13 Caravan Tote & Pouch.

I've been meaning to share a post about my trip to Austin for QuiltCon, but haven't had a chance to go through all my photos yet. So in the meantime, I'll post about the bag I made to take with me!

Anna asked me to test out her new knitting bag pattern, the Caravan Tote. A cute bag with hardware and metal zippers and places to store knitting needles and notions? I said yes of course. The timing was perfect too, because it meant I'd have a new bag for QuiltCon.

Anna's patterns are always so nicely designed and easy to follow and this one is no exception. It all went together easily after cutting out all the pieces and interfacing. I had to wait until I got home to install the snaps, but they make the bag and pouch really look finished and professional.

I had several people ask me if I made my bag at the show, which is a win for me! It's always my goal to make things that don't really look handmade. The straps also held up pretty well, even after carrying about a billion pounds around on my shoulder all weekend.

The pouch is perfect for holding WIPs, it's currently holding my Fluid Beanie made with SpunRightRound's Graffiti Overlay.  Which was given to me by Heather, who also happens to have collaborated on this pattern with Anna! Meant to be I think.

You can purchase the Caravan Tote pattern here. It's awesome and I highly recommend it!

120 Shimmer Blog Hop & Giveaway.

Welcome to my stop on Jennifer Sampou's Shimmer Blog Hop!

I was really excited when Jennifer asked me to participate.  I love metallic everything, and am thrilled that metallic fabrics are becoming more popular!  Shimmer is Jennifer's latest fabric collection for Robert Kaufman, and all the prints have the prettiest metallic sheen to them!  The colors are really sophisticated too, so I thought they'd be perfect to make some fancy clutches with!

I picked out a few of my favorite prints from the collection and started working on a new clutch pattern, which I am calling the Luxe Clutch!  I wanted to incorporate some asymmetrical shapes to make it a little more interesting, so I experimented with inserting the zippers at several different angles.

I used a gold metallic vinyl on one side of two of the clutches, which really brings out the metallics in the Shimmer fabrics!

Using two different fabrics also makes them reversible, which is pretty fun!

The linings are all Shimmer prints too, and while they are hard to photograph they are really pretty in person!

I am in the process of writing up a Luxe Clutch pattern, which will hopefully be available soon!  I plan to sew up a few more clutches to perfect the shapes, they are fun to make and pretty quick too!

Robert Kaufman is giving away a charm pack of Shimmer today, in case you want to make something with it too!  To enter, simply leave a comment on this post.  I'll choose a winner on Sunday, 4/20.  Please make sure to leave an email address so I can contact you!

Update: This giveaway is now closed.  Congrats to our winner, Tyler!

The blog hop is almost over, but make sure to check out Jennifer's blog tomorrow for the last stop and check out what beautiful projects everyone else has already made on the tour!  Check out the Shimmer Look Book too for even more inspiration!

April 1: Robert Kaufman/Jennifer Sampou
April 2: Janice Ryan – Better off Thread
April 3: Alissa Haight Carlton – Handmade by Alissa
April 4: Julie Herman – JayBird Quilts
April 5: Natalie Barnes – Beyond the Reef
April 6: Stash Books – C&T Publishing
April 7: Amanda Jean Nyberg – Crazy Mom Quilts
April 8: Lee Heinrich – Freshly Pieced
April 9: Cheryl Arkinson – Naptime Quilter
April 10: Christina Cameli – A Few Scraps
April 11: Elizabeth Hartman – Oh Fransson
April 12: Faith Jones – Fresh Lemon Quilts
April 13: Gemma Jackson – Pretty Bobbins
April 14: Katie Blakesley – Swim Bike Quilt
April 15: Amy Smart – Diary of a Quilter
April 16: Laura Nownes, Jennifer Rounds, Pati Fried, Darra Williamson – See How We Sew
April 17: Holly DeGroot – Bijou Lovely
April 18: Jennifer Sampou – Wrap Up

169 MicroMod His & Hers Sew-Along.

Welcome to my stop on the microMod His & Hers Sew-Along!  I was so excited when Alexia asked me to be a part of this tour.  I love microMod and had been hoping to get my hands on this versatile collection!

