A New Fall Bag

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I'm taking a break from all the Halloween posts to show you my new fall bag. I had been hoarding this gorgeous Anna Maria Horner print for something special and decided it was time to cut into it.


I couldn't be more pleased with the results. I paired it with a new print from her Field Study collection. I love how easy it is to mix and match all of the AMH lines.


I got the pattern from this book. It's called the Floral Bag and it's really easy. I think I like it because it's very similar to my Hellen Bag. This is the "small version" and it's quite big so I can't even imagine how huge the "large version" is.


I also finished my fall quilt top this week! Wooo! It took me a few months to finish the blocks but since I didn't get to go to Sewing Summit, I decided I might as well be productive and get them done!


I sewed up a quick patchwork backing yesterday so it's all ready to be basted and quilted. The pattern is called Skipping Squares by Cluck Cluck Sew. I'm so excited to pull it out of the dryer and snuggle up with it! Hope you're having a great Sunday!

Around Here Lately

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Life has been hectic lately with the upcoming Disney trip. I had originally planned on making a Studio Cherie duffel bag to take as a carry on (I even bought the pattern) but that didn't end up happening. I did make a few more Smash Book Fanny Packs for the shop though!



My sweet hubby got me the new Nikon CoolPix S9300 and it is amazing! I didn't want to haul around my enormous DSLR while walking around Disney World so I really had my heart set on this smaller model. Even though I couldn't get it in pink, I thought it'd be a great opportunity to have my husband actually pick up the camera and take a picture of ME for once. Always behind the lens... never in the pictures! As I predicted, he feels more comfortable with this one. I made a camera wristlet using an old Keyka Lou pattern and some Sleeping Beauty fabric by Heather Ross. I also made a matching Jane Market Tote for souvenirs.



I made a new iPad sleeve with one of my favorite Echino prints, using Amber's awesome tutorial.

And I was also dying to use these brass zippers that I got a couple of weeks ago from Zip It on Etsy. I made this quick padded zippy using another Heather Ross print to carry my camera accessories.




I read EIGHT books within the month of August, which explains my lack of presence in Blog Land, including The Darkest Powers series (great reads!!), The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (sooo good!) and the two Divergent books that are out. If you haven't read these books, I definitely recommend them if you're into dystopic literature like The Hunger Games and Unwind. They are amazing books!

I'll be back very soon with a blog facelift (yay!!) and a Halloween Swap Sign Up before I leave to Florida! Have a great long weekend and Happy Labor Day!

Nursery Versery

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I am in love with this new line by Heather Ross. It is the softest linen blend I've ever gotten my hands on. I couldn't resist cutting into the little mice right away. I made a drawstring bag from Jeni's pattern (my favorite ever!).

I paired it with a yellow print from Denyse Schmidt's new line, Chicopee. The strings are Sketch in Lipstick. Soo bright and pretty. I love these three prints together, they make me smile.

I also made this boxy pouch out of the pink spiders. They were begging to be used! This pouch is huge and perfect for my knitting projects.



I bought some of my favorite prints from miss matatabi on etsy. She has the full collection available. I'm so going back to buy the little mice in green before they're all sold out!

Tote & Book Swap Sent: Pt. 2

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My second partner Holly received her goodies a couple of days ago so now I can share more pictures from the Tote & Book Swap. After looking through Holly's Pinterest boards, I knew I wanted to use quilt blocks like I did with Tara's tote. With this tote, I started off with these colorful blocks using HSTs in contrasting dark and light fabrics to create a diamond shape.



Then I added 3 inches of Essex linen in Natural to the bottom to make it into more of a rectangular shape. The tote is huge and durable, perfect for family trips to the library. The book I sent is a timeless classic, Pride & Prejudice. It's one of my favorite books! I am totally in love with Mr. Darcy.



I also sent her some other goodies like washi tape, a stamp/ink pad, and a really cute notebook. I've already received Holly's package and I'll be sharing what I received from her and from Tara very soon! You can follow along on Instagram (@greenletterday) to see more daily photos. Have a great week!

Easy Lazy Bag

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It has been so long since I have made a handbag. I've made several totes this year, but there's no greater satisfaction for me than completing a really cute handbag. The pattern for this bag came from the book Bags: The Modern Classics by Sue Kim.


I've been crushing really hard this summer on color combos like hot pink/orange and hot pink/yellow. I bought the yellow pearl bracelets specifically for this bag and the hot pink jewels (both fabrics by Lizzy House) contrasted beautifully against it. My favorite part of this bag are the bow handles. They add a lot of girliness to it.




