Oh Laney! I Swoon over you!

I decided to revive my blog - not that I have more time than before, no, I just have some new pretties to show! Last year, I was lucky enough to find Swoon Patterns, and I must say, I am loving them!!  Visit the page at http://swoonpatterns.com/ - you won't be sorry!

This is the lovely Laney, and she's a hobo style bag. I added a small flap and snap closure - so she's not reversible as the pattern was written, but I love her just as she is! I used a gorgeous fabric that a friend of mine gave to me, and a thick yellow cotton in the centre. I embroidered the flowers on the front and the single flower on the back, as I thought it lacked something with the plain yellow. I am really pleased with her, and I'm not sure how I will part with her. When I've made a few more beautiful bags, I will be listing them on Etsy!

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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Bag Overload

Over the past few weeks, I've been pretty quiet. Studies, kids, and making have all taken up a huge chunk of time. But yesterday, I finally got the camera out, and took pics of everything. ... well, almost everything. But here it is. I'm still very new to the whole idea of taking pics while I work, and totally forgot to take pics while I was working. Sorry. I will try to better next time.
Right, so grab a large cuppa, find a comfy place, and scroll on. ;-)

Flower Hobo Bag
Why this is called a 'Hobo bag' is beyond me. I suppose it's because you'd probably be able to carry most of your worldly possessions around in it! LOL!! But, none the less, that's just the style's name. On this one, there are no pockets, but it is BIIIIIG on the inside. It has a lovely chunky metal zip to keep everything from falling out.  It also has a handmade (by me!) glitter ribbon flower to the side.

Green A-Line Handbag

This is a lovely little handbag, with dark green fabric at the bottom, and a sateen finished fabric at the top. It also has pretty white trim, and a white glitter organza ribbon to the side. It has an internal zipper pocket and an open pocket too.  It's such a cute little bag.

Orange & Denim Handbag
This bag uses an upcycled pair of jeans, and all the leftover fabric from my Mother's Birthday Quilt. It is such a lovely bag, that I'm not rally sure I can part with it! It has 3 large pockets on the inside, as well as a pen pocket inbetween the two larger pocket. PLUS, it has an internal zipper pocket too, and 3 external pocket too! That's LOADS of pockets!! All of this, as well as a bag that can carry almost your whole life in it, without a sweat. A chunky metal zip keep everything from falling out the bag, and the wide straps make carrying the bag, a cinch! White decorative stitching is all over the bag too, and gives it a really special feel.

Well, that's what I've been up to the past few weeks. I know it's not a lot to some, but with everything going on in my life, it's about as much as I can handle at the moment. There's more to follow soon. 

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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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Storing your cottons & bobbins

Like many other crafters and sewers, I have a load of cotton reels and matching bobbins. But I used to store them separately - that was how it was always done. But recently, I was looking for a bobbin that matched the thread I was going to use - I knew I had a full bobbin for it, but which one was it? There were at least 5 different bobbins that looked very similar in colour, and of course, it was at night, so the light was not exactly perfect. So, the following day, I sent out on a mission to match all my threads with their bobbins. I put them into plastic bags and sealed them with a small piece of tape. Now, when I pull out a reel of thread, I know that the matching bobbin is right there with it. When I'm done with it, it goes back into the same plastic bag, ready for the next time. It keeps it clean, and easily identifiable. How do you store your cottons and bobbins? I'd love to hear about it.

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