Messenger Bags - Star Wars, Captain America and an Owl?

My daughters love Star Wars, starting with 3, 4, 5 and then the beginning movies 1, 2, & 3.  So it was no surprise when my oldest asked for a Star Wars messenger bag for college three years ago.

Recently, a friend asked if I could make a messenger style purse for her daughter who is head over heels for Captain America.  I thought, easy!  Never again will I even so much as whisper those words at the start of a project.  I thought Captain America was popular, thought I could easily buy fabric anywhere... I was so wrong.  What's popular are the Avengers and Ant Man - Who the heck is Ant Man?  I started searching online and learned Captain America fabric is "vintage" and the rare amounts available are ridiculously priced.  So I put it on hold for a while.  I was getting ready to buy Avenger comic strip fabric to begin piecing together my Captain America comic strip but thought to do one last search.  And there it was, sitting on Etsy, reasonably priced...  It was exactly what I was looking for... a comic strip print featuring only Captain America!  First time Esty buyer, love that site.

For a second bag I needed an owl print.  I went to a few area fabric and quilt shops with no luck, most of the owl prints were too juvenile.  So I did a quick search and found Cary Quilting Company.   It's a big old house on a downtown street in the older part of Cary.  I walked in and every room was filled with fabric, there was a wall with notions but the rest of the house... FABRIC.  No crafts, no socks, no jewelry, no candy aisle, no "as seen on TV" gadgets ... just fabric, it was fabulous.  Right away two people offered to assist in my search, together we found the cutest owl print and coordinating fabric.  So a huge thank you to the sweet women who helped me at Cary Quilting Company!

Searching for fabrics can be a little frustrating, but when you find exactly what you're looking for it turns into a very satisfying moment.  Exaggerating? Slightly.  I may be waving my fabric freak flag a little too hard but for those of you who have searched for just the right "something" - paint, ingredient, shoe... I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

With the leftover fabric, I made key chains or "fobs."  I think I'll be stuffing some stockings with these this year.