Fabrics!

     I got the fabric for my Portside duffel bag a little over a week ago!  I actually keep meaning to post about it, but kept putting off taking a picture (of course, once I did, it took about two minutes), and finally only got to it because I wanted to start cutting on it.  To be honest, even though I still like them, I sort of haven't had as much motivation to make the bag since I bought them, because the colors aren't quite right.  I was hoping for a deeper, redder orange, and stark white, instead of off white, but while they had a perfect chevron in those colors, there was no solid orange to match, so off white and Tennessee orange it was!  However, from a distance it's hard to tell that the white isn't really white, and I like most shades of orange, so it's not the end of the world.  I only got the materials I needed to start, so I don't have the lining yet, but it shouldn't be hard to find a thin cotton in whatever color I choose, so I'm pretty excited about the prospect of getting it!
     The main fabric stores around here (I usually go to Hancock's, but there's also a Joann) don't really have a great selection of heavier fabrics, such as canvas (which this is) so I did my research beforehand and went to a store specifically for home decor fabrics, to which I'd never been, and I was a little nervous as I parked, because it was in a sort of secluded spot, the kind of place that makes me regret that I never remember my pepper spray, but then when I walked in, it was beautiful!  They had oodles of canvas type fabrics, in all sorts of wonderful colors and patterns, and I think I'll be going there for all of my home decor fabrics from now on!
     Fare thee well, I'm off to cut the pieces!

Just a Little Exultation

     THE PATTERN ARRIVED!  Ahem, unless you've been following my recent strain of posts, you have no idea what I'm talking about.  I am currently preparing to make the Portside Travel Set from Grainline Studios.  Except I'll probably just make the duffel bag to start with, but we'll see.

The back of the booklet.  I'm pretty excited to get started!

The instructions seem to be quite clear, although it's a little hard to really get into your head what's going on with any pattern unless you're actually doing it.

      So I'll probably be going to get the supplies in another couple weeks or so, but in the meantime, keep voting on that poll on the sidebar for your favorite color scheme!  Also, I would just like to point out, to anyone who may be interested, that I'm blowing Maggie out of the water in our sibling rivalry.  Eheh.

COLOR CHOOSING TIME!

     I have officially bought the pattern for my latest project, and I would imagine it will get here within a week or so, therefore, NOW Y'ALL GET TO HELP ME PICK THE COLORS!  I've come up with several color options (along with descriptions of how I'd use them), and you get to vote in the poll on the side!  Of course, it will partially depend on what fabric I can find, but I'll do my best!  I can't guarantee that I'll follow the majority opinion, but given that I like all the options, I agree to at least consider it.  IT'S GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN!  Okay, let's get started.

1.  In this color scheme, I would be using black for the bottom half, some black and white pattern for the top (I was thinking some kind of abstract floral.  Feel free to chip in an opinion in the comments!), and a solid hot pink lining.

2.  With these colors, the bottom would, again, be black, and the lining solid grapefruit pink, but the top would be polka dotted.  If you vote for this one, please tell me in the comments whether you think black with white polka dots, or white with black polka dots would look better.

3.  Black on the bottom, black and white stripes on top (wide stripes, I think), and red with white polka dots for the lining

4.  From here on out, all the whites look a little gray, but trust me, they're supposed to be white.  Hey look!  Finally one without black!  This color scheme would have navy blue on the bottom, navy blue and white stripes on the top (again, kind of white stripes), and a solid yellow lining.

5.  Ugh, stinky gray!  Everything looks a little darker than it's supposed to here, actually.  Here I would be using an orange bottom, an orange and white chevron top (That's probably Maggie's favorite choice, just because she loves chevron.  Don't click on that link, her blog is terrible.  Just kidding it's really good, but still don't click on it.), and turquoise lining.

6.  It's a little hard to tell here, but that color on the left is brown.  I've always dreamed of having a tower bedroom with mint green wallpaper with brown polka dots, and that would be the primary fabric here!  The bottom half would be solid brown, and the lining light pink.

7.  I love purple, so I couldn't just make a list without ANY purple options!  Envision, if you will, a purple bottom, narrow purple and white stripes for the top, and a mint green lining.

8.  Strawberry lemonade is one of my favorite color schemes that there are, so obviously I had to consider that for my first ever really cool traveling bag.  Here, I would be using this raspberry sorbet-ish shade of pink for the bottom, ideally finding a pink, yellow, and white pinstriped fabric and using that vertically for the top, and using solid yellow for the lining.

9.  Ooh, watermelon!  If I used this color scheme, I would be putting green on the bottom half (I haven't decided yet which shade of green to use, so if you vote for this option, tell me in the comments which you like better!), a pinstripe of all four colors in the above palette, also vertical (keep in mind, that this is an idealized image, and it will also depend on what fabric I can find), and lining it with solid pink.

     Okay, now you have all of my color schemes, go vote!  The poll will be open for two weeks, but that's not an excuse to procrastinate, it's just an excuse to vote once a day, and give you more time to get as many people as possible to vote.  Thank you all for your input!

Duffel Bag Project

     As you are all most likely aware from my last post, I love sewing.  I've thought for a long time that I should blog about some of my sewing projects, but I never think of it until after I've finished the project, and then it just seems like a dum-dum-head thing to do, because I wouldn't have any in-progress pictures.  I also keep thinking that I ought to blog more (not least because Maggie recently surpassed me in pageviews.  If you click on that link, I'll kill you.), but can't think of anything  good to blog about!  However, I just recently decided on my next sewing project, and I want y'all to keep me accountable and make sure I finish it!

Thread Theory

Four Square Walls

Stones Throw on Kollabora

Effortless Attention

    I've been pining over the Portside Travel Set for months now, after seeing so many beYOOtiful versions around, so I finally decided to make it!  I haven't bought the pattern yet, as I'm waiting to figure out whether it's a paper version that gets sent by snail mail (preferable), or one that must be printed out at home, but I hope to get it, and get started on it, soon!  I don't know my color scheme yet, so any suggestions on that would be very helpful!  I'm thinking maybe black on bottom, some black and white pattern on top, and a hot pink lining, but K Beff thinks I would get tired of it, and she may be right.  I think it's probable that the hot pink would help me avoid that, though.
      My goal is to get it done before my summer traveling starts (So if you want to see it in person, come to BWSC!  Oh, I'm sorry, was that an accidental plug for the best conference in the world?  Nope!  It was an ON PURPOSE plug for the best conference in the world!), so it's y'all's job to make sure I stay on track, and harass me if it seems to be taking too long.  I will try to post about my progress periodically, and especially when it's finished.  SO MAKE SURE YOU'RE DOING YOUR JOB!  See ya!