Actual craft report today!

Actual craft report today!
I have been doing stuff - its just that I've been doing it secretly. Its my mums 70th birthday tomorrow, so I've been beavering away making here a Kennedy Bag which is a satchel style bag with faux buckles (it has a mag snap fastening) and a very bright fabric! I chose the 'cats in the flower garden' fabric because she likes, well, cats and gardening!
I'm hoping she likes it because shes certainly not the reserved type! It is an easy pattern to follow, but just a little bit finicky - lots of stuff to cut out - and I am short on time so this took me quite a while! My first time putting on little bag feet (was so easy I'm putting them on everything now!) and I also added a removable internal base which has a little more rigidity to it.

The second bag I've made this month is the 'Wordy Ladies' bag for my friend Nic. She needs something to go with her dress to attend a wedding. Its a Lindy Bop Audrey dress, which is gorgeous and classy (I have one in black) and plain midnight blue, so she wanted something dramatic to accessorise. She also wanted a budgety bag (i.e one that is quick to make - time is money!) that would fit the basics. We went through my stash and I suggested the fabric used for the bag below:

I just used a half circle screw on frame for this - I have ordered a silver frame but its not here yet so the bronze is temporary. I used the same pattern I made up for my kitty bag which was the practice run for the wedding bag (see below) but stabilised this with compressed fleece so that it can stand up on a table. Also included the piping - I bloody love piping - and finished with a bow. She seems pleased :)

Finally - I don't believe I ever posted my commissioned bag - this was made for an adorable lady called Emma who is getting married in July. She is a designer, so she had a very specific set of requirements. Apparenently I met those! Can't wait to see here wedding photos :)

Miss Vintage UK entry

I just entered Miss Vintage UK. Honestly I haven't a hope in hell but this is my year of doing things I haven't done before (I'm 40 in a few months!) and one of the things that was on my list was to do a photoshoot. (Got me a Groupon deal for nineteen quid - it was really good fun and a bargain - totally recommend!)

This is a facebook competition, so if aren't on I don't expect you to start now! There are a lot of gorgeous ladies on there, but I'm going to do my damndest to get some more votes. I'm representing the fuller figured gals (I'm a size 18-20) of a <ahem> certain age.

Its just a bit of fun. I'm not trying to pretend to be someone I'm not - but of course this isn't a true representation of what I look like every day. There was good lighting involved. And lots of straining to get the best angle. And makeup.

Stuff like this helps the confidence though for sure, and whilst I don't want to be fat and forty (I'm in 'a diet place' right now) I want to make the most of what I have right this minute, rather than waiting till I'm 'thin'. After all, my body might be big, but its produced two gorgeous kids - so its doing pretty well!

My entry to the Miss Vintage UK contest. Feel free to enter yourself or if you'd like to vote for me, you can like my picture in this album:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151925997677657.1073741832.30797112656&type=1
and you must also like their page
https://www.facebook.com/twinwoodevents

thank you

p.s. The dress I'm wearing is the one I was trying to get done in time for the groupon photoshoot. I failed to finish it, but am wearing it anyway (Its bulldog clipped at the back and there's no hem!) Glad I got to wear it though!