Reversible Bag

It has been very quiet here because I have been very lazy the last two weeks. I am in my sewing room a lot, planning to start projects or finish some of the WIP's lying around, but no action as yet. I did make two bags last weekend.

This is the Reversible Bag from a very crafty lady's blog. Visit http://verypurpleperson.com/ to get the free pattern to make this cute bag and see this lady's fantastic sewing projects at the same time. I hate sloppy bags, so I ironed on some interfacing to the outer fabric. This was a mistake. Not only did it make the bag more bulky for sewing the curves, it is a bit stiff as well. I already used some home dec type fabric that is rather thick for the outer fabric, so it did not need interfacing.

This is another view of the bag showing the darts in the bottom. This fabric was a cut-off piece I got for a very good price at Jo-Ann's in Chicago last year. The photo does not do this fabric any justice. The pink flowers are gorgeous. A quick and easy bag to make. I plan to make another bag like this, but without interfacing.

Then I also tried my hand at making a leather bag. I have always wanted to try this. I was great fun to design my own bag and make it. I drafted the basic pattern and then cut it into three parts, including seem allowances. After attaching the three parts, I did topstitching on both sides of the seams. Love the way it came out. I do hate the handles though. I saw a bag where the handles were sewn on and tried it, but it does not look good. Maybe the handles are also too small for this bag? Looks that way to me. I am planning to remove them and make other handles. Maybe handles attached with O-rings.

I adore the inside of the bag. I used a fat quarter that I bought at Hobby Lobby earlier this year with the cutest pink flowers and birds on it. I also tried my hand at sewing in a divider with a zip. Yeah! Love how it came out.

I did however forget to add lining! When do I discover this? Of course it was after the whole bag was sewn. I am so not re-doing it.

I have also cut out another bag I plan to make, but not sure when! Hope my sewing mojo comes back soon! Hope you all have a great week.

Simple Party Clutch Bag

I had a super-productive sewing weekend! I started knitting a super-easy Mobius-type shawl from a pattern I found on the Jo-anne store website. I am making it in a cerise pink yarn and hope to finish it before I leave for Chicago this week. I also managed to finish sewing my own Simple Party Clutch bag which I showed a sneek peek of in my last post.

I made a few changes to the pattern for mine. One of the changes is that I did not use the very thick interfacing, so my bag is a bit more flexible, but still quite firm. I'll have to get used to the extra work to open the flap to get to my daily essentials. I prefer an open bag with just a magnetic snap, but this is such a cute bag, I will make the effort. I bought this black and white fabric at Hobby-X last year but forgot to look at the designer. I'll update this post later.

I used a purple polka-dot for the lining. I think the purple is stunning with the black and white fabric. Lots of pockets inside for all my essentials to be within easy reach and the handle long enough to wear the bag over my shoulder. I am not fond of clutch type handles. I need my hands free when I shop and do things.

I also made 5 tops this weekend. Yes, FIVE tops! I am so pleased with all of them. Sadly my camera is giving me hassles so after these two photos it refused to co-operate. I think it might be the cheap batteries I bought last week! So I will be off to buy my regular expensive batteries today so I can share pics of my tops with you.

My yellow scarf is also not finished yet. I am so hoping I can finish it in time for my trip but time is getting short now as I leave on Thursday and still have a million things to do. Hope you all have a great week!

Fancy Fabric Bag

Did I mention that I am highly inspired and productive at the moment? Obvious isn't it, when I am sewing during weeknights! This is the bag I designed myself. No brain surgery, just a plain bag with a different shape. Love, love, love it!

This lovely fabric is one of only three precious pieces of Japanese fabric I own. This own is by Kokka. I have this in grey and pink as well. I needed a larger bag to show off these stunning, big flowers. I was also keen to use some of my homemade fake leather bag handles. The blue polka dot fabric is from Arthur Bales. I have this fabric in various colours.

A close-up of my fake leather bag handles. Not the best finishing on them, but they work for me. And they are so cheap to make! Have you seen the prices of bag handles? Anyway, each pair that I make gets better, I think. I am still working on proper finishes for my bag handles.

