Urban Home Goods Swap goodies

As you may know, I have been stuck on participating in Flickr based Swaps for the last few months. It has been a blast and I have met many wonderful sewists and crafters. This latest completion is for the Urban Home Goods Swap, round 2. As the name suggests, the range of items to make is pretty wide open. My partner gavemany specific suggestions, but still left the range pretty wide. So after stalking her a bit, I decided on this little set of goodies.My partner knits, and had suggested a knitting needle case among other things, so I decided a knitting set would be in order.

I designed this bag specifically with the knitter in mind.

It's large enough for a single project to take on the go. Long enough so that straight needles will fit in the bottom plus there is some extra room for the pouch.

My knitting bag always has lots of little things like darning needles, rulers and snips floating around in the bottom. So I thought a little pouch to contain all those things might be useful.

To be honest, I could really use a new knitting bag myself - my current bag is about 15 years old and is really a gardening bag that I re-purposed. So it's with some reluctance that I am sending this one off to my partner.

I used colors that my partner likes and paired that with some linen for a modern feel. Fabrics include Sandi Henderson's Ginger Blossom, Sis boom basics, Amy Butler prints, Joel Dewberry, Anna Maria Horner and Michael Miller's antiquities, all paired with natural linen. I added a little quilting on the linen to tie things together.

I really love the bag, I'm going to make myself one, one of these days. The flower on the front adds the finishing touch and I used this tutorial from sewritsytitsy . Love this flower - I'm going to have to find an excuse to make myself a few more...

The knitting needle case was made following the same directions as the case in the last post. I think it all comes together for a fun set.

I hope you like it partner, because it should be in your neck of the woods any moment now!

Happy Sewing!

The really Big Ass Bag!

I'm wrapping up things around here, getting ready to go on vacation in a few days. We're flying, and taking my laptop and I needed a bag that both fit the laptop and a few other things and was secure, because I don't want my items rolling around on the plane floor. So this is what I came up with ~ A really Big Ass Bag, henceforth known as the Cycle Around Bag.



I have made messenger bags before, but this one is really huge. Doesn't help that my laptop is a wide screen, hence the larger sized bag. But this also needs to hold a book or two, passports, tickets, snacks, a sweater, DVDs for the kids, etc etc etc. So there you have it.



And a few accessory pouches for random other things.


The bicycle fabric in this bag is an Echino print. I thought the bikes were perfect for a messenger bag, plus I love biking anyway. The lining is Park Slope fabric which coordinates pretty well. The bag also has a divider pocket to keep the laptop in place. Test run coming up in a few days!

Just so you know, Hubby is staying home, he has to work, poor guy and take care of the pup.


In the meantime, happy sewing!

And the winner is....

Ms Ritz Young, of Glitsie Ritsie boutique! You have won your own copy of the Fat Quarterly, Issue 2. Please contact me directly at cascadeskids at gmail dot com so I can get you set up with your free issue. Congrats Ritz! And big thank-yous to everyone who participated in the giveaway.

Now for a little peek at the pouch I made for my hexie swap partner



I hope you like it partner! It's off in the mail tomorrow along with a stack of hexies.

Happy Sewing Everyone!

Bella Bag

I felt it was time for a new bag. I haven't made one in awhile, and correspondingly, i'm getting tired of carrying the one i have. Time for a shot of color. Here's my newest purse design made using Patty Young's Andalucia fabric and some ultrasuede. Coordinating fabric for the lining, of course. :)

Quilt by accident...

...I stop into a little quilt shop in Sisters, OR. The Stichin' Post. We pass through Sisters all the time on our way to Bend, but Sisters happens to be a quilt mecca. Every year they have the
Sisters Outdoor Quilt show which is famous, in these parts anyway. Now I should point out that I don't really quilt, I won't say I haven't given it a go, but I prefer to stick with clothing or bags for my projects. As many times as we pass through Sisters, you would think that I would've stopped into one of the many fabric shops. Alas we are usually strapped for time and I have to put it off - again.
So this past weekend I just happened to have a little time, well not really, but I took a moments respite and walked into the Stitchin' Post. Now really I had only intended to take a peek. But that was a foolish notion on my part, since me-peeking-fabric don't really play well together. So I peek, and then after I pick my jaw up off the floor, I start wandering around the bolts. The place happens to have just about every fabric designer that I typically lust after, well their fabrics anyway and from what I could tell complete lines of everything. Yes it was fabric nirvana. They happened to have some of one of Valori Wells prints that I had on my must get list ~ So I have my modest yardage cut and then intend to leave.
Meanwhile my dear husband and kids have discovered where I have disappeared too and hubby insists I linger awhile to look around while he takes the kids to the playground nearby. He really is a sweetie. So I continue to wander and find myself hard-pressed to keep bolts from flying into my hands. Restraint is the word here. Must-use-restraint! In the end I found lots of new goodies for both girls dresses (that was around the time my daughter popped back into the store) and new purses.

So what did I add to the stash? This Kleo fabric (Alexander Henry) ~ so gorgeous in person. I paired it here with the cherry full moon polka from Amy Butler and made up this Fiona purse from Jenna Lou designs. I like how this one turned out. Hubby thinks it needs a volume knob - what does he know?

On my must get list now - this was stunning in person - Valori Wells Sole Decorator
No I didn't get it there - restraint remember?