Facelift for Pinktulip!

A change is as good as a holiday, they say...Pinktulip has had a facelift. In view of the new interest in sewing clothing as well as bags and everything else, I think the new look fits perfectly.

Fat Quarter Sling Purse

I came upon a pattern for a Fat Quarter Sling Purse quite by accident and ended up buying the pattern. I just love the fact that you can make a bag out of such a small piece of fabric! Laura from http://wewilsons.blogspot.com/ designed the bag. It is fabulous!

I have made plenty bags but this bag was a challenge! Everything that could go wrong, did! I have NEVER unpicked so much in one bag. I was however determined to make the bag and make it well. So here it is! I love it. I used Amy Butler home dec fabric from her new range in a bright orange. The inside is a light blue soft denim. I plan to make another one of these in a soft denim matching a skirt I have cut out soon....

Sewing clothes

It has been quite a while since I have sewn any clothing. Seeing so many crafters sewing gorgeous skirts in blogland, the bug has bitten me too. So recently I scratched around and found some of my old patterns and made 2 skirts and a top from stretch knit fabric. I have worn one fo the skirts and the top already, but have not taken any photos yet. I will post this soon.

I did however sew more clothing this past weekend and I did take photos. Recently there was a post on http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/ for a free skirt pattern and the designer also made a fat quarter handbag (also feautured on the same site recently by Jennifer) from the same fabric to go with her skirt. This seemed like a great idea and I decided to make myself a skirt and matching handbag this weekend.

I grabbed my favorite new book Sew What! Skirts and selected the "Singing the Blues" skirt on page 45 although this pattern is for a drwastring waist. I chose to stretch myself and try a zip. I used contrasting fabric purchased from Hobby Lobby that had "SKIRT" written all over it when I saw it in the shop!

Here is the matching fabric and handles for the Fat Quarter bag.

And here is the finished set! I am quite proud of this project. It looks fabulous!

The skirt is a basic A-line pattern with some darts in the waist as I totally misjudged my waist! Need some brushing up on my measuring skills.

As pleased as I am with my skirt, the bag is really nice! I used firmer interfacing for the lining and it really gives the bag a nice structure. I added lots of pockets inside for all my daily goodies I carry everywhere.

A peek inside the bag showing the contrasting material as in the skirt and some of the pockets. I am totally amazed at the size of the bag and all this from a fat quarter! You really must try it. Jennifer gives various bag design options in the post and they are all stunning.

Weekend sewing

I am still trying to catch up on blog posts since I came back. The weekend I arrived back I got straight into some sewing for the house. I have been keen to "re-do" the dining room first.





This magazine I purchased at Hobby Lobby has been a great inspiration and I could not wait to get started.

This is such a simple, yet effective, idea. You just cover pieces of polystyrene with your favorite fabric and fix it to the wall. I just used prestic. A few orange pots and one of my two new cane chairs in view. I bought these chairs at a thrift store for $10 each! I am planning to make colourful cushions for the chairs and create a reading corner in the house.

I also made a table runner for my square dining table, using the small stash of orange pom-poms I had and some colourful fabric from Hobby Lobby. You can see a little bit of the large wall unit in the back. I re-arranged the wall unit and put lots of photo frames out as well as a few nice ornaments and on the floor, a new colourful rug. Almost done!

Just a glimpse of some things I did in the kitchen so far. I decided on a turqoise blue colour for the kitchen and found some awesome stuff in my cupboard to use for this corner. (Excuse the dirty dishes just visible below!).

More decorating to come.

Shopping in the USA!

I am back. Actually, I have been back at home a WEEK today! It has been crazy both at work and home since I returned. How did everyone survive without me for a week?! It's almost like everything just stopped when I left and on my return I have to catch up that week and carry on with the new week at the same time. Hectic!

I did have a great time shopping during my trip though. I paid a visit to Hobby Lobby, my favorite store for all crafts, and this time also managed to visit a Jo-ann's, although a smaller store and a bit disappointing. None of the shops I visited had designer fabric or purse frames and I did not find the orange pom-poms I wanted, but I am grateful that my suitcase finally was found and arrived two days after I did! Imagine my panic - ALL my fabric purchases were in that lost bag!! Here are a few of the things I did buy:

First on my LIST was this book. I was delighted to finally find it at Barnes & Noble. LOVE this book and have already cut out 3 skirts based on patterns in this book. I will do a full review in the next month. If you are into making clothes, this book is a MUST have!

Ah, lots of fabulous fabric! There are several more photos, but I won't bore you and post them all. You will see them in my projects coming up!

Plenty of sewing and home dec magazines and idea books as well. Love the variety you can get in the US. The one above is from Better Home and Garden and has fabulous ideas in.

I also bought some pom poms in various colours, lovely fabric for skirts I want to make, some ribbon and other trims, bag handles, etc. I also had a chance to visit a Dollar Tree shop. Wow! That's all I can say. More about my purchases will surface in projects I am busy with over the next few weeks. All I can say is that I envy crafters living in the US as they have such a variety of shops to choose from. All in all, a great trip and a lot of shopping achieved in a short time as this was a business trip.

Surprize in the post box today!

I was so pleased when checking my post box today to find three parcels arrived! I recently ordered these purse feet from ByKimLane on Etsy. Finally I can now make some bags with purse feet.

Also, much to my surprize, the second parcel was from Australia! I ordered two patterns from http://www.nicolemdesign.com.au last week and they had arrived already! I ordered the Belle bag and the Teardrop frame purse patterns. I visit Nicole's blog daily and love her bag designs as well as her impromptu clothes sewing in times of crisis! I plan to make some of these when I return from my US trip.

The third parcel is not in my hands yet. I will collect it at the Post Office tomorrow. This parcel is from Thailand, an order I placed on Etsy recently for purse frames at a great price. This is my second order from this shop and I love her products. I hope to post about this and all my purchases made in the US in 10 days. I might be able to post whilst there, who knows. Happy crafting!

Orange Fleece blanket

Finally a picture of the orange fleece blanket I used for my youngest son! The fabric I used to sew the edges is a pretty sturdy cotton I found in a local fabric shop. I loved it on sight and went back a week later to buy more. Sadly there was only a few meters left.

Two more blankets to sew!

Getting cozy with fleece and Amy Butler!

I recently purchased several fleece throws for a great price. I saw a great idea in Sew Hip!, my favorite sewing magazine from the UK. You just sew some cotton fabric around the edges. Very simple, very pretty. Here is the first one finished. Mine. Of course, Amy Butler fabric from her new range.

I just want to hug the blanket the whole time. It feels amazing (love fleece!) and it look amazing too! I finished a second blanket in orange for my youngest son, but forgot to get a picture. Two more blankets to make. I will post pictures when they are all done.

I also made some skirts last week but need to take some pictures. Overall I had a very busy weekend getting ready for my trip to the US this week. I did find some stunning jersey fabric for some skirts and tops. Time is running out so I may not get a chance to sew until I get back.