Slouch bags galore!

I adore slouch bags!

They can be made in any fabric and have just the right amount of slouchiness.  I taught myself how to make these.  Quite straightforward when you know how!

This William Morris slouch bag was made from preloved curtain fabric - I loved the use of blue and green together.

It is lined with a preloved teal coloured sheet.  With an internal pocket, of course!

Then I decided to make one from fur.  It's a very touchy feely bag which is currently residing in Germany :)

The bag was lined with faux cheetah(?) print fur - Growwwwwl!

With an internal pocket.  This is such a cuddly bag!

Damson cord was used for the next bag.  I have a thing about cord.

The bag was lined with preloved curtain fabric which tones beautifully with the cord.  I added a ribbon tie to this one rather than a popper.  Adds a bit of extra oomph.

 

 

And then there's the ever popular Sanderson slouch bag.  Made from preloved curtains making it extra sturdy.  Had to make sure that the pattern was central on this one.

The bag was lined with silk from a preloved throw.  And a Sanderson pocket added, of course!

Which one is your favourite?

Next...

Refashioned William Morris skirt made from curtains

Have you ever found an item of clothing which you adore, is flattering on you and you just want to wear different versions of again and again?

Yep?  Me too!

I have a great denim A-line skirt that I love wearing and I was on the look-out for some fabric to recreate another one.

So when I found some fabulous William Morris curtains in a charity shop I knew I'd found it!

And here is the resulting skirt...

As I only had my original skirt to follow I had loads of fun figuring out how to piece everything together. 

For me, that's one of the best parts of sewing - learning how to make something that fits 'just so' and to my own specifications.  I also love being able to create something unique.

The skirt itself was made up of four equal panels.

And had a deep waistband.

It was finished off with a zip and hook and eye fastening. 

It fits perfectly and I  often wear it with a blue top and boots.   And it always makes me happy!

College bag

I was asked to make a bag for a friend of a friend to take to college.  The brief was for it to be able to hold an A4 leverarch file and have a pocket for a pen.  It could be made from any fabric whatsoever. 

Oh what fun!  I get to create something that *I'd* like!! 



After hours of deliberation and pencil-chewing pattern-making, this is the bag I created.  I'm still using William Morris curtains - there's nothing quite like preloved fabric to really bring a new creation to life. 

The bag itself has gently rounded corners at the bottom, is softly padded and has a comfortable, long shoulder-strap which can be used across the body.

There are side pockets on both sides and channels for those all important pens and pencils.

The bottom has been pleated and sewn for added reinforcement.

There is an interior mobile phone pocket and a magnetic snap fastening.  Plus plenty of room for all those other necessary college items.

And it fits an A4 leverarch file with ease!!

Roll-up pencil case

I loved the idea of a roll-up pencil case so set about making one.

First, take one sheet of A4 paper and draw round it on a piece of fabric (curtain fabric is ideal)...
then round off the corners...
that's about as technical as the pattern making got.

I quilted the lining fabric (a skirt lining) and added a partition for several pencils.  To do that I inserted a pencil into the lining and using a zipper foot just sewed nice and close alongside it.  At least I know they fit!

I finished it off with shop-bought (gasp!) bias binding around the edges.

And added a piece of matching ribbon to the back to tie it up with. 

I also learned how to prevent ribbon ends from fraying by melting them! 

One completed roll-up pencil case:

William Morris bag (from a curtain)

Bags.  I have a few - especially now! 


I have a great bag at home that I wanted to make something similar to.  So I made up my own pattern, used some leftover curtain material, figured out which bits had to be done in which order and then made it up! 

I lined it with some contrasting material that I already had and added an internal pocket.  The most expensive part was the button which I had to buy from a proper shop LOL!  I put piping around the bottom to help it to stand on its own and tied it at the top.

Oh - and the curtain material was pre-loved and rescued from a charity shop for £4!  Well, someone had to - it's too gorgeous to leave there!

Car boot sale finds

You'd think you'd find something good at a car boot sale with over 300 cars right?

Well, I did find a couple of magazines with patterns in and a piece of wonderful fabric (William Morris print which I've already used for a skirt and bag - I put that back LOL!)

Feeling jaded, the very last car boot that I peered into came up trumps.  It contained a couple of large bags of material with a £1 sign on them.  Interested, I raked through the off-cuts to see what was on offer.  The seller saw my interest and told me that her daughter had studied fashion design at university and was now a designer with Toast (I must look them up!)  The material was all her project work leftovers.

I picked up some lime silk (enough to make a couple of scarves), lengths of black ribbon (always comes in handy), navy wool coating, thick black stretchy material (skirt maybe?) and heaps of other wonderful goodies.  I had an absolute armful!

And she charged me just £2 for the lot.

She made my day!