The Very First Bag

Bren asked to see the very first bag I ever made....the one that gave me bagophobia. After making this one, I said I would never make another. I didn't either until the one pictured in my previous post.

Here's a little history of the "Very First Bag". I made it in 1983. My husband had returned to college.....we had 2 babies.....and NO money. I needed a new purse and couldn't afford one. I thought I could easily make one because I sewed everything we were wearing at the time except my husbands jeans. I dug in my fabric scraps and found the fabric. The only cost was the booklet with the pattern which I purchased at a TG&Y variety store in College Station, TX for $0.50. It wasn't really hard to make....but I just hated all the bulk. I swore I would never make another.
I did enjoy doing the little cross stitch initials on the front pocket though! I used waste canvas to do them.

And, yes Bren....this one has zippers. In fact, it has 2.


I used this purse for several years and washed it multiple times. It is a bit faded...and the binding on the front has come unsewn a bit, but it is still very useful. It now holds all my threads for tatting and crochet when we travel.

TaaDaa! It's done.....and here are some pics.

I wanted something small that I could carry just a few things like credit card, a little cash, driver's license, etc. (so my hands will be free to pull bolts of fabric from the shelves at the quilt shop!) Vogue had a pattern with this small neck pouch that is really meant for carrying ID and passport when traveling. I thought it would be perfect for my purpose, but I think I will make another later and make my own adjustments. As you can see it has a nice small pocket with a clear plastic window for driver's license and credit card. There is a small piece of velcro at the top so those items are securely in the pocket. All the other pockets do not have any fastners. That is one thing I will change if I make this one again. Also, the other pockets are a bit deep, so if you need to put small items there....it will be a bit challenging to get them out. It has 2 pockets on the back and 2 on the front. If you know a little about sewing, this pattern was easy, but if you are a beginner....in my opinion.....the instruction weren't written as clearly as they should have been. But, it's made.....it's a bag.....and I am planning to try another using some of the other fabric in my post from yesterday.....so I guess I can say, I'm dealing with my bagophobia issues.

My reason for trying to find a small bag is that I have been having pain in my shoulder. I normally carry a small purse with a wide shoulder strap. I know it is the cause of the pain in my shoulder because I have experimented and when I don't carry the purse....the pain goes away. I can't find exactly what I'm looking for in a bag, so I'm trying to find a pattern. I have some good possibilities, but not exactly what I'm looking for.

Yes I did!!

Yes I did!!! I sewed last night. After I ate, I cut out the pieces I needed and headed up to the sewing room. Here's the pieces for the back....sewn together and you can see my mechanical pencil in the area for that. I'm still working on the pieces for the front.
I'm off to the grocery store early this morning. I usually go early anyway, but especially so during this heat we are having. My poor flowers are about shot even though I water them twice a day. Hope it is nice and cool in your little corner of the world; it miserably hot in mine.

I'm such a slug! One day of my time alone gone and nothing to show for it. I forgot that yesterday I had a meeting I had to go to, but it was for a good cause. I serve as the patient representative on a board for diabetes education in my area. We meet once a year to review the program and set new goals for improvement of services provided to those who are newly diagnosed or living with diabetes. I hope what I do there makes things easier for someone who is just learning they have this disease or who is struggling to cope with changes they have to make in their life because of it. I know from experience that it is not easy.

Now, on to what I have done today. No....not sew...or at least not yet.....but I did take myself over to the local JoAnn's to "fondle some fabric". And no.....I didn't just touch.....I also bought!!! Here's what came home with me.
I have several projects in mind here, but will just wait until I get some of them "in the works" before I tell you what they are. You can get an idea of what one of them is buy looking at some of the items in the photo. Some of this is Bren's fault. She talked about bagophobia on her blog and I told her I had the same disease. Seeing her conqueror the demon......I decided I could too!!

Busy....No Stitching

A busy time at my house. I'm trying to get clothes ready for a business trip for DH. He leaves on Wed. and then maybe I can find a little time to do some stitching. I'll have 3 days where I don't have to cook or clean or do anything but sew if that is what I want!!! I love DH, but I must admit I enjoy a few days to do only what I want every now and again.

