Crazy Days.....

This fall just seems to be flying by, I can't believe it is almost Thanksgiving. You know what follows that.
I just wanted everyone to know that my website is currently under construction. I have decided to go with another web host and will be revamping my site.
I will post when it is back up and running.

Happy that time a year again.

I am having so much fun making these great trick or treat bags.
I know they will hold lots of yummy treats and your kids will get many years of good use out of them and even keep them to pass down to their kids.

Calling all quilters.

Okay ladies, I need some advice.
I am getting ready to send another Iron to the old Iron grave yard.
I would love to hear what your favorite Iron is and why.
Thanks in advance.
Fran

All's I can say is Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Kate Spain !!!!

I have been waiting for months to get my hands on Fandango, a wonderful new line of fabric from Kate Spain for Moda.
Not only is this fabric beautiful to look at but it has such a nice feel to it, like butter !!!!!
I had to pace myself so I purchased a few pieces but OMG, I can't wait to go back and get more.
These pieces are going to make gorgeous Purses, Book Bags, Diaper Bags. Hmmm, I need a new Purse !!
This first group is beautiful shades of Tiffany Blue, Greens and Creme. My pictures really don't do it justice. Really the green is a soft dreamy color and it just doesn't show up that way.

The next group is a bright fun Orange, with big beautiful flowers in shades of Peach, and the leaves are that yummy Tiffany Blue surrounded by that dreamy Green.

Last but certainly not the last I buy, he he, is that dreamy Green with Tiffany Blue and Creme, and the accent piece is like the most beautiful Spanish tile you have ever seen, oh boy, am I over the top on this fabric or what????

Finally some new fabric !!!

I finally got around to taking some pictures of new fabric I bought for either a Purse, Book bag or Diaper bag.
I am posting here first, mainly because it is such a pain to post on my website.
This first group is bright and cheery fabric with great shades of Yellow, Black, Gray and White. I love the accent fabric that fades from Black to Gray. The main fabric and Gray accent fabric is a line called Eclipse.

This next fabric I have used before but found  a different accent fabric.

These bright cheery fabrics are by Michael Miller. Fun shades of Black, Lime Green, Peach Red and Tiffany Blue.

Next is a line called Meadowsweet by Sandi Henderson for Michael Miller

I just love the shades of Pink, Orange, Peach, Creme, and a punch of Brown.

Okay, fell in love with this fabric, so much so I bought it with out a accent piece to go with it.    Oh look, another line by Michael Miller, see a pattern forming? The background on this fabric is a deep Brown, with bright flowers in Pink and Blues and Greens. Love it !!

What's that saying about the shoe makers kids???

Well, I finally got my daughter's book bag done. So it was a week after school started, you know the shoe makers kids.
Every year before school starts Amanda and I go shopping for fabric to make her school bag. Amanda always picks her fabrics and knows exactly where and how she wants them.
This year she decided she didn't want a tote, she was ready for a book bag. She picked a great line of fabric called Sanibel by Heather Mulder Peterson for Henry Glass.
It is such a bright and cheery fabric, much like Amanda.
I love the shades of deep peach, yellow, greens and blues.

Don't you agree, it matches her personality.

What a fun Book Bag and Matching Pencil case

What a great color combo !
I love working with great fabric and these amazing colors.
Go figure,  it's called Belle by Amy Butler.
Don't you just love the great dots by Micheal Miller, my daughter Amanda picked the dots to go with Belle. She has a great eye for color, wonder where she gets that???
I think the pencil case is a great accessory, this customer is going to school in style this year.

Wow, have I been bad about posting !!!

Sorry for such a long stretch between post, life is just been crazy.  I have been busy as well.
I made and sent a beautiful Bella Blossom off to Tuscon last week only to have it get lost in the mail. I can't believe after all this time and over  hundreds of purses and bags mailed out that one got lost in the mix.
Thank goodness I have  plenty of the  fabric, it was the original Chez Moi from Moda and I fell in love with it so I bought a bunch.
Here is a picture of the original, so if you see anyone walking around in Tucson JUMP THEM !!!!! Just kidding.

