Creative energy

During the dark months of December and January I find I have no creative juices flowing at all. If Christmas and birthdays didn't occur to give me deadlines, I wouldn't create anything in those months. I'd just read, find new blogs and do the minimum to get us through each day. Each lots of sandwiches and eggs, pasta and potatoes and other no-think meals, do the launddry and make the bed.

There's something about the light in February that gets my creative energy going again.

February light started late last week already. Maybe it began earlier but until our new window was installed I couldn't see it.

Anywho, yesterday I got at the bathroom again (I know - will it never end!?) and clear-coated the hardwood. We're hoping to get some water hooked up this week since we were ready at Christmas already. This is the problem with relying on volunteer help. It's tough to nag when I know there are health things going on and family stuff and our project isn't exactly their top priority. Anyway, the floor now makes me want to move all the living room furniture out and do that floor too, but that's a bit more energy than even February gives me. That's a spring job when I can leave windows open everywhere.

After I did the floor, I allowed myself the rest of the day to sew. This is what resulted.

Yay! A new purse! My striped placemat bag (see this post) is looking pretty ratty and faded, my red wool one has a broken strap (see this post - and I know that the five stitches to fix the handle would have taken no time, but that wasn't what I was in the mood for yesterday) and it was time. I've had this fabric for a while, just waiting for my time and inspiration to hit at the same time.

It's got a long handle to cross my body and an exterior zipped pocket for easy hanky and epi-pen access.

The inside has another zippered pocket for things I don't want the world to see or to have falling all over the purse, a few pen slots and a couple of open pockets. How do Etsy sellers take such good pictures of their bags? It's tough to see any detail in this shot.

And it has a matching wallet! I love this and hope it works well. My last wallet lasted 12 years, but I don't expect that of this scrappy little thing.

The elastic loop is for a big button to close it, but I don't think I'll bother. Once I filled the wallet, the weight makes it nice and stiff and it will be a bother to unbutton it all the time. We'll see. It's there if I need it.

And it has a zippered section for money of the non-plastic variety.

After breaking two needles on the thick upholstery fabric, I realized that you can use a leather/vinyl needle and it goes through the layers like butter (almost). I still can't access my older strong Singer machine because of bathroom tools and stuff, so I've had to use my newer, less manly Janome for this project. It worked just fine once I switched the needle. Always something new to learn.