Countdown to launching my new handmade handbags website....steady!

Time for another Handmade Monday.
So, here it is...the most important bit of my new website....my new logo. What do you think?

I also found this fab series of hessian icons to use for my Facebook, Twitter and Flickr links.

I always liked my rubber stamped luggage labels, so I've had the logo made into a new rubber stamp...

....and for that finishing touch I'm having some new cloth labels printed to sew into the seams of each item. But they haven't arrived yet!

I'm still trying to sort out my packaging. I'm thinking brown 'pizza' boxes (obviously without Domino's printed all over it and without the extra balck olives) and duck egg blue tissue paper for wrapping. Now just the dull stuff to go - T&C's, returns etc. - and we'll be ready to launch.

More about → Countdown to launching my new handmade handbags website....steady!

Finally finished May's Folksy challenge.....my Jubilee bag!

OK - so maybe I'm a few weeks behind everyone else, but I've finally finished my Jubilee messenger bag and I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. I'm not sure I can quite bring myself to part with it, but it's already attracted quite a bit of interest so hopefully it will sell quite quickly.

for sale in my shop

I really enjoyed the challenge of making the Union Jack and using a slight twist on the traditional colours. I'm thinking a tangerine and turquoise Union Jack next maybe??? (no idea why this bit of text is highlighted white!!!)

This months Folksy challenge is Wimbledon. Have a few ideas, but haven't started yet (no surprises there!)

Not that this month's rain has been getting me down but.....I've started thinking about winter. Hubby has just taken delivery of one of these cute little woodburning stoves in baby blue - I'm thinking it might be time we had a change in our lounge. I just can't resist the unusual colour.

AJWoodstoves

And maybe if I get a new wood burning stove now that will be a good way to guarantee a heatwave for the next few months! Why not pop over to Handmade Monday to see what everyone else has been up to.

PS. For those of you who asked on my last post about what an ironing friend was.....it's a small cushion that you can insert into corners and other tricky areas. It means you can iron your bag after it's finished being assembled. I've not heard it called an ironing friend, but it has a nice ring to it doesn't it!?

More about → Finally finished May's Folksy challenge.....my Jubilee bag!

Multi-coloured Swap Shop

OK - so there's no Noel Edmonds or Keith Chegwin, but I am showing my age! This weeks Handmade Monday is a big THANK YOU to the lovely Tracy at Mad About Bags for the lovely swap we did last week.

It all started with a plea for a pincushion! Perhaps like most folk, most of my crafting is done on the kitchen table, in between it's other functions. Maybe not like most people, I'm also a bit of a clutz! So inevitably most of my pins ended up on the floor and then either i) up the vacuum or ii) in my dog's paws! Something needed to be done.

I know, you're thinking why doesn't she just make one! Oh, I don't know - i just never seemed to get around to it. So i put out a plea on facebook - would anyone make me a pincushion in exchange for a small purse or bag!?

To my joy, Tracy was up for a swap - and what a fab swap it was. I am now the proud owner of not one, but two, lovely pincushions. She also made me a matching ironing friend, which is already being put to good use in preventing me from burning my fingers when ironing round corners and difficult bits.

And what did I swap? I made this little boxy bag in one of my favourite fabrics. I hope she finds it useful!

More about → Multi-coloured Swap Shop

Patchwork bags and an unfinished Jubilee!

It's been a long time since I last took part in Handmade Monday, but it's been a bit quiet around here this weekend so I seem to have a bit of spare time on my hands! Even my Facebook Friends seem to have disappeared. I guess everyone is just off enjoying the Jubilee celebrations and making the most of a long weekend?
I seem to have lots of unfinished projects at the moment. Most frustrating is my Jubilee bag. I made the patchwork Union Jack ages ago as part of the monthly Folksy challenge. But I made my strap the wrong width for my fitting. Rather than re-do (because i was rather please with my stitching!) I tried to order some alternative metal rings - that was 4 weeks ago, and they still haven't arrived. However, since patience isn't my strong point, I'm going to share it with you anyhow...

I seem to have a bit of a patchwork bug at the moment, because I've also made this lovely lilac and green bag.

I have another variation currently in progress, but that too isn't yet finished - I'm spotting a theme here!!!

I really must get down to some finishing-off today because I've signed up for two craft fairs over the next few weeks. One is online...

The other one is Eccleshall Street Market on Saturday 23rd June. Maybe see some of you there...???

More about → Patchwork bags and an unfinished Jubilee!

Summer in the air!??

It's been a really busy weekend, but have managed to find time to post some pictures for Handmade Monday. On Saturday I finally managed to finish two bags which have been in progress for a while. But I ran out of fusible fleece and have been waiting for more to arrive. If only I could find a cheaper source of this - it's often the most expensive item which goes into making a bag, but using it gives a much better quality finish!

