Love: Bayan Hippo Sailor Tote

I know beach season is already half over, but I cannot resist this adorable, sunny little tote bag from Bayan Hippo. You cannot be in a bad mood if you've got that thing hanging on your shoulder. It's just not possible. (Available in blue, too)

Discovered on Oh Joy!

Angela Adams Sail Totes for J.Crew

I've actually never been a huge fan of Sea Bags, the iconic New England totes made from recycled sails. While I loved the concept, a lot of the ones I saw were too over the top. Nautical overkill, even for someone like me who loves everything nautical. I still think they work if you're the type of person who summers in Cape Cod, but I couldn't imagine toting it around the rooftop pools I spend my DC summers in.

However, the ones Mainer Angela Adams designed for J.Crew seem like the perfect mix of urban meets preppy seaside. No numbers, anchors or stars, just clean shots of perfect summer colors -- neon orange, lemon yellow and faded blue. Available here.

Update: Just want to make it totally clear that Angela Adams collaborated with Sea Bags to make these!

That's a HUGE Bag

I made a spring bag this weekend. It turned out a wee bit larger than I had anticipated.

I'm telling you, once you go messenger bag you will never go back. Hands free. Then you can hold your coffee in one hand and awkwardly hold the grab bar on the T, with your elbow in a stranger's face, with the other. And your bag will never slip off your shoulder. I have loved this one all winter. But I may have to give it another go with this one...

It's just SO big! And the sad truth is, I know I will eventually fill it up. But I'm not sure I'm ready to go there yet, especially since I do not change diapers or feed babies on a daily basis. I do tell myself that these three little pockets in the front will change my life. If you sew, you know what I mean.

Every bag I make has more options to be more organized. But it never takes. I just end up getting really annoyed trying to figure out which one I dropped my lipstick into.

Happy Patriots Day!...Who celebrates that holiday you ask? Boston! along with 10 other random holidays. It's like we're all bankers here and I love it. In about 30 minutes I am going to try to catch the winner of the 114th Boston marathon! I'm so excited.  I hope some of their drive rubs off on me. Come back to see photos.

Love: Straw Purses

The perfect vintage straw clutch is definitely on my must list for warm weather style. I'm really loving the funkier, floral embossed ones that your grandma would have picked up on an "exotic" cruise 30 or 40 years ago.

(4getmenot; Shop Handmade)

Or maybe a sleeker, undyed 1970s style....

(Leproust Vintage; Style for Life)

Or....maybe nautical, lady-like, or a no-frills style...ok, the point is you really can't go wrong with these purses. They're timeless, affordable and you can find a great look no matter if you're a stiletto-wearing exec, a maxi-dress wearing earth mother or a boarding school student summering in Newport.

Clockwise: 1. Straw & Rope Tote (Free People) 2. 1950s picnic basket (My Sugarland) 3. Straw Dots clutch (Lulu Guinness) 4. Seaside Tote (J.Crew) 5. Miss Escape Floral Shopper (Dolce & Gabbana) Top image: Sassyartz

Calling All Crafters!: Support Kim's Project

I mentioned last week that my church is getting involved in the idea of Advent Conspiracy. Next week all of the offering collected during the service will be going to three different organizations. One of those organizations is called Kim's Project. Kim's Project is a local Boston non-profit that helps women get out of the prostitution and sex trafficking industry. A representative from the organization came and spoke to us this morning and it really broke my heart to hear the realities these girls live. Many of them are children who have aged out of the foster care system and have no family or friends to help them begin their adult lives, can you imagine?

I have been sewing bags these past couple of weekends to fill requests friends have made. But I was thinking, while I was at it, I could maybe sew one or two more and send them over to Kim's Project for the holidays. What girl doesn't like a new bag?

So I wanted to throw the idea out there: If anyone would like to sew a bag and send it to me I would LOVE to take your bag over to the shelter to show these girls that despite their current situation there are people out there {total strangers} who care about them and would like to brighten their day.

