Whats New with Amy Butler and a contest to boot

Check out Amy’s new line of Sweet Life Bags. This is her second set of bags. The new line of bags are constructed with August Fields fabric. Click on the photo to the left to get a slide show of the new products she is offering. When Amy designed these bags, she thought of the crafter; the knitter, the quilter and sewer. She implemented extra pockets, channels, stronger and longer straps for carrying comfort. The collection consists of

Dew Drop Sling, oval shaped with a long needle and cellphone pocket on the outside, two larger zippered pockets on the inside to hold yarn and other essentials. It has a wide shoulder strap for a more comfortable feel.

Diana Sling which is a modern, playful bag. It has roomy spaces, as she has created a zippered center pocket. There are several tool channels and a cellphone zippered pocket. The bottom has an expanded panel with a soft comfortable shoulder strap.

The Pearl bag is is very stylish and practical. One side of the bag has three pleated pockets. There is a zippered inner pocket allowing for more than one project, thus organization. I can see using this bag as everyday use, not just for those crafty days.

Check out her other Sweet Life bags, the Hampton and Sanibel.

I can’t wait for Amy’s new field bag and tote. I “love” her bags and have almost everyone that she has designed, including her free project ones.

I like her mini dress tunic & top pattern. It sure will be a hit with the younger set and will be prefect for the upcoming season.

 

Amy is coming out with her first CD software program. It runs on Windows XP, Vista and MAC systems running Windows program (woo hoo). There are 22 projects with 9 bonus projects. You can make the projects as designed OR you can customize her projects with a program using the software tools. Just think of the possibilities of her bags you can design to your liking. She has included in the CD clear step-by-step instructions for each skill leveled sewer. And if help is needed, you can contact the Electric Quilt support team. Now all I have to do is make sure my MAC is running the windows program! Click the photo to the left to view a slide show of projects.

Now to move on to the contest. I have more to share, but I will post more tomorrow on “What’s New with Amy”.

The Mid Mod Contest runs from June 1st through September 15th. To see rules click on the photo to the left. This contest marks the one year anniversary of Amy’s Rowan Midwest Modern fabric line.

All you need to do is make a project using Amy’s Midwest Modern fabric. The project can be one of Amy’s patterns, one of your favorites or an original item you have created.

There will be 10 winners announced and Amy is putting together a Flickr account for all entries from her website. The winning entries will receive fat quarters from Amy’s line, Midwest Modern, a signed copy of Amy’s software and a great selection of her newest sewing patterns.

So time to get stitching. I’ll have to figure out what fabric and item I wish to enter into the contest.

Happy Stitching!

Free Purse Patterns

Yesterday I bought a magazine from my neighborhood JoAnn’s Fabric store. I was good and walked out without purchasing any fabric, yet I had a few bolts in hand. If you don’t find it at your local fabric store, Hobby Lobby, check out your neighborhood grocery store.

My purchase was the current issue of Better Homes and Gardens Creative Collection magazine. Across the front of the magazine it says in big bold letters “Bags, Pillows and Pincushions”. It has lots of quick and easy projects. They have Amy Butlers favorite clutch in this issue, the pattern is not in the magazine, but if you are a member to Better Homes and Gardens newsletter, you can download the pdf file of the pattern. I really do like this pattern and you will too especially because its Amy Butler.

As I blogged yesterday, I ran into this cute little purse that was designed by Rae. You can go to Rae’s blog, Made by Rae and download the pdf files for her Buttercup purse. I was surprised when I saw that it only takes a fat quarter to make the exterior of this purse. It appears to be a very simple and easy purse to make. 

If you haven’t noticed, I really like purses and tonight I was looking at fabric purse books at Barnes and Noble. I might be requesting several books and then reviewing them when they have been received at the store. Later I will show you which ones I purchased. When I was a moderator on a yahoo group we did a purse, bag, tote swap. The beautiful purses that where made by the women on that board was unbelievable. Even though I did not participate, but put it all together, one of the participants made me a special bag with my initials machine embroidered on it. I use that bag when ever I go away, whether it be a week-end trip or a vacation. 

Please be advised that both these patterns are copyrighted and can only be sewn for your purse-nal use or for gifts. You cannot make the items and sell for a profit. 

In the future I will be posting more free purse patterns that I run across. If you have found a nice pattern and would like to share, feel free to comment on this post with the url if you know it.

