This one's a keeper ......

And let me tell you, it was much easier sewing this then trying to a) use a digital camera to take a picture and 2) get it posted on the blog (the way I wanted it to look). Which is why the pictures are at the top, with the back first. So annoying!!!!!

So third purse and I finally get one I like. Denim and Red is my color scheme. I wanted a purse I could take camping, which is why denim made the most sense. Now with denim, it frays rather nicely so then I could leave the seam allowances on the outside of the purse, eliminating the bulk of turning the seams to the inside. Now if my seams are going to show and fray, I wanted a color and fabric that would really look good frayed with the denim. So I chose the solid red fabric that is used for the small pocket and straps and lining. The only print is the top portion of the front and it came from a small scrap. What's amazing is I didn't purposely try to make it centered, when I folded it and sewed it into place, the horizontal print just naturally centered itself that way. (Now that's what I call a quality woven print and a bit a luck)

It's funny how the whole design came together when I sat down to sew. Last Wednesday night, I pulled out the fabric I had chosen. I had several zippers I was trying to match up with and had originally planned on a red zipper with red stitching, but the white zipper just looked better. So to pull the white in, I decided to use white thread for all the stitching.

The pocket is another lazy technique, it's hard to see in the pictures, but I left the edges to fray as well. Lazy, because I just cut a rectangle piece of fabric, folded it in half, top stitched the fold and centered it on the front of the purse. After it was pinned on, using chalk, I marked the "v" line at the bottom and then sewed it on. After it was sewn, I cut off the corners and it too has a cool frayed edge.

Now the back of the purse has a pocket, which I call the "Book pocket" cause it's the perfect size for a paperback. Because of how good the front pocket turned out, I decided to do the same "swish" and leave it.

Sorry for all the sewing details, but I just love how this turned out. As each step was finished, I could feel myself getting more excited with the project. And when it was done, I hung it from a hook in my room so I could just look at it. Vain? I don't think so, it's more the fun of creating something that just speaks to me. That's why I love sewing so much. It's the same pattern as the other two purses, but fabric, color and my own tweaks makes this purse stand out as the one for me. Now I feel like I can move onto a different pattern, .... except Mom liked this one so much that she's already picked out fabric for me to make her one. Well .... maybe just one more.... she is my mom after all ;)

Oh, my goodness, either the spell check isn't working or I just wrote my very first perfectly spelled post. Now that's something to celebrate..... oh wait.... perfectly spelled just the wrong words. Oh well, lucky for me, perfect is not what I was going for.

Book Review

"The Ordinary Princess" - M.M. Kaye

"All across the kingdom, excitement is running high: a seventh princess, always the luckiest and most beautiful of all, has just been born to good King Huldebrand and Her Magesty Queen Rodehesia. When the christening day arrives, Her Serene and Royal Highness Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne is showered with the most extravagant, marvelous presents imaginable - until her last, most powerful fairy godmother proclaims, "You shall be Ordinary!"

I love this story of the "Ordinary Princess" and her adventures. And this is just a few reasons why:
1) Out of seven names, her first is Amethyst, which happens to also be my birthstone
2) If that wasn't anymore identifying, because she is "Ordinary", no one called her by her "Grand Name" she was called ..... Amy!!!!!!
3) The illustrations are wonderful, pencil drawings with lots of detail. One of my favorite would be when "Old Crustacea" the fairy whose gift made her Ordinary, shows up to the christening. She's the "fairy-in-charge-of-water" and because of traffic she's late, dried out and rather cranky because of it. Her body language and facial expression is so reminiscent of how I've felt after being stuck in traffic, in my un-air conditioned car in the middle of July's 100 degree weather.
4) There is a small hut in the forest......
5) And lastly the following excerpts just spoke to me, Can you guess why?:

At the wedding of the last sister to get married before it's her turn she looks at the "prince" her sister is marrying and thinks "He may be very good looking, but I'm sure that he has never giggled one good giggle in his life!" Later that day she's lamenting what is sure to be her lot in life to marry "a very handsome husband with no sense of humor!"

Part of a later conversation: "I was only thinking what silly names some people have, Why, I should like to know, can't more people have nice, sensible names like Amy"
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Now you don't have to take my word for it (why am I all of a sudden having Reading Rainbow flashbacks) but if you need a cute, whimsical un-ordinary fairy tale about an Ordinary Princess, this would be my recommendation.

Books

Two Saturdays ago, I dusted off the bookcase and pulled all my favorite books from their boxes.

Interviewer: How does it look?

Interviewee: Really comforting

ER: How long did it take:

EE: A few hours

ER: Why? Do you own that many books?

EE: I don't think so, but I might. It was because I kept getting distracting with this book and then that one, and remember this scene, and where is that favorite quote of mine..... You can't rush old and dear friends getting reacquainted after being apart for so long.

Shall I introduce you to a few:

• Grace Livingston Hill - I own 24 of her books, which surprised me. I knew I had a few but not that many. I started reading her as a teenager and all these years later, her books have kept their charm no matter how many times I've read them.
  

• The Mystery of the Derelict by John G. Rowe - Nautical adventure - a deserted ship in the middle of the ocean, a mysterious code on a stone, shipwrecked sailors, deserted island, pirates, treasure - I could be wrong, but I can't help wondering if this book wasn't what started the whole love for adventures on the high seas. I own two copies of it cause the original was starting to fall apart, and I just couldn't bare losing any part of the story.



• Jules Verne -more adventures, found bookmarks still inside the pages of a few of the books. Now there are number that I like, but Around the World in Eighty Days and Michael Strogoff have the most points for repeat reading. I can remember as a teenager, my favorite author was Jane Austen, with Jules Verne as a close second, taking first as I got older.


• Jane Austen - Honorary mention, because as a teenager I read all her books, now own all of them in either hard or paperback versions, own a number of the movies, generally opinionated regarding her and others interpretation of her writing, and even came across a picture of her I use to have hanging on the wall of my bedroom as a teenager. That being said, it's been awhile since I last read any of her books.
  


• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett : I read this every year around March and April. It's my way of greeting Spring. As I read how Sarah Lennox discovers the garden and how it starts to come alive, I run outside to see if I can see spring coming and I always feel the magic.
  

Now if you're excuse me, all this talk of books and authors has made me hungry for the taste of a good book. Which one shall I choose?

Happy Reading