Pink and pretty!

I know I said I loved the purple and lime bag I made the other day, but I love this new one even more! As soon as I cut out the pieces last night I felt a surge of soft femininity wash over me. Do you like it? The fabrics are from Robyn Pandolph's 'Flirt' range .


This is going to be my everyday bag for a while, I can feel it! There is even enough fabric left to make a little coin purse to match...but I'd dearly love another fat quarter to use for the 2009 diary cover which I'm yet to make. The design and colours are right where I am at the moment - soft, fresh, womanly, romantic, and PINK!

The velvet ribbon adds a distinct touch of class, too.
I'm sure I needed that. ;-)

Happy sewing!
Jenny

Bags, bags, bags...such useful things!!

My plan to make as many projects as I could from Amy Karol's "Bend the Rules Sewing" before returning it to the library on Monday came undone on Friday with the arrival of a doosey of migraine, one that left me bed bound for 24 hours. Finally, about 8pm last night it took leave and I set straight away to making these easy, but fiddly, little purses.
The patterns in Amy's book remind me of of the Pirate's Code (if you've seen Pirates of the Caribbean you will know this!) - 'they're not really rules, more a set of guidelines'.
So with guidelines laid out I made smaller purses that hers, cute little things to hold my migraine medication or for Blossom to keep her own personal things; those things that need a safe little place in your handbag, not to be left to float mindlessly along with all the other contents oft forgotten in the depths of a woman's hand luggage.
Blossom mentioned that she has always loved this lime fabric (after the apron, and the bag lining, I still have more!) so I used it for her little purse. The lining is in orange floral btw, but I forgot to photograph it open.

Mine is in black and whites, with just that touch of red ribbon for spunk. This was left over fabric from a quilt I made Blossom for her birthday last May. I used black and white polka dots for the lining this time.


And, indeed, I am totally hooked on the bags from Amy's book! I cut the fabrics for a shabby chic copy of the purple bag I made the other day - I have sweet pink velvet ribbon this time. If I have time this afternoon I'll whip this one up, then I have a couple more to make for friends.

I'm thinking of using these two fabrics for a larger sized one. What do you think? I'm torn between soft and feminine or bold and bright these days!

In the midst of this frenzy of Amy Karol fever I still have Christmas gifts to make....I just keep being sidetracked. Naughty me. :-)

God bless!
Jenny

All finished!

This was a surprisingly easy bag to make after all - I'm a very visual learner, I watch and then copy, but as this was a book and not an actual pattern it required me to read slowly and take each step one by one, no running ahead. ;-)

This was my trial bag, but I'm definitely going to make more! I chose the fabrics I used on Blossom's apron a few weeks ago as I still had plenty and we just loved the purple with the lime at the time.
I also agreed with Amy Karol "..the velvet ribbon is optional, but really, how could you leave it off?"

I'll make a pretty, feminine (ala shabby chic) copy this weekend. I am definitely into my soft, pink, girly (as my husband calls it) persona at the moment.

Have a beautiful day!
Jenny

And it's almost the end of November!

November is almost over and by Monday I need to have this book returned to the library so it can be sent back to the library my library borrowed it from...clear as mud? :-)
I love this book by Amy Karol! The projects are really simple, but gorgeous for Christmas gifts or for making a little something in an afternoon for one's own self. I shall be using it for both but so far I've only perused and not actually made anything! With it's return date only 4 days away I guess there will be some serious sewing going on here over the weekend.

I love this bag - I love the velvet ribbon, the bow, the casual yet confident way it travels at it's owner's side...yes, I can see that bag swinging cheekily by my side too. I intend to make it tonight...and if I love it as much as I think I will then I'll make some more. Different colours for different moods. Oh, and once Blossom sees it I'll be making one for her too - next to shoes, bags are her favourite apparel!

I'm trying to choose which fabric....don't you love that velvet ribbon!?

One of the reasons for my delay in making an Amy Karol project has been the current need in the Reynolds home for summer couture... yesterday I made this pretty top for Blossom. The fabric has been living rent free since October 07 in a plastic tub near the sewing machine, and the rent was due this week. It paid up promptly and she now has this sweet silky butterfly strewn blouse. It's hard to see in a photo but the fabric has that twisted texture about it.


From the same pattern I made this one for me, but I added some of those embellishments I used on my Bohemian bag. I've hinted to Blossom that a pair of turquoise earrings would match well...



Though not sewn with thread, these tomatoes were definitely sown with love! My tubs of cherry tomatoes are blooming beyond my wildest dreams - I have scores and scores of grape-like bunches in various stages of ripening at my fingertips each dinner-time. No matter what form the creative endeavour takes, it is most satisfying when you can see progress occurring - whether in the joy of a handmade gift, or in the delight of the palate! God has been so good to us.

