Bag Lady ...

Hello! How are you? Thanks for dropping in .....

I had a few scraps of fabrics lying around so I thought Amelia (my sewing machine) and I would have a go at making some drawstring bags. What do you think? I'm quite pleased with how they turned out. I made a blue one first. It's small but perfect for a sock knitting project.

It's lined and everything!

Then I made a pink one. This one is 2" bigger all round.

I'm really pleased with them and I'll definitely be making more. If you'd like to give them a go, I used this tutorial from In Colour Order which was excellent.

Have a great week!

Til soon.

x

Sew chuffed.....

Hello and welcome! 

I'd like to introduce you to someone. 

This is Amelia.

Now I've had Amelia for 20 years. She was a gift from DH when we first got married and together, Amelia and I have made various soft furnishings including 4 full length fully lined curtains (been there, done that and never again)! We have also made one or two very simple tops for me and the odd cushion cover for friends.

However, Amelia and I have not always seen eye-to-eye. You see Amelia is very experienced. She has gadgets and gizmos and buttons and levers that do all manner of sensational things. I, on the other hand, am a novice sewer and Amelia knows this. Not only does she know it, but she takes great joy in reminding me of it ..... often.

I'll be chugging away on a project when suddenly WHAM! Amelia decides to jam. This is normally right in the middle of a seam or a zip or some other really tricky bit of sewing where I'm sitting on the edge of my seat, holding my breath and sweating like a marathon runner. But Amelia doesn't care. She jams and then makes it very very difficult for me to unjam her. Thread gets tangled, fingertips turn into marshmallows and projects end up being thrown across the room and then pushed roughly down into the depths of the dustbin.

Not today though.

Today, I made this with Amelia's full co-operation.

"Oh!" I hear you cry, "It's a cushion cover. Big deal." Well, actually it's not a cushion cover. It's a rather delectable "zippered pouch" as my American friends call them. (In England we would simply call it "a bag".)

But it's no ordinary bag because it's the first thing I have ever sewn WITH A ZIP!!!! I have to admit that I've tried before but Amelia has always been in "one of her moods" and I've always been at my most nervous. But not this time. This time the zip went in first time, no mistakes, no problems, no jams and no swearing by me! A first in every department.

I even lined it. Aren't you impressed? I am.

So after all my years of fighting with Amelia, how did I manage to complete this project in not only 1 day but in 1 hour???? Well, it's all down to this rather lovely post on this rather lovely blog Melly Sews and I have to say, I couldn't have done it without her. Not only are there pictures (always good for a visual learner like Moi) but there is a video too!!!!!! How cool is that?? Perfect.

More pics? No problem.

The outer fabric.

The lining.

And here it is stuffed with one of my current projects A Log Cabin Blanket from a fab designer Staci Perry at Very Pink. 

And if I do ever get bored using it as a bag then I could indeed use it as a cushion cover (stuffed with yarn, of course)!

I'm off now to skip into my kitchen for a celebratory cup of coffee!

Life is good.

Til soon.

x

ps   No sewing machines were harmed in the making of this bag!

Wreaths, rainbows and a little bit of sewing.....

Hello!!! Thanks for stopping by. Before I tell you what I've been up over the last few weeks I have to show you this -

Is it not fab? A Christmas wreath made of recycled pages from newspapers or magazines! I love it!!! I haven't made one yet but I want to, I really want to. I love recycled stuff. We chuck away so much stuff that with a bit of thought, time and energy can be transformed into something useful or at least usable (if not always beautiful!). Anyway, this (to me) IS beautiful and the true beauty of it is that you can send it for recycling after Christmas this year and then make another one for next year!!! Genius!

Anyway. A week or so ago I received a parcel in the mail (yes, the real mail with real stamps and stuff.....)

Said parcel was from Maryanne and Vicky at Woolhogs. I had won a prize!!!! Yes, can you believe it, me, moi and I had actually won something!!!!!!!! Yay! In all my 40 something years I have never (repeat N-E-V-E-R) won anything, so this was the hugest of huge things for me (can you tell?)! I had entered a little competition on Maryanne's blog and then the parcel came..... How's the cute button?

Want to see what was inside? Do you? Well, here it is ...............

A rainbow of seven skeins of the scrummiest cotton yarn you could ever imagine!!! It's a local product made by Elle and is their Premier Natural Cotton range. I cannot begin to tell you how beautifully this yarn works because yes indeed I've already started a project and it's fab-u-licious!!!! Can't wait to show you but not yet.....no sir, not yet............. 

On a completely different subject, I have been trying my hand at a little dressmaking. After seeing the uber talented Elizabeth over at Mrs Thomasina Tittlemouse make her stunning Edelweiss Skirt, I felt I had to give something a go! My Mom (also very talented with a sewing thread) had a pattern for a super easy dress which she helped me cut out one day last week. Then, last Saturday, I took the bull by the horns and after a little of this

a little of this

and a whole lot of this

I made this.

What do you think? I know it's no haute couture but it's all mine! It's the most stunning apple green colour and there are these little embroidered punch outs in the fabric. Here's a close up.

Aren't they pretty? I think so. I have to tell you that my sewing machine and I have never had what you might call a real relationship. It's always been more of a battle of wills with the sewing machine usually winning! This time, however, I kept repeating the mantra "I am not afraid" the entire time I was sewing and it seemed to work!!!! The machine behaved itself and within 4 hours I had a dress!!! Yay! 

For those of you that are interested the pattern is Simplicity 5628.

 I'm sure there is a technical name for this kind of dress but I call it a 'straight up and down dress'. It's great for summer, especially here in South Africa, where it can get blindingly hot in December/January so I know this little gem is going to get alot of use. Cute bag too.

That's me for now. What have you been up to?

Til soon.

♥