Kate Spade Ain't Got Nothing on Me

After the defeat of the nightgown I thought I’d post a project that I successfully completed in September, the Velma purse, again using an Amy Butler pattern and her fabric too. I used the Covington fabric which is no longer displayed on her site. I don’t have pictures of the inside, which is nearly corresponding stripes.

In retrospect I think the pattern is a little too busy to do an entire purse although within forty-eight hours after finishing it a woman in the grocery did compliment me, unsolicited, unlike my friends who had to deal with me parading my purse around listening to me scream, “I made this!” Although after the anonymous complimenter gave said compliment she saw the look of pride and self-promotion on my face and continued, “You made that, didn’t you?”

I have lots of fabric left over and I’m wondering if it might look cute on as a toddler dress.

Notes about Construction:

Instead of using Velcro, as recommended, as a fastener I splurged and bought a magnetic clasp. It was incredibly easy to put in and well worth the $4. I had a fairly thick leather wallet at the time and didn’t have any credit cards erased.

Even though the pattern calls to use canvas which is then covered by the show fabric and lining it didn't seem that strong. That combined with its thin, rectangular shape proved challenging when I loaded it up with a wallet, address book, calendar, small notebook and travel-sized toiletries. When the flap was clasped, it stretched across all the items in the purse, exposing the contents at each end. It looked horrible. Maybe I should just carry less stuff.

Cutting

I’m a sloppy sewer. Actually, I’m a sloppy everything.I started this nightgown with fabric a friend bought me and the first road block I hit was a puckering dart.

Once that was fixed, thanks to help from my sewing teacher, I moved on to sewing the front of the nightgown to the back. That’s when I realized that I am a worse cutter than I am a sewer. The edges weren’t matching and rather than fixing it I kept on sewing, thinking, “It’s just for me, it’s fine.” It’s not fine because I was equally as lackadaisical when I cut and pieced together the front and back facings (fabric sewn on the raw edge of a garment piece that is turned under and serves as a finish for the edge as well) so the nightgown would not lay right.

I crumbled up the nightgown and throw it into my bag grumbling to myself, swearing I’ll be a better cutter on my next project.

The Once and Future Knitter

Last month, I waited too long to register for the mid-week beginner scarf knitting lesson at The Grove was canceled due to low enrollment. This month I registered early but was told that the class might be canceled so I rallied my friend to register as soon as she could. Now, I have to look to March for lessons because there was a surge in enrollment and my friend couldn’t join the class.

I’m looking forward to turning this yarn into a scarf, eventually.

Stubborn Scarf

Sometimes being stubborn is a good thing.

After nearly two weeks working on a terrible deadline with a nearly unbearable toothache and an ever-present corresponding throbbing headache I said to hell with cleaning my apartment and packing for a business trip to San Francisco.

Instead, I decided to make a scarf and justified the time spent because I needed something to keep me warm when I was in the Bay Area. Good thing too because it was rainy and cold-ish the entire time.

Pattern: Amy Butler’s free cozy scarf pattern
Design Notes: I shortened the scarf from 90” to 59” because the only thing that should be 90” long is a feather boa. The material is “fuzzy fleece” from Jo Ann’s Fabrics at approximately $9 a yard.

My scarf is both cozy and warm.

If I ever get around to it I’ll trim the ends with some beadwork or ribbon.