The result?

She said she loves it, but she doesn't want me to take her photo. Then she said -

"Well, ok, you can take a photo of the back."

"Alright, you can take a photo of the front, but not of me."

"Okay...are you happy now?"


\o/\o/ Yes! \o/\o/

A step to the left

It started off innocently enough. Blossom and I thought we'd go window shopping in our little remote town to see if we could find a few nice summer skirts, longish t-shirts/blouses, 1-piece bathers, and perhaps some cute shoes thrown in for good measure.
Ha! Apart from some blouses for me (that I bought out of necessity and not because they were the sort of thing I was looking for) we came home empty handed and full of woe.
Not being the kind of women to stay down in the dumps too long we discussed option 2 - we'd make our own!
Rummaging through the big plastic tubs that held all the clothes we'd cut up previously to be remade one day, we discovered some extra fabric we'd bought years ago and never used.
A plan was formed to remake those old things into usable house (and beach) clothes NOW, and use the other fabric for fresh projects...the time had come to push aside all the lovely quilting and hand stitching that I adore, and do something practical for my 14yo and myself.
Now, before we go further in this dialogue I should warn you that I do not like sewing clothes. Not at all. Not in the least! I do not own an overlocker and I use that excuse to...well...excuse myself from making our attire.

So, without further ado, I shall share last night's endeavours.
Blossom desired a skirt, a pretty white skirt that swished gently around her legs. I pulled the SKIRTS book off the shelf where it had been quietly gathering dust since it's acquisition a few months back (when I felt all inspired to actually set myself afloat on the ship of home-made summer clothing...of course, that idea lasted just a week in my mind and then never made it to reality, until yesterday!), and tried valiantly to follow an idea for a tiered peasant skirt.
The idea was good, the pattern was nice, (and easy) but alas the fabric had different ideas on it's eventual display. Still, not to be beaten by the twisted and embellished cotton we'd chosen to use, I persevered and made the skirt anyway. It was hideous. Atrocious. Sad!

I admitted defeat - even though Blossom comforted my waning confidence with, "It's okay Mum, I'll still wear it."
I'm a mother, I would not willingly choose to humiliate my daughter with that skirt, so I responded hopefully, "No. I'll work something out, leave it to me." She sighed softly, the relief in her eyes evident.
Unpicking the seams, and laying out the fabric again, I remembered something.
Back to the plastic fabric tubs I found our oldest pattern, the one that I'm sure my own grandmother could have made back in 1970, the one that we'd rescued from the op-shop reject pile.


Surprise, surprise...


I think it worked.
Before she models it, I've washed it and hung it in the sun to see if it's going to shrink. No, I didn't wash the fabric first. You're starting to understand why I don't make our clothes aren't you?

If this works out, by an act of significant grace from God, I'll get Blossom to model it and you can pat me on the back. That encouragement may push me to try another skirt. ;-)

Happy sewing!
Jenny
(now hinting to dh that an overlocker may be a wise Christmas purchase....)

Just one little thing....

You know the Bohemian bag I made the other day?

I hung it on the linen cupboard handle and just allowed it to be in my view for a few days because it needed 'something' and I couldn't figure out what. Then I was hunting round in my buttons and bells box and found this embellishment - something I kept from an old top I threw away (actually I have 5 more so who knows what you'll see them on next time!).
It originally had blue seed beads hanging from it, but I gave it to Blossom (14yodd) and asked her to pop some turquoise beads on instead - she went a bit further with that thought and added in some goldstone as well. Now the missing piece of the design is on and the bag is really ready to be used.

Sometimes it's a little thing that makes all the difference.

Have a beautiful day!
Jenny

Finally finished!

The Christmas Sack is finally finished! It's so much larger in real life than it appears in the pattern photo...you can see from Blossom holding it (and she is a good few inches taller than her mama) that it will hold an awful lot of lollies come Christmas.
Can you hear my family whooping with joy!!???

The opinion of the male contingent in our family is that it looks more like an elf's hat than a Santa sack.
What do you think?

I loved the added accents of tiny rusted bells hanging from the prairie points, and the huge (LOUD!) bell at the bottom. No-0ne will be able to steal lollies quietly.

Each year I make one new Christmas decoration and the sack is this year's, but I have a few UFO's floating around that are Christmas themed so I may pull them out and see if I can clear the backlog of partially made items ......orrrrrrrrrrrr I could start something new?

God bless your stitchin'!!
Jenny