Daisy Janie

handbag making = an hour of improv

Remember all my kvetching about how sewing was just getting in the way of my handmade handbag business? Well, I found out on Friday morning that making a handbag for the fun of it was, well, fun! Wasn't sure I'd ever get the joy back, but with the freedom to do whatever the heck I wanted, it was a blast! Yay!!! We traded secret Santa gifts at bunco on Friday night, and this was my offering. A good friend ended up with it...she was happy...I was happy.

I should qualify the sewing latitude I granted myself: it had to be a handbag I could make in an hour and still be proud of. Mission accomplished. For the top, I just pieced together twelve 2.5" scrap pieces of my current fabric collection (each fabric is represented).

This pretty, horizontal, free-form topstitching took the the place of double-needle, vertical topstitching at every seam - much quicker!

The lining is a natural linen blend.

And here's the finished gem. The bottom is a textured microsuede that I've had on a shelf for years - cotton-backed so it can be pressed is always ideal! I intended to gather the microsuede but in my complete haste, I forgot to leave the thread ends long enough to grab & pull after I basted the gathering stitches in place. I actually grabbed a pair of tweezers and needlenose pliers to salvage the idea - then realized how ridiculously long that would take. So I went with 2 little (eyeballed) pleats. I started with a 15" width, and the finished width had to be 12" - so each pleat ended up being about 3/4".

I took pics to give you a full tutorial, but we're heading off to Jack's piano recital in a bit - so here are a few highlights instead!

Sticking with the improv theme, the corners are rounded by tracing masking tape - very technical. Sometimes I use embroidery hoops.

For the handles, I cut a 3" width of the microsuede to the desired lenth (hang a measuring tape over your shoulder like a strap and get the length from that). I used a 2" bias tape maker (joann's has them for $13.99) - then I folded the strap in half, carefully matching up the edges. Press!

Sewed scant topstitching down each length of the strap, open side first.  

For the interior pocket, I cut a 7" by 13" piece of linen, fold in half hamburger style. Added a piece of lightweight Pellon interfacing to the bottom of the pile and stitched around all edges. Left an opening to turn the pocket rightside out - clipped the corners to reduce bulk.

Topstitched top edge for a clean, finished look.

And here's one more peek of the handbag - love the punch of color with the neutral (and useful) microsuede.

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Quote from an 11-year-old boy I know very well - bellowed out of nowhere, on a car ride to a holiday party:
"I've been eccentrically rippin' them all week!"  

Any guess what "them" is? Speak your mind, son, speak your mind.

barnes & isabella

As I stike the final, knowing keystroke that reveals a design in all its splendor, a little voice in my head whispers, "hello maxie." "hello lulu." And sometimes, when I'm completely flipped out of my mind with excitement, it's more like the "Hello Dolly" song from the musical..."hello, isabella, well, hellooo isabella...it's so nice to have you back where you beloooong...you're looking sweeell isabella......." [full lyrics]

Today, I am singing showtunes.

fabric sighting | mei tai (not to be confused with mai tai)

This sweet mei tai* (pron. may tie) baby carrier - made with Daisy Janie fabrics - has been a hot ticket this Fall. I had a whole bunch of fabric purchases and "can you ship this to my seamstress?" inquiries in a certain period of time. I figured there had to be some nice press out there somewhere b/c it was too much of a coincidence that so many ladies were asking about it. Just about the same fabric each time, too. Finally, one of my customers kindly directed me to thebabywearer.com, where a few pics had been posted of completed mei tai carriers - aren't they adorable!! I wish I had had something like this when Peanut Man was really still a peanut! I love this idea! I'm so out of the baby loop that this application would have never occurred to me - glad someone had the idea!

[edited to clarify: I don't make or sell these baby carriers. Other talented women do that part, but I can provide the fun fabric (as pictured here) for you or your seamstress. thebabywearer.com is any easy way to connect with someone who can make one for you.]

pants fixer or mad scientist?

These are my favorite pants - about 3 years old from Old Navy. Best canvas-y canvas, cargo-y cargo pants ever! I recently let out the bottom hems to give myself some extra length (I think my figure changed since I first bought them - grumble, grumble). The hem was in sad shape, and all my clever safety pinning wasn't enough to keep my heel from getting (unsafely) caught in the gap when I was racing up the steps 2 atta time! So I fixed 'em up with what Jack has dubbed "Frankenstein stitches" b/c they resemble the stitches on the skin of Dr. Frankenstein's monster (as if I needed to explain that part). I've been "frankensteining" Jack's pants for years, and I'm pretty sure he plays and falls extra hard on his knees just so they'll get the monster treatment sooner!

The embroidery down the right leg makes me happy! I can't get rid of them b/c I wore them to see Coldplay 2 years ago on Matt's b-day - great seats and an unforgettable concert!

