New Tim Holtz Fabric

During a recent trip to my local Joann store, my friend Carol pointed out a display of new Tim Holtz fabrics near the front of the store.  I had actually walked right past them, not realizing what I was looking at.

They were pretty, but they were a little more pricey than I was used to buying.  During my next trip, however, Carol showed me a BEAUTIFUL handbag she had made with the fabric, so I decided to splurge.

I bought 6 different fabrics and decided to sew them together in a patchwork design.  The bottoms of the bags are the same, but the top part and flaps are slightly different.

It's hard to pick a favorite, although I think I'm leading toward this third one.

The flaps are held shut with a Velcro closure and have a little gear as an embellishment.

The final dimension of the bag is approximately 20 inches on top, 14 inches on the bottom and 6 inches deep.  There are 6 pockets inside, with each being big enough to hold a Cricut Cartridge in its box.  I think this bag would be perfect for cropping events, don't you?

If you're interested in ordering one of these bags, email me at bckpiano@yahoo.com :)

Remembering Two Angel Babies

Recently, I met a new friend, Melissa, on my facebook page.  She asked me to make an iPad Mini sleeve for her.  The transaction started out just like all of my transactions do--with email exchanges filled with details about fabric, colors, and sizes.  Melissa asked if I would be willing to put a removable strap on her bag, so that she could carry it as a cross-body bag.  I was happy to oblige.  Plus, it was such a great idea!  I'm actually going to start making these for my Etsy shop.

After we got all of the strap ideas worked out, she made a special request for the flower embellishments.  She asked if I could put a taller purple flower in the center, with a pink and a blue flower on either side.  She explained that the purple flower would be for her, and the shorter flowers would be for her two angel grandbabies.  

When I read her request, I was so touched.  What a beautiful way to memorialize two special babies that were surrounded by so much love, even though their time on Earth wasn't long.

The pink flower is for Ryleigh Marie and the blue flower is for Ryder Michael.

 These are Melissa's words:  

I have 3 sons who are in the military. My oldest is married and they became pregnant twice. They lost their daughter at 20 weeks along in June of '11. Her name is Ryleigh Marie and they lost their son at 22 weeks along in Feb. of '12. His name is Ryder Michael. we were able to be with Ryder for about 1 1/2 hours before he went to heaven. Ryleigh never a took breathe. I miss them and think of them every single day. I am looking forward to another little token in their memory.

I'm so happy that I could play a small part in remembering little Ryleigh and Ryder.  My prayer is that God will bless Melissa and her family abundantly on this Earth, until they are reunited in Heaven one day :)

Matthew 19:14

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

And the Winner Is...

The winner of the "Most Pathetic Cover" contest is...drumroll please...Kathleen!  Um...I'm not sure if "congratulations" is the right thing to say, because most people though your cover was the most pathetic. lol  But..the good news is you have won a brand new Kathy's Cozy, which will be sewn with EXTRA love for your machine.  God knows your poor machine needs as much love as possible. ;)

Underneath those pathetic bags are Kathleen's Expression, Mini and Cameo.

Pathetic Cover Contest

Here it is...the moment you've been waiting for...the entries to the first annual Kathy's Cozies Pathetic Cover Contest.  Vote for your choice as the "Most Pathetic" by leaving a comment on this post.  (One vote per person, please!  Comments/votes may not appear right away as they have to be approved by me first.  Only 1 comment per email/name will be posted.) Votes will be tallied on August 7th and the winner will receive a brand-new Cozy for her machine.  Here are the entries:

PATHETIC COVER #1

 PATHETIC COVER #2

 PATHETIC COVER #3

 PATHETIC COVER #4