Sewing: Embroidered turquoise corduroy jacket

I'd had this jacket for a while, but never wore it because it didn't really fit right. To fix the fit, I took it in at the waist and added the eyelets and lacing on the back. Then I removed one pocket and embroidered the ship in that space, and added some decorative bits to the other pocket (hanging from one half of a metal clasp). Since I took these pictures I swapped the buttons for silver ones with anchors on them to fit with the nautical theme (still looking for a home for those pretty tree buttons).

Sewing: Denim purse with embroidery

I based this bag on the Burda 8305 pattern (view E), but shortened it, reduced the curve of the zipper, and did the strap a different way. And added lots of pockets! The turquoise pinstripes were sewed on, not part of the fabric. It's a bit wrinkled in these photos because I had to run it through the washer and dryer, but it survived that pretty well considering.


Awesome whale tail zipper pull, a gift from friends.


Inner pockets. The zipper pockets (inner and outer) were based on this great tutorial.


At the last minute I decided to add a cell phone pocket (sewed on by hand)


I found the inspiration for the embroidery pattern in a google image search for "arabesque"