Now, I'm all fixed up and one less pair of pants is in a landfill today!

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My sister sent me this hilarious ad for JC Penney - Beware of the Doghouse - Enjoy!!

how to make a fabric swatch book

A new brick & mortar interior design boutique will be offering Daisy Janie fabrics for sale to their home decor clients, and they requested a swatch book to show the collection. This is my simple, budget-friendly solution that conveys professional and handmade at the same time.

1. Design your header. Print your swatch header on a heavy cardstock - I used 110 lb.

2. Trim a neat 1/4" from each side as well as the bottom edge.
3. Laminate the entire sheet - I had this done by the nice young woman at Office Max (they're very helpful and happy to have your business these days!).

4. Mark grommet placement. Consider the width of your binding - how many and what types of fabrics will be in your book? I determined 5/8" would be sufficient. I backed up from that measurement and added my grommet allowance (how wide are the rims of your grommets?). Sounds odd - but I kind of eyeballed the placement for one, and simply marked the others accordingly. The marks ended up being 2" from each edge and 1" apart from each other.

5. Install grommets with a press (big or little) - whatever you have. Follow the directions for the type of press you're using. The big one is from Micron Fasteners. I got a great package deal!
6. Gently but firmly crease and fold your binding between the two pairs of grommets. It's not a race - just slowly crease & press so you get it right.

7. Prepare your fabric swatches. I cut 7" squares. I used a twin needle and heavy duty thread to finish the edges (I love a fringed edge). If you have a serger, knock yourself out!
8. Place fabrics inside swatch book to mark placement of grommets on fabric. I put my fabrics in 4 groups of 3 and installed the grommets for each group (to minimize thickness).
9. Print simple stickers with the name of each fabric. Adhere upside down so that when the fabric is flipped over, the name is readable without turning the swatch book around every time.

TIP: Stagger your fabric swatches by cutting some shorter than others. You'll be able to see a little edge of each one, like a wallpaper book.

Finally, place all your fabrics in a stack. Tuck inside the book and insert a book ring through all the grommets in each side. If a client wants to borrow a swatch for color matching, it's a cinch to remove and put back later.

Side view. I pressed my book under a heavy weight to get the top flap to stay down.

Voila! Neat, professional and durable! Now, go sell some fabric!

sneak peek

My, what a big calendar you have!
All the better to keep track of life with!

Oh it's big alright! Yeeha!!
Maybe b/c I started designing it long before I got bifocals and couldn't see what the heck I was doing - or maybe b/c life's cup runneth over and we need room to write it all down - or maybe b/c not everyone lives in the land of palm pilots (is that what they're called) or blackberries or iphones yet. I def. need to see my days spread out before me in neat & tidy boxes like an oversized flow chart.

Each page is 11" x 17" - each day's box is nice & plump - and each month includes a big note-jotting section on the page above for things to schedule, call, do, remember and buy. It's all printed in black & white, so if you or your kids want to color each design, you'll have an absolute blast! I know I would! More details coming soon...

Thank you to my dearest friend Jeanie for the lettering job! Love it!!!

My New Year's Resolution (starting now) is to get things done in a more timely fashion. As many of you can relate, I am filled with grand ideas and even grander lists of ideas - but the time I devote to scheduling & executing them is paltry. Not in sloppy, hasty way ... just in a should - have - been - done - a - month - ago kind of way. Do you get the feeling that life is a big came of catch-up? Is it b/c we try to get too much done in a day, so that things always feel like they're looming? Or is that we add to the list every day so we're always running to standstill?

(mama) cass

This is a design I could color and re-color all the live-long day - what about this? or this? or this? or this? or this? (Can you hear my voice going up or down in various pitches as I say "this?") Yes, I could go on ad nauseum. Except I would never really get sick of it - you'd just get sick of my writing about all the different colorways! It's a design that could easily cross-over categories, so honing in on 'thee' one magical colorway is tough - it could be home dec, tweens, quilting, funky baby, lingerie, paper goods (and I'd go on with category-naming ad nauseum too!) Here are a few ideas (the scale is much larger):

And this is part of the sketch from whence the design came (it will be forever paired with Robinson Crusoe b/c that's what I was watching at the time).

enter to win a Daisy Janie handbag (and a whole lot more)

The December edition of the Scoutie Girl Indie Goodness Giveaway is going on this week! There are 15 fabulous handmade items - worth $390 - in this month's contest. I've thrown in one of my own handbags to round-out the group (read: due to a cancellation).

Each comment is worth 5 cents - and the total value of the comments will be donated to the winner's charity of choice. So if there are 700 comments, I will donate $35. Make sense? Enter now. Thanks!!