A view from the top. You can see some of my many inside pockets. I love lots of pockets for the stuff I need to get to quickly. At least this time I did not forget the magnetic snap closure. I was planning to use piping, but decided against it. The fabric is so stunning, I think it does not need any further embellishments.

This is a side view to show the heavier interfacing that I used for the outer bag off. I used two layers of interfacing for the outer bag, one standard iron-on interfacing and then I added a heavier iron-on interfacing on top of that. The heavy one creases badly, but it makes the bags so nice and firm. Overall a big, roomy bag that fits all my daily essentials and more!

Apologies - another creased bag! I normally cannot wait to take photos.

This is a sneek peek at my Simple Party bag, ready to sew. It is all cut out and interfacing ironed on. Once this part is done, it literally takes me about an hour to finish a bag. A lovely, quick project for a weeknight!

I also came up with a new design for my next bag. It's in my head and once I have selected the right fabric, I will make it. Wonder how many bags can fit into my closet?

Apart from working and sewing yesterday, I also played action photographer. This is my son flying past on his BMX. My heart nearly stopped afterwards. He's removed the brakes from his bike and just after this jump he races towards a glass sliding door, using his expensive name-brand shoes to brake.... Boys!

Fabric Handbags

I am delighted that I finally got around to making fabric handbags this weekend! Never mind that I spent the entire Friday night deciding on fabric and bag designs. I could not find what I was looking for amongst my patterns so I browsed on Flickr for a while and saw some great designs. This bag is based on a ladybug shaped bag I saw but I made many changes.

I added quilting wadding to make the bag soft and thick and used thinner iron-on interfacing than I normally do. I found a roll of the interfacing in my closet and decided to try it. I was very impressed with the results. I normally use the iron-on quilt wadding for my bags or a thicker iron-on interfacing that seems to make a lot of creases. This one is just perfect for bags. I also added an overlay of the lining fabric with piping and a little pocket. I was too lazy to cut the bag front piece so I just stitched it over the bag front. This caused all sorts of problems sewing over the piping! Reminders of the Amy Butler Weekender Bag came to mind... not good memories!

I also wanted to make a bigger bag and looked through my previous patterns I made. I selected this lovely Amy Butler fabric that looks best in bigger patterns. Whilst looking through my patterns, I discovered this pattern I drafted a while back. I made it to fit this metal purse frame I bought long ago. Perfect for this bag I had in mind.

I decided to add a large front pocket to the bag with piping. I must have had the Amy Butler Weekender Bag on my mind! At least this bag was without the heavy interfacing and bulk. My poor machine has just been serviced...

I decided to add a structured base and purse feet. This is the first time I used purse feet. Looks nice, I think! And not difficult at all, especially with the new plastic mesh I used for the bag base. I think it is used for gardening (vegetable gardens) and is sold by the meter on rolls at the hardware store. It was inexpensive and cuts easily. Works well.

I haven't inserted a purse frame for quite a while, and never a big one like this before, so it took me a while, and lots of patience and swearing! It was also a battle to select lining fabric. Amy Butler's fabric tends to only match with... Amy Butler fabric. So I selected an old piece of fabric lying around. Not a great match, but it works.

A crappy pic, but here is the final bag. Lots of pockets inside just how I like it. I also wanted to sew clothing from my new patterns I recently bought, but never got around to it yesterday. I had grocery shopping to do and plenty of laundry. I hope to share more bags and clothing later this week. Hope you all have a great week!

*Updated: Just in case you are interested in the inexpensive plastic mesh I used for the bag base, here are some pics of it.

Here it is rolled up. It is 1m wide and you buy it in metres at the Hardware store. The plastic is very flexible, yet firm, and can easily be cut. I cut it with normal scissors, no problem.

Here is a close-up of the plastic mesh. Looks like wire, but is plastic and very flexible. The hardware store salesman told me it's normally used in vegetable gardens. Not sure I have seen it in any garden before, but it is in the same section as the chicken wire and shade netting. Hope this helps you to find a local alternative. I am unable to find the stuff crafters in the US use for bag bases, so had to find an alternative. This works!

Finally - a sewing weekend!

My moyo was truly back this weekend! Lots of productiveness coming from my sewing room, although not that many projects were actually finished.

