Waiting-to-be-loved fabric bag

Sometimes I have been known to buy fabric from a fabric shop.  Surprised?  Yes, I know!

I have often bought fabric and oilcloth from Dotty Brown.  Something very classic and vintagey about it with all those polka dots and pastel patterns.

One day I was perusing their website when I read that they were looking for people to send in photos of items they have made from their fabric.  Why not, I thought as I hastily looked through my snaps to see what I could find.  Here is the project that I sent in:




A little while later Dotty Brown contacted me and asked if I would mind them putting a copy of the photo and details of the refashion up on their website.  Go for it, says I!

Here is the link if you want to see the article in its entirety:
 
http://www.dottybrown.com/blog/2013/11/readers-pics-sew-selena/

As a thank you, I was asked if I would like some of their fabric.  Oh yes please!  Did anyone say kid in a sweet shop??

I chose two of their cotton fabrics that I thought would go well together.  Funnily enough I decided to make another bag(!)  Well, honestly, you can never have enough bags, right? 

I settled on a pattern from Jodie at the Vintage Ric Rac blog.  It says it should take an hour, but it took a little longer than that despite my bag experience!

I was really pleased with the way the bag turned out though!

And I have plenty of the fabric leftover still :)

Next...

Grease is the word

...is the word, is the word...

Inspired by the musical Grease, my daughter asked for a red and white polka dot circular skirt.

Why, of course I'll make one, I cried!

I could have just hemmed the bottom of the skirt but wanted to add white bias binding to make it stand out more.  I'm in two minds whether or not to add some gathered net to the bottom too - time will tell!

I initially wanted to make the skirt from one piece of fabric but I didn't have enough.  So, ever the creative sewist, I made the skirt from 3 separate sections - 1 front and 2 backs.  This made it really easy to insert a zip in the centre back!

I elasticated the waistband for a more flexible fit.

When I cut out the fabric circles, I used the selvage as the edge of the fabric.  This meant that I didn't have to finish off the inner seams as it had already been done for me. 

It also meant that the polka dot pattern matched across the seam beautifully!  I meant that to happen (ahem!)

 I love making these skirts - they look so effective!

 

Next...

 

 



Red leatherette and polka dots

Have you ever tried out a new technique and wanted to do it again straight away because it looked so effective?

Well, I did! 

Bows.  I now have a thing about bows!

So I found some really soft, supple red leatherette and added a polka dot bow.

I lined the bag with a polka dot lining.

And made it slightly roomier by giving it more definition at the bottom.

With this much red it's sure to turn a few heads!

 

 

Next...

 

 

 

 



Going to a wedding...

I'm going to a wedding next Saturday - talk about excited!!

I sorted out my dress many moons ago.  And my shoes.  But there was something missing...

...a bag!

I thought, I know, I'll have a look around this weekend and see what I can find in the shops.

And then it dawned on me.  What a doofus!  I can MAKE a clutch bag to carry my confetti/tissues/camera/keys...

But what to make it out of?  *Rifles through red fabric stash dramatically*

Aha!  Got it!  A preloved burgundy velvet scarf would look particularly wonderful.

So I cut and interfaced and padded and zipped and sewed my little heart out.  And this is the end result:

 

I lined it with red polka dot fabric.  I find that a girl can never have enough polka dots in her life!

So I'm even more excited about the wedding now!

And I also have a prom dress that I am considering making a similar clutch bag out of. 

I do so love it when you can keep your memories alive with fabric :)

Next...

Sequinned boho slouch bag - from a skirt!

How can you not love a boho slouch bag?  So darned versatile and they look great too!

Here is my latest creation...

If you have a close look at the petals and base of the flower, you can see the sequins that catch the light beautifully.

The bag is lined with red and white polka dot fabric which also has a magnetic snap fastening.  You really can't beat polka dots for adding something special to any bag.

And this is the preloved skirt that the fabric came from.  Can you see why I bought it?

Right!

It just had to be rescued and transformed!!

Now, if you're really clever (ok, lucky!) when cutting out the fabric, you might just find that the sides of the bag match up too!  Hehe!  I love it when that happens :)

 

Righto, onto my next project...

 

 

 



Another oilcloth lunchbag makes its debut...

Lunchbags.

We all need them.

And there's something really stylish about oilcloth.

So put them together and here is the latest Sew Selena designed lunchbag creation.

I don't get bored with using oilcloth because it gives such wonderful results.

Mind you, you have to make sure you know where you're going to sew because you really only get one chance - there's no unpicking with oilcloth because it makes holes that will be there for ever more.

 The sides have velcro on them to keep them from splaying open at inopportune moments.

It also has a strap fastening to keep errant sandwiches in their place.

It's really quite spacious in there.

Lined with clear PVC to make it easier to deal with spillages.

