handbag hardships

Call me typical, but I'm a girl who loves handbags. I've been through countless handbags on that long impossible journey to find just the right one. At times, I would buy several new handbags each season, each one falling far short of being "the one." The last couple of years, I decided to go with a more high-end handbag, thinking that maybe a little more cash would buy me that perfect bag; and, while I am convinced that price and quality go hand-in-hand with function, I still am looking for perfection in a handbag. I'm beginning to think that the perfect bag is a fairy tail; I am truly and honestly a realist by God's design.

So. I have been searching high and low- clicking, Googling, scrolling, and then clicking some more- to find the perfect handbag pattern. Who am I kidding? Perfection isn't attainanbe. I finally decided to "just do it" and made a decision. I picked the Emmaline Bag shown here. I have a few tweaks and modifications in mind, but I really think this bag will be great.

I picked up some new fabrics for this project. I'm using Robert Kaufman's Essex Linen in Natural and Robert Kaufman's Metro Circles in Navy for the outer shell. I thought the inside should be just as fabulous since I spend a lot of time looking inside my purse while digging for my keys and lipstick, so I picked a favorite of mine, Lotta Jansdotter's Echo Moira in Orange.

{image via}

{image via}

Quilting Status Update:

Just in case you were wondering, I am in the middle of another quilt. I am nearly finished with it, but it is a commissioned piece that I won't be able to show you for another few weeks. It has been taking up most of my sewing time, so there is a reason for my minimal blogging activity lately. I've got nothing to show!

It is also my month for the Redbird Bee. That means by next weekend, I'll have a lot of work to show you and a bunch of great blocks ready to assemble for my next quilt! I can hardly wait.

I am also still mulling over wether or not I should participate in a challenge this summer that is being put on by the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild. Really, my problem is time. It's summer. There are vacations. The children are home. The pools are open. Oh, and then there's my job. I really hope I can squeeze it in!