Congratulations Time for Tea and Cake! She is the winner of the Laraine Bag! I used ramdom.org and her comment, number 61 was drawn!

Here's what she commented:
This is so chic! I'd love to win this kit - just in time for a RED Christmas present for me!

I agree, this purse is SO chic. I've really enjoyed using mine. Thanks everyone for commenting and be sure and check out Marie Madeline, the purse kit sponsor, next time you need some fun fabric or a purse pattern!

Jessica

Laraine Shoulder Bag Kit Giveaway

4:22 pm, December 14th, Comments are now closed. A winner has been drawn!

Good morning friends! Today I'm excited to show off my new Laraine Shoulder Bag designed by the lovely ladies at Marie Madeline Studios, and offer you a chance to win a kit to make this fun bag!

Marie Madeline sent me one of their Laraine Kits to sew up. With the exception of interfacings, the kit included everything I needed to make this bag: black upholstery outer fabric, coordinating lining fabric, buttons, a snap set, and the pattern.

I was really pleased with how well this bag sewed up. The pattern was very well done, the directions and pictures were easy to understand and all the pieces matched up with no issues. (Don't you hate it when you go to all the work to buy fabric and cut a project out and then you spend half of your sewing time re-working the pattern just to get it to go together properly??)

The only thing that wasn't clear to me in the pattern was that the gussets at the end of the bag need to be sewn NOT at 3 1/2 inches down from the bottom corners, but placed so that the length of the gusset seam is 3 1/2 inches long. I didn't realize this until I was finished and trying to figure out why the finished dimensions of my bag were different then the pattern states. The only difference is that the base of my bag is a several inches shorter and wider then intended. Oh, well, I love it anyway. =)



Marie Madeline is offering a kit to one of our readers. I will draw a winner next week on Monday the 14th, and the winner will have a choice of this kit in either black or cranberry red.

Simply leave a comment to enter!

For an additional entry you can become a facebook fan of my etsy shop HERE or of Marie Madeline, HERE. Leave an extra comment letting me know you are a facebook fan.

For a 3'rd entry you can promote (blog, facebook, or twitter) this giveaway. Leave a 3'rd comment once you've done that!

Good luck and we'll post the winner on Monday!

Blessings, Jessica

Giveaway Sneak Peek!

Be sure and stop back by here on Monday because I'm going to be reviewing a pattern and hosting a giveaway sponsored by Marie Madeline Fabrics. Here's a sneak peek!!



See you on Monday!
Jessica

Handel and my red jacket

I think my all-time favorite Christmas music is Handel's Messiah. It is probably also the most listened to album on my iPod, and not just at Christmas but all year round. The music thrills me, and I never tire of it.

This evening my family and I drove an hour to a performance of The Messiah. Initially, I was disappointed when I realized that the accompaniment was not played by an orchestra, but by an organ. No need for disappointment however, because the choir, the soloists, and the organ were all magnificent! The message of the Gospel is so beautifully portrayed through this music, and I don't think I could ever get enough of it. Tonight was absolutely wonderful.

Ruth


Here I am wearing the jacket that I posted about a few days ago. I am still undecided, but I think I like it; it does feel somewhat big on me. At the least, I do have a number of skirts that coordinate well with the jacket. :)

Simplicity 2701

The welt pocket for another jacket I'm making came out okay. Not perfect, but okay. I think this is only the second welt pocket that I have ever sewn, so really, I'm fine with the slight crookedness of the welt. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, and leaving this pocket alone without redoing it is hard for me to handle. : )

The pattern is Simplicity 2701, and I had intended to make the view on the right that has a v-neck collar. However, I mistakenly cut out the high round collar, and now I don't have enough fabric to cut out the collar I really want. I'm so bummed about this. I'm going to check at Joann's to see if the fabric is still in stock before I go ahead and finish the jacket with the wrong collar. I'll keep you posted.

Ruth