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Stripes or solids?
It’s the cutest thing, really.
When I come home laden with grocery bags, fabric store finds, or random odds and ends from Target, I’m often greeted by a playful, excited, and half-serious line of questioning when I settle in: “Did you buy anything for *me*??” When Ryan’s in a more entitled mood, he asks casually, “So, what did you get me?”
Sometimes I’m able to reveal things that I know he likes and that I bought just for him (favorite coffee, some cookies, or even the highly-coveted roll-neck sweater of his dreams), but most of the time he asks because he knows that I came home without anything with his name on it and he’s chiding me.
Occasionally I’m the audience to a similar line of questioning that takes place in my craft room – “So, will you make *me* a ____?” And of course, I can’t refuse. He deserves item after item of his dreams for being so patient and kind, and for putting up with my cursing at my sewing machine during particularly trying (and needle-breaking) tasks when he’s trying to quietly watch his 16th episode of Law and Order that day. (You don’t want to get in between him and his Jack McCoy fix. It gets ugly.) This is how he landed upon a serious stash of cute zippered pouches to call his own, for instance.
So anyway, his most recent request was for a bag of his very own. I suppose when you live with someone who’s always making bags for other people, Bag Envy becomes inevitable. Of course, I agreed, and he walked me through his vision. It would be corduroy. And not too small, and definitely not square. And it would be very cute, but not in an unmanly way. It would have pockets and rustic brass pieces to it. Maybe someday it would hold his beloved Apple laptop (with a matching corduroy sleeve). Anyway, this led to some recent joint design sessions, brainstorming, and mapping out a plan.
Not long after hearing his vision, I happened to be at a store, resupplying myself with the ever-necessary interfacing and some other basics, when I came across these:
(It’s also where I got the little swivel clasp thingies in the picture at the top!)
Not long after that, we ventured to the fabric store together (his idea, no less!!) It was here that I became intensely aware of my husband’s love of stripes. It turns out that he likes them all: thick, thin, multicolor, dark, or light, all stripes appeared tantalizing and attractive and just perfect for the interior of the bag.
After a good half hour of browsing the maze-like enormity of this store, coveting one after another striped fabric, he turned to me and said “How do you not buy EVERYTHING?” After my heart finished melting into one big puddle of mush and I was able to wipe away the joyful tear from my eye, I told him that I most certainly would in the future if that’s what he wanted. It would be no trouble at all.
This is the fabric combo he ended up with:
I think he’s got classic taste, and it will make a lovely messenger bag for day-to-day dragging onto the train, tossing into the car, and most of all, carrying all those zippered pouches around.
Posted by robyn on January 30th, 2008 under crafts, sewing3 Responses to “Stripes or solids?”
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I'm Robyn. Thanks for stopping by! This is my craft blog.
Contact me at robyn [at] dognamedbanjo [dot] com.
January 30th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Oh, that man is a keeper. I don’t get the same kind of reaction to fabric from my guy. He usually says things more along the lines of “whatever happened to not buying more than what will fit in the box?” Party pooper. LOL!
February 1st, 2008 at 11:32 am
Ryan ‘n Robyn 4ever! This is the cutest post and totally made me feel warm and fuzzy.
February 3rd, 2008 at 11:25 am
Ditto. Can’t wait to see the manly bag!