Amelia

The Amelia is a perfect sized tote to carry all of your essentials.

Straps: 9 inch drop, 21 inches from end to end.
Bag: 14.5 inches from seam to seam along top, 10.5 inches along bottom
From zipper to base of bag: appx. 8 inches
Inside Pocket can be open or zipper style


Amelia in batik fabric: a custom order made with a zipper closure, front pocket and longer straps. Straps: 15.5 inch drop, 33 inches from end to end.

The Charmer

Photos really do not do this lovely little handbag justice - this is the purse that seems to earn the most compliments from complete strangers.



This pattern was borrowed from the book Bend-the-Rules Sewing.

Little Bits Bags

Little bits bag sizes vary depending on my mood or an individuals request.

Spots: 6" x 4 1/2"


Stars: 7" x 6 "
Orange: 6" x 4 1/2"

Sweet: 7 1/2" x 4 3/4"

It's Time!

I figure it's time to upload shots of my completed projects here on gingham skies so that people don't have to bounce between my personal blog Jabbering Jaime and here to see what I've got on the go.

Feel free to email me ginghamskies@gmail.com if you're interested in purchasing a bag - your fabric choices can be found by clicking here. What type of bag I create with your most loved fabric is up to you.

My plan is to open an Etsy shop within the next couple of months so stay tuned for that!

This is my most treasured childhood possession.

The item I loved most when I was a kid was a small pillow lovingly referred to as my "stinky" pillow; my dad always called it that and the name stuck. I used to suck on the corners of that nasty little thing and loved it until the foam insides turned to dust. I thought I still had the pillows stashed away but I can't seem to locate it so today you'll meet the runner up: Garfield.

I was obsessed with the Garfield comic strip when I was little so when I tore the Christmas wrapping off of this little guy one year I was a very happy little girl. My big brother picked him out for me and as you can see he chose well, this was one loved cat.

Thanks Danielle from teacups on treetops for choosing the 'This is...' theme this week.

New Bag & New Blog

The first bag from my first order has been completed! This one has a zipper closure.
If you're interested in more details please check out my new sewing blog Gingham Skies.

I LOVE this fabric!

The first bag for my first order is finished! I'm really pleased with it. I absolutely love this batik fabric; I just wish it would go on sale!

This is the same design I used for this bag but I lengthened the straps at the customers request.
Here are the dimensions:
Straps: 15.5 inch drop, 33 inches from end to end.
End to end: 14.5 inches from seam to seam along top, 10.5 inches along bottom
From zipper to base of bag: appx. 8 inches
Pocket: 7 inches x 4 inches

Sherequested a pocket in the front for her sunglasses (there is a velcro closure) and a zipper to keep all her goodies safe inside the purse. This is the first purse zipper I've done and I'm really happy with the way it turned out. Although it was quite time consuming it wasn't difficult, thanks to Google I found a fantastic tutorial on adding zippers to purses over at Enthral.

I hope the new owner loves it! Now on to the matching Little Bits Bag she wants for inside!

Flashback Friday

Storybook Gardens in London, Ontario holds many fond memories for me. I remember visiting it on many occasions and for old times sake my dad (aka Chops in this picture) took my niece Neve last summer - we tried to pose her next to the less creepy Humpty Dumpty that now sits on the wall but she would have nothing of it! Thanks big bro John for holding on in this shot and not taking advantage of the moment to throw me to the ground.

A Journalist in the Family

I introduced Mike's blog Samsquanch to you last week and now I am very excited to show off the article that he had published in the Georgian Bay Today thanks to his first post!

I opened the mailbox this afternoon, snatched up the pile of goodies and spotted the newspaper immediately. There was Mike's article on the first page of the paper! I bolted home and made him read it to me... that just seems like the right thing to do once you've been published, a public (even if the audience is only one) reading. How cool is this?


We were both thrilled to find that the article continued beyond the first page and better yet, it took up an entire additional page!
Mike was planning to head to Blue Mountain tomorrow to hit the trails, how perfect is it that his article on Blue arrived in the mail the day before he heads there?

Getaway

After receiving some terribly sad news last week (which I will share with you at a later date) Mike suggested we get away for the weekend. He swept me off my feet and took me to Niagara Falls for a two night escape; it was wonderful.

