Negative, Ghost Rider.

As most of you know, JT and I drove to West Palm Beach this past weekend to look at a bus. We had spoken with the owners through email, and felt very strongly that it could be "the bus". However, the pictures of the bus made it look a lot nicer than it was, whether damage had occurred since the pictures, or the pictures simply excluded some of the damaged spots.

 
 

We found the bus in poor condition - mechanically, cosmetically - just not worth the price we had offered to pay. We are very disappointed that the couple wasn't more honest about the shape that it was in, but we are moving forward with our plans.



We have decided that it might be better for us to start with a non-converted bus and do the work ourselves. We learned from this experience that when it comes to converted buses you really can't know the quality of the work that's been done. It's not like a house, which must be built to code. You're trusting a total stranger's ability to do electrical, plumbing, and general building. However, when you do the work yourself, you know the quality of the materials and the work.


Although we spent most of the weekend in the car, and slightly disappointed, we did get to spend some time with JT's grandparents and extended family. We also ate...A LOT. This girl finally got some delicious shrimp and grits!!!

 


As a bonus, I managed to finish Nana's matching travel bags...which she used on our trip :) When she first saw mine she fell in love with the fabric and asked me to buy some for when she decided what she wanted. She ended up choosing a tote bag and a duffle.

This was only my second attempt at a duffle, so they aren't available in my Etsy shop yet. My first one was made using a pattern that I found one sale at Joann's. Let's just say I DO NOT like cutting out all those pesky shapes (I don't sew clothing for a reason...well that and I like straight lines and 2 dimensional objects). 

So for Nana's bag, I decided just to cut squares and rectangles using the measurements in the pattern, but replacing the "round" ends with square ones. This worked much easier and all the measurements came out perfect! The other issue I had with the first pattern was encased seams. I solved the issue on the exterior and interior pockets by using the backing of the pocket to "bind itself". By that I just mean that I leave extra backing along the top edge of the pocket, fold it over, and sew. PRESTO! A self-encased seam. However, this would not work for the seams inside the bag. So for now I'm lazy and just zig-zag stitch the inside seams to prevent bad fraying when the bag is washed. If you have suggestions for an EASY way to encase seams...please share!

If you've been wanting to try out a duffle pattern but have been scared...never fear! If I can do it so can you. We will work out the kinks together ;)

And finally I have made some sincere and somewhat successful attempts at padded handles. Because who likes handles that wrinkle and cut into your shoulder? NO ONE! I have made three sets recently and they turned out alright. Again...if you have suggestions or a good tutorial for this please let me know! For now I'm just using my ruler/rotary cutter to cut batting strips, and then a good 'ole fold, press, and sew method. Oh and Pellon...Pellon everywhere.

Anywho...thanks for reading (or skimming) my long-winded post. Just trying to cover the major points from the past week. Happy Hump Day!

LB