Four-sided placemats

Can life get anymore exciting than four-sided placemats???  I hope so but until it does, four-sided placemats will have to do. 
I first heard about 4-sided placemats this past Friday at my monthly sewing club meeting. When the store owner passed around her sample of the 4-sided placemat she made, I knew I had to have the directions. Luckily, I bought the last set she had in the store.
The 4-sided placemats are based on a pretty neat design concept & luckily, are pretty simple to make. A plastic template is included with the directions and the template makes it so easy to cut out the fabrics. Ironing interfacing on each piece seemed to take longer than the sewing.
I hate to sound like a commercial but the possibilities for these placemats are endless.  Seasonal prints are the most obvious.  Four fabrics, each representing a season, could easily be used.  When the season changes, just flip the placemat to another side.
Imagine the fun someone could have making these placemats with children in mind.

I don't have much themed fabric on hand so I just used 4 different prints for the one in the photos.
The placemats measure 14" X 19" which is a good size for a placemat.  A dinner-sized plate and a place setting of silverware easily fit on the placemat.

The Johanna Messenger Bag

 

I love messenger bags and am always on the lookout for new versions of them.  I found a new one this past week and made it up today.  I like this new one a lot.  It has a more casual look than the Leah and Linda Mini messenger bags I already offer on my web site.  This bag would also be a great travel bag!
I am calling this new messenger bag The Johanna Messenger Bag after my great grandmother.
The bag measures 12" L x 12" H x 1.5" W.   There are 2 slip-in pockets on the outside rear of the bag which would be great for a cell phone and keys.  On the lined inside there are 2 slip-in pockets .  The shoulder strap has a 15 inch drop from the top center of the strap to the top of the fold on the front flap.
The flapped front has a D-ring closure.
The bag shown is one of a kind because I don't have anymore of the quilted blue toile fabric I used for this bag.  The bag can also be ordered in any of the fabrics shown on my site, www.arlenesbags.com.
I will be adding this bag to my site but in the meantime, please feel free to contact me for pricing and ordering.
Thanks for now.

The Paris Fabric District

In September, 2009, John & I visited London & Paris.   The entire time we were in London, I was just itching to get back to Paris.   I absolutely love Paris & of course felt like Ms. Know It All given this was not my 1st trip to Paris. It was john's 1st trip to Paris.   Little did I know John would show me something I had never seen in my 'pre-marriage' trips to Paris.
Once we arrived in Paris we went nonstop.   Montmartre was one area I wanted John to see.  It is very different from the elegant main sections of Paris.   While in Montmartre, we somehow got separated for a bit.  When I finally found John he told me he had quite a surprise for me to see.   The surprise????    The fabric district of Paris!!!!   He somehow stumbled upon it while roaming around Montmartre.
The fabric district goes on for several streets.   It is literally just one store after another.    It seemed like every imaginable type of fabric, trim, etc. was available.
I felt like I was in heaven being in Paris.  But for me, Paris plus streets and streets of fabric stores truly seemed beyond heaven!!!

My Newest, Most Favorite Bag

                                      

I recently completed the bag shown in the photos. A couple of weeks before Christmas I first saw this bag on display in the sewing shop where I go to a monthly sewing club meeting. I fell in love with it and ordered the pattern.

This is one big bag!!! It could also be a great tote bag as it is incredibly roomy.

I did make some changes in the pattern. I added a total of 6 slip-in pockets to the inside, 3 on each side.  The pocket pattern was really sad which is why I changed it.
Instead of using a tie closure as suggested, I added a zipper closure. A tie closure would drive me beserk and also it doesn't offer any security.
One mistake I made is in the top binding. The leaves are going the wrong way, down instead of up!!! By the time I realized my mistake it really was too late to pull out all the top stitching, etc., so I decided to leave it alone.
The bag is fairly easy to make but it does involve a lot of time.
The bag shown in the photos was my Christmas present to me!

Wristlets-My Latest Obsession!

 I am the first to admit I very easily develop obsessions.  Well, once I saw the wristlet design Reen Wilcox offers on her site, embroiderygarden.com, I knew I had to have the design and with that, my wristlet obsession was born.  Lately, all I want to do is make wristlets.  Believe me, I know how crazy that sounds.

I make my wristlets on my embroidery machine.  I won't bore you with the details but embroidering what is called an In-The-Hoop design is really pretty neat.  Just about perfect results are guaranteed.

The wristlet I make and offer has a trapezoidal shape.  It measures about 9.5 inches across and 6 inches high.  It is roomier than most wristlets I have seen.

The wristlet can be custom-ordered in one of two ways.  It can be made from any of the prequilted fabrics listed on my web site.  Or it can be custom-quilted (still on the embroidery machine!!) in a single weight cotton print that might show off your interest in a certain area.  Check out the travel-themed wristlet on the lower left.  The quilting pattern is not the ordinary diamond-shape but is done in wavy horizontal rows.

The wristlet is lined and its inside seams are serge-finished.   It has a wrist strap that is about 7 inches long.  The strap can be custom-fitted.   If you are interested in a wristlet please check my website for pricing: arlenesbags.com/wristlets.html

Updated Lily Bag

The Lily Bag has been one of my most popular bags.  No wonder!  It is a wonderful, everyday shoulder bag and the updated Lily Bag is even better.

The Updated Lily Bag has a top zippered closure and one outside front zippered pocket.  The lined inside has 6 slip-in pockets, 3 on each side.

Lily Bag Measurements

  The top, from one strap seam to the opposite one,  measures almost 12".
The base, looking at the bag from the front, measures  9"side to side.
The base, from front to back, measures 6".
The bag height, from the center of the zipper to the bottom, is 9".   The height, at the sides, from the strap seam to the
opposite strap seam, is 10".
The strap can be any length one wants but the standard length of the strap is 30".

The Lily Bag is shown in the pre-quilted fabric named Spyro Gyro which is also for sale in my etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Bassetmommy

Simplicity pattern 2760

Last week I finished a jacket I made from Simplicity pattern 2760. Fleece was the one of recommended fabric choices for the jacket so I followed the recommendation and made my jacket out of a limey green fleece.

The pattern directions are well written and very easy to follow. The jacket is easy to make and goes together very quickly.

I decided against making traditional machine-made buttonholes because I thought they'd looked awful due to the thickness of the fleece. What I did instead was satin stitch around a narrow rectanglethat was wide enough to accomodate the 1 and 1/8" wooden buttons I used on the jacket. After stitching around the rectangle, I simply slit open my makeshift 'buttonhole'.

I think the jacket runs on the large side so I would recommend going down a size if a closer fit is desired. The jacket looks just OK. I like wearing it but plan to make it in a brown metallic denim to see how it looks made up in a woven fabric.

BTW-The picture I took of me wearing the jacket shows me wearing the jacket over an old t-shirt. Trust me, the jacket looks much better over a turtleneck!