So since my fabric shop has closed, I've been slowwwwwwly but surely working on purse patterns. Yes, it's true...I have managed to perfect the slowest pattern making practices in the world.
If I'm being completely honest, one of the main reasons for this is that there has been a part of me that has held back because of finding it difficult to part with my designs. There is something a little scary about opening up that creative part of yourself to the world. I have a wonky way of making & creating things and for the longest time I didn't know if the way that I make things would translate to others...
But I had a very enlightening conversation recently with one of my closest friends Dawn, who is also a creative mind and she broke through to me. I had been moving along at a snails pace creating templates and writing out instructions for a couple of patterns when in addition to talking me through holding onto my designs for the reasons stated above, she also made me realize I was stuck full force in a "creative rut" (which I think every creative person has experienced at some point). Right around that time, my friends at Camelot Fabrics asked me to do a project and along came the Soft Shell Tablet Case Free Tutorial. It was definitely the kick start that I needed.
I had been working on a specific purse pattern for MONTHS that on paper, looked like the first one I should release. But, I just wasn't connected to it (for lack of a better phrase).
I wasn't "feeling" the design and I'm now understand that this lack of connection and forcing myself to work on it is what put me into the "rut". Then it seems all the creative stars lined up in my favor when Camelot Fabrics asked me to make one of my Meera Bags for their Booth at Quilt Market...I did...and here she is...
Maybe it was the fabric (which is so rich in color and I was loving it), maybe it was the creative stars lining up, maybe it was just dumb luck....but making this bag made me realize not only how much I adore this purse, but how versatile it can be, simple it was to make and and fun it was design-wise. It has brought me so much joy and that got me to thinking about how much of that I could spread to others.
And voila!.....creative SPARK reignited! So ever since Quilt Market, I've been on a roll.
Once my "Hypernoodle" was lit up, I couldn't stop... I knew this Meera Bag was going to be the pattern I would start with. I've made several different models of it over time and I envisioned a new version of it in more solid colors...with leather straps... so this is what I made after Quilt Market:
For some reason lately, I cannot have a purse that doesn't have a set of hand straps. I love my shoulder strap, but I've GOT to have my hand straps too. This purse turned out so wonderfully and I am so very pleased with the results! Here are some more views...
Sometimes the best purses don't have all the bells and whistles, they are clean, simple and understated and THAT is the thing that makes them stand out. Being able to focus on the details, stitching and the overall look can put your attention into making a great looking bag!
I adore how roomy this purse is inside! It's big enough to carry a couple of diapers in but small enough to still be a proper purse...btw, please pay no heed to our dying grass...(LOL)
And yes...I'm still loving my new camera! Doesn't it take the most fab pictures???
Well in the midst of finishing up this bag....my HYPERNOODLE had another purse design just randomly *POP* into my head.
Could. not. get. the.image... out of my brain ---for the life of me.
So I sat down and sketched it out...created measurements, a template and then made a quick prototype...I couldn't help myself...I just HAD to make a full out version...annnnnnd this is it:
Don't have a name for it yet, it's too new...lol.
I'm completely obsessed with any fabric right now that has a "heathered" look to it and though this fabric was absolutely perfect for this purse. I'm also obsessed with white thread top-stitching at the moment...can you tell? Gotta love my Aurifil thread for that! It makes the most BEEE-YOU-TI-FUL top-stitching ever!
I've been carrying this purse around for the last few days and have gotten so many compliments on it, I've actually had several people ask me where I "got it from"/"where did you buy that?" which made me feel so utterly flattered :)
More views...
Again, two different ways to carry--hand straps and shoulder straps...
this shoulder strap is adjustable too.
The inside lining is made with some fabulous "Ta Dots" fabric and has a zippered pocket and a 3 section slip pocket...
The back also has a zippered pocket and some subtle hardware. Does anybody recognize what the hand straps' hardware actually is?
I think it's safe to say that I am out of my creative rut....hooray to the creative minds!
So I've scrapped the patterns I was working on that put me into the rut and have refocused my attention and energies on ones that keep my Hypernoodle running strong.
LESSON LEARNED: Always be true to yourself...It reminds me of what the designers on Project Runway are always talking about when they say they've got to be "true to their aesthetic"...
That being said, I'm moving forward...I've got the Meera bag pattern coming your way after the Holidays... the pattern pieces are digitized, the instructions are all written and they just need some proofing. Along with the Meera bag, I've got some other new designs and previous Hypernoodle designs already in the digitizing phase~ Woo-Hoo!!
In the meanwhile-- to continue to perfect the instructions for the patterns, I'm making a handful of each of the above designs to put into my Etsy shop for the holidays. Nothing helps you break down all the oddities of pattern instructions more than making a bag over and over again...I can't keep them all for myself so I'll put them up in my Etsy shop when they're all done!
So would you like to see this "heathered" purse above as a pattern too? Let me know!
It really needs a name, doesn't it?
Happy Sewing!
♥Hypernoodle
