WIP Wednesday - Lost My Sew-jo

I'm going to blame the procreating trees and strange weather we've been having lately for my random sinus pressure and lack of sewing motivation.  A purse I can usually finish in one day took me an entire weekend and a few extra days!  Of course I was modifying the pattern, which adds time, but when it came to the sewing part I was just puttering along.  I sew because it makes me happy and gives me a productive hobby/part time business, so when I hit slumps, sometimes I need to take a step back and do something else to make sure I don't get burnt out.  I think getting a full night's sleep might help...Naps make me groggy and throw off my sense of time!  (also, desks at work aren't really made for napping, too small to hide under and too lumpy to sleep on! LOL)

I may be obsessed with coffee fabric.

Mermaid Essential Oils Pouches

When I got a request for an essential oils mermaid pouch, I had to start scouring the internet for patterns.  For some reason I thought they would be larger, but when I borrowed a bottle, I was amazed at how small it was!  These little pouches turned out great, once I gave up on the boxy pouch style!  I love this mermaid fabric, the colors are soft and remind me of sunrise.

Now I want a beach day...

WIP Wednesday - Magical Coffee

Somehow the week is flying by (as usual) and it feels like I'm barely getting anything done!  I have packages I need to ship out but first they need to be packed up, and before that, I need to take pictures, which means dragging out the light box and clearing a spot for it...goal for tonight?

I need to do something epic with this panel.  And get some spares when retail opens!

Mickey Brandt's Boulevard (ChrisW Designs)

The Brandt's Boulevard is a great wallet, with just enough pockets to store a few cards, cash, and change, but with a fun style that helps it stand out!  I've lost count of how many I made!  This one was for a repeat customer - her kids kept stealing the one I made her so they needed their own wallets!

Front view

WIP Wednesday/Thursday - I Swear Stuff Is Getting Done

It just doesn't feel like I'm being very productive lately.  I'm going to blame the time change.  That sounds legit. And I'm not late on this post, I meant to delay it so you could fully enjoy yesterday's pattern release...yes, that was totally planned.

Guardians of the Galaxy quotes helped me keep laughing as I screwed up...

Gabbie's Grove Pattern Testing (ChrisW Designs)

It seems like forever since I've tested a new bag for Christine (at least since December when I worked on the Podium....which was FOREVER ago!)  This new bag is a fold over convertible miracle!  It goes from giant tote to fold over clutch, and even magically can become a backpack!  You can get Gabbie's Grove HERE, and if you are signed up for Christine's newsletter, you can even get an exclusive discount code for the first few days of a release (sign up now, and she might even send it back out!)

Folded over, there's a phone pocket on this side

Jelly Pens Hipster Pouch

I love using patterns for purses, even if I go WAY off the rails with my mods, I have a basis that should (hopefully) lead to a great finished project.  For this one, I used the tutorial from Make It and Love It and made some modifications.  This is a very simple project, but having someone else do the initial measurements was nice!

With a coordinating key chain!

Brandt's Boulevard - Flash Sew Along!

This is a speedy sew along, with a quick pattern!  We'll leave it open through the weekend so everyone that wants to can have a chance to join!  You'll need to be a member of the ChrisW Designs group on Facebook and then respond as "going" to the Event, plus sew along to be eligible for the prizes!  Make sure you join, Amanda has graciously offered to do some live videos of the wallet!

The Brandt's Boulevard is one of the Easy Street Patterns, and I've done sew alongs for it before, but it's a great pattern and I get orders for it all the time!  I finally broke down and made a template for the strap piece with my dollar store cutting board, but it keeps wandering off...the template is great because I can audition my cuts before I actually make them to see what will be covered by the tongue lock!  Since I can't find my template (maybe need to clean the sewing room...eventually), I made a new one and I can show you the steps!

Template piece, auditioning my placement!

WIP Wednesday - Procraftination, My Old Friend

I'm actually fully booked for project for this month, but that doesn't seem to stop me from trying to take on more!  I am trying to do better at giving myself time to finish orders and stay within deadlines, but then fun things come up and say "Make ME!" and my procraftination comes out full force!  The keychains are still so much fun to make, but now I need to get back to my other orders!

I never get tired of looking at this fabric!

Another Magical Messenger Bag - Sydney (Swoon)

I do have a LOT of Harry Potter inspired fabric in my stash, and this purse took advantage of that!  3 of the fabrics used were custom printed ones and the fourth was a fun starry galactic one that is a great coordinate!  I think it's about time to invest in the templates, since I'm making at least a Sydney every other month (or sometimes 2x in one month...)  I started cutting out multiples of the interfacing, so that is speeding it up a little, but I think actual templates would be better!

Sydney looks pretty fancy with my tiger on there!