My attempt to sew pattern C from Simplicity 4490 was not a rousing success...mostly because I have a problem with following instructions    Oh, and I also used the wrong interfacing material  Here's the link to what started this madness:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=53187.0

Sucker that I am, I was persuaded by Miss_michelle to try again.  This is my attempt on pattern D from Simplicity 4490!

I didn't have time to shop for fabric, but I did find this lovely thing in my fabric stash:



Basically, pattern D is a smaller version of pattern C.  Here's what I came up with:

 

I decided not to do the ribbon ties because I don't have the patience for ribbon ties.  What I did need, was a pocket for the little bits and pieces that get thrown in my purses:



Okay, I'm happier with my 2nd attempt, but the purse still needs a little tweaking before I can use it.  So here's a question for you (that is if you're still reading this!):

Since I decided not to do the ties, the middle portion of the purse tends to flop (even though I used the stiffest non-felt interfacing I could find).  Any suggestions on how to remedy this?!?

Well, I simply adore Miffy!  If you can believe it, Miffy turned 50 this year (yeah, she looks dang good for 50!) and I decided that I had to make myself something to commemorate her birthday.  I started playing with felt scraps and made an applique of Miffy.  Next thing I knew, I made a black corduroy tote for the applique.  Goodgrief.  Anyhow, here's the tote:

     

And a detailed shot of the applique:



Of course, I needed something outrageously funky for the lining to balance the somber black corduroy:



Well, happy 50th, Miffy!  Thanks for all the good memories!

I typically favor dark, neutral colors.  Lately, I seem to be on a limegreen kick.  Yes, I think it's pretty much confirmed that limegreen is my "secret inner color".  For some reason or other, anything that is limegreen makes me happy!  Anyhow, here's the backpack I made this summer to take with me on my daytrips:



Horror of horrors.  Not only have I deviated from my dark, neutral palette, I've also managed to combine the most garish colors I could find at the fabric store    To assuage my conscience, I used a blue dotted fabric for the lining of the backpack:  



This was also the first time I've worked with grommets, and that was an experience in itself.  And last but not least, here's my favorite part of the backpack.  Since this was created strictly by trial and error (no patterns were harmed during the creation of this backpack!), I needed to find a way to secure the opening of the backpack.  My solution: A Button and Loop!  I couldn't find a button that matched the character of the backpack.  Hence, I used two buttons (blue and limegreen) and tacked it on with hot pink thread:

But this one belongs to me!  I've heard of placemat purses and a quick search on this forum showed quite a few awesome ones.  Inspired by everything I've seen...I craved one of my own.  Voila!  Here's mine!



I found the placemat for 99 cents at a local discount store (rhymes with Pig Dots  )  No ribbon handles for me (too flimsy since I'm hard on my purses) - I strung up some beads on heavy duty wire and made my own purse handles.  Here's a close-up on the details of the purse:



I lucked out on my placemat find.  It came with a beaded border (which made my life a whole lot easier!).  And last but not least, a picture of the interior and a cameo appearance by my disgruntled mini schnauzer:

So, there has been tons of discussion about the availability of the yarns. 
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=50755.0 
Though I shouldn't have, I went to my local Target and bought about $25 worth of the fun fur and boucle yarns.  Bad, bad, bad.  I can't resist a good bargain    What is everyone else planning to do with their stash?  Any suggestions on easy/beginner projects for the yarns?

Yay for three-day weekends (read: more time to craft!).  I've been meaning to make a wristlet but the thought of sewing a zipper scares me.  Actually, it still does.  After lots of cussing and bouts of temper tantrums, I finally finished my very first wristlet.  It's far from perfect.  Just as I thought, I had a tough time with the zipper   In retrospect, I probably could've consulted a tutorial (is there one on Craftster?).  Honestly though, I can't follow directions if my life depended on it.



The corners are a smidge off...



Probably shouldn't have tagged it...but I like marking things that belong to me!



I salvaged the clasp/hook from an old lanyard...



View of the wristlet when it is unzipped...kinda weird looking...

Well, that's my first attempt with zippers and I think I might hold off on making another attempt for awhile.  I'm definitely in love with Velcro for now!