Who is the Winner?

Here in the Midwest and probably anywhere in the States the weather is a month ahead of itself. Even the lilacs are beginning to bloom. Its wonderful, but a little disturbing, too. There are weeds we have never seen before spreading over the lawn. Their little seeds must have lain dormant for ages just waiting for the right conditions to sprout. It must be my Iowa roots that keeps me waiting for the inevitable spring snow storm to even the score.

But you have to rejoice when the daffodils come out! They seem to be the most optimistic and refreshing of all the spring flowers. So here they set the scene for some equally enthusiastic little bags. They are made from our Pretty Perfect Pocket Purse pattern and some of the Early Birds fabrics.

The wonderful details show nicely in this photograph. The pocket is lined with the daffodil yellow Curlicue fabric and outlined with mint green rick rack. The long hand stitches add to the one-of-a-kind sensibility.

The top and back panels are decorated with a fancy machine stitch in variegated colored thread. The body is made with the Berry Patch Border fabric in the plum colorway and quilted in a scalloped pattern with top stitching thread.

We chose different quilting stitches for this Pocket Purse variation. I love how the pink rick rack sets off the blue lining. The happy Strawberry Serenade fabric in blueberry makes the body of the purse. Again there is variegated thread to ornament the top and back panels. Both bags have a felt bead as a zipper pull and some fun trim.

On the left we used common ball fringe and for the other we added a row of confetti colored felt beads. Perfect accessories to celebrate spring.

This is another wonderful bag pattern using the Early Birds fabric. Look at all those pockets!!! A lot of thought and engineering has gone into this marvelous Studio Kat design. This looks like the ideal traveling bag, as you can use each unit individually or combine them into a single bag. The green lining also makes it easy to see what's inside. Bravo! It is great to see the fabric put to such good use!

And finally, thanks to all of you who left comments this week. It is encouraging to know you are all out there! The winner of the drawing is lucky Martha Lorshbaugh of New York state. Congratulations!

Jack Frost Arrives

This week we had our first sprinkling of snow and the chill felt blistering. The scarves, hats, gloves and boots were put into service. I had many good work hours in the studio, but it has been hard to adjust to it getting dark so early.

For this weeks "show and tell" I'm keeping with the holiday color theme. Here are two purses made with the Pretty Perfect Pocket Purse pattern. This is the purse design that I use everyday. It's just big enough for everything I need. These are both featuring fabrics from the new Early Birds collection. Above is the Primrose Posy and the Poka Dots, both in the Strawberry colorway accented with yellow rick rack, red ball fringe and felt balls on the zipper pull. Both bags were made by my quilting buddy Juanita Whiting.

The extra little details make all the difference. The primroses have been free-motion quilted and there is hand stitching around the pocket and top band. She has also enhanced the black fabric with a simple, but very effective, machine embroidery stitch done on the "to die for" Bernina 830. The back of the bag is also black and covered with the same embroidery.

This pattern is fun because the front panel is like a little quilt that you can embellish any way you'd like.
This version uses Prairie Poppy with gentle echo quilting with top-stitching thread. The pocket lining is made with the lime Curlicue design. Ball fringe adds to it's optimistic attitude.

This time we chose a hand dyed green cotton for the top band and back. Juanita used a variegated thread for the machine embroidery detail. Again the hand stitches really give this little bag some class. Wonderful workmanship!

So this is your little dash of seasonal color from the Sassaman studio this week. Next week we hope to feature the Christmas tree decorated with a few Early Bird ornaments.

Thank you, too, to everyone who put in your scarf vote over at the Dragon Threads blog. Looks like the Spiderweb design was the big winner.

Back to Basics- Three Days Without POWER!

Oh my, what a week! I had big plans and lots to accomplish, too. So I set out early Monday morning to hit the gym and begin the week energized. A good girl! As soon as I drove off our road and onto the highway the storm began. It was wild! The wind and rain came straight and hard from the west. Leaves were flying through the air. The screaming weather warning came over the radio. But I couldn't turn around for home because the wind was blowing at my back... I would be driving right into the storm.

So I waited out the weather at the gym. Finally things tamed down enough to run a few errands. When I got to Starbucks it was packed. "What's up?" I asked. I was told that all these people were without power. Too bad, I thought, not knowing that our house was without electricity, too.

So for three days we lived like the pioneers. Greg was quite enjoying himself... hauling water and ice, clearing the fridge, collecting flashlights, lighting candles. I'm afraid I wasn't as enthusiastic... no computer, no sewing machine, not to mention the toilet situation. But I will admit it was nice to have a valid excuse to take a little technological break. But everything is up and running now, at least at our house and we're getting back to business. Thank you to all the crews who worked around the clock to make it "light" again!!

So, this blog is brought to you with a little help from my friends. Melissa Peda comes to the rescue again! Here is a pretty little pastel bag made from the Garden Diva fabrics. She has cut the fabric to exploit the symmetrical design. But it is the covered button and closure loop that add the pizazz. It is lined with the same pink fabric as the strap and middle band. Please visit her Etsy shop to see more delightful creations.

This is another of Melissa's recent Garden Diva projects. The kaleidoscope pillow is nicely trimmed with the refreshing green Willow Wand fabric. The simple checked baby quilt is so feminine. Notice the purple backing and the green dotted binding, both from the Sunshine and Shadow line. What a wonderful combination! Thanks, as always, Melissa for your energy and your style.

Hopefully, this week I can start again with that "to do" list!

New Pattern for the New Year

Winter is settling in today. It is delightfully dark and dreary and I suspect we will have out first flakes of snow today. But, as you know, I love this kind of weather, especially if I am in the studio and fondling fabric. One of the first projects of the season has been to write and illustrate this new purse pattern. I call it the Pretty Perfect Pocket Purse and it is the bag that I actually use everyday. I have had so many people admire it, that a pattern was the obvious outcome.

I love this little bag (11" wide and 12.5" tall) because it is just the right size. It holds everything I need and the front pocket is great for all the things you want close to hand, like your keys and your cell phone.
But I like it, too, because it's just FUN! It make people smile and the felt beads are the icing on the cake.

Both of these are made with the new Garden Divas fabric, which will be available in stores this January. But it is perfect for featuring some of that fancy fabric already in your stash. The other fun thing about this pattern is decorating the front pocket to make it personal and unique. On the first bag I quilted it and added she-sha mirrors. On the turquoise bag I quilted it and then added clear sequins and pink French knots. The front pocket is your creative canvas... beads, buttons, ribbons or paint. If you can't find felt beads for the bottom, ball fringe will work just as well.

It takes a lot of concentration to put a pattern into production, so it is a good feeling to see the project come to life. We added it to the Sassaman Store this week, too, for those of you have taken the "handmade pledge" this holiday.