It has been a very busy couple of weeks for me. Not only was I finishing up the Ursula & Emily details, like letting my distributors and retailers know about the new pattern, I was writing yet another pattern for the North Carolina Quilt Symposium.

Last fall I was asked to teach at the North Carolina Quilt Symposium which is held the first weekend in June this year. I was thrilled at the opportunity to teach at such a big show. Now, I could have taught any one of my bags at the symposium, but, NO, I had to design a brand new tote bag.

No. problem, I had 9 months to work on it! Well, life has a way of intervening. I had already started on the Ursula & Emily Purse so that was on my plate. I have been sick on and off since November with a nasty cough, (still trying to figure out what that's all about), we had the holidays, travel to CT to see my parents in December, and then travel again to be with my mother when she was back in the hospital again in Feb. I took the month of January to learn Adobe Illustrator graphic program so I could draw better diagrams for my patterns. I had classes scheduled to teach for Ursula & Emily that I had to cancel because I wasn't ready. Can you hear me whining as I write this?

You can stop feeling sorry for me know (as if you were), because I finished writing the new tote which is still unnamed, AND on Friday morning, my husband and I are leaving for a week long cruise on the Caribbean.

Or son, Dan, works on the Carnival Cruise ship "Legend" out of Tampa Bay, Florida. He is the automation technician for the entertainment shows on board. Mike and I are so excited to go, not only do we get to go on a cruise, but we get to see our son.  We haven't seen him since January and only get to talk with him once a week when he is at port in the US. It doesn't hurt that we are getting a great rate, too, because Dan can get us a discount. I will tell you all about it when I return. 

I also have to tell you what great friends Ursula and Kathy are. They have volunteered to test my newest pattern while I am away on my cruise. Now that is above and beyond the call of duty! I promise to bring them a souvenir tee shirt:)

For today, I am posting a few pictures of the Ursula & Emily purses that were made by my students at Bernina World of Sewing in Raleigh. The "real" Ursula was in the class and her picture is below along with my friend Kathy.

Here is my friend, the "real life"  Ursula. Below are 3 pictures of her adorable Ursula Purse showing off a favorite kitty cat fabric. 

 

 

 

This is my friend Kathy with her zipper section as a hat. Sorry, Kathy, but you are adorable!  Below is a picture of her completed Ursula Purse complete with zipper section.

The 4 pictures above are Emily Purses made by my student Nora. She made one in class and one at home and used a corduroy fabric for each of them. Great Job!!

Ursula & Emily Continued

Today is the day! I added Ursula & Emily Purse to my website for sale. It is almost like delivering a baby, not quite as painful, but pretty exciting. I think it took me about 9 months to get it together too!


 I told you a few days ago all about the front of Ursula so now is time for the back. This time with real photographs. The back of Ursula and Emily for that matter, has one large slash pocket all the way across the back of the purse. A perfect place to keep your paperwork and receipts. I am amazed that I can fit everything that I need in this purse. As I mentioned before I usually carry a larger purse, but I think Ursula (my friend) is on to something here liking a small purse. I don't seem to throw extra junk into my purse anymore and I am more organized. Inside the purse there is another zipper pocket with a small patch pocket in front of it. On the other side there is a large patch pocket that can be divided into 2 or 3 smaller pockets. That makes this a small purse with 8-10 total pockets (depending how you divide them)! I think that's very exciting!

Emily, is Ursula's alter ego. In real life my friend will use Emily as the name she gives when she is signing in for a restaurant reservation or leaving her name for a food order, because most everyone knows how to spell Emily, but not as many know how to spell Ursula. As far as the purses go, the only difference between Ursula and Emily is the handle choice. Emily has two shorter handbag handles, while Ursula has one long adjustable one.

If you have read this all the way through, you deserve a prize. If you order Ursula and Emily before May 15th, 2011, I will include 3 free notions, 1 magnetic snap (your choice of color), 1 vinyl pocket and 1 buckle. Here is the catch... since I don't know how to add a special discount code to my website, you will need to type in the comment section at checkout, "FREE NOTIONS", and then tell me what color magnetic snap you would like.
Tell me what you think of Ursula & Emily!