I also made this custom Book/Brief case.  My customers business color is Red, so the entire bag was made in Red Dimples. Her business has a diamond as it's logo so I made it out of the Swarovski crystals. I was so pleased with the way it turned out. Forgive the picture, you can still see the chalk lines I used to guide me with my diamond shape.

This one has several custom pockets on the inside and was just what she had wanted. Off to make a few more custom bags, promise I will be back to post soon.

Great Response to my Products.

Just wanted to "Thank" all my fellow Women of Faith in Business members. I had my 15 minute showcase today and had a wonderful response and a great show of support for my Sew Bella business.
I will be updating my website in the next few days with my new purse and all my Bella Totes.
So if you get a chance check it out.
http://www.sewbella.net/
Thanks again for all you wonderful comments and support.

Customer Quilt

Just finished this quilt for a customer.
Normally I just do the quilting  for customers, but this
 one I did from start to finish.

I cut, pieced, and quilted this Brown Bear quilt.

The picture  is what it looked like before I loaded it onto my long arm quilting machine.

Below is how it looked after I quilted it. I wish I had gotten a closer shot of the quilting. I used a variegated thread and fun quilting pattern called Popcorn.

Diaper Bags/Book Bags

I just love, love, these bags.

This one was a custom order, she didn't want any crystals on her Diaper Bag, so I had to step away from my love of bling and leave my crystals home.
But no fear, I will be blinging again shortly.

These bags have been used as Diaper Bags, Book Bags, Camera Bags, Craft Bags and the list goes on.

These bags below are all available for purchase.

Don't  you just love these  fabrics???

Free Spirit, Amy Butler, Micheal Miller, what's not to love?

Wow, I can't believe it has been almost a month since my last post !!!

I must confess, I have has a little trouble juggling school being out, my son moving home and watching my sister's two young kids for a few days. I just haven't had the time or motivation to get anything done.

I finally got my mojo back and have been busy sewing again. Boy have I missed it!

So here it is at last !!!!!

One of my new designs. 

 This was a lot of fun to make and I love the way it turned out.

It doesn't have as much bling as my other purses but you know I will find a way to add more.

The flower is made from  felt and is a soft yellow color. The center of the flower is an antique inspired button with crystals.

The fabric I used is a Amy Butler that has been in my stash for a while. I have always loved it and was waiting for that special project to use it. Can't wait to get into my fabric stash and make more. Look for future blooms.

Out of the mouth of babes !!!

The other day, my daughter Amanda said, "Mom you never quilt anymore, all you do is make purses, diaper bags, book bags and totes !"

Well, she is some what right. I spend the majority of my times these day filling orders for my One of a Kind Bags, which I love don't get me wrong. However, my first love is quilting and that is what brought me to where I am now.

So I decided to finish the last quilt my Mom worked on.

 Kinda bittersweet.

She made me promise before she passed away that I would finish her quilt and get it quilted so that it could go on my Dad's bed. She had all the piecing done, all I had to do was put on the borders and quilt it.

It took me almost a year to be able to look at much less work on this quilt. But after Mother's Day the time just seemed right and it is now on my machine getting quilted.
It is going to be beautiful when it is finished.

Don't you just love Amy Butler !!!!

I just love designing with Amy Butler fabric.

Here is just one of the great bags I have made using Amy Butler fabric.

This is a Diaper/Book bag, what a great bag with several pockets on the inside. This bag is so versatile and can be use for so many different functions.

I love the yellow and gray combination.

Custom Diaper Bag

Here is a look at a custom Diaper Bag I did for a customer.

She really wanted the fabric to be something both her and her husband could use. After weeks of searching I found this fabric from Alexander Henry. It has great shades of Black, Gray and White. Perfect for both her and her husband to carry.

She wanted the Diaper Bag to be taller and narrower than my original style, I shortened the strap and put one pocket on the outside and several on the inside.

It really turned out nice.

Mother's Day

I have to say, I had one of the best Mother's Day ever !!!!
I wasn't looking forward to this Mother's Day, it was going to be the first Mother's Day without my Mom. The week prior to Mother's Day I was sad and dreading the day.
However, my amazing family came through once again and gave me the best Mother's Day ever.
It started with my wonderful husband bringing me these gorgeous roses on Saturday.

Then on Sunday morning Jon arrived early and they made my favorite breakfast, blueberry pancakes. They made me stay in bed, and served me on a beautiful tray Amanda decorated.

