First post from The Goose!

Well, it's been a while since I've posted but with good reason. In the past two weeks I have graduated college and moved--yay! It is so wonderful to be finished with school for the semester and to finally be living in The Goose. Since my summer employment is currently in limbo, I've had time to do a lot of things I've been meaning to do for some time: finish up season four of 24, read a book for pleasure, sleep-in, and....sew!

As a disclaimer, I must tell you all that I LOVE messenger bags. They are my favorite kind of purse, so you will probably see many a variation on this style.

Okay, so my friend Courtney has one of the cutest Lucky bags I've ever seen (it's the Abbey Road Crossover bag if you are really interested--yes, I do know the name because I lust over it on eBay every now and then). Anyways, I thought it would be fun to try and do something similar, so I sketched away, cut out a pattern, and went shopping. This is how it all evolved:

I wanted to try my hand at piping, so I bought some rope at Lowe's (15 cents/foot as opposed to about $1.80/yard at JoAnn's) and pinned it all in place. Here is the outer shell:

For the lining, I duplicated the outer shell, adding on some pockets.

I pinned the flap and handle rings (also a Lowe's purchase) in place. Next I pinned the lining onto the shell with the right sides facing each other, leaving a hole in the lining to turn it right side out.

Ta da! I even remembered to sew up the hole in the lining, which tends to slip my mind for some reason.

Lastly, I added on the rest of the strap and some fabric flowers.

It doesn't look very much like it's source of inspiration, but I LOVE how this bag turned out!

My goal is to eventually sell some of my creations on Etsy, so I'm excited to keep experimenting. I will be sure post my future exploits into the crafty craft world.

Oh and if anyone wants more details on steps I posted, let me know. I'm just not patient enough to post uber detailed tutorials :)

First Post!

I've always loved doing artsy craftsy activities, so when my mom bought me a sewing machine for Christmas, I was pretty elated. However, being a college student doesn't leave much time for creative expression, so over a year passed before I even took it out of the box. I decided in December that I needed to take some time to be creative or else I would explode. I decided to design and sew a fray quilt.




I'm not going to lie, it took most of my free time over Christmas break, but I am pretty proud of this quilt, which has since served as the impetus for my (almost) weekly attempts at crafting.

This apron was my first attempt at something clothing related:



This experience was summed up adequately by the following dialogue:

Me: It's only a few pieces, how hard can it be?
(a few minutes later)
Ow! (half-uttered minor expletive)

Carlie: How's that Sewing for Dummies coming?...

The next week, I was a little more creative (note the ruffle at the top--ok so it's nothing wild but I was proud of my little innovation).



I followed these aprons with Valentine's and St. Patty's Day aprons. However, those two were shipped off to my madre without being photographed. I trust readers will not be too torn up about not seeing them as they looked very similar to the previous aprons (except for the holiday fabric)

Carlie decided to commission some projects, so the next apron was a purple polka dot beauty with a tie pocket and a buttoned-on hand towel(these photos don't show the hand towel). I would have to say that this apron has been the best tailored item yet.







I broke the apron streak during General Conference weekend. I have to admit that I dozed for a goodly portion of the morning session, so to keep myself awake I busted out my sewing stuff and put together this messenger bag (while still listening to words of prophetic inspiration of course!) I got the adorable design for the bag from this tutorial:

http://pm-betweenthelines.blogspot.com/2009/11/messenger-bag-tutorial.html

And this is how it turned out:







Even though I'm not the greatest seamstress in the world, I do believe that creating things can bring an added measure of fulfillment to life. Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf has said:

"You might say, 'I’m not the creative type. When I sing, I’m always half a tone above or below the note. I cannot draw a line without a ruler. And the only practical use for my homemade bread is as a paperweight or as a doorstop.'

If that is how you feel, think again, and remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn’t it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? Think about it—your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination.

But to what end were we created? We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy. Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things...

...As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."

I know these words to be true.

This summer, Carlie and I will be moving to a new house that we lovingly refer to as "The Goose." Therefore, I thought it appropriate to name this blog Creations à la Goose as a tribute to the future site of our continued creative endeavors. We hope that you will enjoy seeing the things we enjoy making. Moreover, we hope you will be inspired to find your own ways to create!

Thanks for visiting!

PS You can read the rest of Pres. Uchtdorf's address here:
http://lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/happiness-your-heritage?lang=eng