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...

Zipped journal cover

I feel honoured when I am entrusted with somebody's much-loved fabric and asked to create something new with it. 

On this occasion I was asked to create a zippered journal cover with four internal card pockets from a tea-towel.

Sure, no problem, I said. I could tell that the owner didn't really want to part with it, but she had faith in my ability to make it.

After many, many different versions/notes/attempts, I was able to create the following journal cover:

Here are just a few of my notes that I made during the creative process.  I also made two different fabric versions first to see if I had figured it out correctly.  I think 'tenacious' is my middle name!

But it was so worth it!

 

 

It fits the journal it was designed for beautifully!

 

I added a matching piece of ribbon as the zip pull.



 

 

I added polka dot bias binding to the edges of the journal cover.  The binding I used wasn't as stretchy as most I've used so I gathered the edges and I think it works really well!

On the inside cover there are also four slots for credit/library cards.

 I'm really happy with the way it turned out :)

And, of course, now I have figured out how to make one of them, I can make more.  Excellent!  (Off to make sure my notes are up to date!)

 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...

 

 

 

Cushion cover bag

So you find a wooden handled bag which has a stain on the fabric but you buy it anyway because you know those handles will come in handy at some point.

Then you spot a rather fetchingly thick cushion cover that appeals - you know it's a rather good one because it has a few real soft downy feathers still inside.

Then you come across a rather sumptuous throw.

And a zip...

Put them all together and what do you get...

Why, a cushion cover bag of course!

 

The interior is made from silk from the middle of the throw.  How do I know it's silk?  From the way it smells like pork scratchings when you set light to a little piece LOL (a real test, apparently!) 

The bag itself also has a zipped pocket for all your bits and pieces.  And those wooden handles are really comfy to hold too!

I had so much fun making this one!!

How to prevent your items falling out of your bag on the plane

I love finding solutions with sewing.

Some of my favourite creations have been answers to questions:

- how do I make a lunchbag that will keep my food upright
- how do I refashion a top or skirt into a bag
- which fabric should I choose in order to lengthen a skirt 

So here's another solution that I found. 

Every time I fly I always use this much loved bag as my inflight bag. 

It's huge and there are so many pockets and zips on it you can cram pretty much everything that you need into it.

But there was one slight problem.

The top gaped open and I wanted to be able to go on a plane and not have the contents of my bag spill out and roll around onto the floor.

Soooooo, I added a zip top to it.

But when I road-tested it, the zip top kept rising up which would allow the contents out again.

Ok, back to the drawing board...

Solution #2:

I added velcro to the sides of the bag and the zip top.

This time it worked!

And it worked perfectly as I've just taken it with me to America!

Skirt + trousers = pencil case (obviously!)

Never one to leave some fun fabric in a shop, I found this fab baby cord skirt and had to give it a new home. 

Some things are just too good to languish in a shop and deserve to be given a new lease of life.

I believe I found these PVC trousers in the same shop LOL!  I just knew that I could make use of these somehow!

So I added a peach zip and some interfacing and made them both into a pencil case.

 Or it could be a make-up case - the interior is waterproof after all :)

Who am I to decide how something is to be used?  As long as its new owner has fun with it, that's all that matters!

Pencil case

I was so fed up of ferretting around in my bag for a pen or three so decided to make a pencil case of my own - kids don't get to have ALL the fun!

I did mean to put piping around the ends but got so carried away that I forgot - ah well, maybe next time!

Note to self - do not insert zip too well as you can't then find the zip to undo the pencil case.  Soooo, I added some ribbon to the zip so that it's easy to find :)