Roses, roses, roses

Many moons ago I discovered a preloved rose print skirt which I just knew would come in really handy.

In the meantime my daughter decided she wanted to wear it for a year or so.  Which was fine.  I'm patient.  I knew I would get it back at some point!

So the time arrived.  My daughter returned the skirt.

She had already seen the clutch bag I made the other day and wanted something similar to take with her to the wedding tomorrow.

Ta dah!

I added a strap to this one.

 

And lined it with yet more skirt.  There wasn't a lot left over after I'd finished with it!

It's also padded and perfect for that little box of confetti and a lipgloss.

Next...

Floral spring time skirt

Have you ever spotted some fabric that you fell in love with straight away?

Yep?  Me too!

I discovered some gorgeous spring flower fabric and bought two metres of it straight away.  I didn't have a single clue about what I was going to do with it at the time, mind you!

But over time it became apparent.

A skirt with a frill at the bottom!

Why did I choose to make that in particular?

Hmmmm.  Well, it just seemed 'right'.

So here it is...

One of the things I like about making clothes is that you can make them precisely how you like - you are not tied to any particular design or colour.  You can be creative and make it up as you go along :)

The skirt has a side zip (easy enough to incorporate) and a frill along the bottom.

I can't wait to wear it when it gets a bit warmer!!

Next...

Lunchbag recipe

I'm not sure why but sometimes I confuse the colours pink and orange.  I know that it's pink but my brain says 'orange'!

In the same way I sometimes use the words 'patterns' and 'recipes' interchangeably.  So I thought I'd devise a little recipe for making a lunchbag:

Ingredients

- floral vinyl tablecloth
- clear vinyl
- thread
- velcro
- time
- stitch unpicker

Method

Cut up floral tablecloth to desired size and then make handles and strap

Add a sprinkling of velcro to keep the strap secure and the sides from gaping open

Using copious quantities of thread and time, mould the tablecloth into a lunchbag

Repeat for clear vinyl lining

Insert lining into outer and secure with yet more thread

If at any time you are unhappy, use the stitch unpicker - it's very therapeutic

When you are 100% satisfied with your creation, go and make yourself a cup of tea - you deserve it!

____________________________________________

And here is one I prepared earlier:

Next!!

Chrysanthemum bag

I have a thing about really large, bold designs.  And colours.  And textures.  Oh, ok, I love fabric of all descriptions really LOL!

But some fabric speaks louder to me than others.  And this refashion is no exception.  A while back I discovered a curtain with a huge chrysanthemum on it so I brought it home.  I could spot its potential from a mile off as it had 'please make me into a bag' written all over it.

So I did:

Its lovely, slouchy style is perfect for days out with the girls, a shopping trip or three or to carry all of your books to college.

And of course, it's unique!

I lined it with some fabric from a teal dress.  And added a magnetic snap.

I think I might make more bags in this style - what do you think?

Oilcloth tote

I haven't used oilcloth before. 

It always struck me as being a bit tricky to work with and a bit on the expensive side to just play around with so when a friend asked me to make a tote out of oilcloth I said 'sure, no problem!'

With the addition of a non-stick sewing foot, larger stitch length and a bit of imagination, here's what I created:

And it's huge - plenty of room for whatever you should possibly want to carry in there!  It has a longer than average handle so that it can be carried as a shoulder bag if need be.

And interestingly it wasn't tricky to sew at all, just a little bit of TLC needed together with a go-slowly warning and it worked like a dream.

I've taped the interior seams to give them extra strength and durability too.

I've also road-tested it and it was able to carry the entire number of cans in our cupboards (17) with ease. 

So that's approximately 17 lots of 400g = very heavy!

Those seams aren't going anywhere!

I've been a little reluctant to post it here as it's missing something really important - a Sew Selena label.  I'm in discussions with a graphic designer as we speak...