Sew I actually have a gift ready far before the deadline, a first for me.! I think I'm more excited about being ahead of the game than the purse. I'm always rushing to get gifts made at the last minute. (The receiver never looks at this blog, so it's safe to post) This bag is made with the Moda Mary Englebright Christmas fabric. I used a purse pattern I picked up from Craft-O-Roma but altered it a bit. This purse is bigger than the dimensions recommended and the embelleshmints with yarn are not included in the pattern as well as the interior pocket I added. How can you have a purse with out an interior pocket?? The pattern was quite easy to follow and I would recommend it for anyone looking to make and finish a project in one day/afternoon. Just remember to add the pocket!

Sew I have been itching to try my hand at upcycling. Cousin's Holly & Alisha talk about it often and then I went to the Maker Fair in Austin recently and it was all the rave. Go Green! Sew my WSM (wicked stepmother) recently gave me some boxes to go thru for potential upcycles. This was one of her sweaters. When I saw the sweater a little girls dress immediately came to mind. I didn't want to work on any of the projects I had today so I thought well lets see what we can do with that sweater. I appliqued the flowers on the knit top, which was tricky for me. I had practiced with my Mom a couple of weekends ago when I was in Dallas and found it very frustrating, this time I used a fusible web to help hold it in place which helped a lot but I'm still not completely satisified with the finished look. Practice makes perfect sew I shall try some applique's in the future. This project took me less than 2 hours. Yeah for upcycling! Starting with prefinished garments takes less time and is less expensive. I'm pleased with the outcome for the small investment of time.