We stayed at the Marriott and when we walked through the doorway into our room we sighed "WOW" in unison: the view was spectacular! When they say "Fallsview Room" they mean fallsview.

Yes that's a shot taken from the floor to ceiling window in our room; breathtaking isn't it? Here's another from our window:


The weekend was ultra relaxing, we ate, slept, laughed, relaxed in the whirlpool, ate, enjoyed the view, ate, wandered the cheesy streets, laughed, ate and snapped a zillion pictures of the view from our room.




The Maid of the Mist is the boat shown below, we didn't hop on for the tour this year but one day we will!

I'm posting more pictures than is probably polite in the land of blogging but I like to go against the grain... so there.

This shot makes me laugh, read the sign carefully and then look at the surroundings. Something tells me that the WWF and the Rainforest Cafe might not be an 'authentic' part of Niagara Falls


Mike and I were talking about how badly we want to visit Egypt about 20 minutes before we stumbled upon this Pharaoh. With only a little prodding from me Mike hopped up on his lap for a pic; I should have taken a picture of the looks on the faces of the people around us. Hilarious!
No the picture isn't supposed to be rotated, this is the top of the Museum. I remember visiting the Ripley's museum when I was a kid but I don't think King Kong was on the roof then.

I love this one!

I was a bit disappointed to find out that what I thought was an old school Ferris wheel was actually the new and 'improved' version where you sit in a pod. Rather than taking a ride I took a picture.

After taking a nap Saturday evening I hopped out of bed to grab my book and what to my wondering eyes did appear? A rainbow!! This is my favourite shot of the weekend.

A mega-big thanks to my fabulous husband for a great escape weekend! It was a wonderful break from reality.

My Current Stash

Russian Dolls

Retro Pink Flowers

Red and Black funk

Mini rainbows in navy (see a Charming Handbag made with this fabric here)

Sushi
Pink background with brown swirls (will post a better pic later - this shot does not do this pattern justice)

Dripping dots - brown background with pink and silver dots (see a great little tote made with this fabric here)

Buttons

Pink dots on green (see a little bits bag made with this fabric here)

Oh so orange (see a little bits bag made with this fabric here)

Batik design (see a Fab Clutch made from this fabric here)

Black leaves (for a pic truer to the fabric's colour and to see a hobo style bag made with this fabric click here)

Tiny stars (see a little bits bag made with this fabric here)

Dark brown background with blue swirls

Soft blue with white design (see a little bits bag made with this fabric here)

Spilled Yellow (see a Fab Clutch lined with this fabric here)

Tiny pink flower

Samsquanch

Sam who? Samsquanch.

Have I piqued your interest? Check out my husbands blog to find out what the heck a Samsquanch is and to learn a bit about his two greatest loves: electronic music & mountain biking. He has even posted links to some of his freaking awesome tracks here near the end of the post. Not only is my husband smart, funny, handsome and athletic, he has some serious talent in the music department.

Oh and his first post caught the attention of the editor of a newspaper up in Georgian Bay; since then he has written an article based on the post and it's going to be published! Very cool!

14 Million Dollars!!

My brother-in-law Paul participated in an amazing fundraiser this past weekend: The Ride to Conquer Cancer. Participants rode 200 km (124.27 miles for my friends from the USA) on their bicycles in just two days!

Although tired and sore from his journey Paul crossed the finish line with an ear to ear smile plastered on his face. Seeing him and hundreds of other participants (2850 in total) cross that line was really an amazing feeling. It might sound cheesy but there was a real feeling of hope in the air. Although there were many seasoned cyclists taking part in the ride the majority of the participants were average Joes: people of all shapes, sizes and ages. Unbelievable... 200 km!

This was the first year the fundraiser took place and a jaw dropping total of 14 million dollars was raised for The Princess Margaret - one of the 5 leading cancer research hospitals in the world - the money will go directly to the highest cancer research priorities! 14 MILLION DOLLARS!! That just blows my mind.

Kudos to you Paul! I am in awe of you and your accomplishment, congratulations!

Happy Father's Day!!

My dad is the best dad on earth. Seriously.

I love him more than words could ever express. He is a wonderful one-of-a-kind man who I am proud to call not only my father but my friend.

I love you dad!! Happy Father's Day!!