I have looked and there is not a lot of info on Kim's Project on the internet, which I am sure has to do with the nature of their organization. But if you have any specific questions I can email the lady who spoke at my church this morning.

To get you started I have compiled a list of some of the BEST bag tutorials floating around the blogosphere. BIG, HUGE thanks to the bloggers who wrote these, they are great.

Film on the Fridge: Market Bag

Not So Fancy Nancy: Very Easy Tote Bag

Jcaroline Creative: Tote Bag

Craftster: Reversible Tote Bag

Purl Soho: Apple Picking Tote

U-Handbag: Curved Bottom Grocery Bag

JCaroline Creative: Hobo Bag

Craftser: T-Shirt Hobo

Machen/Machen: The Wasp Bag

Picking Up Threads: Charlie Bag

BlueBirdBaby: Messenger Bag

MMMCrafts: Basic Messenger Bag

My Spare Time: Pleated Purse

oh, fransson!: Margaret Sling Bag

Cut Out and Keep: Pleated Tote

And one from me

Email me at: stephanie.sabbe@gmail.com and I can give you my address. I hope to bring the bags over before the 25th if possible. Thanks in advance for participating!

Messenger Bag {take 2}

Here is the second bag I said I would post last week. One week late...not so bad. I like this one better because I gave it an adjustable strap. It's made from a piece of Designtex fabric that my friend Cherie had ordered to show a client for a big hospitality project she designed. Sometimes the benefits of being a designer who also likes to sew are fantastic.

Why are there only lights on the bottom half of my tree? Oh, because the other 6 boxes I grabbed are on white cords....grrrr....Do you like the trim job? Four days ago the limbs spanned over that little chair to the right. The whole situation was hilariously Griswold.

 

 

Zoe is hoping Santa can find her in Boston.

Messenger Bag {take 1}

I've been filling my holiday weekend with my favorite pastime. Yesterday I made this messenger bag for myself.

I really like it and think I will get a lot of use out of it running around the city. It was actually a practice round for a bag I finished today for my friend Cherie. I'll post hers tomorrow. I think I like it better. Isn't that they way it always goes? I got started with a tutorial found here.

The boss was very happy to be back in the studio.

Although I had to kick her out when the thread spools started getting knocked all over the place. Does anyone else have a cat whose favorite treat is sewing thread? {please say yes, I need a support group} It's like drugs for her. She can't stop, nor can she ever recall her prior bad experiences. She chews and swallows, chew and swallow....30 minutes later, she throws up....then does it all over again. I obviously try to keep her away from the thread, but she's an addict, and addicts do crazy things to get their fix.

New Bag in Shop

meet the sailor bag

My Winter Bag {bows and pleats}

I grew tired of my fall bag and dropped a few open ink pens on the inside, so this weekend I sat down to finally make the winter bag that's been floating around in my mind since early December. I felt like some of my bags were relying to0 heavily on the design of the fabric as opposed to the actual design of the bag. So I forced myself to step it up a notch this time. My friend Kendi helped me do so by giving me an old bag of hers, which I ripped apart to make a pattern. So this is not entirely original, but I really like the way it turned out. The huge bow was my addition...and my favorite part. I was a big bow wearing child, so it's no surprise that I love big bows on my bags as an adult.

Almost looks like the bow would glow in the dark. That would be cool. I could go to a rave, if I'd ever been or would go to a rave, and dance twirling my bag around. I can hear the techno beats now. Surely that would be the coolest form of glowing dance accessory at the party. You know...I have been to a George Acosta concert. Does that count as a rave? He did a remix of the Dirty Dancing sound track and I remember feeling very cool because I actually knew the words to a song. Now I've got myself waaaay off track.

I like my bags big.

I also like the pleats....which remind me of my high school cheerleading uniform, which was by far my favorite outfit from seventh through twelfth grade. So basically this bag sums up two of my childhood favorites...bows and pleats. It will be a perfect everyday bag until it gets warm again and corduroy is out of season. By then I'll probably have dropped a couple more open pens in it...so in the meantime I'll start thinking of a Spring bag design. Thank God for seasons...and more reasons to sew!