tablecloth...
And finally, Jill's sassy little tote that she designed and I made yesterday! Love it! (It's entitled: "Snakes in the Garden" -- check out that snake skin fabric on the bottom of the tote!)