The Marti Bag

I have made four of these bags so far and the owners love them! I have named it The Marti Bag because I made it for my sister in law Marti first! This is the style of purse that I am currently carrying also and I think this is the best size for me. Not too big, not too small. Lots of pockets and an adjustable strap. The dimensions are 13" H x 16" W.

Here are the photos of three of the bags:

This one has two shorter straps and a boxed bottom:

The vast array of pockets (those are two pen holders there on the far right) and key holder:

The inside zippered pocket and magnetic snap:

My Sewing Room

Here are some photos of my sewing room, in case you are interested! The color is Fame Orange from Sherwin Williams. It's much brighter in person!

My table with my machines: embroidery, serger, regular machine. Nothing fancy at all.

All my stuff. Scrapbook albums, fabric, sewing project queue, scraps, buttons. Everything.

Embroidery Thread & All Purpose Thread

My vintage sewing box that my husband scored on eBay when we were just dating.

My cutting table/desk.

My son, Kendall, at his desk doing his math classwork. This is where we homeschool.

Another view of the cutting table/desk and the machine table.

Hexagon Quilt by My Great Great Aunt Ada

My Great Great Aunt Ada lives on a farm in Michigan. She quilts. By hand. Yes, you read that correctly. BY HAND, people! Here are some photos of the quilt she made for my sister-in-law Marti. It's all hexagons, even the sashing. I can't even imagine how long it took her to piece this quilt with her 94-year-old hands.

New Etsy Embroidery Supplies Shop!

I've looked on Etsy before to purchase supplies to use with my embroidery machine and the only thing I found was random people unloading what they didn't want out of their personal stash. Hello opportunity! I immediately reserved the username Embroiderysupply!

It has taken me several weeks to photograph the threads and get them ready to list. Who knew that editing colors to get them just right would be so time consuming?

Anyway, the shop is up! Click here: EmbroiderySupply on Etsy.

Here's what I have in stock (even if it's not listed yet on the site):
Sulky 40-weight Rayon thread, 1100 yard mini king cone, $4.80 (retails for $9.50)--color card here
Polyester 40-weight thread, 1100 yard mini king cone, $5.50 (retails for $10)--color card here
23" wide by the yard 1.8 oz (med. weight) tearaway stabilizer, $1.5/yard (retails for $2/yard)
10" wide by the yard Solvy (the stuff you put on top of towels, etc. when you embroider, $1.10/yard (retails for $2.75/yard)
7"x7" Solvy die cuts, $2.75 per set of 30 (these are not available in retail stores that I know of)

You can email me at aprilforshee{at}gmail{dot}com if you need anything or you can buy through Etsy!

Marti's Birthday Purse

My brother's wife loves presents! She loves any presents for any reason, anytime. Her birthday is on July 4 and she did not hesitate to put her order in early (I think she asked for it in February or March) for a purse for her birthday gift. She said she wanted a summer print with an adjustable strap. Done. When we got to her house this past Monday, she met me in the driveway and I couldn't wait to give this purse to her! I made her open it in the driveway! She loved it!

I failed to take photos of the inside, but it is lined in the color called Ash from Kona and is interlined with fleece interfacing as well as a layer of heavy duty stabilizer. It has a zippered pocket on one side and multiple other pockets on the other side. I included a lobster clasp also for her keys. It closes with a magnetic snap. You, too, can have one of these for $55 plus tax & shipping!

Custom Laptop Bag in Amy Butler Fabric

I made this bag for my sister-in-law's birthday and am extremely happy with the result. It's incredibly beautiful and sturdy. I even bought my first even feed walking foot so that I could somewhat quilt certain sections of the bag. It's not traditionally quilted, but I needed the extra stitches to hold the bag together nicely. I didn't realize how much thread I would use while doing this...I ran out twice! Next time, I will get 3 spools of thread instead of 1!!!

The bag has a large zippered section on the outside back of the bag, two pockets on the outside front (under the flap) and two pockets on the inside. It has a flap that has two magnetic snaps to keep the bag closed. It also has an adjustable strap which is nylon webbing covered with fabric. The entire thing has a layer of fleece interfacing as well as heavy duty stabilizer.

The fabric is from Amy Butler, one of my favorite designers. Did you know that Amy Butler has decorator solids also? Well, I used some of the Leaf color!

I am excited to share the photos with everyone as I believe that this might be the best thing I've ever made. The only thing I would change is that I would not line up both sets of interior pockets together as it creates way too many layers of fabric/fleece/stabilizer and was really difficult to sew through. Yep, I broke two needles.