Plan B

If I learned anything from my interior design career, it was "better have a back-up plan".  This is especially true when it comes to anything construction related.

The master bedroom is a small rectangle.  I need to use every trick in the book to make this room appear larger than it is.  My initial plan was to remove the wall above the closet doors all the way to the ceiling. 

This was the key to opening up the space visually.  The new built-in wardrobes would sit at the back of this opening, and give me back another foot of space that I don't have in the current set-up.  

But that wall above the closet is load-bearing.  That means that there is a big solid beam in that wall that basically holds up our roof.  So, it's a no go.   

We did make some progress though and now the closet looks like this:

The mirrored doors are not coming back.  I do not want any doors that close off this space.  So now I have to figure out how to work with that piece of wall that I was not expecting to be there.

Any suggestions?

Two whole weeks already

I can't believe I haven't posted in two weeks- it's not because I haven't had anything to blog about, I just haven't had the time.  It seems as if my to do list continues to get longer and the days get shorter. 

My shop has been keeping me busy.  Lots of brides this time of year looking for bridesmaids gifts.  I've had three custom orders this past month- the zippered pouches are a hit.  Keep 'em coming ladies!

I also had a custom request for a diaper bag for a friend of a friend.  I don't really make diaper bags, but she liked this style enough to make it work.  I added extra pockets inside and an adjustable strap so she can wear it over her shoulder or across her chest. 

And finally, there's this:

The awful front bedroom that we start work on tomorrow morning, 7:30am.  You don't know how excited I am to be gutting that stupid closet.  Bye bye mirrored doors.  Bye bye sagging clothes rod.  Bye bye droopy useless shelf.  The new closet components have been ordered and should be delivered in the next week or so.  Now I just need to get my act in gear and figure out what to do with the rest of the room. 

Nesting Progress

1.  Organize linen closet- check!
2.  Purge filing cabinet of old papers- check!
3.  Move suitcases from the entry closet to the garage- check!
4.  Organize entry closet- check!  (trench coat donated!)
5.  Organize the garage- check!
6.  Go through all closets, drawers, etc. for items to go to Goodwill- check!
7.  Drop off said items at Goodwill- check!
8.  Do something with my wedding dress- check!

I didn't spend gobs of money to have my dress cleaned and put into a box after I got married.  I basically brought the dress home and it's hung in the closet ever since.  I want to keep it for the fun of it, but I also don't want it to keep taking up valuable square footage in my closet.  So I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and bought one of those SpaceBags.  I bought the hanging coat size for $9.99.  I took my dress out of the closet, spent some time looking at it, holding it up to me (over my pregnant stomach), let Avery look at it and touch it, and then after awhile I folded it in half, put it in the bag and sucked all the air out.  It compressed pretty flat and now it hangs quite nicely and doesn't take up so much room.  I like that the sealed bag will keep it from getting dirty, dusty or eaten by some annoying little gnat.  And if I want to open the bag one day to look at it again, I can put it back in the bag and use it again.  If you're super tight for space and don't have any room in your closet, you can also store this bag under your bed, or even the sofa if you had to.  It's nice to be able to keep something so large, but compacted so small.

Just an idea :)   

Too funny not to share

Found tonight while browsing Craigslist:

Doesn't everyone need their very own panty shelf?  ***snicker, snort***

What about this? Yikes!

Warning: Picture heavy post

Yesterday was Avery's 15 month check-up.  She's really 16 months, but that's what happens when you slack off and forget to make her appointment until the last minute.  We were surprised to find out that she's in the 92nd percentile for her height, and 56th percentile for her weight- tall and skinny.  Although she still has super cute chubby thighs and rubber band wrists :) 

Last month we went to a local farm with some friends.  We had a great time and Avery had fun with her friend!  For some reason, they both loved playing on this old wooden truck. 

She loved climbing this hay pyramid- she was so determined to make it to the top.  So Franz stayed by her side the whole time, but didn't help her- she wanted to do it all by herself.

They loved being pulled around in the wagon- Avery thought this was great fun!  Especially because Franz pulled it fast! (not sure why this picture looks distorted).

But she didn't really enjoy her first pony ride.  In fact, she never got the ride, this was taken as they were just putting her on the horse.  We're going to have to try that another time this summer when she's a bit older.

Snack time!

It was a fun afternoon, and both kiddos were pooped by the time we left.  Actually, I'm not sure who was more pooped, the kids or us parents!

Is it too early?

The whole nesting thing, when is it too early to start nesting?  I haven't been able to stop thinking about our overflowing and unorganized closets full of things we don't use/need.  It's driving me nuts. 

I don't remember the "nesting bug" being this strong with Avery.  I am assuming that might have been because there was just the two of us, and I had lots of free time to keep everything organized and clutter free.  Over the past year and a half, I've been watching our closets become more and more stuffed.  It's bothered me and I kept telling myself to do something about it, but learning how to take care of a baby has kind of been the priority.

So yesterday I decided it was time to stop making excuses.  I started in the entry closet.  It's full of random things like suitcases, two ironing boards, a floor steamer, a hanging steamer, the vacuum, overcoats, sport coats, trench coats (why do we need a trench coat when we live in California?), so I've got a lot of re-arranging to do.  That of course leads to the domino effect, which means that at some point this weekend, we are going to have to clean out the garage.  Franz wasn't too excited about that when I broke the news to him a couple of nights ago.

