a bag and some cases...

Fall is here.  aaah how I love fall.  The brisk weather, the crispy leaves, the hot chocolate in the evening, the pumpkin scents and squash for dinner.  Time to wear scarves and sweaters and boots.  I like summer, but fall is still my favorite time of year.   

It makes me want to curl up in a little nook like this one

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with a cup of tea

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some of these on my feet

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and one of these by my feet

(I really wanted to take that goat home)

I've made it through my first month of work (which I absolutely love!) and am finally getting into the swing of being back at work part-time.  Between starting that and my sister being here last month, I haven't really had much time to work on any projects!  But now that Shea is back in his own room (hallelujah!) and sleeping much better, I'm finding some more time to work on things, so I have a few things to share!

One thing that has been on my to-do list for some time now is making a new diaper bag.  I really like our JJ Cole hand-me-down from my brother, but it ripped on along the zipper one day when I overstuffed it (although, I have seen lots of other moms with the same diaper bag and the same exact tear, so I don't feel too bad about it anymore), and has gotten worse from there.  I've even had people threaten to buy me a new diaper bag (although, I don't really think of that as too bad of a threat to receive...).  Anyway, I found this tutorial a while ago, and decided I loved the style and would go for it!  I used this great Amy Butler fabric that I found at the Goodwill Outlet for less than 2 bucks (I got two yards of it - who throws that away?)!  

This was a super easy bag to make - quick to put together and fun (I love making my own piping and brightly lined pockets make me happy).  The tutorial was pretty good, albeit at times kind of hard to understand, but it was a great starting point and I learned a few good tips about bag-making.  I'm a very visual learner, so I liked just looking at the pictures and figuring out how to do it.  I also modified a few things - I didn't add as many pockets, and changed the straps.  I also used just regular old flannel which I got for $1/yd instead of fusible fleece.

Here is how it turned out:

inside view - divider and pockets

its quite large...

front pocket - lining and piping

So, the only problem with this bag, is that I didn't think it was going to end up as big as it did...and it is WAY too big to be practical for me to take around.  SO...I don't really know what to do with it anymore!  I was considering putting it up on an etsy shop, but if anyone wants it, you can leave a comment and have it for free.  I learned a lot making it, but I just have no use for it!  Guess I'll be making a scaled down version later on, and use my old beat up diaper bag in the mean time...so much for that!

I also have a new obsession:

vintage pillowcases.

I can't wait to start incorporating these into sweet little quilts, bags, and who knows what else!  Aren't they just charming?  

I'm hoping to be sharing more projects slightly more often than I have been (fingers crossed), now that I have more of my afternoons sorted out and my sewing area set back up properly.

happy fall!