Megan's quilt as you go Bag

This is my friend Megan's version of the 'In The Pink', JoyPatch Bag. I love her daughters choice of fabrics, they work so perfectly together. I think I've got her hooked on making bags, which might be a good thing. As she's had a few requests, from her daughter's friends, for their own 'In The Pink' bag.

Quilt as you go Bag

I made this bag a few weeks ago now. It was really fun to do as I'd not quilted as I'd gone before. It's encouraged me to make a cot quilt this way, I've just not got it fully designed in my head yet.



I made the bag back and front from scraps. The handle from a fat quarter and the lining from an op-shop asian tablerunner. I think it turned out alright. I followed a pattern by JoyPatch called 'In The Pink', but changed the handle.



My Aqua fabrics post is nearly finished, I just remembered some more tonight but will wait for daylight to take photo's.
I can't show anything else I'm doing, until after Christmas. I can't wait to see my Mum & Sister's faces on Christmas morning. It's going to be just the best Christmas.

Promised Pictures

From the lovely Amy Butler

Oh so yummy Daisy Chain

In fact, I've discovered I have an even larger stash of Aqua fabric's than even I thought!
I've decided to dedicate a whole post to pic's of them all.
You will truly see that I am a bona fide Aqua Addict.


And lastly, but definitely not least.
My 'Melly & Me' Fat Quarter's Bag.
I really love these fabrics, City Girl by Kitty Yoshida.
I think they suit the bag, which was a lot of fun to make.

I'm looking forward to the 'Melly & Me' book, which Melly has just started to think about. I just know it will be filled with fun and funky things. Hopefully a bit of this and a bit of that, a bit for me, a bit for you and some bits for them, plus a bag, any bag, I love making bags.

Once in a lifetime.............

Our evening out in Sydney was fantastic. Two gals from the mountains, drove into the big city and immersed ourselves in Amy's warmth and creative persona. We were dazzled, truly motivated and valet parked. First time in my life, what a hoot!

The following line is what I initially came away with buzzing in my head.

'Do what you love, and love what you do'

At first it sounds too idealistic to be realistic, but thinking further, what I think Amy was hoping to get across to us. Was that if you want joy from what you do, you have to stay true to what you love. Don't give up on it, don't lose sight of it. Don't dilute or temper it. And go for it! Don't hold back. Live it, breathe it, be it. Have courage and conviction, but don't be hasty, let it evolve at it's own pace. Walk when it walks and run when it runs.

(I wrote that last week, I wasn't sure if it sounded too daft. But I've re-read it, and it still resonates true, so I'll leave it).

Neither Jane or I took a camera with us. Ho hum. Too excited?

I have taken a picture of my signed book and of the fabric I bought. But I'm still waiting, for 'im indoors, to be able to download them. I'll do a second post later this week of them, (hopefully).


Santa's bringing me my very own camera for Christmas, I'll be able to blog more confidently and frequently then. Yeehar. If anybody out there can recommend their camera, which they find blogging easy with, could they let me know.

In January I'll be able to show what I'm making at the moment. I don't want to put them on the blog just yet, as I want them to remain a surprise on Christmas morning for my Mum and Sister.

Happy Blogging,
Mandy

An Evening with Amy Butler

I can't really believe I'm going!

This lady single-handedly changed the way I thought about patchwork, quilting, bag-making, all sewing really.

I first fell in love with Amy Butler's fabrics, and then moved onto her patterns. You know that Listerine advert on the tv, the one that blows all the barnacles off the hull of a sailing boat. That kinda happened in my mind when I first saw Amy's fabrics. It sounds rather ridiculous, but her colours and fresh, modern but retro designs allowed me to think outside what I though patchwork and quilting was all about. AND it allowed me to think that perhaps I could at least try it for myself. It gave me the confidence to experiment. Wow. I have not looked back. I still like traditional fabrics and traditional patterns. But now I look at fabric through different eyes, and have so many more options than I used too. Hang on, maybe that's another reason The Stash has grown to the proportions it has. Oh well, there are worse things to be obsessed about.


Moving on to other things...................