Anyway, I'm a bit anxious about these two....but the fabric was so lovely and cheery I just couldn't resist. What do you think? Are they a bit too bright?

Today has been just as hectic. But not from bag making - I was actually do my "day job", but read on and you'll see there are some days when doesn't feel like work!

This is one of the woodland sites I manage.....

The coppicing was done this winter by some lovely, lovely volunteers! And today we had a bit of a public event to try and get people to visit the wood. Meet the lovely Hermes from HorseForce logging (she's the one with four legs!) who has been doing a bit of work for us today, dragging logs out of the wood.

And then there was the Fairy Trail with these amazing sculptures from FantasyWire.

So you see, sometimes it's just not like a job at all! How lucky am I!!?

More about → Summer in the air!??

A trip back in time

Having missed last weeks Handmade Monday I wasn't sure I'd manage it this week either! We had the mother-in-law to visit from Cornwall, so I wasn't sure I'd get any sewing done. But, in the end, I did manage to finish a few projects.

So, after a busy weekend which included a visit to the Black Country Living Museum and a trip to the nearby Crooked House pub...

 
 I finally managed to finish the autumn version of my tree bag, as well as a noticeboard for our kitchen.

At last Hubby doesn't have an excuse for leaving unopened mail on the kitchen worktop!

More about → A trip back in time

Tig - Pass it on !

Still being far too easily distracted by other things so this is a belated post for this weeks Handmade Monday. This post is to say a huge thank you to some lovely ladies who nominated my last blog post (seems like aaaaages ago now) for a Liebster award (no, i'd never heard of it either, but am chuffed all the same!)

So firstly a big thank you to the 3 folk who nominated me.....
Black Willow, Jam Dalory and Reloved Remnants. I'm trying to lure them all to the dark side of bag making (well, actually - it's not that dark really!)

Apparently I need to pass on to five other blogs who have less than 200 followers - kind of like a game of 'tig' i guess.

So on to my fave five. So many great blogs to choose from - but in the end I decided on.....

The fab vintage styled Princess Prudence Diaries A fellow fan of 1950's fashion.

The lovely Angela Smith who makes lovely jewellery and is virtually a 'neighbour'.

Pollyanna Patchwork - another neighbour, who owns the loveliest fabric shop in Eccleshall.

And then there's the lovely Lucy Liz  who makes some beautiful handmade items.

And finally My Calico Heart. Don't you just love this quilt!?

More about → Tig - Pass it on !

Sew, you want to make bags?

Hubbie is expanding his business (very exciting!) and moving into a new showroom, so a lot of my time at the moment is being spent helping him get ready to re-open in March, rather than sewing. In the absence of any new bags to show this Handmade Monday I thought I'd do a few of my top tips for those who want to start making bags.

Tip number 1 - choosing the right pattern:
For those of you who are more creative and braver than me, you can just start from scratch and make your own patterns (or even just make it up as you go) But when I started I really wanted to use a pattern. There are lots out there. Here are some great links for bag patterns, some free, some pay-to-download PDF's (some of the free ones don't always have the clearest instructions)

PAY TO DOWNLOAD

keykaloupatterns.com
As well as having some fab patterns, this is also one of the cutest blogs: flossieteacakes.blogspot.com

FREEBIES
sewingsupport.com
pursepatterns.com

Choose something simple - my first bag was a really simple bucket bag. No pockets, no catches. Once you've done one you soon start to want to make your own design touches.

But, if I was to make one tip I would recommend The Bag Making Bible by Lisa Lam. It has the clearest instructions and simplest patterns I've come across. Great for beginners and teaches you many of the basic techniques.

Tip number 2 - some basic essential kit
My sewing kit has grown over the last 12 months quite considerably (but not as much of my fabric stash!). There are a few things I would recommend:
Good quality scissors - the best you can afford! I use Fiskars. The really cheap ones just don't last and careful cutting out makes things sooooooo much easier when it comes to assembling!

A rotary cutter and ruler - a familiar tool for quilters, but if you're trying to cut lengths of material for straps and handles then the quality of the finish really is improved by the quality of the cutting. Rotary cutters makes cutting straight edges really easy.

Sewing machine - kind of obvious and essential. But it doesn't need to be fancy. Mine is a very basic machine (about £100 I think - although mine is on 'permanent' loan from my mother!) and I only seem to use 2 different stitches. Something which has a high-lift foot and can go through lots of layers of fabric is far more important than lots of fancy gadgetry!

