Getting a shoe “fix”
I love shoes.
I love these shoes.
I never wear these shoes, though.
When I walk, this is what happens.
Bummer.
But all is not lost! Here is my inspiration:
(Forever 21)
And here is the end result:
Here’s how I did it:
1. Take two pieces of fabric (I used navy blue), 25″ x 3″. I didn’t use any interfacing or padding, because I wanted to keep it light and airy. Fold one piece of fabric in half longways with right sides together, pin, and stitch a seam using 1/2″ seam allowance down the long ends.
2. Trim the seam allowance.
3. Turn the tube right side out and press.
4. Topstitch 1/8″ from each edge.
5. Fold the raw ends under 1/4″, then fold under again. This is where my photography skills went on vacation.
6. Topstitch two seams to secure the end.
7. Sew down a piece of velcro on one end, flip the strap (this is important!), and sew the other piece on the other end. Oh look, the photography came back!
8. Repeat for the other strap.
That’s it! Slide on the shoe, slip the strap underneath, twine around your ankle, and velcro shut. I am debating stitching the crossover together and/or hotgluing the strap to the underside of the shoe, but for now I am leaving it at is so I can keep experimenting with other ideas.
Purse for me, and a bunch of photos
I’ve been super busy at work, but have still made time to work on more birthday gift purses and sneak in one for me – I really like it! Mom helped me pick out the fabrics.
And now for photos of Jessica! The first one is one of my favorite pictures of her, ever.
Also, I recently got to take “my” boys out for birthday ice cream, each by themselves! We went to Coldstone, and both boys, oddly enough, picked bright blue cotton candy ice cream with gummy bears. You’d think they were related, or something.
And last but not least, we have some gorgeous flowers growing in our backyard! They have faded somewhat since I took these, so I’m glad I have them to remember how pretty it will be here every spring.
Aaaaaand that’s it for now. The next group of photos I post will be of my awesome father-in-law’s band, the Sock Monkeys.
Yes, you read that right.
The Sock Monkeys.
Intrigued? You should be! Check back later for more…
Photo Nomination
Got a message today that this photo, which I took on my trip to Austin, TX in February, has been nominated for inclusion in a 2010 Austin City Guide. It’s not a paid gig, but I like this photo and I’m willing to share, so I gave permission to include it for consideration. No guarantees, but I will be interested to see if it gets picked!
Birthday Purses
It’s been a while since I posted a sewing project, so here’s the latest: birthday purse sets for my sister (3/21) and my Little Sister in St Louis (3/20). The pattern is Simplicity 2617; I used Bag B for the purses and D for the makeup bags. These are cross-posted on Burda Style.
Photos
Thoughts
1. If you sew this pattern, I recommend moving the markings for zipper in the pocket on piece 11 down by at least 1/4″. As marked, I’ve had trouble fitting the zipper, magentic snap, and top seam allowance into the space allotted, resulting in the sides snapping a tiny bit crookedly and requiring me to hand stitch the final topstitching (not a pretty sight).
2. If you can, add about 1/4″ of length to the patchwork pieces that become the outer sides. Some of this is me being relatively novice at this, but my patchwork didn’t come out even across the top, making cutting the side pieces out of the patchwork a tiny bit tricky.
3. When attaching the sides/bottom (piece 10) to the outsides or to the lining (pieces 9), match the ends up to the notches before pinning along the bottom. At first, I tried to pin from one end to the other, and I ran out of fabric; it’s designed to give a little structure to the bag, so if you pin the notches first, then work to the bottom, it’ll come together more easily.
4. I bought double the amounts of fabric and notions listed on the pattern; the goal was to make two purses and two makeup bags. I had enough fabric left over to make two more purses (conveniently enough, I have two May birthdays to plan gifts for!), though I did have to purchase 1 and 1/4 yd of heavyweight fusible interfacing for the last bag.
5. I used variegated embroidery thread on the blue/green bag, and I kind of liked the effect, but I really prefer the solid embroidery on the pink/brown one. Yes, I hand-embroidered it. Yes, I am crazy; each side took a full hour to embroider.
6. I really love this pattern.
Questions?
Don’t hesitate to ask. I’m in the process of making two more of Bag B, and I’ve purchased stuff for Bag A, so I’m in purse-making mode!
BBBS: Third Anniversary
Jessica and I have been matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters for three years today.
We celebrated yesterday by stuffing our faces at CiCi’s Pizza.
NOM NOM NOM.
Then we invaded our friends’ house, where Jessica and Keegan and Kadence played hide-and-go-seek and tag with various twists. Mainly, this involved running around the house as fast as possible, with the roles of chaser and chasee being exchanged at random. The only rule is, if you “die” (that is, wipe out on the kitchen floor), everyone points and laughs! Then you are “healed” with magic, and it’s back into the fray! Weapons included: a plastic pistol, an empty Dr Pepper liter bottle, a vacuum hose, a pair of shoes, a ball, socks, and a stuffed Hulk toy.
There were capes involved.
The evening ended with a quiet round of “Go Fish”. Kadence is a master of the game, and won all our cards. Twice.
It was much less-planned than our previous match anniversaries have been, but Jessica loved it. Here’s to many more years like the three we’ve already shared!