I've failed to say before, that my local village, truly gorgeous shopping place, Sage, has bought a few of my bags to to sell. I don't know how I found the courage to talk to Rexine, I think I must have been riding high on my success at 'The Falls Art Festival'. Because, I have the shy gene, and have on quite a few occasions, especially when I feel out of my depth, turned a vivid shade of red all on my neck and chest. Mortifying. But, talk to her I did! And, what a thrill that she liked what she saw. I also took some fabric samples and she ordered a couple of bags to be made.

This one




is the one she ordered. If you ever see this fabric, 'Country Roads' by Robyn Pandolph, touch it! It is oh so soft, you'd be forgiven if you thought it was flannel. This is the only fabric to get 'the nod' from Tim, and I have, of course, sourced some more for a quilt for our bed.
Back to the bag.
This bag is all my own. I first made this bag, which I've called 'Simply Shopping' from some 6 1/2" odd squares I found at Ribbons & Rainbows in Blackheath. I just designed that bag from what fabric I had, and basically followed the method of Rosalie Quinlan's 'Naomi's Bag'. This time though, I thought what about a log cabin center, and voila, there you have it.

This is the back


The center for this one is just all the left over, odd cut pieces, sewn together, and then cut down to the correct size. I like to think it has added a Ying/Yang - order/disorder aspect to the bag.
Anyhow, the second bag that went to Sage today was a bag I started maybe a year ago! I'd made the outer bag and the lining, and then gone, oops not sure if I like that, and had to stop. I found it again last week, and looking again at the colour compostition, I decided that yes I did like it after all.





And so to bed.......

My Softie

Here is my very first attempt at designing a soft toy. It had to be easy!
I wanted my toy to be a used toy. One that could go anywhere, especially in the washing machine. I didn't want it to be complicated, I wanted easy shapes. I wanted it to be loved and cuddled, sat on, squished and dragged where ever it's two legged owner wanted to go.

So....

here

is....

'my hugul'







I'm wondering about making up some kits to sell, or maybe just a pattern. But I'm not sure. After being home raising children for nearly eight years, I'm feeling the need to try and contribute in a financial way also.
Please let me know what you think.

Hi Jane

I finally got it together to make a post. Thanks to my good friends prompting.
First up, a couple of tease photos, as I don't want to spoil the fun in Melbourne.
Go here for more clues.































The other thing I want to show is the finished table runner I did recently. I'm so proud of it, and I'm really glad it didn't sell as I want to give it to a particular friend of mine. She loves the colour orange, and this table runner sure is that!
















Okay, that's all for today. I'm plum tuckered out.
I, still, have that softie post to do.

Bye Bye Bags

All that work was worth it. Six, of the bags I made went home with new owners. Wow, and triple wow. I'm a very happy bag maker. Plus all the cards, a few of the bookmarks, and a soft toy (I still have a post owing on that). It feels really great to have contributed to my boys school by doing that which I love. Shame I didn't get a photo of it all set up, never mind.

So, now that my bag collection looks a little depleted, this morning I cut out 'The Fat Quarters Bag', by, you guessed it, Melly & Me. This pattern, I believe, has not been released in Australia yet, as it's one of the 'Fat Quarters Club' monthly projects. I was especially thrilled when I received this one, as it will involve some new experiences for me, d-rings and snap closures. No! I've never used snap closures. Mind you, I've never done a buttonhole either! I know, it's quite preposterous that I've come this far without doing either of those things.

No new pictures of anything crafty, so I thought I'd introduce my two dogs. Ruby is looking straight at the camera, she's a Hungarian Vizsla/Rhodesian Ridgeback cross. And Skeeter is lying behind her. He's pure Hungarian Vizsla. They love a cuddle on the sofa after the boys have gone to bed, it's almost like they think it's their turn now!

Phew!!! Finished.

