"the old has gone, the new has come"

For those of you who have been around know that I thoroughly enjoy things that are old, especially if they can be made new. If you haven't been around long you can read more about this here. One thing that has always tickled my fancy is vintage fabric. Unfortunately it is fairly hard to come by if you want pieces that are decent in size, in good shape & unstained. You can find loads of it online but because I can't feel it, smell it, or see ALL of it, I tend to be hesitant to purchase.

While we were away on our adventure Erika and I hit up the "Vintage Collection" which she has featured {w/pictures} here. I was smitten with all the tea towels and tablecloths and managed to come across the little gem pictured above {for less than $3}. Isn't she so pretty? I could buy a kitchen hand towel at Target or Kmart for the same price {or less} but it certainly wouldn't be this pretty or have any "history". She hangs on my dishwasher handle and brightens my kitchen.


This fabric has been in my mother's sewing closet for probably 30+ years. And thankfully it has been traveling with me for the last 6+ years. They don't make fabric like this anymore, or if they do, I haven't seen it. I've always wanted to do "something" with it but haven't come across the right project. Well, yesterday in my computer's absence I sat down during nap time and did a little something just for me.

For those of you who are interested in sewing but are just getting started or for those of you who love to sew and have been doing it for many years, I recommend you check out Sew Mama, Sew! and their BLOG. It's in my "reader" and I always love to see what's up next. They are chocked full of free tutorials. I read about this "tote tutorial" shortly after John Martin was born, printed it off, and have been wanting to try it. I'm starting a Bible study next week and couldn't think of a better reason to create a new bag to tote my books & Bible in! Irene knows what she's talking about and has created a very easy to follow tutorial. I followed it to a "T" {well, I did pin my long straps before I sewed them shut because they didn't want to feed through the machine together} and I'm beyond thrilled with the result! I had never used my "triple stitch" and realized what a fantastic stitch it is for items like bags. I also like the "aesthetic" effect of a "thick" looking stitch.


The bag's gussets make it a great bag for hauling anything from books, to toys, to groceries. It was very easy to make and I highly recommend this tote-torial! {Ok, that was cheesy!} Please share pictures if you give this one a try!