My weekend project

This is what Silvia and I made over the weekend. ...And if you've been following my blog you're probably thinking that looks strangely familiar. If you thought that then pat yourself on the back. You are correct. It is the same pattern as the bag that I made my Mom for her birthday. Only difference besides the print of course, is that this time I followed the directions a little more closely and actually cut the straps to the dimensions that the pattern called for. ...Therefore I have myself a nice little reversible shoulder bag. The one I made my mom ended up being a hand bag since I cut the straps too short. I had some leftover fabric so made a little matching cellphone case with a matching button.

Since I made this bag once before you would think that I breezed through this one, but that was not the case. :( I kept making a stupid mistake while sewing the strap. After re-reading the directions for the twentieth time it finally clicked. When you're stuck in a mistake it stinks, but sometimes the mistakes can be great lessons and I think that was the case with this one. I was mentally jammed long enough, that when I go to make this bag again...I don't see how I could fall back into the strap-trap that I was in.

I still have a lot of other patterns that I want to try and if I ever figure out zippers and buttons....then I'll have a hay day. For now, it's still the basics, but the basics are good projects to help me fine tune my skills.

Success....Atlast!

I did it. Almost.

I completed the reversible bag project. (The second one that I referred to in my last blog entry). I'm sure that I made a lot of mistakes, but the only mistake that I am aware I made is that it was supposed to be a shoulder bag and I accidentally cut the straps too short, so it is now a hand bag instead. Since I was able to successfully finish this bag, I now know what I need to do differently on the first one that I attempted. This is a huge relief. I am going to gift the bag to my Mom for her Birthday. I can't wait to make one for myself!

I think that Silvia and I are going to get along great.
(Reverse Side)

My first project with Silvia

I sat down with Silvia (my sewing machine) the other day. And it didn't go very well. In fact I spent more time ripping seams then sewing because I couldn't understand the directions so I kept doing it wrong over and over again.

Since this was my first project I sought out to find a beginner sewing project. I thought I had found the perfect one on Martha Stewart's website - but clearly I was wrong.

It was for this cute little reversible purse.

I read and re-read the directions countless times before I began. This project also had a video tutorial so I thought for sure I would be able to figure it out. I still don't know where I went wrong, but as I write this blog entry, the bag sits next to me, incomplete in a wadded up ball. You can only rip seams for so long before you get fed up.

That's where I'm at now. Fed up - but not giving up.

I found another reversible bag online that I am going to try. It looks very similar to the one I have started - but the directions look a little more clear. ...Maybe I'll be able to finish the second project and in the process figure out where I went wrong with the first bag.

Click HERE for the instructions.