I've WON!!!

Oh my goodness me!! I've only gone and won a competition!! A huge thank you to Minerva Crafts (http://www.minervacrafts.com) for hosting such an awesome competition! Out of 224 projects submitted, mine got the most votes! I loved seeing all the projects - so many colours and designs!

This is the bag that won - it's a kids messenger bag, and is made entirely from a Fat Quarter. The fabric is also from Minerva Crafts! I've sold it now, but I'll be making some more this week.

I am super excited about winning, and thank you so much to everyone who voted. I'll post a picture of me with my prize when it arrives.

Please visit my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheVeryFatQuarter to see more bags, and more news. There are quite a few bags that I've not taken pictures of yet, but I will be doing that next week after the next round of weekend fairs. The mini lunch tote bags are also proving to be veeeery popular!

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Kids Bags

Well, it seems that after declaring that I had 'no interest in making children's bags', I've landed up doing exactly that. I really ought to know better. 'I've no interest in making soap again' ..... a few months later, I was making soaps. 'I've no interest in sewing again' .... aaaand a few months later, I'm sewing handbags. So beware anyone if I say 'I have no interest .... ', as you never know what I might be getting up to next!

Now, I really would LOVE to be able to make clothes, but I seem to lack the skill needed for that item. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

Here are some of the bags I've recently made for a fair coming up later this month (eep!!).

New Denim Bag

I feel I must start this post with an apology. It would seem I'm rubbish at this blogging malarkey. You hear from me almost every day, then nothing for weeks on end. I am sorry. Studies first stopped me from blogging, now it's just life in general. Now, onto the making.

This is a looovely denim bag that I've made, and lined it with a sun and moon cotton fabric. It just cried out for something pretty on the front, and buttons seemed to be the obvious choice.

There's the standard zip pocket on the inside, and two pockets on the outside. It could be reversed if desired.

There's double stitching on the shoulders for extra strength, and the buttons have all been hand sewn on with invisible thread.

It is machine washable, and can be ironed too.

To purchase this bag - please visit my Folksy shop: http://folksy.com/items/4275118-Denim-Bag-with-Sun-Moon-Lining. If it is no longer available, please feel free to contact me.
















































Thank you for looking. I will try to blog more often.
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Greetings!

 Hello everyone! I am so sorry for not updating my blog for such a long time - I had to abandon my sewing and workroom in order to finish my studies. I did a very intensive course on Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL for short). It was AWESOME! I loved it, and got pretty good grades. But now, I'm back!!  And to celebrate, I made this lovely bag. It's so big, you could almost travel overnight with it. It's made with black denim and cotton elephant fabric. No particular brand name.

I used a pair of denims, and cut them up, and used the zip for the inside zip pocket. There are also four large pocket inside, large enough for your phone or other goodies. There are two cute little pockets on the front, and a large pocket on the back. The straps are made from denim and cotton fabric. The stitching is done in the biscuit colour, and there is accent stitching on the handles and down the sides of the bag. The main bag has a very sturdy metal zip, which will keep everything secure.

If you would like to buy this bag, or would like to see any of my other items for sale, please visit my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TheVeryFatQuarter).





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Green Flower Tote Bag

A few days ago, I was feeling a bit moody, and just knew I had to make something. I rummaged around Pinterest for a few hours and still found nothing at all. So, I decided I'd make a tote - my own 'make it up as you go along' pattern. I cut a piece of freezer paper out and used that as the template for the base - the rest of it really was a case of making the most of what fabric was available in the size available for pockets, trims and straps. It was most enjoyable, and I love the feeling of it. The bottom is upholstery fabric, and the top shiny fabric is cotton with (I think!) a sateen finish. I also hand embroidered around the three flowers on the front of the bag with silver thread. Definitely something I'll do by machine next time. But here's the result. Apologies - there are no progress pic, as it was made up on the spot. But it really is your average tote, in some pretty cute fabric!

The front of the bag

The back of the bag, showing the large outside pocket

The large pocket inside the bag

The roomy zipper pocket inside the bag

Close up of the silver thread embroidery

The three silver thread embroidered flowers on the front of the bag.

I am so looking forward to making the next bag!!

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Denim bag - again!

When I made the pink & denim bag from the last post, I loved it so much, that I really wanted to make another, but smaller. This bag is perfect for a phone, a bunch of keys and a few tissues. I'm not sure I'd get too much more in there. But I love it. It's the same pattern as the other, but resized down again.

I left the straps really long, so that it could be worn over the shoulder with ease.

The label and the zip came from an upcycled pair of jeans.

I put a loop at the back - it's good if you want to hook anything onto it, but I may put this loop on the inside next time. Also, with the bag being so much smaller, I didn't bother with the secret pocket.

Hope you enjoyed the pics. I'll be making another of the larger bags soon. .... It's on the list. ;-)

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Denim & Pink Handbag

There are many crafters out there who, like me, have very little money to spend. It is unfortunately the way things are at the moment for the masses. HOWEVER! There is a way around it. ... well, mostly. I had a PILE of denim jeans that had been worn out. Most were various shades of blue, and there was one black pair in there too. The first thing I made, was the handbag shown below. I used a pattern, but scaled it down quite a bit to suit me. I used all sorts from the jeans - pockets, labels, loops - just to keep the look. The rest of the jeans were used in the quilt from my previous post.

I used matching jeans pockets on the outside, and they look FAB!!

The back has a small zipper pocket (will change this next time!!) and ....

a secret pocket too! It's tough velcro, so a very safe spot for anything you want to keep accessible.
The straps were simple too - one side is pink strapping, and the other side is a strip of the pink fabric. It means that the straps stay put, and don't roll, and look good at the same time.

Pockets on the inside - I changed the sizes to suit my needs. But they're great, and don't flap open, so things don't fall out of them. The lining is white cotton. All the fabrics mean that it's totally washable, and fairly easy to keep clean.

It's a BIG bag. It's big enough for me to put all the kids stuff in when we're going out for the morning, or I can put my camera in it, with all the lenses, and other 'stuff', and still have space for my lunch. A great bag!!
The larger size (the unchanged pattern) would be perfect for an overnight bag. I will definitely be making one of these again some time soon!

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