Welcome October

Its the first day of October and it was a beautiful day. I did some cleaning of the flower beds to get ready for winter. I still have some flowers in bloom so they will wait until later before they are cut down.

Today I received my surprise in the mail, one item was a surprise, the other I knew about. I wrote a letter to one of Amy Butler’s associates regarding Amy’s patterns. She had loved my letter and said that I should pick out a pattern of Amy’s and she would send it to me. I didn’t know which one I wanted because I loved the Sophia and the Betty Shopper and mentioned both of them in my reply back. I finally indicated that I would like the Betty Shopper. While I was opening the envelope, I was like this is too fat for one pattern, it was both of them. I was very surprised. I have almost every one of Amy’s purse patterns now.

Free Design

Being the first of the month, if you are not familiar with EmbLibrary, they have their new monthly free designs up. There are 2 free designs in two different sizes. Sometimes they might have more, but usually only two.

Free Design

If you make a purchase take a look at the 17 cent design and if you are interested in the 17 cent design you can purchase that too. Sometimes there are more than one design for 17 cents, as well as two to four different sizes (but you have to purchase all at 17 cents).

All these designs are available until the end of the month. You must be a member in order to get the free designs.

17 cent Design

 

Almost twice a month they have additional sales that you can be included in. One is called Happy Hour. On a given Friday they send out an email indicating that there is a special week-end sale. Sometimes the sale is where you get a pack of designs at full price and then get the second one either 1/2 off or free. They even have specials where if you buy so much you get 5/10 or 15 dollars off your total sale. I do like their stuff, but I am very dissatisfied with their in the hoop projects. I’ve had to alter the items in order for them to satin stitch the top and bottom things together. I’ve noticed that when the design stitches first, it puckers and then the items are sloppy looking. My friend bought a quilting pack to do a quilt and she is very dissatisfied that when she embroidered the designs on quilters cotton they puckered no matter what type of stabilizer she used. When we both wrote, we were not happy with the response, thus my purchases aren’t as much anymore.

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness. As a Breast Cancer Survivor, I am having a BC Awareness sale on my ETSY site. All items on clicketyclak that have pink in it, the original price has been reduced 20%. As of yesterday I had my final surgery done. I took it upon myself to not allow the cancer to come back on my other breast, so I decided to have it removed. I was to have this done back in 06, but other health issues came into play that had to be cared for. I feel great and lucky now that I have finally gotten this out of the way and cared for. I can feel safe and secure that I am 100% free!

I’ve been making some jewelry lately. Two are listed on ETSY and the rest I will have to wait awhile to post. I have additional items that I am in the process of working on. I made a beret, I took one of my daughter’s hats and made a pattern. Quickly sewed it up, unfortunately the size is wrong, so I have to make it bigger, I was 7 inches too small. I am also awaiting for a shipment of lighted compact mirrors to put some already embroidered designs in the top. Need to look to see if I have some fleece hats to sew up from last year for little kids. Then of course my purses…

Unfortunately I am still recouping from surgery, I took a long nap when my hubby came home. It felt good to sleep, but I had to go to the doctors (yes surgery was outpatient) so he could remove the bandages and see how I was doing. I told him I am doing good, next week stitches. I am limited on the use of my right arm and I am right handed. I cannot do any embroidery (that is why I did it before surgery) because I would have to stretch to change the threads on the PR600. So that is why I’ve picked up the jewelry.

Well American’s Got Talent is almost over. They have Neil the opera singer, who’s a insurance salesman, he has a wonderful voice. Then we have the piano man, Ely, from Wisconsin. I want both of them to win they are both great!!!! So now I sit here and wait…. Hurry up let’s hear who wins…. I want it to be a tie!!! They will have a show in Vegas – – – plus money – – – Neil the opera singer won! Ely is soooo cute, he will get a contract and from how many contests he did good!!!! Neil is crying… but he is doing good! Now he has to do another song, as he cries….

Well as soon as I turn this off, I will pop in a movie and check out the Sewing/Quilting expo site. I want to see who’s gonna be there and what’s up. I didn’t sign up for any sewing classes because I didn’t know if I would be able to attend. Still don’t know if I will or not. Last year I went and well lets say, I hate spending money <giggle>. 

Have a wonderful night, til tomorrow……….. Dang Lipstick Jungle is on and I got hooked last week. That movie will have to wait!