The pattern for this bag is actually pretty plain. I was drawn to the simplicity and slouchiness of it but I thought it needed a little something extra. I pulled out this Candy Shop fabric by Michael Miller and made some adorable blocks to use as pockets. I love the kids enjoying their sweets in these vintage-inspired prints. The blocks were perfect.






I'm so happy with my new bag! Now I'm anxiously awaiting my totes from my Tote & Book swap partners. I can't wait to add some new handmade goodness to my collection! Have a great Saturday!

Tote & Book Swap Sent- Pt. 1

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I organized a swap this month with a tote and book theme and, as we had an odd amount of people sign up, I got two partners. I dedicated the first part of the month to Tara. I stalked her Flickr favorites to get an understanding of what she liked and settled on a plus block pattern.


I like the idea of using quilt blocks for totes. It's like hauling a mini quilt around- it just looks comforting. Tara expressed that she liked citrus-y colors like yellow, orange and lime. I pulled out some bright fabrics in those colors and added some pink and turquoise, as well as some text prints, to ensure that no two prints of the same color were ever touching. I used this technique for the piecing, which is absolutely brilliant! Made my job a lot easier and the final result was perfection.


I also made her a little pencil pouch with the leftover cuts and threw in some goodies like highlighters, stamps, ink pad and some adorable washi tape. The book I sent was book one (City of Bones) from one of my favorite series, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. From what I knew about the books Tara had read, I knew she would enjoy this one. They are casting for the movie right now and it will be out next year. I'm so excited!



Cassandra Clare also has another series, also about Shadowhunters, called The Infernal Devices. This series is set in Victorian London and I just fell in love with it. I really recommend both series. If you liked Twilight and The Hunger Games, you'll love these books!


I have finished the tote for my second partner and it is going in the mail first thing tomorrow. As soon as she receives it, I will be sharing pictures with you!

On a side note- I hit 700 followers today! Yay!! I think a giveway is in order. What would you like to have a chance at winning??

Happy Mother's Day

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First off, I'd like to wish all you mommies a very Happy Mother's Day! You deserve to be spoiled today for all the hard work that you do for your babies!! My siblings and I took my mom out to breakfast this morning and I am beyond stuffed!

So last night, after I got home from Corpus Christi, I had the itch to sew something quick and pretty. I pulled out some of my favorite fabrics and used Jeni's drawstring bag pattern (I used the project bag size) to make a pouch for my ever growing pile of selvages.




Fabrics Used:
Fly a Kite by October Afternoon, Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt, Summersville by Lucie Summers and Sunkissed by Sweetwater
I just love those green seeds! I could seriously buy the entire bolt. I've been spending a lot of time cleaning and organizing my craft room. My fabrics are finally organized by color and I'm working on making more pouches and baskets to fill my cubbies.

I'll have more pictures to show you as I continue to set things up. We just finished moving the furniture around last week so I've still got to put things up on the wall and get a few more things set out. Feel free to send me mini quilts or cute wall decor!! haha

And now, for the winner of the PrintRunner Giveaway.... Random.org chose lucky #2. Congratulations Kendall! I'll contact you soon for your snail mail info! Have a great day!

Traveling in Style

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I'm off to Corpus Christi again this weekend. This time for my cousin's graduation! I completed my Multi-Tasker Tote just in time. It's the perfect size to use as a travel bag. It fits my hair dryer, hair straigtener, make up bag, toiletry bag, and still has plenty of room for my camera and lenses. I also made a cute little boxy pouch for my cosmetics. It was my first time making one and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

I used fabrics from my Flea Market Fancy stash for both projects. My absolute favorite fabric from this line is the posies in brown. So I used that as the main exterior for my bag. I threw in some dots and seeds for the pocket panels and lining. This bag is just adorable. I really recommend it. You can find the pattern for sale at Amy's shop, Pinked Fabrics!




Ofcourse, I can't show up empty handed. I made my cousin this pillow cover and threw in some hair bows. I wrapped this in this cute owl craft paper that I found at the World Market last time I was in Corpus Christi. I must remember to go there again, they have such cute stuff!



Don't forget to enter the PrintRunner giveaway if you haven't already! It's open until Sunday night when I return. Have a fun weekend!

Patchwork Tote

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I've been sorting through all my scraps and cutting a bunch of 3.5" squares. Anything smaller got tossed in the trash, except ofcourse for the beautiful little pieces that I couldn't bring myself to part with. I thought it would be fun to make a patchwork tote using some of my blue and grey squares.


I used 25 squares for each side of the bag and sewed them together in five rows of five squares, alternating between grey and blue. Then I quilted them in straight lines before composing my tote. I boxed the corners at 2.5" and added a little lobster clasp to the lining to hang keys or coin purses from. The tote is now in the shop if anyone is interested. Have a wonderful week!

Linking up to these parties.