Here kitty, kitty

As many of you know my soft-hearted husband came home with a kitten last fall. This kitten, named Owl by our son, is very sweet but we do not need another pet. We have been trying to find a home for her since we took her in. Today I received a call from our friend, T, that his sister found someone to take Owl. THANK YOU T!!!

Asian twist on the Cream City Clutch

So...the purse part went well. I sold four purses and have orders for nine more! Wow, now I will be pretty busy sewing the custom purses. I guess I have another excuse to avoid house work :). Here is the first order; for my awesome sister-in-law. This Cream City Clutch is sewn from fabric brought back by my brother and sister-in-law from Thailand. It is so bright and vibrant.

Success!!!

The purse party open house was an overwhelming success! YEAH! Thanks Jeannie! More purses sold. Check Etsy in the coming weeks for pictures of the purses I am going to create.

Long Time

I have been preparing for my up coming "Purse Party Open House" at a friend's house. The open house is on Saturday, May 2nd from 3-6 PM. All are welcome! If you are interested send me an email or comment and I will send the address. I am trying to complete several samples of purses. I've been sewing away and forgotten give updates. Hope to see some of you there for some ladies time, food and drinks.

I am also working on some skirts...I'm not sure if they will go on etsy or be just for me:). Here is a fun picture of Ben from an excursion to to Washington Park.

Mistake?

Mistakes often result in something good. Here is an example. I was going to make another Cream City Clutch with fun Alexander Henry apple and pear fabric while talking on the phone, listening to Ben and cutting some of the fabric. Of course I made a mistake while cutting, so by trying to salvage my mistake I made the purse you see here. It is neat, clean and still has pleat; in fact, I think I like it more than the original! It is lined with fun pink, polka dot fabric and closed with a magnetic snap. I think I will try to get some good photos and list it on etsy soon.

Dinner

Hungarian Goulash was a success for Tuesday dinner! How do I know, you ask? Because the pot was nearly licked clean. Thanks Cooks Illustrated. Here is the link if anyone would like to make it. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?newVideo=y&docid=17641

"She must be Hungarian!"

I am making Hungarian food for dinner tonight. Since we have been talking about Hungarian food all I can think of is "My Fair Lady." After Eliza is at the ball, Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering sing that the man at the ball thinks Eliza is Hungarian! Hopefully some of the pep from"My Fair Lady" will help my attempt to make Hungarian food.

Happy Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEN!

Wallets

One of my friends purchased a purse last week. She asked for a wallet to match. I was a little hesitant to start a new project but now that I started I can't stop! Here are a few of the small, felted wool wallets I've made. It is nice to have something to keep my hands occupied while I sit with my husband watching the amazingly long John Adams series. I might list a couple of them on etsy.

Time Flies

Today is Palm Sunday; three years ago we celebrated Palm Sunday by Ben suddenly making an appearance. Last night we celebrated Ben's three-year-old birthday with the family (a little early). It is hard to believe the bundle of energy we call Ben is almost three! Praise God he is a healthy, happy little guy who brings so much joy to our lives.

Flowers are blooming

Just thought I would try my hand at making felted wool flowers. What do you all think; maybe as a compliment to some of my purses?

New and Improved Etsy

I am in the process of posting my lovely, hand-made purses. Please, come visit my site at http://www.theurbanfabric.etsy.com/ to see my new purses.

Vogue!

"Vogue!" is what my friend A.S. said when I asked her to model my purses. (Thanks A.S.) In the brisk spring wind we took pictures at the lovely Washington Park. This is my latest purse. Check my etsy site (http://www.theurbanfabric.etsy.com/ ) next week for purse listings. I can't wait for music in Washington Park this summer; a blanket, picnic basket, my boys and some music.

Goals

So far the goal of sewing one purse a day is working. Here's "Lavender" in Amy Butler fabrics. The inside is hand batiked blue with a pocket and place to hang keys. Hopefully, I'll sew another purse today.

Three Cuties

Spring is finally here (officailly) in WI. Today it is sunny, but who knows what tomorrow will bring. Small shoots of green are popping through the brown earth. My goal is to sew one purse a day, and I have been drawn into sewing my Cream City Clutches. Here are the three I have made so far. I have been looking at a piece of irridecent silk for the next clutch; stay tuned for a picture when it is finished.

Read All About It!

Just a little bragging...Alex, my husband, just won the Exceptional Achievement Award from the City of Milwaukee! Way to go Honey!

Cream City Clutch

Here is the newest, sleekest, smallest of my purses. It is a clutch that measures 9 inches wide at the top, 10 inches wide at the bottom and is about 7 inches tall. Is is made from upholstery weight fabric and lined with the Asian parasol fabric. This sweet clutch has an interior pocket and a magnetic snap closure. There is plenty of room for night-on-the-town essentials. Check out my etsy site ( http://www.theurbanfabric.etsy.com/ ) soon for the listing.

Poetry

Normally poetry is a mystery to me but this struck me this morning. It is from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers on March 22nd. I hope you enjoy it, too.

We cannot kindle when we will
The fire which in the heart
resides,
The spirit bloweth and is still,
In mystery our soul
abides;
But tasks in hours of insight willed
Can be through hours of gloom
fulfilled.

Space and Growing

Living in an urban setting, space can be limited. Thankfully space in our bungalow is not. We have four bedrooms and switch the rooms in our house frequently. The room that has had the most visitors is the "back room." It has been a junk room, our bedroom, Grandma Lucy's room, guest room and now my beautiful, wonderful sewing room where I create and sew my purses. My excellent husband has given me free reign over the sewing sanctuary. It also doubles as the playroom for our son. This way, I can sew and keep an eye on him. As you can see in the picture, our cat, Owl, likes it too. She has a great view of the squirrels running up and down the maple trees in our backyard. I enjoy the view, too. Soon I will be able to look out the window and see new life in our vegetable garden. I am looking forward to planting the seeds that are already sprouting in the basement. We have space to grow.

Welcome!

You've found the urban fabric -- a high-quality, hand-crafted alternative to your run-of-the-mill, mass-produced, "name brand" purses. Here, every purse and clutch is a unique labor of love, especially designed by me, Jessie Runner, out of my own Milwaukee bungalow.

I've lived in the historic Sherman Park neighborhood for about five years, with my husband, toddler son and an assortment of pets. (Including one recently-rescued stray cat that my son named "Owl.") People move from all over the world to reside in Sherman Park, a racially and economically diverse community with historically well-designed homes, for the same reasons that I think you'll love the urban fabric. Just like every individual, family and neighborhood is unique, I take time and effort to make every purse (or clutch) uniquely attractive and useful.

This site is a place for you to get to know me and my products -- as well as my life here in the "Cream City," (Milwaukee) and the Sherman Park neighborhood. If you're tired of buying impersonal purses every year, just to see them fall apart annually at the seams, then why not purchase a reliable (and gorgeous, if I do say so myself) product from the urban fabric? You can find all my hand-crafted offerings right here: theurbanfabric.etsy.com

I only sell purses that I would want to carry myself (I'm an on-the-go mom and registered nurse) and I only allow my best creations to bear the name the urban fabric. These are not only beautiful purses, they're also practical. I started the urban fabric, because I enjoy sewing and wanted to offer something unique: plenty of easy-to-reach pockets for keys, wallets, diapers, etc. -- but also a fun, smart outer design that doesn't have "frumpy mom" written all over it.

So feel free to peruse the urban fabric site to your heart's desire. And you are more than welcome to drop me a line with a comment, question or request. A great purse might not rank as high as living in a good neighborhood, but it can still make a difference in your quality of life.