Stalker

In the six months or so that I've been working at Carters, I've seen one of my bags walk through the doors five times. Five times! How cool is that? Twice it was people I knew and the other three times it was complete strangers who either purchased from me via Etsy or at one of the events I used to do. I always go through the same routine. Gather all of my coworkers and whisper and point. They usually seem totally uninterested but that doesn't deter me. I still approach the bag owner, and with a stupid smile on my face I say, "Um, I made your bag". Thus far, no one has gotten scared and run away so I think I'm keeping the stalking at a socially acceptable level. A few weeks ago, a lady came in who had been carrying one of my bags every day for a year. She said it was her favorite bag and she really loved everything about it. Totally made my day.

A few nights ago, a lady came in with a gorgeous handmade bag. That wasn't mine. I casually asked whether she made her bag and she had. I wish I had a picture of it to share. It was really stunning. A beautiful large floral print (that I recognized but can't remember who it is...Kaffe Fassett?) that she free motion quilted with a sort of matching abstract floral design. Definitely a bag that looked handmade but not homemade, if you know what I mean.

We chatted for a bit and I resisted the urge to secretly clock out and go out to dessert and coffee with her (not that she asked me to, but I felt like we could be friends). She was so inspiring. I decided that I would no longer put off trying out free motion quilting on a bag. And that I would attempt to dress as cute as her. She was just as stunning as her bag and I want to look like that. She had on a pink and white polka dot sort of retro looking top with a bright turquoise sweater. She looked like one of the "good" mannequins on "What Not to Wear".

So, in honor of Raye Ann (she commented on my blog so now I know her name!), I did some free motion quilting yesterday and wore three bracelets to work (that's the extent of my dressing up attempt for now). Thanks for the inspiration Raye Ann!

A quilted owl bag with a great zipper closure. I read an online tutorial about doing "zipper surgery" when installing a zipper. After completing this bag, I can verify that you really should be a real surgeon to perform zipper surgery.