Tip number 3 - Don't get hung up on inter-facing
There's a whole world of interfacings and fleeces out there. But basically interfacing makes the fabric stiffer - wadding or fleece gives it volume. Fleece can make a simple bag look much better - but can be the most costly part of making a bag!
When I first started I spent ages looking for the right materials and bought expensive interfacings online so I could stick to the pattern requirements. But now I mostly buy whatever is available in my local haberdashery - and it's far cheaper. Experiment! The key thing is not to put a stiff facing on a thin fabric and vice versa. If I have a thin fabric I want to make much stiffer I usually put my wadding or fleece next to the fabric and then the interfacing behind it. Fusible fleece is best - but sew-in does a good enough job on most bags!

Tip number 4 - A steam iron is essential (my husband would say preferably 2!)
It's the steam that does the work on making your interfacings and fleeces stick - so you need a good steam iron. No matter how careful I am I always seem to end up with glue on the iron. Which is a real problem when hubbie irons the collars on his work shirts. I would definitely recommend keeping your bag making iron separate to your everyday iron.

I've just bought this cute little crafters iron - I haven't used it yet and I certainly wouldn't consider it essential - but i'm hoping it will make ironing the linings much easier.

I'm sure there are lots more tips to share, but that should get you started. If anyone has any good tips to add then please post them in your comments.

HEALTH WARNING!
Fabric buying can be addictive.....

More about → Sew, you want to make bags?

Just a tree....

....but it seems to have created a bit of a stir!

I bought this beautiful fabric from e-bay a while ago.

I knew whatever I made from it I wanted the fabric to be the main feature - it was just so beautiful. I spent quite a long time looking at it before I managed to bring myself to cut into it. But finally, the first bag in my 'Tree of Life' Collection (ooo, how grand does that sound) was born.

That's spring done - just summer and autumn to go now.....

Whilst you're waiting, why not head over to Handmade Monday which is celebrating it's first birthday.

More about → Just a tree....

I know it's not Christmas but....I've been rubbish!

Christmas has been and gone i know, but i'm sooooooo late in thanking some lovely ladies for some lovely secret santa gift swaps.

First - many, many thanks to L is for Love for the fab gifts which were unwrapped on Christmas morning in a windy cottage in Scotland. We had to swap a handmade item, a christmas decoration and something from a charity shop. The unwrapping of my parcel was an absolute joy. Here's a taster of some of the things i received

As well as some fab buttons (which i can't wait to use on a bag) and beautiful Christmas decorations i also got a handmade knitted bag - i'm so chuffed - it's not the kind of bag i could ever have made for myself.

Secondly, my secret santa from the Craft Forum - whose name i have rather shamefully forgotten!! If you're out there please give me a kick so i can add a link to my blog......but who sent me this inspired hand-painted box in the shape of a bag.

Put them together and i now have the cutest box of haberdashery goodies a girl could hope for!

And not forgetting Faith, Hope and Charity and Beads by Design who organised the two swaps (especially the latter who had to put up with my scatty memory!)

More about → I know it's not Christmas but....I've been rubbish!

Top five fab places to get your fabric fix!

I was hoping to blog about my fab craft fair yesterday. But things didn't go quite as planned! Due to the wind and various other factors, four of us were sent home because there weren't any pitches left. So instead of telling that rather depressing story again (if you are a Folksy member you may already have seen my whinge!), i thought i'd refresh Saturdays blog page for this weeks Handmade Monday.

Are you a fabric addict? I know there are plenty of us out there. In fact, I sometimes think I spend more time shopping for fabric than I do making things with fabric. It's probably when my husband queries the number of parcels arriving through the door that I think I should actually turn them into something useful.

But  I have to confess I'm a bit of a cheapskate. I love my Kate Spain (as some of you may already know!), my Joel Dewberry and my Jennean Morrison. But at £10 a metre I have to limit myself to what I can make with these. Generally I try and limit myself to a maximum of about £6 a metre - but if I really like something I pretend the postage doesn't count! So here's my top 5 of places to by fab affordable fabric

In at number 1: Probably the  place I visit most ... Doughty's

All these are currently listed at £2.99 per metre - what a bargain!


 Number 2: Crafts & Quilts of Southport

Has some great designer fabrics and a huuuuuge selection!


 

 Number 3: Cheap fabrics.co.uk

If I can buy my lining at these prices then I can splash out a bit more on the pretty fabrics.



My last two are from my e-bay favourite sellers list. This list grows on a daily basis and i could probably extend this to a top 50, but here are two of my faves!

Number 4: FAVOURITE-FABRICS

Number 5: TEXTILE-EXPRESS

More about → Top five fab places to get your fabric fix!