Well finally, some crafting content! I promised two of my classmates that I would make them a purse over summer break. I had made myself the Diva Essential Designer Bag last year and they both admired it and requested one. They bought all the supplies and even offered to pay me for my time, but of course I said "No!" "I'll be HAPPY to make you guys a purse!". Hmmph.... sometimes I am such a dummy.

School was out 8/18. I messed around for a week or so, then Grandma got sick and I didn't have time to do any crafting stuff at all. Realizing that school is starting again in 5 days, I thought I'd better get cracking on the purse construction.

Cutting the pieces out went very well. My cutting table is very low and my back tends to really get painful if I bend over it for long. Rick made me a riser to set on top of the table and wow, what a difference! I cut pieces for a couple of hours and no back pain. Yippee!!!

I start sewing. Everything is going great guns. I'm congratulating myself, thinking, "Wow, this really looks professional" (that should have been my first clue!). After dinner I do a bit more, get all the pockets sewn and the lining put together. After I sew the lining together I look at the purse with a bit of a gloating air. THEN I SEE IT.......................... every single fucking pocket was sewn in upside down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sheesh, what an idiot.

I spend an hour ripping out seams and removing 4 pockets from said lining. It's 11 pm but heck, I can stay up a couple of hours. I sew two pockets back in, right side up this time. Then it hits me... those pockets are supposed to be on the OTHER two lining pieces! Needless to say, I went to bed.

7:30 am. I'm ready. I rip the pockets out again and sew all 4 in properly. Whew, crisis averted! I go merrily on my way, fusing batting to pieces, etc. Then I realize that I fused the outer batting to the inner lining... but hey, it'll just be a puffy purse, right? (No more lining fabric so we just MAKE DO!)

Now things are going well. I get the zipper in place and sew it in. (side note: the pattern called for a separating zipper. We couldn't find one in the right color and I chose to get one that wasn't separating but would match the fabric). I'm so very proud and I ZIP the zipper.... and the zipper pull is in my left hand, totally unattached to said purse. 1 hour and MANY cuss words later I finally manage to get the zipper pull reattached and I ZIP the fucking thing off again!!!!

Yes, there are days when I question my own sanity. Heck, I question it every day!!!!!!!! Said purse is now looking good, barring a few extra needle holes in the lining (Ann, don't look at it toooo closely, ok?) and I'm almost finished with purse number 1. Anyone want to make bets on how purse #2 goes????????

Have a great weekend!