Bad Ass Mommy.

So I have been told by more then one person that I need to make a diaper bag, and at last I have finally done just that. My little sister has a friend who in having a baby, and wanted a diaper bag that wasn't all diaper baggy. She is having a girl but did not want something all girly, and wanted something that did not look like she was carrying a diaper bag. I totally know where she is coming from, because when I have kids I know I don't want to carry around some cutesie diaper baggy, diaper bag. Thus the Bad Ass Mommy Diaper bag was born.

My inspiration came from a diaper bag that my older sister (who is a mother of a 2.5 year old little boy) LOVES!!! It is the Spark by Skip Hop. Since I did not have a pattern to work off of I went to Target and bought the bag so I could look at it more closely and come up with a pattern of my own (which I will have to create again if I make another one of these bags, because my dog ate the pattern... I'm not even kidding). Having the bag to look at and use to make the pattern was so helpful. Since I'm still pretty new to this whole blogging thing I for got to take photo's of my precess, so I will just have to show you the final product.

Here it is!

I had a lot of fun creating this bag and it turned out just like I wanted it to. One of the best features that this bag has (which I totally stole from the fore mentioned bag) is inside and out side clips that make it possible to clip the diaper bag to the handles of your stroller (see photo to the right). This is one of the features that make the Spark diaper bag my sisters favorite. There are also plenty of pockets both inside and out. I think it is a perfect size neither to big or small.

The best pat of my bag and what makes it so BAD ASS is the fabric. I found this fabric a while back and have fallen in love with it. I have a bag made out of it for myself, and I love peoples reactions when they see it. First they are all like wow that is so pretty, and then they look at it closer and are all like OMG are those SKULLS?! And they are, but is is still the pretties pattern. It is the perfect fabric for bags because it is a heavy canvas like fabric. I was super happy to make a bag out of this fabric because it is one of my favorites, and I cant wait to carry this diaper bag myself... Anyway it was the perfect print for this bag, and since the recipient of the bag is having a girl I lined it with some pink polka dotted oil cloth... because even if you still want to be a bad ass mommy, it's still fun to be pretty!

A is for Apron

I ordered a wonderful book A is for Apron by Nathalie Morun and it finally came in the mail. It is such a great book, and I can't wait to start making the projects, they are ALL so cute.

Reading this book made me remember how much I LOVE aprons. I swear I think I should have been a house wife in the 50s sometimes... And I think I will now have to work my hardest to bring the apron back.

I would really recommend checking this book out, it has such great projects, techniques, and is really fun and easy to read. Also the illustrations and photos are very helpful and attractive. The book itself is also very well designed, which as a designer I love to see.

Stay tuned because I hope to post many completed projects soon...

Holy Sheet.

Here it is #1 in what will be a long list of tips and trick I hope to impart on all of my loyal readers.

It is sheets! I know that sounds way to simple to be some great tips, but trust me it is a good one. I have to credit this tip to my mother who was always using sheets to make curtains, or table cloths, or something.

I use them for everything. I love them because even a twin flat sheet is much wider then most plain cotton fabric you can buy off the bolt, and for much less money. I have found great twin sheets, for as little as $4-15 at places like Ikea and Target. You can find them in an array of colors, and even patterns. And if you need a bit more width just upgrade to a full or queen, if you look around you can even find the bigger ones for a good deal.

I have even used a sheet to test out a dress pattern before I make it out of the "real" fabric, so I know how it is going to look and if it will need alterations before I cut it out of the good stuff, pick a good color and you may even end up with 2 cute dresses.
The many uses of sheets:

1. quilt backing
2. curtain lining
3. test dress (or shirt, pants etc.)
4. bag lining
5. table cloth
6. scrap fabric
7. apron back (see my multi-pocket apron pattern)

The list could really go on an on. If you are going to be a crafty person I suggest having at least a couple of these buggers on hand, because you never know when you might need to use one. So next time you are at target or Ikea, just pick up a sheet or two, you will be happy you did.

My new favorite place to go!

So I just discovered the best website ever. It is burdastyle.com and it is awesome. I have bought and used Burda sewing patterns and liked them, but did not know they had a website. It is full of so much great information, tips, how tos, free patterns, a blog and forums.

It is such a great resource. I have already gotten so many great ideas and tips, and have not even been able to look through everything the have to offer. I would recommend this site to anyone who sews, would like to learn to sew, or improve their sewing skills.

Check it out!

Multi-Pocket Apron Pattern

Here it is, my first pattern for everyone to enjoy. I got the idea for this apron from my friend JoAnn. She bought an apron sort of like this one on Etsy. After using it for a while it started to come apart, and she gave it to me to fix. I really liked the design, and started to think...I could make this, and mine would be better, thus the multi-pocket apron was born.

As this is my first attempt at writing my own pattern I need all my loyal readers to give me input. Anyone who can take a second to read over the pattern and see if it makes sense, would be great. All comments or suggestions will be gladly accepted. And if anyone is feeling ambitious and wants to make one and give me the ultimate feedback, that would be even better.

Also blogger does not allow you to upload PDFs so I used a different site to embed my PDF, let me know if there is any problems viewing or printing the pattern. ENJOY!

apron Pattern - Upload a doc

Read this doc on Scribd: apron Pattern