In case anybody was wondering, here's Bune. He is every bit as ridiculous as he seems to be. And actually, he is everything I ever hoped for in a dog. For better or worse, he is my fluffy white shadow. At the moment, he is on my foot. His interactions with the kids are remarkably different. The Big Guy? Yeah, Bune is pretty sure he is another puppy. Babykid? Bune says, "Whatever you say, Little Boss." Good stuff. I love this guy. 
Being a person who makes a lot of things out of fabric, I occasionally (or all the time) find myself with pieces and usable scraps that are too little for my projects. Being a person who is a Mennonite and a Midwesterner, I have a pretty hard time throwing away a perfectly good thing that could potentially have another use somewhere, someday. The wonderful ladies at our church make stuff year round for MCC--bags for kits, quilts for auction, comforters for people in need. I've been able to recycle perfectly beautiful pieces of fabric, clear out some space in my workshop, and help out the sewing group with my small pieces. And then this happened:  Of course I'm not surprised that the ladies at church can make a beautiful blanket. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Ora and her friends made this for me and my family: these are, after all, some of the same people who welcomed us so warmly into the congregation (and fed us so much non dining hall food) years ago when we were visiting college students. But you know, I was totally surprised, and in the best possible way.  Last Thursday I made a super summery custom large tote for a writer friend of mine, Ginny. She picked my favorite fabric of the season, Alexander Henry's Avedun and Anemone. I added a snap flap to the front--a nice touch, especially with this print. Ginny and I had a wonderful time catching up, thrift shopping, and beading in Medina. Yesterday, since I am fresh out of zippers that match (never fear, 200 are on their way soon--and let me tell you, if you need zippers, Jennie of Zipit is the woman to talk to!), I made 2 more large totes: another Avedun and Anemone and a Cherry Blossom (photos soon). To top off a morning of sewing, I had lunch with my dear friend Cathy at the Pine Tree Barn: holy delicious chicken wrap, Batman. The most exciting news for the last 2 weeks (the most exciting SOMP news, anyhow) is that SOMP will soon be featured on Heartsy--an awesome promotional endeavor! Shoppers will be able to purchase vouchers good toward any item in my Etsy shop. I will keep you posted on the date. And if you're unfamiliar with Heartsy, as I was until maybe 3 weeks ago, it is a super cool site dedicated to providing deep discounts on handmade items of every stripe. Currently I'm stocking up inventory for that event as well as my biggest craft show of the year, the Summer Market. Also exciting here at SOMP is my new pencil bag design. I have been tossing around this design for probably a year or more, and tried a version of it in EVA plastic, to no avail (not yet, anyway). About a week ago, I was pleased that the latest version of this idea went from mostly concept to prototype in under half an hour. My son wandered into the workshop. "Want to see what Mommy made?" I asked, and held out the pencil bag--a black and pink floral / polka dot fabric combo with a clip at the top. "Ooooh," he said, and emphatically, "thank you!" And that was that. He wore it to the playground and hauled it to the sitter's. I know for a fact that it holds at least a dozen pencils. He loves the thing, and I love that he does.   |
by the Seat Of My Pants...the stories behind the bags and beyond.  Archives
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