Originally, this post was going to start off something like this:

Christmas is almost here, so we're heading off to western Kansas to spend some time with family.

That is, until the big snowstorm hit Denver and western Kansas closing off most of the highway we need to take to get to see those family members (I should add, that much of the highway is closed, not because of bad road conditions, but because there's a lack of hotels available for stranded motorists). To top it off, Bret decided to visit the doctor yesterday for his sore throat and lost voice - come to find out he's got strep throat (he hasn't had it since the 8th grade). Needless to say, I think these are all good indicatiors that we shouldn't be going anywhere.

So instead of packing, I finished my second La Rue Messenger Bag. This version is a gift for my mom - she wanted a more conservative looking bag so I made this one out of brown suede cloth with a brown and tan cotton print lining that reminds me of Honeycomb cereal (I also left off the tassel since she said it looked to 'youthful'). I did make this one slightly different than my version. My first version is more sack-like with both sides sewn completely up to the top. However, in this version, I sewed up one side completely and the other (the one closest to the handles) I left open aproximately 1 1/2" above the D-ring. I think that my mom will have an easier time getting to everything in her purse this way.

I also received one more swap package in the mail - a wristlet from 'dearjoan'! The fabric is a fun mesh star print with satin underneath. Taylor's eyes got quite large when she first saw it, I'm assuming at some point I will be loaning it out to her.

And now it's time to go pick up our Christmas ham, bake some cookies, and avoid shopping at the mall!

With almost 2 La Rue Messenger Bags under my belt (my second bag still needs to have the binding sewn to the lining) and starting the High Street Messenger bag yesterday, it seems as if I'm on a bag making binge.

So to get everyone bit by the bag making bug, I've found some links to some free bag patterns:

Sew News' free leather bag pattern from their December 2006 issue.

Three ways to use brocade in a purse from Threads' June\July 2004 issue. And one found on Joann's website.

Turn a towel into a tote (for those of you lucky enough to be having summer weather) from Domestic Diva Martha Stewart.

Clotilde's Sewing Savvy magazine's pattern for a rugged backpack.

'Eco-friendly bag' using recycled magazines.

Free messenger bag - I love it's name "Choose Your Own Adventure."

Duffel bag pattern from a 1978 Mother Earth News magazine.

My personal favorite, the Bra Purse. Seeing that my bras aren't that large, I may have to call mine a bra wallet.

And if those aren't enough for you, HGTV has 55 different handmade purses on their site!

On a completely unrelated note, in my search for purse and bag patterns, I stumbled across this link for a tomato pincushion footstool. How wild is that?

What you've all been waiting for - a finished La Rue Messenger!

And for the purse view:

This was my first 'successful' attempt at using pleather. It is not a particularly forgiving fabric to work with - early on in my sewing adventures, I had attempted to sew some very pretty blue pleather for a jacket and it turned out miserably. This time, I was more prepared - I used a small gauge needle, a teflon foot, and lots of patience. The only part that I believe turned out 'meh' was my strap. Since I couldn't really press my pleather (not that it stayed anyway when ironed), my center seam is very wonky. In an attempt to keep your eyes away from that line, I sewed two rows of contrasting stitching on each side of the strap.

The bag itself sewed up wonderfully. I found the most difficult part to be the strap (because of my fabric choice) and adding the binding to the handles. The handles aren't hard, just take your time sewing the curves and trim the seam allowances before attaching it to your lining. I should also note that I used 1/2" seam allowance for the handles - this just gave me a bit more binding material to work with. Originally, I had decided I wasn't going to add a tassel, but after seeing the completed bag, I thought that it needed one. I had a bit of trouble figuring out how in the world I was going to sew through all that thickness, etc, so I used some 'fabric' type glue and held it down with clothes pins. I'm not sure how well this will hold in the long run given my fabric choice, but it looks great now! I also 'winged' the directions to this one....I think because I was in a rush to finish I had no idea what I was reading.

Would I make this again? You bet - but my fabric choice would definitely be different. I would choose a fabric that didn't need underlining since this just created another layer to try to wrestle with and not pleather (even though I love the way it looks) and I would shop Hobby Lobby for the notions, not only were they less expensive, they had more variety in the sizes I needed.

