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