Sweet Harmony

Since summer is over half over, I decided it was time to put away my heavy black leather handbag for a few weeks.  And my sewing machine has been feeling neglected lately.  Enter Amy Butler.

I love Amy Butler.  I love her style.  I love the blend of Midwest sensibility and a riot of color.

Psychedelic, I'd like you to meet Psychotropic.

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First things first: I am a NOVICE seamstress.  I know my limitations.  Right?

Let's try this again. (Ahem.)  I KNOW MY SEWING LIMITATIONS.

Before I left the store, I read skimmed the directions.  Then decided I better not splurge for actual Amy Butler fabric.  And I opted to go down the street to Hobby Lobby for the lining fabric.  See, I TOLD you I know my limitations.

Actually, Amy's patterns aren't too bad.  If you read them carefully.  And I am BFF with my seam ripper.  The pattern comes in two sizes, the tote and the handbag.  I made the handbag.

Isn't she a beauty!  And she features plenty of pockets, like this cutie for a cell phone:

There is an option for one or two interior zipper pockets, but zippers don't play nice with me.  So I opted for the simpler interior pockets, which gives me a nice place to tuck away my lip gloss, iPod and a tape measure.  You know, the essential stuff.

Since I'm still a sewing rookie, I just have a trusty late model Singer sewing machine.  Nothing fancy.  And it did manage to stitch through the layers of interfacing, fleece and fabric.  The only time I began to sweat was the final assembly of the side panels.  See that tight little "U"?  By the time I contorted myself and the bag around the machine, I could only see the needle with one eye.

I modeled my new bag for Mr. Tallgrass.  He asked how many purses could be made in China in the amount of time it took me to make one.  Then he asked how much it cost.

Pbbst!