Bags, Purses, Pettiskirts and My Friend Trish

I have gotten past the “first blog post” and in writing it all out I found the trip down memory lane quite fun. I found myself going through pictures of all the projects I’ve done over the last years and feeling a bit nostalgic. I’d almost forgotten how many purses and bags I have made. So before I head on to things more current in my sewing journey I’m going to step back in time just one more time.

First, I need to introduce you to my friend, Trish. Not many of my sewing stories (or any other stories, really) will go by without mentioning her name. In fact, I started writing a different post and realized that I was going to have to explain who she is a lot, why not just get that introduction out of the way first? And guess what! It’s her birthday today! The timing couldn’t be better.

I moved into town 8 1/2 yrs ago on a Saturday in November. The very next Sunday I set up a table at the annual Bazaar. Nothing like jumping right in and getting to know people! I specifically remember 3 girls (women) walking past my table with those skeptical faces like “Who’s she?” I can still remember it almost exactly. Funny. Funnier when I walked into church the next Sunday and there they all were! The Skeptical God Squad. HAHA Just kidding. I don’t really call them that. Within a short time these three became my peeps and Trish was one of them. So here’s a picture of Trish. She’s taken up paparazzi photo shoots and this is her assuming no one can see her in that tree. Or maybe she’s hiding on her 5 kids. Hey! Don’t judge her! Moms of 2 want to hide, never mind moms of 5! And this is a step up from sitting in the tub with the shower curtains drawn and the lights off hoping no one will notice. I mean, if she ever did that sort of thing….. which she might have….. once… or not…

Actually, she and I have added photography to our list of things we think we need to be good at. Cuz the pressure to be the perfect parent isn’t a hard enough challenge to meet each morning. You can now find us out in random places taking pictures of things in attempts to make it look like art. And we swear we did not see that NO TRESPASSING sign till we were back in the car leaving!! I promise. We’ve learned that there are, apparently, 7 levels of photography that we can aspire to……. And we have a long ways to go. A little grace for our learning curves is always appreciated.

For reals, Trish is my sewing partner in crime. I don’t even remember what exactly was the one thing that got us going, but we have been sewing together for just over 6 years now. We are horrible/really good at sending each other links to new patterns and fabrics that we then just “have” to buy. We justify it by sharing shipping. And that does help. If we need a different set of eyes on what we’re doing we know where to go and we’ve helped each other through a few projects where we’ve hit that creative wall. I don’t gush, but I do feel pretty blessed to have someone just down the street who loves sewing as much as I do. I read from a lot of people that it’s not always the case. I get to have both a great online sewing group of friends and “in real life” sewing friends.

I also need to mention that Trish has started blogging about our upcoming summer adventures. Jokes have been made about whether or not our sewing machines will come along. Erick (my husband for those that didn’t know that) rolled his eyes and made some wisecrack about me setting up a space in the back of the SUV. He then imitated what he figures I would look like. I can’t describe it, but picture it for yourself. You’re probably pretty close. He enjoys making fun of me. Anyway, sewing machines will stay home. I have other crafts to bring along.

I call this upcoming adventure Epic Road Trip 2017. Definitely go check it out here. Our two families have recently purchased new camping trailers and we are heading out on a 5 week/10,000km road trip this summer. One of these days I’m going to write a post over on her site and it’s going to go something like this. “Two trailers, two families, 5 weeks, 5 baseball stadiums, 7 kids, 7 provinces, 13 states (that might change), 10,000+ kms and zero experience.” No matter what happens, it’s going to be epic and those who love camping might like to follow us on our journeys over with Trish.

We love Paint Lake Provincial Park

So here’s a bit of what we used to spend our sewing energy on back in the day. Lots of bags and purses. I have quite the collection of Amy Butler patterns and many memories of sewing through layers and layers of heavy duty stabilizers. Oh, the injuries that come with that! I think I’ve made enough though. Someday I might tackle another bag, but for now I’m moving on.

Pettiskirts! I keep track of my sewing projects I do for others in a trusty little notebook. It says I’ve made at least a dozen pettiskirts which is most definitely the most I’ve ever repeated a pattern. I can’t even begin to figure out how many yards of ruffles I have ruffled. But, really, how cute! I loved seeing all the little girls in town wearing their skirts. My trusty ruffler still comes out once in awhile, but for other purposes now.

I’ll leave you with a collection of pictures of projects I did during our first years of sewing together. Most I still think are great, but there are definitely a few “What was I thinking?” moments.

And those who know me or have been following my IG lately will know that I will take any excuse to make a cheesecake! So what better excuse than Trish’s birthday! Bailey’s cheesecake is finished and looking tasty! A picture WILL show up somewhere.