Stay cool....suppose to be 100F this afternoon with heat index around 110F. Looking forward to autumn!!!

It's Here!!

Look at what arrived at my house in the mail today!! The beautiful pin cushion I won over at Darlene's. It's awful hot here today, but I thought just maybe there might be something in the mailbox for me. I opened my box and inside was the key to open the box where the mailman leaves a package if you have one. I put the key in, opened it, and sure enough.... inside was the box from the Surface of the Sun, AZ. I was like a kid in a candy store....just couldn't wait to get home and see what Darlene picked to send me. She must have remembered me mentioning that blue is my favorite color because that's what color she sent! Thanks Darlene! I love it and will think of you each time I sew.

I haven't done any sewing again today. We sold the old car our kids drove throughout their college years....a 16 year old Toyota with 195,000+ miles and still going strong. I had the paperwork on that to take care of. Dept. of Motor Vehicles in MO doesn't make doing anything simple!!! I've lived in Texas and Virginia and dealing with DMV in those states was easy, but not here. I won't rant anymore, but dealing with that is why I didn't sew today.

DH asked me for a date tonight!! Think we are going to dinner and then a movie. We haven't seen Harry Potter yet, so that's a possibility.

I didn't stitch yesterday, but I did do something stitch related and important. After talking about machine care recently...it was time to give my machine some TLC. I thoroughly cleaned the bobbin area with alcohol as I was taught to do. I then reapplied the oil recommended for my machine. It was also time for a new needle and to clean the outside surfaces of the machine. Now it's ready to go again for about another 8 hours of sewing. Here's a pic of what I use to clean the insides of my machine.

Since I'm talking about machines, I'll show you a sampling of the machines I work with. My main machine is a Bernina 930. DH bought it for me in 1986. It was a reward to me for being a good wife who was very supportive when he decided to return to college to get his degree. We had 2 babies....need I say more. Right after he graduated and we were back on our feet financially, he insisted we go buy it. I love this machine as the straight stitch is wonderful. It has several decorative stitches too, but I have rarely used those. I did use them when my kids were small, and I did lots of garment sewing. I don't do much of that anymore...so my need is mostly for an excellent straight stitch. The only down side of this machine is it is VERY heavy and difficult to take for a class.

Since the 930 weighs a ton, several years ago...at the urging of DH....I bought a Singer 301. This is the machine that I take if I go for a quilting class or if our sewing group has a retreat. This little machine weighs about 16 lbs. It also has an excellent straight stitch, so it is ideal to carry whenever I want to sew away from home.
A few years ago, I was trying to find an old sew cabinet for my daughter to sit her portable machine on. I stopped at a local thrift store and found a cabinet that was good condition. The lady told me $25 as there was no cord or foot pedal and the machine probably didn't work. I was happy to get the cabinet for that as the cabinet was in good shape. When I got it home, I took a cloth and wiped across the label area to see what kind of machine it was. An old black Singer! As I continued to wipe away the grime, I got pretty excited as the gold lettering and the black paint looked like new. It looked as if the machine had never been used. Then I happened to notice that the area where the cord plugs into the machine looked just like the cord for my 301...so I got the cord and gave it a try. It worked. I called Singer to see if I could get a replacement cord and foot pedal. The lady said they were still available and she told me that the machine was a Singer 15-91 made in 1951. She also told me that if the machine was in reasonable condition, it would be well worth the price of the cord because those old machines are workhorses. So, I ordered the cord. Then I found an online manual so I could disassemble, clean, and lubricate the machine. When I completed the cleaning and gave it a test drive, it worked like a new machine. I feel that it had been used very little and really is a new...old machine. The stitch on this one is also very good. I guess I don't have to tell you that DD did not get the cabinet. I didn't need another machine...but how could I not keep it! I have practiced machine quilting on it with a darning foot. I plan to do more of that this winter. DH was also very supportive on me cleaning and getting this machine in working order. Do you see a trend here??? He actually supports and encourages my sewing habit! In case you haven't guessed...I do plan to keep him since he is so good to me.

I have a two more very old machines. I'll share those with you on another day as I don't actually sew with those.