Welcome (or re-welcome) to the Crooked Pocket!

I have been mulling names for my blog and shop over in my head for quite a while now, and "The Crooked Pocket"just seemed fitting.

I have some issues with pockets that I'm working on..either putting them on upside down, on the wrong side of the fabric, or..when I finally think i've got it... it's F#@%ing crooked! And i wont even begin to rant on how much i LOATHE stitch picking...sigh

This is what happens when your only uninterrupted working hours are past 10pm and the only thing on your mind is: "I have to be up in less than 8 hours, because my baby doesn't like to sleep in...". And not being able to drink copious amounts of coffee doesn't help.

Productivity will skyrocket once I squeeze out this baby early November.

Anyways, I finished a bag yesterday that I'm very proud of, and will be finishing another and a few refashion garments to be posted (hopefully) by midnight tonight.

Two new designs that I'm very very excited to share. (I'm holding myself back from keeping it for myself! :] ).

The first (and finished) bag is a new design for my bags. It's a messenger style bag (as opposed to my Vertical hip bag, this one is horizontal) and would make the perfect diaper bag or school bag! When testing it out I packed it full of books, as well as my netbook laptop (although this could fit up to 15" laptop) and it was great!

As always, this bag is made from recycled/re-purposed materials (upholstery and drapery swatches). My bags probably wont be made with vintage belts anymore (at least not the larger bags), so the strap on this one is made from gorgeous green striped drapery fabric.

Anyways, H. is up...

cheers!

-e.

2 new refashions = my new go to pants!

I had these two matching super-stretch cotton sundresses that i got in walmart last year when i was huuuuggggeee and about to pop miss H out at any moment. I also wore these dresses during my labour (and the pictures from my labour/delivery are the only pics of my in the dresses..so you will not see them :P ) During that time, they got so stretched out and saggy in the boob area that i just could not wear either of them anymore...
I also could not find my camera last night to snap a decent pic.. so once again you get shitty LG flip phone quality (post drowning)...

I had pretty much zero motivation to do anything last night. I've been queen of procrastination lately and my energy level is so bipolar that i can hardly keep up. I had the two dresses in hand ready to cut them both into tons of pieces and make black and purple stripey pants of the same style...but like i said.. NO motivation and that just seemed like a ton of work. So I lied the dress down onto the floor, and placed a pair of baggy,wide leg, bolero-y pants over them and cut a chunk out of the middle.
I cut off the straps, left the tie though, and sewed up the inseam and created my new pair of go-to preggo pants. The comfiest mother truckers i have ever put my tushie into.


As for the other dress, I've been dying to make myself a hooded scarf (or scoodie..i really dont like that name though!) lately. So I did, and i love it!!! You can see the bottom of it with the pockets in the pic above.

Its super comfy, and reversible. I used some random fabric that contrasted the purple from my stash.

I wanted to make one for miss H as well, so i grabbed some more fabric from my stash and then had a light bulb go off in my head! So this morning I got to work and started cutting up tshirts and made a new product for my shop! Kids Upcycled T-shirt Hoodie scarves! They will be available at midnight (PST) tonight. They are the perfect addition to my t-shirt re-factory :D

bleck

I've been sick, and so very, very exhausted the past couple days.

My 30 day challenge kind of went on vacation! :S sorry! I promise there will be something posted tonight! :)

I've been working on diapers for miss h. the past couple nights. I need need NEED to find some wool sweaters/or just wool fabric (im thinking wool camping blanket that i can felt) to make covers cause her econobum. and Flip brand covers LEAK so incredibly much now. They were fine for the first 9 months.. then they decided to all die at the same time. yay

I've been working on a couple different ideas with regular old flat diapers. I LOVE these diapers. So versatile, easy to clean, last from birth to potty training... *LITTERALLY* not like "one size" prefolds that no longer work for us. Or the one size covers that we got that busted out after a year. And best of all cheap as all hell and easy to make.

I want to get some RIT dye and some more fabric this week, along with wool and make up a couple sets with my new design ideas, to put up on etsy. Maybe by friday? I've seen a lot of people lately looking for cloth diapers for cheap here in town, I could probably make up a tutorial, or even get together with some people that would like to give them a try and teach them how they work.

