Cassette Laptop Case

Since I got my macbook air in July I have been meaning to make a case for it.  One reason I got it was to use it during my trip to Australia so I didn't have to lug around my giant macbook pro.  As things happen I never got to make a case for it because I was super busy (as usual) and I had to shamefully buy a boring neoprene one from the apple store.

So now that I am caught up with most of the short term projects I had planned it was time to get back on top of this one.  I spend a lot of time on etsy and in that time I've seen a ton of those money holders or iPad cases that look like cassettes.  They're usually pretty awesome and also usually made of felt.  Felt is a nice fabric to use because it is super easy to sew with.  Everything else about felt sucks.  It doesn't hold up well, it won't look the same after it gets dirty or after you wash it.  And then there is the dreaded pilling.  I decided to steer clear of that disaster and turned to the next best thing, vinyl.  Turns out vinyl is just the opposite of felt, its evil cousin.  Vinyl is easy to clean and doesn't fray but it is a DISASTER to work with. All of the stretching and pulling that happens when the feed dogs go at it is not quite on the fun list.  Considering, I think it turned out pretty well.  Here's a little inside info on my project:

First I measured my computer and added seam allowance.  Then I made a muslin pattern for how everything would fit together and what shapes I wanted to use.

After cutting all the pieces, sewing, ripping out, resewing, repeat I finally ended up with this.  You're lucky that I didn't make you sit through all of that.

 I sewed the back on, hemmed the top, and VOILA!!!

A perfect fit!

Just in time for my travels to Philly next weekend for the Holiday Art Star Craft Bazaar Nov 19 + 20 at the 23rd Street Armory.  If you're in the Philly area come check it out, I'm gonna have some sweet new swag that I might or might not be posting about next week. :-)

Squiggle Bandana

Trying out some new accessories in the shop while I'm working on the new awesome website.  Soon to be filled with new awesome tees you'll want to get your hands on.  For now, enjoy this awesome Squiggle bandana now available in the etsy store.  

Logo Redesign

I started this blog in 2009 and much has changed since then.  Hopefully my design sensibility at least a little bit (for the better of course).  While my old logo (below) was fun and cute it felt like it was lacking something and I was also getting tired of looking at it.  And so it was time for something new!!  First I thought that I would just make a 'hand crafted' version of it in felt just so it would be something new to look at (and something to blog about of course!) I worked on it a little but ended up putting it off for a few months and in the process it got tucked away in my closet somewhere.  By the time I had time to get back to it I wasn't feeling it anymore and went for a whole new thing.

Original Logo

Sewn Felt Logo

Sewn Felt Logo Close-Up

I wanted to do something with an awesome color polo with a zipper pocket so I did a zipper illustration but when you zoom out enough to get the shirt in, you lose all the detail in the zipper which is lame.

And if you zoom too far in you can't tell what you're looking at (even though the colors look so rad).

I decided to ditch the shirt idea and just focus on the details in the zipper illustration even though I drew the zipper to look like it's a pocket sewn into a shirt.  I still think it translates well because it looks like it's sewn onto the blog page, maybe?  I tried it in red which is fun because it kind of looks like lips and adds to the 'teeth' pun but I ended up deciding on the blueish one.  I hope you agree and you like it better than the old logo which you do because it's so much better.

Crazy Cool Button Down

This fun shirt is the result of a commissioned project.  My friend needed a totally rad bday present for his buddy.  This friend of mine, Rostislav Roznoshchik also happens to do some sweet layered patterning work just like the one featured on the shirt below.  So I can't take the cred for the print but the classy construction was all me.  Over some tasty lunch we figured out how to make his patterns on paper into fabric so I could make a swanky bday gift for his bud.  And although my month-long trip to Australia got in the way, I still closed the case on this shirt... eventually.  My new lady mannequin is the model for this winner but the shirt is actually a men's XL.  The shirt will be more at home when it's on a bod with less boobage and more man shoulder action.

Please don't be mad that the pattern doesn't match up, just pretend I planned it and it ads to the mismatched nature of the finished garment.

Fancy Collar Close-Up

Cheeseburger Backpack

I've really done it this time.  Cheeseburger Backpack.  I've combined the two most useful objects in the world.  Cheeseburgers for eating and backpacks for carrying all of your cheeseburgers, obviously.  The though of it was dreamed up by a boy who came to visit my booth at Renegade Chicago in September.  His mom wanted to buy custom backpacks for him and his sister (since I had sold out of everything by that point).  So I showed them all of the pattern fabrics I had and then he pointed at my cheeseburger pillow and exclaimed, "I WANT A CHEESEBURGER BACKPACK!"  And I told him it had never been done before but I was willing to embark on a cheeseburger journey for him.  I guess that pretty much sold it and I'm so glad cause look how awesome it is.  His sister chose 3D glasses which is funny because that's the only other fabric I hadn't made a backpack out of yet.  BEHOLD THE FRESHLY SEWN CHEESEBURGER BAG...

Don't ask me how I got these pieces to match up because I'm not actually sure myself.

The sister's awesome 3D glasses backpack!

Since I was in Australia while they were waiting for their bags to get made I felt bad so I threw in these awesome matching pouches for them (with some super awesome secret stickers inside).  I really love how on the cheeseburger pouch you can hardly see the zipper it just blends in with the mustard on the burger. Zipper burger anyone?

I am also stoked to announce that I really really won't be making any more of these backpacks (really this time).  There's a time and a place for every bag and this backpack style is past its prime.  It needs to move aside for the new, the awesome, the improved.  Honestly I'm just really tired of making this backpack style.  Stay tuned.

Melbourne Graffiti

Boy it sure is hard to blog when you're in another country out and about all day every day.  I wanted to give you all a flavor of some of the Graffiti Art in Melbourne that I came across.  Melbourne is a pretty cool city that feels British and Asian at the same time.  Around one of the places we were walking we came upon a graffiti school tucked away in a side street.  Apparently the city lets the students practice on specified surrounding alleyways.  Here are some of the ones that caught my eye, enjoy!!

Awesome Camera Strap

With a trip to Australia coming up I knew I would have my camera with me every day but I didn't want to have to carry it all the time since it would probably slip out of my hand, bang against something, get dropped in the water... some disaster that would be the end of my camera.  Like all new cameras, my camera came with a super lame strap to put on it with the Canon logo quite huge and obnoxious (and ugly).  This would not do for me, so I made my own with my Summer Melt fabric. 

The fabric is backed with a thick 1 1/2" webbing and topped off on both sides with the new iron on patches I got for my new wallets which will soon be available in a super awesome sticker pack.

It's super comfortable to wear over one shoulder like a messenger, check it out!