First up, my first attempt at a pattern from the lovely http://artsycraftybabe.typepad.com/. This is the Phoebe Bag and what a lovely pattern it is! I bought this fabric on Saturday at Arthur Bales in Linden after coveting it for a while. It is 100% cotton produced locally by The Gama and I believe it is some kind of African traditional fabric. I thought it was so funky, and pink of course!

Can you see all the African people dancing on it? The lining is a pink polka dot from the same line of fabric. The fabric is really thick, even after pre-washing so my poor sewing machine really worked. LOVE the pattern. I have never put darts in my bags before, so this was a nice new thing. I really like the shape. She has just finished designing a new bag I want to try, so hopefully that one will be available soon.

More bag goodness coming soon! I cut out a Hobo Bag that is available free on http://www.jcarolinecreative.com/. I have made some of her bags before and loved all of them. This one I cut from the blue flower fabric and used the blue polka dot on the top of the pile for lining. It is a large bag with a gusset and the large blue flower print fits perfectly.

Just in time for the last day of Build Your Wardrobe, I finally made my grey jersey dress! Just love the way it came out. I had some trouble with the neckline though. The pattern has a strip that gets worked on to the neckline but made it pucker up in the front and hang losely at the back. I had to undo and eventually I decided to go without it. I often battle with necklines on jersey clothing. Any advice will be welcome!

I also finally made this pink jersey top. This lovely fabric I bought at Hobby Lobby in Chicago earlier this year and have been saving it for I don't know what. I was loathe to cut it! Excuse the rumpled look, I actually wore it yesterday and forgot to take a picture. This neckline also gave problems but I managed to fix it. The fabric only stretches one way and is lovely and thick.

A sneek peek at what I am busy with at the moment, apart from lots of fabric bags and skirts cut out and ready to sew, that is! More about this later this week. Hope you all had a great weekend and have a lovely week ahead.

Oh, before I forget again, the pattern I used for the bright blue and red top from my previous post is New Look 6901.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We do not celebrate Thanksgiving in South Africa, but Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends who do celebrate it! I think the closest we get to Thanksgiving is Family Day, the day after Xmas. Sadly, we normally are forced to spend time with family on that day as we are unable to move after over-eating on Xmas day!

I know I have not been blogging regularly lately, but things are rather crazy at work and I have been too tired to make anything the last two weeks. I tend to just lie around and read and rest on weekends. I hope that is over now as I have many projects waiting!

Like this dress I want to make. Not a great picture, but it is a plain, semi-fitted, jersey dress in a light grey. I have bought the jersey fabric, hunted down the perfect pattern, and now just have to DO it! I have fabulous grey shoes that will go perfectly with it. Then I need to make the perfect felted bag to match it.

There is a stunning light and dark grey felted bag pattern in this book that will go perfectly and I have all the yarn needed to make it. Of course, there are many other projects I am keen to do, such as more jersey tops, skirts, fabric bags and more felted bags. Let's hope my moyo remains around this weekend! Hope you all have a great weekend!

New STASH and projects!

After a whole month of working on a tight craft budget, I splurged a bit last weekend! This is my loot! Some lovely double ply yarn for specific bag projects, satin ribbon, cord for draw-string zakka bags and lovely, bright fabric for summer clothes!

I also bought a another set of my favorite acrylic crochet hooks (left), another rare pair of 60cm circular knitting needles and my very first bamboo crochet hook. I have already tried the bamboo crochet hook and it hurts my fingers a bit. Maybe my hands were already sore from lots of crafting, not sure. I will try again.

And in my postbox last Friday, I received my copy of Simply Knitting and the free yarn tidy from the lovely Elizabeth from Scotland! I tried for weeks to get this back copy, with no success, then placed an advert in the latest Simply Knitting magazine. Elizabeth was so kind to send me her copy! Thanks, Elizabeth!

This weekend I made another crochet hook case for my favorite acrylic hooks. Love this cotton fabric from Arthur Bales! And how sweet is this candy stripe bias binding? I have had it for ages and this is the first time I am using it.

Fabulous new stretch fabric. The brown is for a long panelled skirt I want to make and the black & white for a dress. Both items have been on my list for ages!