Next they gave me my gifts, Amanda made two beautiful cards in her scrapbook class and another on in her class at school. They were all very cute.

Then Jon and Amanda gave me a disk of pictures that were taking a few weeks ago by a photographer friend of Jon's.

These are just two of the many great shots taken of my beautiful kids.

After breakfast we took a drive to Barnes and Noble where we got some Starbucks and looked at books and magazines.  The three of us found books we liked.

Then if that wasn't enough, my Dad came over and we ordered Pizza from my new favorite pizza place.

What a great day I had, Thanks to my wonderful family.

The Day has arrived.

I am so excited to announce that Raising Arizona Kids did a great article on One of a Kind Purses and me !!!
They have a section in their online magazine called Mom Entrepreneurs, my sister, Kathy, (PR Manager as I like to call her) wrote them several months ago and told them about me and my business.
They called me a few weeks ago and did a phone interview and last week they sent a photographer out to take pictures.
Of course I was a nervous wreak about the pictures, who like themselves in pictures anyway? Well, after teasing the photographer about using a special lens to hide the wrinkles, gray hairs and pounds, he did a really good job.
Check it out !!!!!

http://www.raisingarizonakids.com/index.php?page=1.other.default

Big shout out to Kate Spain !!!

Before I tell you why I am doing a big shout out to Kate Spain I need to start my story from the beginning.
I started a business back in Sept. of 09, not sure if it was something that was going to take off, so I didn't want to invest a lot of money. A friend talked me into starting a Facebook page for my business, she convinced me that it was free and what would it hurt.
She was right, it was free and easy and a great way to get my product out there.
After several months and quite a few buyers of my One of a Kind Purses, I was told I needed a website. Again, not wanting to spend a lot of money another friend talked me into doing it myself with Go Daddy. Oh sure I cando that, they told me it was sooooo easy. After a week of doing nothing but sitting at the kitchen table trying to set up my web page( worst week ever!) I finally got a web site up and running.
Several months go by and I was doing a boutique with my Purses, I got to talking with the other vendors and they told me I needed to be blogging.
Soooo, here we go again, days trying to set up a cute blog and trying to figure out what goes where and which HTML to cut and paste in which gadget, I started blogging.
My friend told me to start checking out other blogs, see what other ladies are doing and blogging about and to start networking with other bloggers.
Okay, I can do this, there are thousand of us out there doing the same thing right? It shouldn't be that hard, right?
I found lots of my favorite fabric designers and other very talented women and their great blogs, so I started following them. This is where my shout out finally comes into play.
I wrote notes to several of the bloggers, telling them I love their blog, love their work, love their fabric, I even ask advice and questions to these ladies. Can I say not one of them ever responded to my notes or questions. Until Kate !!!!!! I had followed her blog and of course love her fabrics and designs. Last week I was reading her blog where her parents are in New York and are passing a Crate and Barrel, and right there in the front window are plates with Kate's designs. I sent her a note saying Congrats and that I loved Crate and Barrel before but love them even better now that they have Kate Spain. Do you know she sent me a note the same day Thanking me for my note !!!!!!  I could not believe it, I called my husband into the computer room and told him, she replied, she replied. I also told him to be for warned that when Fandango comes out I buying it all.
I hope I haven't bored you with my long story, but I wanted to let other ladies who have  reach out and maybe have been ignored, that there are really nice, thoughtful people out there, and it is so nice a refreshing when someone takes a moment to acknowledge you.
Kate, Thank You !!!!!  You are not only talented and an inspiration to others but you are kind and thoughtful !!!

Construction

I decided it was time to spruce up my blog.
I will be working on it with the help from The Cutest Blog on the Block.
So, I  apologize for the mess, but please check back from time to time to see my caterpillar turn into a beautiful butterfly.

Saw this on Creative Connections Blog

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Eleanor Roosevelt

That says it all, Thank you Eleanor !!!!

Just don't call me the Bag Lady !!!!

I just got done making 29 Eco friendly Bella Totes for the employees at The Bright Horizons Center at Mayo Hospital.
They will be presented to all the employee's tomorrow for Earth Day.
Yes, that is me holding all the bags. I hate the camera but felt I deserved to be the one holding the bags.
I hope to follow up with a picture of all the girls and their bags.