Before I show you what I made, here's a little Q&A, Newlywed Game style with Alexia and Rob.  These two are a successful couple, so I wanted to know what they thought was their spouse's biggest accomplishment.

Rob:  Alexia's biggest recent accomplishment is writing the book, something she did at the same time as we were buying a house and moving!
Alexia:  My biggest accomplishment is starting our pattern & design company with Rob and my mom, Michelle! It is something that was a dream for so long, and we just stuck with it and did all that we could to make it happen.

Alexia: Rob's biggest accomplishment is our house...we bought a 20's era fixer-upper last year and have been working on it since! He has done SO much to the house, all while having his first fabric line!
Rob:  My biggest accomplishment is wooing Alexia!

Okay Rob, that is pretty much the sweetest answer!  I think you win this round! :)

Now, onto the sewing!  I had been looking for an excuse to make the Around Town Tote from Alexia's book, Liberty Love, and it made perfect sense to combine it with microMod for this project.

For the girl version of the tote, I used the MicroMod Seaweed in Purple for the colored stripes, and my favorite yarn dyed Essex linen in Black for the gray stripes.  I used a thrifted gray leather belt for the handle, and opted to keep the buckle on because I liked the gold mixed with the gray and purple.

For the guy version, I decreased the size of the stripes to fit my husband's Macbook Air.  I added a flap with magnetic snaps to close it.  The blue stripes are Micromod Seaweed in Teal, and the gray is more yard dyed Essex linen.

The insides of both bags are the Vertigo print from Micromod, in Teal for the guy version and Purple for the girl version.

Now for the giveaway!  Alexia, Rob, and Cloud 9 are offering one of you a fat quarter bundle of microMod, and the Lots of Dots quilt pattern from the Green Bee Pattern shop!

To enter, simply leave a comment here!  Please make sure to leave a way for me to contact you in your comment, or you will not be eligible to win.  I'll pick a winner on Monday (4/15).

Update:  Congrats to our winner, The Bumble Girl!  Thanks to everyone who entered!

Make sure to stop by the rest of the stops for more microMod sewing inspiration and giveaways, and at the end there is an amazing grand prize. You could win a fat quarter stack of microMod by Rob Bancroft from Cloud9 fabrics, the entire Green Bee Patterns collection, a microMod sewing bag, and a Singer Heavy Duty Sewing Machine! (US only for the grand prize).

April 2 - Alexia & Rob Green Bee http://alexiaabegg.squarespace.com/
April 3 - Kelly at Kelbysews http://kelbysews.blogspot.com/
April 5 - Amanda at the Craft Junky http://www.thecraftjunky.blogspot.com/
April 6 - Rachael at Imagine Gnats http://imaginegnats.blogspot.com/
April 8 - Heather at alamode http://alamodefabric.blogspot.com/
April 10 - Holly at Bijou Lovely http://www.bijoulovelydesigns.com/
April 13 - Alexia, Michelle & Rob Green Bee http://alexiaabegg.squarespace.com/
April 17 - Faith at Fresh Lemons http://www.freshlemonsquilts.com/
April 18 - Katie at Swim Bike Quilt http://swimbikequilt.com/
April 19 - Deborah at Whipstitch http://whipstitchfabrics.com/blog/
April 20 - Jacey at Jaceycraft http://jaceycraft.blogspot.com/
April 24 - Jenny at the Southern Institute http://thesoutherninstitute.com/
April 25 - Amy from sukie don't ya know http://sukiedontyaknow.com/
April 26 - Jen from Betty Crocker Ass http://www.bettycrockerass.com/
April 27 - Sara from Sew Sweetness http://www.sewsweetness.com/
April 28 - Krista at Krista Withers Quilting http://kristawithersquilting.blogspot.com/
April 29 - Katy from I'm a Ginger Monkey http://imagingermonkey.blogspot.com/
April 30 - Amber from One Shabby Chick http://oneshabbychick.typepad.com/
May 1 - Alexia & Rob Green Bee GRAND PRIZE http://alexiaabegg.squarespace.com/