 I haven't made a lunchbag for a while now so it's always interesting to revisit my notes on how to make them.  After much tweaking I'm pretty happy with this design.

Next...

Sew Selena Aprons

I wanted to have an image for Sew Selena when I have a stall at a fair but wasn't quite sure where to start. 

Perhaps it didn't matter? 

But I *knew* it did to me.  I knew that it had to be something that summed up 'Sew Selena'.

So, who am I and what do I stand for anyway?

A stay at home mum who has embraced her creativity and loves to breathe new life into pre-loved fabric.  But how could I sum that up in something to wear?

Well, I started with a pre-loved vintage floral curtain and it built from there.

I added pre-loved lace from the bottom of a top (I have already used the oranges and lemons elsewhere - watch this space!)

Added rose polka dot detailing.

And added a large pocket divided into three so that it could be used as a money belt.  So much prettier!

Here is the apron and the look in action:

I'm happy!!

 

I also made one for my daughter to wear too:

 

 

Next...

 



 

 

Red, white and blue, we love you

I enjoyed making the Hope chocolate lime oilcloth handbag so much that I thought I would make another one.

But I didn't want to make it exactly the same so I thought I would add a top zip.

After much fun and learning - out came the red, white and blue bag:

What do you think?

I thought the top zip made it look extra special.  You might recognise the fabric from my polka dot tea dress - well, you'd be right!  I never throw fabric away - you never quite know when even the smallest amount will come in handy!

And I love to know how each piece is connected to another - possibly around the other side of the world.

So why is it called the 'Red, white and blue' bag anyway?

That would be because I lined it with some fabric from a preloved dress:

I know there are no stars and stripes but it does remind me of my American friends.

Next...

 

 

 

Polka dot tea-dress

I saw a fabulous tea-dress pattern in a magazine and wanted to give it a go. 

Then I spotted some polka dot fabric that I just knew would work well with it.  Blue has always been my favourite colour so that also helped.

So I made the dress.

I don't use patterns very often as they don't always tell me what I want to know.  I tend to sew the way that I cook - 'let's see what happens if I do this...' so to actually try to follow somebody else's instructions tend to be an interesting experience to say the least.

I also tend to use the 'visualise it first and then sew' method.  The more I sew, the more I know!

It formed the basis for my outfit for my first proper stall last night - more to come...

Salisbury bucket bag

I went to Salisbury recently to spend a weekend with very good friends.  While I was there I popped into one of their charity shops and had a good look around, only for my eye to be taken to a rather lovely brown skirt with vintage roses on it.

See what I mean?

So I brought it home and refashioned it into a bucket bag with the addition of rather a lot of polka dot - easy peasy lemon squeezy!

I do love polka dot.  Especially differently sized dots of the same colour.

The base was made out of more skirt.  I could have used polka dot but thought that using the skirt would keep it cleaner for longer - you can see my mum-side coming out, can't you?

I rather like the colour combination.

The interior sees an explosion of yet more polka dots - vintage rose this time.  I also added a 'skirt' pocket but could quite easily have used the sage green polka dot fabric instead.

 I think that's one of the things that I love about sewing so much - the combining colour combinations - there is no right and wrong, just opportunities for more fabric fun!

Poppies, poppies and more poppies

You may remember that I refashioned a ladies skirt into a child's swing top many moons ago.

Well, my daughter has now outgrown the sheer poppiness of the top.  So I have reclaimed it yet again!

It's got such a unique pattern that I had to use it for something delicious.

So I made a bucket bag from it!

And because I like to know where the pocket is in a bag, I added a poppy pocket too.

With a black and white polka dot lining!  Why be the same as everyone else!

The strap was interfaced to make it a little stronger and I've even figured out how to finish off the bias binding at the top without a flurry of 'oh my goodness, it's not working' LOL.

You see, I just love what I do. 

Next...

Lime polka dot oilcloth shopper - and tips

You can't beat a pretty shopper made from oilcloth.  And polka dots.  In lime green.  Well, at least that's what I think anyway!

I just love the colour of this shopper!

When I make something I always like to think through what particular features I would like to see in a bag.  So I added an internal pocket to keep keys and phone in.  I've found that there's nothing worse than having to ferret about in the bottom of my bag trying to unearth them.

Tip:
Pinning oilcloth isn't a good idea as it leaves holes in the fabric.  You can get special clips to hold the seams in place.  But I prefer to use garden pegs! 

Next...

More oilcloth adventures

Now I've got the hang of it, I do love using oilcloth!

There's something ever so satisfying about its look and feel.  And they always look fab too.

This bag was created with no pattern, I simply used my bag-making skills to fashion it into the desired shape.

I lined the interior of the bag with a pink polka dot dress which I thought went nicely with the rose print.

 

 

I added a pocket and magnetic snap fastening too.

One lucky lady snapped this bag up as soon as I'd made it.

Righto - on to the next...