Category Archives: Bags

A Carry-On for Me

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This summer has been filled with carry-on trips. My mother’s memorial service near Asheville, NC, required a Saturday morning flight down and a Sunday afternoon flight back with a knit dress, a pair of heeled sandals, and my cosmetic bag tucked into a carry-on bag. The next weekend I flew to Dallas on Friday afternoon and returned Sunday morning—another carry-on trip with the same knit dress and sandals so I could play a half hour of old hymns for my girlfriend’s husband’s memorial service. And a fleece jacket and closed toe shoes so I could watch my firstborn son play … Continue reading →

Keep Calm and Sew On

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I hate how busy I’ve been this semester. I’m preparing a full-length “Cosi fan tutte” for late April. A kids’ version of Cosi, with its own abbreviated score, will be presented the morning of that event’s opening. I have not yet seen the kids’ cuts, but know that I am the orchestra for that production, where I believe I’m only accompanying the recitative (but the entire score for all the rehearsals over the entire semester) for the full evening opera. A 45-minute opera for kids, Billy Goats Gruff, is to be presented today at Stambaugh Auditorium and then five times … Continue reading →

A Bag to Meet All My Musical Needs

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I’m currently working four different collaborative pianist jobs, which means several binders full of music, plus my iPad and Bluetooth page-turn pedal, and a calendar on which I attempt to keep my life organized. Since the first day of class, I have been trying to figure out the best way to keep track of all this music and transport it back and forth from home to performance space. When I made Swoon Patterns’ Alice for my grand-high-schooler to use as a bookbag, I started thinking maybe Alice was the bag I needed to schlep all my music. I have a … Continue reading →

A Little Bag for a Little Lady

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When I arrived home from Interlochen in early August, my DIL-Equivalent, Leslie, arrived a day after me for a stay of several days before heading back to Amarillo to start the school year at her university. I had hoped to quickly make a little wristlet clutch for her darling 5yo daughter, affectionately known as Meme. I printed off the Swoon Coraline pattern at 80%. Using the small version (11″ wide), that 80% printing meant the finished little bag would be 8.8″ wide. I had read many posts in the Swoon Patterns Facebook group where sewists talk about printing the patterns … Continue reading →

Almost Makes You Want to Get Old(er)

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The distaff side of the couple we frequently vacation with has a significant birthday tomorrow, so I’ve spent this week creating a memorable gift for her. She’s an artistic genius. Every trip we take is scrapbooked like no scrap project I’ve ever seen. She loves to garden and frequently posts breathtaking floral pictures on her Facebook page. She takes watercolors with her on trips and comes home with pieces I want on my wall. Her brother is a lampwork glass artist, and she uses his beads to make jewelry that all her friends clamor for. And two years ago she … Continue reading →

Bonnie Bucket Bag

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First, I must tell you we had a taste of Real Spring today in Northeast Ohio. When I opened my basement sewing room window, this is what I saw. What a relief to have a day with decent temperatures and no precipitation. You’re going to see more bags on my blog and coming off my sewing machine in the near future. If you follow my writing, either here or on Facebook, you know that I have a job that is supposed to be mine imminently, starting in mid-January. Oh, wait—that was three months ago! As I continued hearing about discussions … Continue reading →

Gayley Girl Gift

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My New Year’s resolution is to have only one project going at a time. And that translates to “finish what you start.” I can be a tad ADD, i.e. “Look at that pretty piece of fabric; I think I’ll sew that today.” And my Very Bad Habit is to throw each new pretty thing onto my cutting table. And the mess begins. If I can stick to my resolution—and 15 days into the year (half a month gone already?!), so far/so good—I can get rid of the clutter and mess and feel more at peace in my little basement haven. … Continue reading →

A Gift For a Gift

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Somewhere in my past I learned the charming custom of never sending a plate or bowl home empty after a friend has gifted you with food. But I don’t cook, so sending home a plate of some delicious food is not really a choice in my world. But sending home some cute little sewn accessory is! We had dinner out with our travel pals Mike and Marilyn a couple of weeks ago, then went back to their home for delicious homemade birthday desserts for Mike. The leftovers came home with us, and I’ve been eyeing that plate for two weeks—need … Continue reading →