a late summer trip to Brittany with a new beach bag

 Last week, I spent a few days back home in Brittany (18 h trip each way!) to enjoy some family time by myself which has not happened in 18 years, Mon Cheri found me a super discount ticket that I could not pass....  No trip is complete unless we go to the beach, St Malo more exactly. This is not the kind of beach where you look for the shade or the sand burns your feet, it is the kind of beach where you prepare yourself for the wind and cold toes, the Chanel is never warm!

Well, it was quite pleasant and being the equinox (fall season change),

we had a very low tide that afternoon,

perfect for walking along the sea.

I finished my beach bag just on time to try it that day.

It is ideal size for a small towel and a snack.

Fort National is on that beach, only accessible at low tide.

I previously mentioned this embroidery I was working on over the summer.

The pattern is from "Les Brodeuses Parisiennes",

a very sweet, vintage, and French embroidery company.

Isn't it so cute?

I paired it with some Tim Holtz fabric (elements, I think),

it reminded me of notebook paper.

The construction of the bag is inspired by this tutorial by s.o.t.a.k handmade .

I added the side tags so it can be a simple backpack.

It is lined with a flag fabric,

perfect with the theme and colors.

Now, if you know St Malo, you know it is known for its corsaires

(pirates working for the king of France),

its resistance to the English invasion,

and its emerald sea.

Cannon shot, just because it makes me smile!

 really low tide, with easy walk to the Grand Be.

Happy sewing!

apple bag for the market

It is still not fall here,

but it is definitively apple season!

Every week end, we drive to the local orchard to get some fresh apples.

It sounds obvious....

they are so fresh and tasty (and cheaper) than the grocery store ones!

So of course, I had to sew a bag just for this activity....

Not really, it totally works for other events, like the farmer's market or a small run at the grocery store.
The pattern for this bag is from Bustle and Sew, from the September magazine. If you have seen my Instagram feed,  you know that more projects from Bustle and Sew are coming, I am having such a great time sewing with these patterns!
I used dropcloth for the outside,  and many different prints for the apples and pears: flannel, linen, cotton...
For the lining, I used some raven laminate fabric from Michael Miller, making safe to carry food without staining the bag. The laminate is soft and quite easy to sew.

The apples and pears are raw edge appliqued, super easy, and stitched in place free motion style. The cores are hand embroidered, I did not totally follow the directions and alternated between satin stitch and lazy daisy stitch.

I love how it turned out, I will be the most fashionable apple buyer at the orchard this weekend!
Happy sewing!

almost fall cider donuts

It feels like it is totally fall in Blogland, and while we are far from being cool, I could not resist making some early fall cider donuts. Our local orchard has already a lot of apples, especially my favorite, Honey Crisp, so we also picked up some fresh cider, and made some baked donuts.

I followed this recipe from Jenny Steffens Hobick. It was easy and tasty, it made about 30 donuts, and it might have been the main source of food from some children, teenagers can eat!

From my experience, it is best to reduce the cider from 1 1/2 cup to 1/2 cup and let it totally cool down before making the dough, I was impatient, and there is a difference in consistency between the first batch and the later batches, so yeah, patience is important!
I will be making them again, if we can keep this cooler weather!