Happy Easter! Happy 100th post!

Happy Easter everyone!  And happy 100th post to me!

In my previous entry, I showed you a new bag I made. Here it is again with more photos...

I call this one the 'Simple and Classy' Handbag. It is a medium-sized handbag that closes with a flap and magnetic snap, 11 ½” wide at the top, 12 ½” tall, about  12 ½” at its widest point, with a darted bottom.  It also has a zippered pocket inside.  A great compact size for everyday use!

The pattern and instructions for this bag are all compiled in a 28-page eBook which will be made available on my Etsy shop starting on the 19th of April, next Sunday.

As my way of sharing Easter joy with all of you, I am having a special shop promotion starting today, the 12th of April till Saturday, the 18th...

Get this for FREE....

Say that again??? For every Lily Handbag eBook purchase,  you will get the new Simple and Classy Handbag eBook absolutely FREE!

But remember, the promo is till the 18th only.  After that, the eBook will cost $8 USD on my shop.

Head on over to Etsy now!

Cutting Frenzy

I do not like cutting fabric. I enjoy sewing but not the cutting bit. But for lack of anything more interesting to do, I decided to bring out my stash of fabric scraps and started cutting. For the last two days, I have been cutting 2 1/2" squares...and as I don't have a rotary cutter, I have been doing this with scissors. Not an enjoyable task but I continued on just the same.

I had no intention of making anything with the squares right away. But then,  I just couldn't resist quickly trying out this tutorial.

I haven't stopped sewing since! 

How cute are these patchwork drawstring bags?

And they are completely reversible!

Couldn't stop at just two...made one more!

The reverse...recognize that fabric?

Once I had the squares ready, the sewing process was really not that tedious.  I can definitely say I had a wonderful time even!

I still have loads of squares left and still more scraps to cut out, and so expect more patchwork projects from me really soon...

I don't really know if you are aware that this is my 99th post.  So...should you anticipate some sort of giveaway come my 100th post?  Sure, why not!  That will happen around Easter so come back then, ok?  The 'giveaway' will have something to do with this...

Weight Talk

I am currently trying to lose some weight.  

No, I'm not obese...I'm not even overweight.  I am 5'3" tall and 123 lbs. heavy, with a Body Mass Index of 21.8.  Seems normal, yes?  Although I don't consider myself physically super fit,  I reckon I'm pretty healthy for my age.  I don't see the need for me to take any vitamin supplements of any kind. I simply eat sensibly and don't drink or smoke.  And I don't really get sick...I hardly even catch the common cold.  

Around 115 lbs. is right about where I want to be.  A few extra pounds just doesn't feel quite good.  I have always been on the skinny side.  When I got married 16 years ago, I was about 105 lbs.   When my first born was still a toddler, I got to as low as 100. Seriously, that didn't look good at all. Funny,  I can recall my mom asking me then if I had a problem with my husband...LOL...

Every couple of years,  I gain a few pounds, then I shed them off.  It's just a cycle. Right now, it feels like I'm bloated or something. I guess it comes with age...when metabolism slows down.  No matter how little you eat, you still manage to gain weight.  I know I have to do something now or I will have a bigger concern come winter time (in June).

Anyhow,  I'll let you know how my progress goes.  A few weeks should do it.

In the meantime,  let me just say there's a new bag in the works. Got to get back to sewing now... 

A Bag is Born

Been working really hard on my new eBook since late last week.  The process of sewing up the bag, taking photos along the way, resizing and editing photos, writing up instructions, editing and proofreading, converting to PDF...all while my computer was acting crazy...it's really pretty tiring.  But now,  I am very glad to say...I'm done!  And praying that the effort will be well worth it.

Yes...the bag has been given a name.

My first inclination was to use a name that would describe the bag's purpose. Giving it a girl's name just did not make very much sense to me. Until I got this suggestion...

Then it all made sense.  I could clearly imagine my mother in her younger years, wearing her style of blouse, a pair of capri pants, and her favourite comfy leather Naturalizer sandals... carrying this bag.  She would have loved to bring this along on occasional lunches out with her neighborhood friends or an afternoon spent playing mahjong with them.  

And so, I am proud to say, the Lily handbag is born.  Named after the most beautiful person I have ever known.

Thank you to B, for bringing out the sentimental side of me.  I will contact you shortly to ask for your complete postal address.  The bag is yours!!!

