Aloha and Welcome Back (to me)

Oh, my goodness! I really must get the hang of this blog thing. Anyhoo, we just returned from a vacation to Hawaii. A big deal vacation for us! Lovely, soothing, nothing to think about except what beach to go to. Ahhh...

But, of course, I couldn't just go there without cranking out a few accessories to making traveling easier. Here's the scoop:

Now that you have to pay extra to check baggage, I (aka cheapskate) only use carry-on. The last time I was on an airplane, I actually took a tape measure with me and measured the space under the seats. I wanted to see just how big of a bag I could wedge under there. Turns out it's a pretty good sized cubby! I know that different airplanes will have varying space, so I made this a few inches smaller than my measurements, just to be on the safe side. It's 16" X 14" X 7".

It's made with a combination of green duck canvas, blue Kona cotton, and a remnant of Amy Butler fabric I had in my stash. I had a lot of fun designing it as I stitched. There's outside pockets all the way around withvelcro tab or magnet closures ( I was experimenting), plus a zipper pocket for extra security. In the back there are straps to hold the bag to the handle of my rolling suitcase, and D-rings on the sides to attach a shoulder strap.

I sandwiched fusible fleece in between the outside fabric and the lining to give it shape, but I still wanted it soft enough to be squished under the seat any which way. There's inside pockets as well, of course. It worked out great on the planes. I'll try to give more details on it's construction in another post.

I also bought a new small camera for the trip. I've been an SLR girl since high school, but I wanted something small and more portable. Of course, it needed a little cozy to keep it safe.

Again, I made the pattern up as I went along, using scraps of linen, calico, felt and such. There's a little pocket inside for spare batteries and memory cards. I got comments from nice strangers when it was hanging around my neck.

BTW, the camera is a Canon G10, and I love it. I can shoot raw images with a small camera- very sweet!

Last, while we were in Hawaii, I went to a nearby WalMart to buy (yet more) sunscreen. On a whim, I asked an employee if they had a fabric department. Well, not only did they stock fabric, but they had two long aisles of hawaiian prints! I would have loved to grab some of every bolt, but in the end, I settled for three simple prints. I'm not sure what I'll make with them, but come on, who can resist a little of the tropics? (Canine model is Sophie, in a rare moment of dignified calm.)