Bag Lady

I joined a Bag Making class recently and then promptly went on holiday and missed the first two classes! This week I finally got a chance to meet my fellow Bag Ladies and start to catch up on what I had missed.

The class teacher had kindly sent me the pattern in advance so I was able to have all my pattern pieces cut beforehand.

We are making this Catch All Caddy, which will definitely come in useful both at home and when I travel to a class. I am forever forgetting some piece of vital equipment when I head off to a class but, hopefully, with this smart caddy to hand that will be a thing of the past :)

I wanted to use up fabric from my stash for the bag, but when I pulled my fabric choices I decided that the plain cotton that I had chosen for the piping and handles was purple when I really needed a deep red, so one order to Plush Addict later and I was all sorted. I discovered an even better match in my stash later, but only 1FQ so rather than order even more fabric I opted for going with what I have!

Rather than work on my own to catch up at the class, it made sense for me to work on the same part of the bag as the rest of the Bag Ladies and catch up at home between the classes.

This week we were constructing the padded handles for the caddy. The handles use ByAnnie's Soft and Stable, which I had never used before but I have to say I am a fan. It went through my sewing machine like a hot knife through butter even although it is quite thick, and even when it was doubled over for the centre of the handles.

Since the class I have been quilting the pieces for the sides of the caddy and the Soft and Stable has been a breeze to use there too.

Back to the sewing machine now for some more catching up before the next class :)

Done and Dusted!

The deadline for shipping for my first IG swap has arrived! Well the deadline for international shipping at least, so I can share at last the final contents of the package currently winging its way to my partner.

You have already seen

the Kilt Pin Brooch and the

Thistle-like linen pouch

My main project took a bit more effort mostly, it has to be said by my son!

My final make was this Lauren bag from the book, Making Vintage Accessories by Emma Brennan. I love the projects in this book and was looking forward to tackling a new one to me, but all the patterns in the book need to be increased before you can use them. It is the only drawback in an otherwise excellent book.

This was where said son came in. Calling in the odd favour or two, I asked him to photocopy the patterns for me, which he duly did. However, when I called in to collect them he discovered that whilst he had retrieved the photocopies from the library copier he had left the book behind! Well a pattern is all very well, but it helps to have the instructions to go with it :)

When he called into the library to try and retrieve the book, he discovered that one of the librarians had been so taken with the book that they had built an entire display around it, which he was about to ruin by removing the main item! Cue one rather sheepish son :)

Still the book and the pattern were finally reunited and I got cracking on the bag.

The swap is based on the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon and was timed to coincide with the release of the new TV series based on the books. The original scenes in the book, upon which this first series is based, are set in the 1940's just after the end of WWII, so this bag based upon an 1940's pattern seemed like the perfect make for my (very silent!) swap partner.

The linen for the flap was brought back from Latvia, and the wool for the main body was a lucky find in a scrap bag of fabrics bought many moons ago. The satin for the pleated front was another lucky find in my stash, but I have no idea what it was originally bought for. I am sure I had something specific in mind at the time :)

I have been hoarding this Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt since buying it in a sale over a year ago, so thought it would be the ideal lining to brighten up the very muted palette of the bag exterior.

I am thrilled with how this bag turned out and delighted to have another finish done and dusted, and a new experience to boot, it is all good!

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts

Sew the Library at Weekend Doings
    

Clamshell Clutch

I really intended to make a clutch bag for my daughter-in-law to be for Christmas but sadly never found the time. However, the Ho,Ho,Ho and on We Sew Link party launch seems like the perfect time to remedy that omission :)

I have had this clamshell clutch frame in my cupboard for ages and had already cut into the fabric for it when putting together one of Scrappy Trip Around the World blocks.

So, really it was about time that I knuckled down and made the bag before I found other uses for the fabric.

Lisa has instructions for covering the clamshell frame, so I downloaded them and set to work. I didn't have the glue that Lisa recommended for attaching the fabric to the shell, but hoped that Modge Podge would work just as well. I did have the Gutermann glue that Lisa recommends for attaching the shell to the frame, as I have used this several times in the past.

And here it is! The fabric is "in crowd" by Alexander Henry. The clutch only needs two pieces of fabric 6" x 9" for the exterior and two more for the interior, so it would be ideal for that last scrap of a treasured fabric too.

I lined the clutch purse with some 1001 Peeps fabric that I have been hoarding for ages but that really deserved to be used!

As you can see the clutch frame can also have a chain added and fortunately I had a 24" chain lurking in my cupboard too.

So I now have two Christmas presents neatly tucked away for this year. If I keep this up I will be so organised in December I won't know what to do with myself :)

If you would like to be that organised too, join Paula at Mud, Pies and Pins and myself at our monthly link party. You can link up any Christmas or Holiday projects that you have made this month over at Mud, Pies and Pins and be in with a chance of winning the Ornamental and Sew Seasonal pattern bundle from Quiet Play and Blossom Heart Quilts. There are 25 great patterns in the bundle so that should be plenty enough to tackle throughout the year. Paula also has a great tutorial for quick and easy decorations to tuck away for the Holiday season too. The Link party will remain open until the end of the month so there is still time to link up and win those patterns!

Linking up this finish to Crazy Mom Quilts




Linking up this finish to Crazy Mom Quilts