So how is everyone else's bag coming along?

Today's post is photo free - mostly because I haven't had the opportunity to get the camera out to display what I've been up to. However, I've been up to a lot!

My second Butterick cowl neck top is complete! Since winter has finally hit, I added sleeves and lengthened them to full size. Overall, the look is very '80's. If I had a pair of leggings and big hair, you'd swear you warped back into time.

I also started on the La Rue bag. Right now I have the zipper pocket attached to the lining and the pleated pocket inserted on the other side. I played around with my hot fix nailheads and made a horrible discovery - they slide off of pleather! I don't know why I never thought of that possibility before (glue and plastic just don't mix). So I hit several stores in search of pronged nailheads - who knew that they would be so difficult to find? I manged to find some at Hobby Lobby - they are supposed to go with the Gem Setter gadget that you see on infomercials, but I went ahead and got them anyway, I was desperate. I also looked around at their purse notions while I was there - if you're in search for nice looking, inexpensive g-clips d and o rings for this bag, stop in at Hobby Lobby. They've had the best ones so far (and not to mention the best price).

I also went to the sale at Joann's today - I couldn't pass up the 50% off coupon that is good over the weekend. The sole purpose of this trip was to find lining fabric for the High Street Messenger. Since this bag takes 2.5 yards of material, coupons look very good at this moment. In addition to the lining fabric, I also snagged zippers - which means I have all the materials ready to go for this project, so cute snuggle flannel for Taylor some pajamas, a Sew News magazine (my subscription hasn't kicked in yet), and two gift sets. Whew!

I promise to post photos of all my goodies and completed projects tomorrow!

Wow! Winter weather has finally hit here, hard! One week ago today we were in the 70's - wearing t-shirts and fishing outside while the Thanksgiving turkey was cooking and today our high is supposed to be 22 degrees with 6-8 inches of snow expected (they even cancelled school and it just started snowing 15 minutes ago)! What a shock to the system this has been.

Aside from all the weather news, I sort of held to my promise that I would wait to order my High Street Messenger bag fabric. Since I've completed 3 of the 5 items on my list - I am 1/4 of the way through my new Butterick top (which means that I will finish this week) and my La Rue bag has not only been traced, but all the pieces have been cut out (which is above and beyond what I expected to do!), I decided that I would achieve my list and that I could rationalize buying my fabric (my swap got an extention so I still have 2 more weeks to craft another Office item). So, here's my EQuilter purchases:

The picure on the left is the main fabric that I plan on using for the bag. Joann's has a 50% off coupon this week and I'll find an fabric that works with this for the inside of the bag (maybe something in black and white). The fabric on the right is just for fun. I would like to make a 'voodoo' pincushion like Jeffery's from Project Runway, except mine would have tattoos (just like Jeffery).

Of course, I didn't stop there....... I also visited Fabric Mart. I refrained from buying any bundles, although it was so tempting. Here's what I did order:

The image on the left is a Maggy London silk dupionni - hopefully this will become my holiday dress (better get a move on, eh?) and the image on the right is Jones New York Chenille Brocade - I'm really hoping that I got it, I tried to snag the last 3 yards that they had. While I was there, I also picked up some wool\cashmere scarves - I think that they might make great Christmas gifts!

And lastly, I ordered Burda Easy Fashion Spring 2007. It's not out yet, I have no idea what will be in it, and it won't be in English (I got a German edition again), but I couldn't resist. They've been so good lately and they sell out so quickly, I didn't want to wait until it was released. My rational? It was $8 - the cost of one Burda pattern!

Last, but not least, I joined another Craftster swap. This one is Sweat Shop Round 6. Basically, you craft 5 of the same items and then make a wishlist of items that you would like to 'swap'. How fun! It's sort of like mini etsy shops! If you're looking to get in on this swap - signups are until December 8th.

As you can tell from this post, I'm rambling...it's a combination of too much morning coffee and first snow of the winter excitement. Now it's time to have a cup of hot chocolate and watch the weather!