Amy Butler Website

Amy Butler is in the process of putting together a website for followers that have made her items from her patterns.

I currently don’t have the address, but I sent some pics out and apparently where ever they are located they are going through severe weather and their communications are down.

If you are  a Amy follower, you can go to her site that I have listed in my sidebar and sign up for her newsletter.

The email that I received from Amy and Diane today had a site for updates on patterns and what type of stabilizer that you can use instead of Timtex in her purses.

Has anybody seen her new book. She has some real cute items in there.

Fabric.com I believe has been sold to Amazon.com. I read a blur in SewNews magazine.

Martha Stewart is getting on the band wagon with Singer, Viking H and Pfaff. 

Oh and if you didn’t see my comment regarding the Brother 12 head machine – costs can run from 12k to 14k. Interesting with the economy as it is now, do you think this was the time to come out with this machine? Wonder if there would be a possibility of a price reduction if they don’t sell. I wonder “if” like with the PR600 if you had a demonstration done, you could sign up for a free drawing, winning a PR600.

A new Amy Butler Frenchy Bag

Hello All –

Well yesterday I put together a zebra shoulder bag and then I got my store up at ETSY for all my bags I’ve been doing. Been a tad tired but still clickety claking at the sewing machine. No embroidery this week-end. We wouldn’t want to wake up the daughter and loose all her beauty sleep from my noisey machine.

Today I did another Amy Butler Frenchy Bag. I made modifications to it because I just don’t like certain flat purses and this shoulder bag shouldn’t be flat. It reminds me of a bag to put the new flat Apple puter in.

What I did with the purse is add darts to the bottom to give it symmetry. It gives the purse more fullness and balance than just flat. There are purses that are flat, but this one doesn’t look good flat.

I took the top panel and resized it, smaller in height. Even though this purse has straps, with the large top panel, the straps are not long enough and the top panel would lay in the armpit. Hey I gotta view my opinion, right! Still I should have lengthened the straps because it still needs room. I will eventually make another frenchy bag and either I will put the straps into the top panel, make them longer and if I do the later, I will sew down the straps onto the top panel.

So whats on tomorrows agenda when the boys (son and hubby) are putting the last screen door on and daughter is at work. Well let me show you the fabric. My daughter made fun of the above purse, so I asked her how this was. She said it was better color choice. Excuse me. This will be another Amy purse, that is if I have enough material. I was suppose to make the birdie sling today, but fabric not enough.

If I don’t have enough material, then I will use this for a pleated purse that I want to make. Oh well, we’ll see how it goes.

Later All

Birdie heaven

My sister Susan pointed me to this site http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/2008/05/16/bird-mobile/. She loved the sewn birdies. I said I’d make her some, she wants to place them in her art studio.

Didn’t expect on a week-day that I would be up in the sewing room, especially after a busy day at work, coming home cleaning the basement/bathroom, 3 loads of wash; waited for the phone guy so he could check to see where the short was on our line. No incoming calls were coming through (good-bye tele-marketers). Apparently we were hit by lightening in the storm last week and the phone was trashed. 

After a quick dinner, no it was carry out, (I guess if I clean the house after work my husband feels guilty and I get out of having to cook) I ran up to the sewing room to start some of these little creatures of nature. You can get the template and instructions at the above URL – the item is copywrited and can only be used for your personal use.

So here are three of my birdies and more to come. I know when I finish some more of these and send them to my sis, she will be thrilled.

These were very simple to sew, the tail was the bugger. If you decide to make these, a tip regarding the beak. Before you turn the fabric, cut across in front of the beak. Once it is turned and pushed out it will flatten and look right. But be careful what tool you use to push out the tip so you don’t ruin the stitching. Don’t overstuff and work with the stuffing so that they sit properly.

Tomorrow, hopefully I will receive my package of Amy Butler purses; Frenchy and Birdie Sling Bags. Found a place were they were 10.99 and shipping was only a buck, total cost was under $23. Can’t wait to get started on those – don’t worry I have to finish my funky chicken tote. Just picked up the material yesterday for the lining and bought an apron pattern. My g-friend wants me to make her a “LUCY” apron for Christmas. Her daughter says she doesn’t cook, why does she need an apron. Guess its a “GIRL” thing.

Well its late and I should crawl into bed, but I am wide awake. Tomorrow I will post Allie’s jean purse she made.