In Stitches

I've become enamored with sewing again. For the most part, my poor knitting has been abandoned and all I want to think about is sewing. I've even picked up a couple of sewing magazines, "Sew Stylish" and "Threads." (Just what I need -- a new type of magazine to feed my addiction!) There is a capelet in "Sew Stylish" that is so cute, I must have one. It seems simple enough. I just have to figure out which lightweight fall/winter fabric will be right for our warmer Arizona temperatures.

My middle sister is having a birthday today and she is working at a new dream job involving photography. She's been on my mind a lot lately so I decided to make her functional birthday gifts, starting with a tote bag to carry her lunch or a book to read during breaks or maybe a sweater for chilly days.

I made View A. The outer fabric is a heavyweight brown twill and the lining is cotton quilting fabric with blue and brown dots and circles on it. I also learned how to use fusible interfacing on this project. It's good stuff.

And I decided to put a lined pocket on the outside of the bag that wasn't included in the pattern. I personalized it by embroidering her initial on the pocket and put a decorative circle around it to mimic the circles on the lining fabric.

Once I actually started sewing the bag together, it went pretty quickly. Just like in everything we do, it's the prep work that takes so much time. Remember the house painting project last Fall?

Miles is calculating how many treats and chew bones he could fit in it ...

I am pretty happy with the way it turned out and will probably make a few more of these now that I know how it goes together. Since my sister is on her feet all day, I also knitted a pair of Funky Footsies to cozy up in when she gets home from work. (After she received her birthday package, she emailed me that the furry tops of the socks will blend right in when she decides not to shave her legs! Ingenious!!!)

And I made a card with one of my glittery garden critters that reads inside, "Sisters are the blossoms in the garden of life." Love you, Sis ... Happy Birthday!!!