The bag size in this picture is medium.

Bella Totes.

Okay, I know I am slow posting these but life has been a bit crazy. (But Good !!)
I have decided to call my totes Bella Totes, they come in three sizes and many color variations.
I also have The Mommy and Me, which is matching totes for Mother and Daughter, they are usually different sizes.

The small size is about 10" deep by 12" wide.
It is picture below in the Brown, Pink, and Red fabric.
The medium is 14" deep by 16 " wide, and it is the Green, Blue and White one.
The large is 17" deep by about 22 inches wide, it is the Red, Peach and White one featured below.
The bags are very sturdy, and are reversible. The have padded straps for added comfort.
They have been know to carry a lot in them and have been used for many purposes.
My daughter uses hers as her school bag, I have used mine for grocery shopping, traveling, the gym ( yeah right) and the beach. They make great gifts and the teacher just love them.
The small size is $15, medium are $20, and the large are $25.
I have several made in a variety of colors but you can custom your favorite color choices as well.
You can order them by e-mailing me at Fran@Sewbella.net

Spring Boutique

Yesterday I took part in a Spring Boutique at The Potato Barn in Mesa.
It was a very warm day and the crowds were low but it was a perfect time  for me to try out a new display.
Of course it needs a little work but with the help of my wonderful husband, my Dad and my sister, Kath we got it up and looking not half bad.

Check my website out in the next day or so, I have lots of great new Diaper/Book Bags to add and well as a few new purses and some fun fabric choices.

Busy sewing for the big boutique.

My machine is smoking !!!
I have been sewing up a storm getting ready for the Spring Boutique this Saturday, April 17th.
So come on out and see all the great new Purses, Diaper Bags and Bella Totes. I have used some great new fabrics from  Amy Butler, Micheal Miller, Free Spirit,  and of course Moda.
The sale is located at The Potato Barn on Willamsfield Rd. between Recker and Higley.
It's starts at 8 am. and runs till 3:00. I am told there will be 49 vendors.
I will take lots of pictures and post them Sunday for all my out of town friends and family.
I also have been having fun with my new Cricut machine, making banner and signs.
Oh the trouble I get my self into !!!

Having a crafty morning with Amanda.

Amanda I decided it was time for a new Easter Wreath, so this morning, out came the plastic eggs and glue gun.
We had fun placing our eggs on our wreath and added bling as well.

My friend Karen, sent Amanda glitter glue sticks so we had to add a little glitter to our wreath.

Off to Micheal's to get some ribbon.

Diaper Bags and Diaper Wipe Holders

Here are two bright and fun Diaper Bags with matching Diaper Wipes Holders.
I just  can't resist the bright colors. Don't they just make you smile?
I am getting ready for a Boutique that will be on Saturday, April 17th at the Potato Barn in Gilbert. It is located on Willamsfield Rd between Power Rd and Higley.
Hope to see you there.

Spring is in the air.

Oh yes, Spring is in the air and it's time to change out those Winter purses to your Spring ones.

I love that I can go into my studio and have my pick of my One of a Kind Purses to choose from.

I picked this great purse made from this fun and cheery fabric by Heather Bailey. Don't you just  love the colors?

Notice the two different colors of Swarovski Crystals and the vintage Glass Glitter in the shade of Indian Summer. Oh what fun to embellish. One can't have too much sparkle in their life.

I think there is chemical in glitter that is addicting.

Seriously, I have had more fun with this Art Glitter.

I have done cards, clothes, and my purses with Art Glitter, my whole house just sparkles.

Really, there is glitter everywhere, but I love it.

I originally got into the Art Glitter to add more bling to my purses, but after spending an afternoon at the Art Glitter Academy up in Cottonwood AZ., the glittering process has been endless.

Take a look at the old, cut off pair of jeans I jazzed up for my daughter Amanda.

More fun with Art Glitter

I just couldn't wait to share the fun glittering techniques with my daughter Amanda.

We had so much fun today making glitter cards for Card for Cancer. Cards for Cancer is a great program that distributes Get Well cards and Well Wishes Cards to Cancer patients.

Look at all the great cards we made.