This is all in preparation for our "big move".  No, don't get excited, we're not moving.  This house is small and the bedrooms aren't that big even though we have three.  The master bedroom has a rather large closet space which isn't fully being utilized because of the way the house was built, and the rest of the room is kind of long and skinny.  It's also at the front of the house which means you get more street noise.  So awhile ago, Franz and I moved our bed across the hall into the 2nd bedroom.  We've been spoiled, we've had two rooms, one to just sleep in and one to use as a closet/sewing niche/office/laundry room.  All that's going to change in about 5 months when this baby comes. 

Do you see why I'm in early nesting mode?  I've got a lot to do!  I've met with the contractor, who happens to be our next door neighbor, and I'm waiting on his quote.  Somethings gotta give, and that master bedroom is just not going to work the way it is.  We're not talking full scale renovation here, but a few minor adjustments could mean a world of difference.  When we get started I'll be sure to document each step of the way so you don't feel left out. 

Now if you'll excuse me, the linen closet is calling my name. 

Amy Butler Weekender Bag- Part 3- Finished!

Phewwww, I'm glad to have this bag finished.  I have lots to say about this bag, but I know you probably really just want to see how it turned out.  So, here she is:

The smoky charcoal gray and celery are perfect together.  I'm so glad I ultimately went with the celery.  I added four open pockets on the inside and even included a little pen slip in the middle.

Here's a shot of me holding the bag on my lap so you can get an idea of the size of the bag- even reduced 15% it's still huge!

And here's the bag shown in the original size on the cover of the pattern:

Now, if you're interested in more of the technical stuff, read on.  If you want to make this bag, I would say you should have some prior sewing experience.  It would be really difficult not to mention frustrating for a beginner.  The two big skills for this bag are cording and installing a zipper.  The cording won't be so bad if you use the cheater technique- I can honestly say that I did not have to rip out one seam while making the exterior of the bag.  It came together pretty easily.  There were a couple of places (like the corners) where I went back a second time and sewed a little closer to the cord to get a more snug seam.

The zipper installation is weird.  You're supposed to sew the zipper in place from the right side of your fabric with the zipper on the wrong side of the fabric.  I couldn't for the life of me figure out how this would a) actually come out looking decent since I couldn't see the zipper while I was sewing, and b) how I would do this without breaking some part on my sewing machine.  So, I cheated again.  I sewed the zipper in place with a basting stitch close to the long edges- just to hold the zipper in place.  Then I went back and sewed a regular seam closer to the zipper around all four sides of the zipper- on the wrong side of the fabric.  Even though I did this backwards from her directions, it worked so much better in my opinion and I felt that I had more control over where I was sewing.  Lastly, I removed the basting stitches.     

The part I had the most trouble with believe it or not was the lining!  There was a lot of fabric to take up at the corners, and I knew I would never get a smooth corner.  So I made little pleats instead and it worked out quite nicely.  Once your lining is complete, you're supposed to put it inside the exterior shell and reach into the bag and handstitch the corners of the lining into place using the seam allowances.  This felt awkward to me, so I didn't do it.  I went back at the very end and stitched in the ditch at the corners to sew the lining to the exterior.

Can I just say I absolutely destest hand sewing.  Ugh.  I think this is why I don't quilt.  I will avoid hand sewing at all costs.  However, there just doesn't seem to be a way to get the lining into this bag without hand sewing.  If Amy couldn't figure it out, then I'm sure there's no way to do it.  So I sat and handstitched the lining into the bag while hubby watched his netflix pic Star Trek (I don't know which was worse, the hand sewing or the movie!).  After an hour of swearing under my breath and a few pokes, I finally finished.   

To re-cap, here are some tips that really made this easier for me:
*Use a basting stitch for laying in the zipper before stitching
*Use the small size binder clips for thick layers instead of pins
*Definitely use Stitch Witchery for making the cording

Here are the changes and modifications I made from the pattern:
*Reduced the overall size 15%
*Added interior pockets
*Kept the handles the same size as the original size.  This gave me long enough straps to carry over my shoulder comfortably.

Additional thoughts:
If you're planning on reducing the size of the pattern, not all of the pattern pieces are on the pattern layout page. For example, the directions will tell you to cut bottom pieces "x" inches by "x" inches rather than printing them on the pattern page. There are about a handful of pattern pieces that she does this for. So reducing the pattern page alone will not give you all the pieces you need to make the bag at the new reduced size. You will have to draw the other pattern pieces by hand (they are all rectangles, so it's not difficult) and then reduce them so that all the pattern pieces are reduced the same amount.

*There is no pattern layout for the fusible interfacing. You're left to figure it out yourself.

*This bag is heavy when it's finished.  All the interfacing really adds up and even at the reduced size, sadly it's not a bag I will want to carry every day.

*I wish I could have found a zipper long enough with two zipper pulls that meet in the middle at the top of the bag.  That way I wouldn't have to open it all the way just to retrieve a pen or my chapstick. 

If you're sewing this bag or want to and have any questions, please feel free to email or ask in the comments, I'd be glad to help you if I can. 

Things to do:
*Amy Butler Weekender Bag- check, done!