Another thing I NEED to have up this week.. i'm thinking more like tonight, are my blackberry picking bags. Have you seen the copious amounts of berries that are coming in this year!? Thanks to the warm and rainy weather we have been having this summer we are gonna be eating blackberries till next year :D So Now is the perfect time to start promoting my bags.

They are made from thrifted t-shirts, and fused plastic bags. The plastic insert is removable so you can wash the bag easliy, and both the insert and the bag itself has eyelet drain holes for any extra water or just that might accumulate while picking!

I really think these bags will be a big hit, especially here, with Blackberry Festival just a month away! (Which also means our 1 year wedding anniversary! <3<3)

I'm not really looking forward to tuesday night - wednesday night cause M is going away for a funeral in the city and I'm spending my first night parenting alone. But, on wednesday I'm actually gonna get to town to thrift around (more t-shirts, wool sweaters, flannel sheets, leather belts, fleece, dye, and some wool roving FOR MY DREADS!!! *can you tell im excited? I've only waited to get them for two months now!* btw this is my mental list of what I need to buy :P) It's going to be a rather long day....

anyways, my legs are going numb so im gonna go do...something...if i can convince my snot-bag self that I have the energy!

-e.

good morning

Baby is still sleeping (Thank jeebus!!) so i havent even gotten out of bed yet :)

Last night was a pretty good night. Hubs and I did a favor for my aunt, then came home and he made a delicious vegan spaghetti, with enough left over for lunch today and another meal into the freezer. While he was working away on that, I made a batch of laundry detergent!

and guess what!?

I even took enough pics to make a tutorial..finally! I know there are tons of tutorials on making this out there, but I'm hoping to write up a pdf download on green/frugal cleaning full of tutorials on making cleaners and other great stuff...plus benefits--on cost, for you and the environment. It's been on the back burner of my to do list for a while now.

So the plans for today are as followed:
-Make coffee; I need my coffee, it's pretty much the only thing that I couldn't give up this (and my last) pregnancy. I cut back... A LOT.. down to 1-2 cups/day and i always keep track of other caffeinated things I indulge in. Hallie came out fine, and I'm able to drink coffee while breastfeeding her so I see it as a benefit for both of us! :) coffee makes for a happy mama...
-make breakfast; this will probably involve peanut butter and banana toast and some cheerios for the wee one. She loves PB :)
-start catching up on laundry; you know since I have 5 months worth of detergent now (i just realized i'm probably going to have my baby before this batch is through!)
-work on my dress refashion
-start editing photos and writing my tutorial
-make a super cute something for miss H. and refashion a super cute something for moi
-When M. is home I have an order to finish.. I can't quite finish it with baby in tow as it involves a lot of hot ironing and she is intrigued by EVERYTHING i do. (Will write a post about her soon to be little sewing area)
-and play with my babes! :)
-probably go for a walk to my gramma's to hang out a bit and call and try to book my 3d ultrasound again.. they didn't answer yesterday and never called me back.. but they told me to call and book my appointment instead of email...at least they responded to my email! >.<

woah... busy day! Sounds good to me.. at least I'm getting a post in before any of this starts! it usually takes me all day!

now to surf the web till my sleeping beauty wakes up so I can be less inclined to waste time during the day...and hopefully my neighbors disgusting smokers cough doesn't wake her!

cheers,
-e.

Etsy!

www.madeby3.etsy.com

the shop itself is still a work in progress, but i've already sold three items within 24 hours of the shop being up! yay!

For now.. at least till the end of summer, the shop will be primarily just a place for reserved orders. Either requests from Facebook, or from this blog; if someone wants something, email me (madeby-e@live.ca) and request your item, then I will post the item on etsy so you can pay, and get a receipt. If you live out of town, shipping will be worked out when you pay.

I'm not quite ready for the shop to be national yet. I have to sell a bit first and start buying some more materials so i can be ready for what ever people want.

I'm so excited about this! finally getting this thing going after talking about it, and working on different ideas for the past year.

I can't wait to open my next shop with all my dresses :D Once my dear Judy is here I'm starting to build all the dresses I have the fabric to make... I just keep putting them off.

Things to come this week:

• Kimono Slippers for mama and babe!
• hand painted, upcycled baby baseball tee
• I have three orders to complete :)
• Hopefully start some dresses as well

Keepin' busy!! :D

love, -e.