The Completed Amy Butler Weekender Bag

Most of what they say is true. This bag is not easy. I have made hundreds of bags and even worked extensively with Peltex, and I found the home stretch of making this bag to be tough. But the result is wonderful!!! The pink fabric is from Joel Dewberry's Heirloom Home Dec fabric. The lining and piping is made out of something cheap but just perfect on sale at Joanne's.

I added an extra long shoulder strap with some hardware to make carrying the bag extra easy.

I tucked the hoop that I connect the strap to, in to the side pocket. I would have to say that the hardest part about making this bag for me was getting all of the layers of fabric within the seam while trying to stitch next to the piping. I about killed myself doing it and then ripping it out and doing it all over again.

I also added a magnetic clasp inside of the outside pocket on one side for some added security. But I should have used a larger clasp because it is a little hard to get it to meet.

The inside is beautiful, but I will for sure add pockets to the inside next time.

My biggest advice is to follow the directions without variation if you want to make this as easy as possible. The biggest problems came when I tried to do things my own way. It was worth the hard work though. And I did have fun for the most part.

Swallow Messenger Bag now available on Etsy!

The Swallow messenger bag is my favorite of the many bags I have come up with so far. It is roomy, comfortable, and full of pockets. This pattern is now available in my shop, on Etsy. Check it out there:

http://www.aprilcobbdesigns.etsy.com/

Time just ticks away each day...

Since you probably haven't met yet, this is my husband, Jay Cobb. Really, he has nothing to do with sewing or crafting or the other things I usually post about on this blog... except that his recent endeavors have taken me away from making new crafts to blog about. I do have a couple of things up my sleeve, which I will tell you about when I get a chance. But I wanted to let you know what Jay has me up to so you understand why my posts are growing more sparse.

Jay has been holding town hall meetings and doing a lot of speaking in public.

Jay is running for US Congress in Utah's new 4th district.  This is a huge undertaking, and I am his right hand woman. I personally called over 125 delegates last week. See why I have no time?

Here is an article that just came out about him:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/53086216-90/approach-cobb-district-field.html.csp

This is his website:
www.jaycobbforcongress.com

I promise I won't ignore you forever.

xoxo

Amy Butler Weekender

It seems that so many people are inspired/excited/terrified when it comes to this bag. Everyone seems to want to make it and are scared to do it at the same time. This is why I am going to make it. I am going to make it a few times until I really get it. So I am about 1/2 of the way into the process of making bag number one. I'll keep you posted and let you know how it goes. And then when I get it down and have a few cute bags to show for it, I will let you in on my tips on how you can be inspired and excited and not terrified at all. Hooray. I can't wait to pull it together. Wish me luck!

Ruffle Duffle Variations

It is so fun to see how the same pattern can turn out looking so differently with different fabrics. The picture below is a bag I made for a friend's daughter. I love the Summer Song by Riley Blake Line. And it perfectly fits this 8-year-old's personality.

My neighbor made this one for her teenage daughter's ballroom dance class bag. Adorable.

If you complete yours, please email me a picture. I would love to see it!

So How Do We Feel About Wrap Skirts?

I recently got this idea that I wanted to make a wrap skirt. It was somewhat inspired by a couple of wrap skirts my mom made me when I was little. I was 9 in the picture above, wearing one of those skirts with my gymnastics T-shirt. I was waiting for the bus out in front of our house and fruit stand. I loved that skirt. So I grabbed some fabric from my stash and threw this reversible wrap skirt together.

Side one.

I used this fabric because it would either make a cute skirt year-round or I could convert the whole thing into a Christmas Tree skirt if my project went bad.

Side two.

What do you think? Is this in style? Do you think wrap skirts are flattering? Do grown women wear wrap skirts? Are they better suited to children?  WOULD YOU WEAR THIS?

These are not rhetorical questions. I really need opinions. Please post your opinion. :)

Sew Serendipity

Another fun person to meet face-to-face at quilt market was the delightful Kay Whitt. I love her patterns for clothing. I have a stack of patterns and a couple of her books that I want to use to make more clothes. It makes me wonder what it is that brings her into the quilter world rather than the McCalls/Butterick world. There are not too many clothing designers with booths set up at quilt market. But it seems like there is huge room for growth in these emerging markets. Clothing really is my first love in sewing. I can sew bags backwards, blindfolded, and in my sleep. But I really want to be able to better design clothing. So I asked Kay lots of questions, and she was full of insight and very helpful.

Isn't she cute and little?

I love her beautiful samples here. She uses so much color with a touch of vintage and a lot of Joel Dewberry fabric, which is always a plus in my book.

Isn't this funky? Love it. Don't know if I would be bold enough to wear it.

This is my favorite of her creations. This book, Sew Serendipity, is wonderful. I made the dress below with a pattern from this book and hope to make many more of her designs from the book.

I made the dress in Amy Butler fabric. It is comfortable and so fun to wear.

I also started this dress, which is a Kay Whitt pattern. I did not complete the pattern though. The reasons are these:

#1. It is way too busy... don't you think? I would look like a clown in it.

#2. I took my measurements when I was nursing, so I made the large. I am probably a small in this particular pattern because when I put the dress on, it was ENORMOUS on me. The dress has one long side seam so I could just take it in, but I would be embarrassed to wear it, walking down the street because it is so bright and wild.

So what do I do? Should I complete the Kay Whitt dress in"Wonderland by Momo for Moda" fabric or do I cut it up and make bags out of the fabric? What do you think?