Fussy

I’ve been turning out purses based on these little fabric wallets like crazy lately. They’re fun, and I love the way they look – when they turn out right. I’ve been taking these and these down to the local Farmers Market with me each week, and this week I actually sold two! Including this mistake!

I finally cut into this precious Laurel Burch fabric to make my sister in law a birthday present because she loves kitties as much as I do. But I made a mistake somewhere and the magnetic snaps didn’t line up properly. I had to trim about half an inch from the bottom so that everything would fit again. But that meant that it was a couple of inches smaller than it was supposed to be. Somehow, I also managed to put the zipper in with the pull facing in the direction opposite from what I normally do, although why I put it in facing the other direction I really can’t say… So I sewed it together and I looked fine – just not the way I intended it to, so I put it aside while I made another one for my sister in law.

That one turned out just fine. Actually, it turned out better. Which was no surprise because practice does that. So, I tossed the mistake into the pile of clutches and wallets that I was taking to the Farmers Market… and someone thought it was nice enough to buy! Really, there was nothing wrong with it if you weren’t looking at it expecting it to be something else.

I like to work on one thing at a time, and do it until I get it right. Then I can start to improvise. In this case, fussy cut. This beautiful design of cat faces were just purrfect to put on the front of the wallet, while a more “subdued” Burch fabric complemented it but was by no means subdued. It took a bit of careful planning to cut this fabric, which is designed in beautiful horizontal designs. Those are two different fabrics there. I’m happy with the outcome, and I’m pretty sure my sister in law will be as well.

I made this clutch for a friend who wanted “something in brown”. I love this Japanese motif, but don’t get much opportunity to use it. It’s a nice, heavy material with beautiful shading and nuances. For the lining inside, I used another Japanese print – floral printed on a mottled purple/brown shimmery sort of cotton. It worked very nicely together. When I dropped it off to her, she was talking to one of our local painters who, when we started talking about browns, said how she like working in “colours”. It’s funny how different colours and combinations affect you once you start working with them. I told her that taupes never used to appeal to me until I started working with them, and now I just love them. And they ARE colourful – greys, browns, pinks, greens…. I think they’re beautiful.

For quilting this bag, I just followed the lines around the hexy shapes. Didn’t have to lower the feed dogs or free motion quilt.

Another New Moon tonight, this time at 2 Virgo. Virgo is usually a quiet and steady worker. If she has nothing to keep her occupied, she can become critical of others, although more often than not she can give great advice on how to straighten out a situation or proceed with a project. However, tonight Neptune opposes the New Moon, tinging matters with a pleasant fuzziness. You might rather sit down with a glass of wine than sit at your sewing machine. Mars and Saturn are also combined, squaring Venus in Fixed Signs, so if your measurements are off, just walk away from it – pour yourself a glass of wine and relax – because it’s not going to get any better tonight.

Until next time,