Is there anything nicer than a stack of new fabric?

Weekend projects and WIP's

Although I rate this past weekend as really productive, having finished several items on my LIST of things I need to sew, knit or crochet, my list is not getting shorter! Maybe I should stay away from blogging and surfing for a while...I just keep seeing more things I want to make!

The first item I ticked off my LIST this weekend. Another cute Japanese crochet bag pattern. I love this green yarn. I am ashamed to admit that I had to undo the edge and handles several times because I just kept on misreading the pattern! Despite that, I finished the bag in one night!

This is the second item. I have had this idea in my head for quite a while. It is a plain black dress with a round neck and a zip in the back. I wanted to crochet a pretty collar for the neck. I ended up spending more than an hour doing a blanket stitch around the neck and arms and then just did a single crochet into it with a lovely creme yarn.

It came out really nice. I cannot decide if I should add the full crochet collar or just leave it plain and simple like it is right now. What do you think? I still need to sew in a little hook and eye above the zipper, and I need to change the bust darts. This pattern is obviously made for someone with a much bigger bust than I have! At the moment it sits below my chest!

I thought I will also share a few of my WIP's with you. Actually, this is a new project I started on Saturday. I bought this lovely polka dot felted bag pattern on the Vogue Knitting website Friday night and decided it is perfect to match my lovely purple dress I am making, see below. This will be my first attempt at attaching a felted bag to steel purse frames. The pattern is a bit disappointing in the sense that it does not give any help in this area! Isn't this purple felting yarn just fabulous? The bright green is for the dots on the bag.

This is the Purple Dress! Ever since I saw this pattern on BurdaStyle's website, I was in love. I am making a slightly different, but it will be a smart dress with some bling. Once I have made it, I just need to get myself invited to a fancy cocktail party so I can wear it!

This is my first project from Linda's book, Crochet Adorned. I finished the crochet yoke 2 weekends ago, but sadly I made it too big, so I will have to see if I can fix it. If not, I need to make another one. Urgh!

Another new addition to my LIST. Last week I purchased the 2007 edition of a felt e-book from Interweave Press. Inside was a feature on designer Marta McCall. This lady designs the most fabulous felted bags, like the one above. The pattern for the bag above is in the e-book and I plan to make a smaller version of this bag soon.

The basket with WIP's is much bigger than this, but it will take me all day to blog about all of them. Hope you have a great week!

Crafting for a good cause

This is a new one for me...I normally donate craft supplies, but have not really made stuff for charity before. This time it is personal though. My sister and BIL live in a small town and their local church has been so good to them during very difficult times the last few years. So when my BIL mentioned the church fete coming up and his desire to sell some of our (my sister and I) crafty stuff on the "handmade table", I volunteered to make stuff as my sister is busy packing to move to a smaller place. This is my small way to say thank you and at the same time, all

proceeds go to helping other people in need.

Aren't these adorable? I found this fabulous website promoting Japanese crafting and it had links to free patterns. This is from Clover Japan and although I had some reservations about following a Japanese crochet pattern, it turned out easier than I thought. This is called a Zakka drawstring pouch, I believe. I made three and made each one different on the inside. This is my favourite!

Also from Clover Japan, this cute little bag. I changed it slightly by making a crochet handle fastened with a button. (Not sewn on yet as you can see!) Must make a pink one for myself!

This is a cute little drawstring pouch I made using the same pattern as the bag above, but on a smaller scale. Very cute. I still want to add a little crochet flower to this one.

Very simple crochet pincushion. I inserted a little bag and closed it with a single crochet stitch. I made a few of these in various colours. Still need to add buttons to all of these.

Several bookmarks. I am planning to block or stiffen them and add a little flower at the top. It will be my first try at either blocking or stiffening, but armed with some good instructions from the internet, I plan to give it a try!

Last, but not least, a cute little crochet basket! I used a tutorial to crochet the basket, but added the holes for ribbon at the top. No time to make much more as the parcel must go of this week and I still have to do all the finishing touches.

I have lots of WIP's lying around my sewing room and was horrified to discover more last night! I plan to spend some time during the evenings this week to finish quite a few of these before any new ideas pop in my head! Hope you have a great week!