My little patch of table at the 'Falls Art Festival' is all set up, the hat stand is packed and everything is labelled and priced. Honey Hubby designed a Mandalin logo for me, made a small sign and business cards!!! It looks stunning. I am so thrilled. I have, of course, credited the design of each bag to the relevant people and put, made by Mandalin.
In total I have made 11 bags, 4 soft toys (my own design!! drum roll please, but more on that in a later post), a tablerunner, a picnic set - table cloth & cutlery roll (made from tea towels), 8 cards and 24 bookmarks. I'm plum tuckered out, but....... I've. Had. Soooooo much fun.
I can't believe I managed to finish the pinwheel tablerunner. I hand quilted it, like Rosie did in her book ‘Gift’, so satisfying, and I managed to mitre the corners of the binding. Proper binding too. My, can you tell I'm a little chuffed. It could also be due to lack of sleep. When I looked at the clock last night, thinking perhaps it was time for bed, it was 3:30 am!!!!! Needless to say I scurried to bed quicksticks.

Birdie Sling


Smart Handbag


Foldover Bag


Building Blocks


Harriet's Satchel

Meadow


Cutie Pie

Simply Shopping



And here's the Laurel Burch Mermaid Naomi's Bag, which is also at the 'Falls Art Festival'. I decided to try a long messenger style handle with this one. The young woman I was thinking of when I made this bag, likes wearing them this way.




Bum. I can't find the pics of the tablerunner or picnic set. It'll have to wait for another time.

My other passion, my garden.

I needed a little break from sewing so I went into the garden. It's been raining most of the day, we were even in cloud for a little while. But now it's just glorious. It's damp, without being humid, and beautifully warm. All the new spring leaves are shining and the flower heads are heavy with raindrops and nodding in the breeze. Where's that hammock when you need it. Who am I kidding I have dinner to make for my 4 and 8 year old boys.

Pinwheels & Purdie

This is my 'Nell's Flower Garden', pinwheel tablerunner. It has to be finished by Friday!!! Hopefully to be sold at the 'Falls Art Festival'. I was just talking to my Sister in England about it, and she said she'd like to see it. So here it is. The colours haven't come out very well in the photo. Nell's Flower Garden fabrics are a bit brighter. I'll take another photo, when it's finished, and also show the back!

Also, here's a picture of Purdy our tree frog. Not looking too happy in the bright light. That's for you Nic.

The Latte Bag

These two bags were part of a small collection I made last year for an Art and Crafts festival held at my boys School. It's another Melly & Me design, which went together quite quickly. I like to experiment with how differently I can make the same bag, and this is a classic example. I throughly enjoyed the experience and have been busy again this year. For the 26th 'Falls Art Festival' I have managed to make 11 bags, they are all different styles and sizes. I've taken photo's but haven't quite managed to get them onto the computer. I'll do that next week hopefully. I've also made some cards with a patchwork theme and I'm trying to finish a soft toy I designed myself. I've also got an idea for a childs apron and some bookmarks and Library bags and hairbands. Oh boy, if only the hands could work as fast as my thinking!! Oh and I'm about to finish a tablerunner based on Rosalie Quinlan's pinwheel pattern in her book Gift. I've used a moda charm pack, Nell's Flower Garden, for the pinwheel's so mine is quite a bit louder than Rosalie's and, of course, a bit bigger. I couldn't waste fabric by reducing the size of the squares now could I.
So, back to it.

Hello Blog World

After spending so much time reading other peoples blogs I decided I'd like to join in. I love to create with fabric, and these are the kind of blogs I usually visit for inspiration and motivation. I find it truely amazing that there are so many fantastic people out there willing to share their expertise and creativity. I'll list my favourite's when I work out how it's done!!!

My main passion is making bags, I'm not so good at finishing things and find bags have more of a chance to be completed. Melly & Me are my top favourite designers, I find their patterns so easy to follow and somehow personel. I have although made bags designed by Mum's Moment, Amy Butler, Indygo junction, Susan Rose Designs and of course Rosalie Quinlan. My all time favourite bag pattern is Rosalie's 'Naomi's bag'. It was the pattern that got me hooked on making bags. I have made quite a few and love to think of new ways to make it. I've just finished one using some Laurel Burch 'Ocean Song' fabrics, I'm very pleased how it turned out. I'll attempt to upload a picture in a later post. Meanwhile here are two using Heather Bailey's 'Freshcut'.
Now, how to post a picture. Hmmm.
SAGE