Christmas Projects Galore!

Thank you to all the wonderful people out there who decided that they want to give a handmade gift to their loved ones this Christmas! I have been happily sewing purses and bags in the last couple weeks to get everything out in time for the gift-giving!

My adorable niece will be getting her own Birdie Sling made out of Tina Givens' Annabeth fabric in pink. I love the colors, and I think it is perfect for an 11 yr.-old girl. I would post a pic, but I've already taken it to my sister's house so she can wrap it.

Another attractive sling for another order - this bright and happy red & black wildflower with polka dots. I bought some similar fabric in blues to make another one. I think it will be just as stunning - a perfect winter bag that emmulates the snow that we are not seeing despite the single-digit temps!

I also had an order for a tote for my cousin, Lisa, who lives in Colorado. I really love Amy Butler's fabric for the totes because the size of the bag allows the pattern to be previewed - kind of like the Sophia Carry-All. The bag becomes all about the fabric - which is good since it isn't cheap!

How quickly things change!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Scott and I have much to be thankful for. After signing the rejection to the 3rd counter with our realtor yesterday on our perspective house purchase , the sellers were kind enough to reconsider our original counter and accept it! Yes, my sewing room dream is becoming more vivid as I type! The only things standing between me and an organized sewing room are a home inspection and 6 weeks of patience before closing!! :-) We are so excited to get packed up and move. It's hard to believe that we were both packing up almost a year ago in preparation for our wedding.

May blessings abound to you on this wonderful day!

Sewing will keep me going...

Our offer on a house was countered, and we have decided to throw in the towel after countering to their offer and then receiving a 3rd counter. The dream of having my own sewing room was so close I could almost taste it! What a disappointment, but sewing will keep me going! I know we will evetually buy our own home, but I also know that we must be patient and wait for the perfect time and the perfect house. We don't need to be in a rush to get out of our apartment. Let's at least enjoy the holidays that are almost upon us!

Good news in the Dozier home - I drug out my thought-to-be-ruined old sewing machine (thus the need for the loan from my friend), and it has decided to work like a gem. Yeah for me! I have a feeling that I am only buying time though. No worries - I will be at my parent's tomorrow night for the Thanksgiving weekend, and my mom has an almost-new Elna just waiting for me in her basement. I have a few projects cut out that need to be finished, and the lack of a good machine is driving me crazy!

More Bags

Not much sewing going on around the Dozier home this week. My sewing machine (on loan from a friend) has decided that it doesn't want to work anymore. Now I have to lug it over to the repair shop where they get to take if for a week, tell me what is wrong with it, and charge me $75 for repair plus extra for parts. I don't even think the thing is worth more than $100. Oh well... Now that I'm not sewing, I have time to post more pics of other projects I have completed.

My sister fell in love with my Sophia Carry-All bag the minute she laid eyes on it. I took her to Clementine's so she could peruse the fabrics herself and pick out something just for her. She chose Amy Butler's Garden Maze in pink. As soon as I laid out the fabric to start cutting pieces for the bag I knew that the bag was going to be STUNNING! I can't wait to buy more of this pattern in Amy's new line, Midwest Modern 2. The colors are even brighter and more beautiful! This bag is made from Amy Butler's Sophia Carry-All pattern, but the straps are about 4 inches longer on each side so it is easy to carry over the shoulder.

Erin also fell in love with Anna Maria Horner's Chocolate Lollipops fabric. She is drawn to pink and brown, so she picked out fabrics to complement her Sophia Carry-All. I made her a set of Amy Butler's Stash & Dash bags, which have become one of my most favorite patterns. They are so easy to whip together. And for anyone who is intimidated by zippers, Amy's patterns have a way of explaining the zipper installation to make it as easy as possible. It has changed how I install zippers on all of my projects.

New Fabric, oh my, oh my!

I was so excited to get my email newletter from Amy Butler Design last night announcing her new line of fabrics, Midwest Modern 2! Camilla at Clementine's gave me the head's up that there was new stuff on the way, and I was not disappointed when I finally got to her website to browse around! The new line is beautiful and so much better than her last two - in my opinion, at least, which is probably not worth a whole lot.... But, hey, if it doesn't inspire me to create something when I look at it, I'm not going to buy it. It's as simple as that!

I have posted some pics of my latest projects. The brown purse is made from Amy Butler's Birdie Sling pattern. I added the polka dot flower to spice it up a little. Definitely one of my favorites so far, and it has already found a nice home...

And another project made from a pattern by Amy Bulter, Stash & Dash Bags, ordered by a friend. I love the exterior bottom fabric by Heather Bailey (always bright and beautiful!). Can you guess my friend's favorite color? :-)

Fabulous Fridays

The work week is FINALLY over! I thought today couldn't come soon enough. My husband has decided not to work tonight, and now we are trying to decide what we will do for the rest of the evening. If he would have worked tonight, I would have worked on my new bag orders for a co-worker.

I LOVE sewing. It has become my newest hobby, and I never had any idea I would love it this much! But I think what I love the most is giving someone something that I have made JUST for them, and watching their eyes light up with joy! :-) The best feeling in the world - bringing joy to someone else's life. I would make bags for others for free if all my supplies were free...that doesn't make me a very good business woman, does it? I'm already doomed!

Here is a pic of my first Sophia Carry-All (pattern by Amy Butler). You can check out more of my bags at: http://doziergirl.etsy.com/

Lazy Saturdays...

My own blog...whoever would have thunk it!

After spending almost a year staying in touch with the going-ons of my friend, Sara, while she was in Russia, I realized that it was just the greatest concept. My sister, ERIN, does a great job keeping all their friends around the country in touch with their four kids with her blog. Everyone's doing it - so why not me, I asked myself?

Anyway...enough rambling (or isn't that the point of blogs?) I am a happily married girl (just over 7 months now) who loves traveling, sewing, reading, spending time with my family, wine, and of course, food! I am always so sad that I cannot do all the things I love at the same time. Something must always take a back seat.

Recently, I have become almost obsessed with sewing, and i love AMY BUTLER & HEATHER BAILEY fabrics. After seeing Amy Butler fabrics featured on a Martha Stewart epsiode the week before my wedding, I went immediately online to find out where I could find such beautiful and stunning fabrics. Her fabrics are what have inspired me to sew and create. Her website is absolutely beautiful and inspiring as well. I only wish her new line August Fields was a little more, um, robust. It seems a little lacking for the start of fall... But Heather Bailey's new lines, Bichou & Pop Garden, more than make up for what Amy's is lacking. I love, love, love these new lines, and I only wish I had all the money in the world to buy it and create, create, create! By the way, if you're in the Indianapolis area, there is a great little store located in Franklin, IN that carries these designers and more. Check out Clementine's Dry Goods when you get a chance. The owner is a funny girl with lots of good chatter. It's always a pleasure to make the drive down there, drool over the fabrics, and be inspired.