The Revolution Will Be Accessorized

Welcome to Chez Roo, my little corner of the webosphere, where I hope to offer a little bit of colour and creativity, in appreciation for all the beautiful and inspiring blogs that I read every day. I created this blog almost a year ago, but it took a long time to commit to the idea of "blogging" (the "procraftination" byline was not an accident!). I am conflicted about blogging - I am quite shy and the idea of putting yourself out there, especially in a crafty blog where the expectation to be witty and clever and have amazing photography is pretty high, is a little intimidating. However, one of the values I cherish most is community, and being part of a community requires participation - so here I am. I'm sure this is just the first of many charming, eccentric, funny and smart posts, accompanied by gorgeous photos that you will see from me!

Gil Scott Heron may be rolling over in his grave over the title of this post, but he's probably got bigger things to worry about. But it's an hommage, because I recognize my little blog about crafting is somewhat trivial (for heavens sake, I could be blogging about global economic policy, or how a certain multinational corporation contributes to the deaths of babies throughout developing nations and robs American communities of their natural water sources), yet, being able to write about what makes me happy, what inspires me, what keeps me above water in a town that never stops raining, or what keeps me sane while raising three young children with a partner who is often thousands of miles away -- that's not trivial. It's my own little revolution.

And, if I want to accessorize for it, I might need one of these:

This is the 241 Tote pattern from Anna at Noodlehead. Because the pattern includes the license to sell, it's what I am making for the silent auction at my boys' school Spring Fair this year. The pattern was clear and easy to follow, and I'm making two others right now. The only changes I am making to the next two are to put the magnetic closure about 1/2" closer to the top of the bag opening, and to interline with flannel for a little more body. I added hardware for an adjustable strap - I love being able to sling a bag across my body, or wear it over my shoulder - adjustable is the way to go!

I combined the outer pockets and zipper pockets (I believe in pockets) - always good to have extra space to stash revolutionary propaganda, iPhones, or lip balm, whatever. I love the Joel Dewberry birds and faux woodgrain.

And, thanks to a tutorial on VeryKerryBerry, I also managed to put in this handy little key fob:

Okay, so that's not the greatest pic. Photography is something I definitely need to work on.

In the meantime, among all the other piles of promised projects and works-in-progress, my boys are plaintively asking me every day, Mom, when are you going to finish our sackboys?

I don't know who he is, but I know they love him. This is betty doom's free pattern on Ravelry. I hope that he will grow out of this decapitated phase...

Yes, boys. They're on the list.

Thanks for visiting! If you want to leave a comment, that would be lovely!
xo yzo