{multi-tasking}

Well, being a mother of three I try to be the queen of multi-tasking. Otherwise, how would I ever get anything done? So beings that multi-taking is always on my mind I was a little intrigued by this pattern when I saw it, Multi-Tasker Tote. I have had this pattern laying around with my growing collection of patterns since the beginning of the year. When a friend said she was going to have to order a new big bag I decided it was a great time to give this baby a test drive. Lucky for her it was right around her birthday! Lucky for her I happened to have some awesome Amy Butler fabric on hand. Lucky for her Anna Maria is an amazing designer. I'm not a great designer when it strays too far from the basics so I greatly appreciate an amazing design job. The great thing is that it sews together pretty quickly so instant gratification of sorts comes into play. So, since I like me some instant gratification I busted out some more Amy Butler Daisy Chain and made my cousin a diaper bag for the upcoming birth of baby #4! Yikes, four kiddos definitely calls for more pockets so I redid the pockets. I added some great pleated pockets big enough for diapers and wipes and then added my favorite little pocket of all time, a cellphone pocket! My favorite, because, I don't believe life would go on if cellphones ceased to exist!

So onto the Anna Maria Multi-Tasker Tote. To me "tote" screams "big enough to carry everything you need for the day, you busy super woman of a mom!" and this tote does not disappoint! The finished bag is 18" wide, 14.5" tall and 4" deep with nice long straps that automatically cinch the bag up a bit when you sling it on your shoulder. It's AWWWWWWWWWWWWESOME! It has four exterior pockets (but, I found if you don't follow the directions correctly it can have two larger exterior pockets and I kind of like that as an option) and I make it with the wonderful pockets I described above.

So, feast your eyes on the Multi-Tasker Tote. Get ready to get many things done at lightening speed when you step out of your house with this bag on your shoulder! I'm pretty sure the universe works like this! :-)

{so chic}

chic (sheek)

adj. 1. Conforming to the current fashion; stylish

n. 1. The quality of state of being stylish; fashionableness

This is the first word that I thought of when I finished this bag. How can you not like black and hot pink?! When my friend, K, saw another friend carrying her bag that I made several years ago she said she HAD to have one! So I jumped at the chance to create something different from the few bags I have been making almost exclusively for a couple years. When I asked her if she knew what kind of fabric she would like she immediately said black with a hot pink lining. So this is what I came up with. Her reaction was the best one I have ever received when delivering an order. There were OMGs, oohing and aahing and showing it off to the other gym members. :) That is the best compliment I could receive!

So, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to a new bag that I happily refer to as, "Colette" after my girlfriend that received the first bag I made of this style. It has a great A-line shape, but the most fantastic thing about this bag is the sash bow. It can be a fun embellishment on your bag, a belt around your waist or a scarf around your neck or in your hair. How fun is that? It has a coordinating topstitching that adds a little bit of stability and strength. I included my favorite feature of a purse or bag, pockets! Four of them to be exact, one of them being a cell phone pocket.

To add to the shrieks from "K", I included a matching Java Jacket. :) Shop and enjoy your coffee in style. Why would you do it any other way?

I can't tie a pretty bow to save my life!

{old jeans? presto! new skirt!}

I tried my hand at this nifty little project about a year ago and the results are so much fun! Jeans to a skirt, baby! Do you have an old pair of jeans that you just don't like anymore, but they fit? Try recycling them into something totally different. This isn't really going to be a tutorial because I didn't take near enough pictures to walk you through the steps. This is more of a before, during and after pic. Sometime in the future maybe I will try a tutorial, I've never done that!

This is a skirt I made for my friend, C. She delivered two pair of jeans to me. One for her and one for me to make myself a skirt!! Yay! I still haven't gotten to that project, but what else is new??? lol

So take a peek and see how the before turned into the after. I hope to someday post some pics of little girl skirts from my girl's "tore up knee" jeans. The embroidery is just to cute to just throw them away! Enjoy!

Regular 'ole jeans just waiting to be transformed

Use a seam ripper to rip out the inseam. You actually end up ripping further up toward the zipper so the denim will lie flat.


Ta-Da! Cute skirt! I use the lower section of the pant leg to make the insert so you use a lot of the denim from the jeans. Not a huge amount of waste. This part always seems to be the most troublesome for me. Not being a clothing seamstress I have to take more time to make this right. There is a lot of adjusting the insert when on the model to make it hang just right.

I like leaving the skirts with a raw edge so they fray when washed. Just a fun detail!

{gettin' hip}

This little lady seems to be the bag of choice this Fall. If you are looking for something smaller and quite convenient {erika} is your girl! She is flat out FUN with fun fabrics that pop with a coordinating top panel, full-size interior pocket, magnetic closure and an adjustable messenger-style strap. She's fully interfaced for shape and stability and has double stitched corners for added strength.

As described, this bag is $35, plus actual shipping. Any changes outside of my basic design may result in a slight price increase. I do my best to ship as inexpensively as possible, but, shipping is usually Priority due to the weight. If available I reuse shipping materials to help save the earth of unnecessary waste. However, I will only use materials in respectable condition.

{yummy fabric}

A friend from high school caught up with me last week (who I haven't seen since high school!) and asked if I had time to make his wife a bag for Christmas. He said he wanted something unique and thought of my bags. So flattering! So, I told him yes, I would love to! He chose my {gina} purse and said his wife likes "vampy chocolate", but would be happy with anything I put together. So after a little research I don't think I really hit "vampy chocolate" on the head, but I have a feeling that I did okay. I love this fabric and have had it in my stash for a long time just waiting for the right project. I'm not terribly happy with the pics, but sewing is my thing not photography. *smile*

Tina Givens "Treetop Fancy" Line

The coordinating fabric has birds on it. The blue you see are their tails.

{creating again}

I'm finally finding a little time in my crazy mom schedule to spend time at my sewing machine. Oh, and let me tell you, it feels good! I have a few more orders to finish and then I have plans to work on some new bag styles. I can't wait! I also have a few non-sewing items to add to my PeridotLane blog. I'm so excited!

So while you wait, here are some pics of a couple bags I made for a my friend, E. She came over to pick out fabric for one and ended up ordering two because she couldn't decide on fabric! She chose a "serious" one and a "fun" one. :) Both of these are my "Erika" hipsters. These are so much fun to make and what a great little bag when you don't have much to take with you. But don't let the size fool you! Even though it is my smallest bag it is amazing how many things you can squeeze in it. The adjustable strap is such a nice addition to this bag. You can cinch it up and use it as a purse or leave it long to sling across your body messenger bag style. Either way you are sure to get a lot of use out of this bag.

Click here for a detailed description of this bag along with pricing. Enjoy and please feel free to contact me with any questions . . . peridotlane@yahoo.com.

Amy Butler Lotus and Anna Marie Horner Chocolate Lollipop

{spring calls for fun fabrics!}

I am so happy to be sewing again. I am catching up on my long "to do" list and it feels SO good. My first order of business was getting a great little hipster ready to ship for, L, a friend of The Maternal Lens blog. L chose gorgeous fabric from Amy Butlers August Fields home dec collection. The quality and weight of this fabric is just delightful. After using it for a holiday order I promptly ordered more. I can't wait to turn out more items from this line. Pure bliss for a fabric lover like me. Thanks, L, for your order!