Greens Continued

This particular customer also requested packets on the interior of the tote. I cut the pockets from the same military jacket and zigzagged them onto the burlap.

The flower for this tote consisted of singed camouflage from the same jacket, singed satins & plastic, and three vintage buttons that I sewed together.  I created the bag to look 'old' so the straps are frayed and will continue to fray to add to that vintage look.  The customer received her tote and I was given the thumbs up. 

Greens

Green has been my favorite color the last couple of years especially when it comes to textiles. So you can imagine how I jumped on the order that requested rich greens. For the last few years, I've made tote bags using Army jackets that I've found at thrift stores. I had some of this left so I dug it out and worked with it again to create our newest tote. Instead of the traditional cotton strapping and webbing that we use on the other bags, I decided to try out this technique. I sewed together pieces from the cuffs and along the opening of the jackets to utitilize the buttons and the button holes.

 

A Full February

My intentions in starting this blog were to post at least once a week.  Well, it's already gotten away from me.  I'm happy to report that I've moved back to the cellar and have resumed my evenings there sewing away.  My dining room table and bar are now filled with the familiar family things and not fabrics, threads and sewing machines. 

We finished and delivered the bag that we've created for The Hounds of the Heartland fundraiser.  I have been informed that two of the greyhounds really liked the bag.  I really love the bag and am hopeful that it will belong to someone special.

We also completed two other bags that will soon be listed for sale through Etsy and through Facebook.  The first bag shown below is the first tote that I've done where I used a very straight, geometric stitch on the fused plastic instead of the normal free-form, organic stitching.  It is also the first tote where we've added pockets from an old pair of men's pants to both sides of the bag for an added aesthetic feature but it's also very handy.   It is also the first time we did not run the strapping all the way down each side of the bag.  I really like how the design of the bag really shines through without the stapping running down the middle of it. 

This bag was one that I've been wanting to make utilizing some of our craziest, most vintage fabrics.  The strapping is also vintage that I picked up an estate sale and I have been itching to make a bag with it.  I love the orange and browns and I just know this bag will find the right owner.  Hopefully I can keep my paws off of it.  Sometimes it is very, very difficult not to keep the bags for yourself.  Sometimes it's even harder not to just use the bag once before it goes to it's new owner.  We definitely make each bag as if we would carry it and love it. 

I mentioned in our last post that we are creating identitical totes but smaller for either young girls or for someone who wants a smaller bag.  We are going to use only recycled and vintage fabrics on these small bags and not use the fused plastic.  The reason for this is that we would have to charge the same amount because it is just the same amount of time and resources as we use on the larger totes.  We have a lead where we could potentially sell and advertise these smaller totes at a dance studio where the girls would be interested in using them for their dance clothes and shoes.  It's hard to tell in these particular pictures but these bags are about 25% smaller than our standard totes.

Sewing on a Super Bowl Sunday

Sew, it seems as if the month of January was not a great month to get a lot of work done for Green Envy Girls.  My business partner's husband was very sick and my husband had to leave town.  So I had to move my sewing maching and lots of supplies back home to sew on my dining room table.  Once I thought I was going to be able to move everything back, the flu hit our house.  My daughter was sick for 10 days.  I've been sewing whenever I get a chance.  That is one advantage to having a business at home.  I could sew when Kade napped or sew while I had a few minutes between laundry and dishes.  But I will be glad to get this all back to the shop.  My kitchen and dining room look like an explosion of fabric and thread.  I know it drives my husband crazy.  Hopefully I can move everything back this week. 

My poor husband must really love me because he had to give up a Super Bowl party to stay home 'cause I wasn't feeling well.  But he really must love me since he didn't say a word as I did a little sewing during the game.  I tried to sew quietly. 

Maggie and I have talked and have decided that we will be working on some new designs for our zipper pouches and a new design for the traditional tote that will have a zipper.  I'm looking forward to posting pictures of the newest totes, including a small version for young girls.