As for the eBook, it is now available in my Etsy shop.  As always, I will be hoping for everyone's support.  Thank you so much to all who participated in this giveaway.  I genuinely had fun.  I will be keeping all the bag names you have suggested in mind for my future projects.  If I do decide to use one of those names, for sure, the author will be informed and 'rewarded' accordingly.

Have a nice day!

'Name this Bag' GIVEAWAY

The response to the Long Wallet eBook has been great and that just inspires me to come up with new ideas.  After coming back from my trip and catching up on household work,  I am now happily back to creating.  I am thinking that maybe...just maybe...making and selling patterns and ebooks might just be my destiny.  I have long given up the idea of reviving a career in the corporate world.  That just isn't my calling. Now, I am finding simple joy in creating things and sharing them with the world.  I am constantly thinking and imagining. And after the recent events in my life, sewing certainly has proven to be great therapy for me.

And so here is a new bag idea.  I drafted a simple pattern and then sewed it up using the same materials as I did in my wallet prototype.  It is a fairly large and roomy bag that closes with a flap and magnetic snap, 10" wide at the top, 13 1/2" at its widest point, 9 1/2" tall, with a 3" gusset...just the right size to carry around on a typical day out.  The handles are 20" long.  For a first try, the bag turned out quite beautifully. However, it is not yet perfect and I will have to make a few adjustments when I make the final version. 

Full view

Close-up of the decorative patchwork stitch I used along the middle seams...

Gusset view

The inside view with zippered compartment

I am currently writing up the instructions for making this bag but I need some of your help. Would you care to give this BAG STYLE a name?  If you do, the featured bag above can be yours!

TO BE IN THE RUNNING TO WIN THIS BAG, all you have to do is leave a comment here with a suggested name for this bag style.  Please leave your email address as well so I can contact you in the event that you win.  I will not give a timeframe for this competition just yet as I would like to get as many suggestions as I can. COMPETITION CLOSES 11:59 pm, Sunday, 22nd of March, Australian Eastern Standard Time.

I am going to use the winning name for the eBook I am making, which I hope I will be able to release really soon.  The competition is open to anyone who wishes to enter it.  I am willing to ship this bag to anywhere around the world!  

REMEMBER...think of a name for the bag style and not the particular bag shown here.

Hope you can all join in. Good luck!

Shop Update

Want to make one of these?

You've seen them on previous posts, here and here. Well finally, the promised ebook on how to make this 'Heart of Mary' long wallet is finished.  It is now available on my Etsy shop for a small fee.  You can be assured that just like all my other tutorials, this ebook will provide you with very detailed and easy to follow instructions, complete with accompanying step by step photos. Satisfaction guaranteed! Just follow the link on the sidebar!

Safely Home

I am home in Heaven, dear ones;

Oh, so happy and so bright!

There is perfect joy and beauty

In this everlasting light.

All the pain and grief is over,

Every restless tossing passed;

I am now at peace forever,

Safely home in Heaven at last.

Did you wonder I so calmly

Trod the valley of the shade?

Oh! but Jesus' arm to lean on,

Could I have one doubt or dread?

Then you must not grieve so sorely,

For I love you dearly still;

Try to look beyond earth's shadows,

Pray to trust our Father's Will.

There is work still waiting for you,

So you must not idly stand;

Do it now, while life remaineth--

You shall rest in Jesus' land.

When that work is all completed,

He will gently call you Home;

Oh, the rapture of that meeting,

Oh, the joy to see you come!

- Safely Home (author unknown)

One of my brothers put music into this beautiful poem, then he sung the song during my mother's wake. I wept when I heard it because in my heart and mind, I clearly pictured my mom saying these words to me. I believe, without a doubt, that she is happy, not only because she has now found her true home but also because she knows that I DO UNDERSTAND why she had to leave.

A few hours before she passed away, my mom already couldn't move or see and probably could even hardly hear. But now, she is completely free and she sees and hears me with the eyes and ears of God. What greater consolation is there? As I write this, my tears flow uncontrollably, only because I miss her dearly.

Thank you so much to those of you who prayed and shared kind words of comfort. I've never met anyone of you personally so all the more I feel so much appreciation. God's choicest blessings to you all.

My mom as a young woman

My mom as she celebrated with my dad their 60th wedding anniversary last December 28, 2008

I love you, mom.