Bagmaking: The Companion Carpet Bag - Vinyl & Cats!

Ta da!!

I have finally finished this commission. It was a real labour of love. Emma, who I made it for, provided me with this amazing cat fabric. You can get this on ebay. It frays like a b*gger so I had to use a LOT of fray stop.

She wanted a doctors style bag and she wanted vinyl. I said I had some turquoise vinyl which would probably go well, and we went from there.

The sewing pattern I used was the companion carpet bag by Mrs H (not yet available unless you're in the bag of the month club).
You can see other examples of this bag here  I've made it twice before in Cath Kidston fabric, but this one is the larger size.

A LOT of work went into this. I machine quilted the vinyl, and I also hand quilted parts of the cats on the front and side so they would 'pop'. I made the handles (the rivets aren't quite straight - lets gloss over that) and you can't see the cute little nickel bag feet on the bottom here.

There is an inner zip pocket and some slip pockets too. 

The stripey tabs are to make opening it easier, as it has a large snap frame in there. 

I cut the heart out of the vinyl before sewing the cat in there and using the polka binding. I used soft and stable foam to keep it a bit more rigid.

I'm really pleased with the way this turned out. Its a unique bag thats for sure!

Another Carpet Bag - Cath Kidston clocks (again)

I finished a bag yesterday. I have a few too many orders to cope with at the moment - fortunately I've had a bit of extra time at home waiting for people to fix the boiler, so I managed to get this commission completed. 

Emma saw my previous carpet bag, and wanted the same Cath Kidston fabric, but with a black polka contrast instead. I found some pu handles on etsy, and they arrived yesterday morning just after I told her I couldn't finish it until they arrived!

There is an inner zip pocket as well as slip pockets and a front pocket with a magnetic fastener and polka piping.

The tabs are to help pull open the frame. 

Anyone wondering what it looked like before finished: this is before I  put the handles on 

This is it held together before I sewed the lining to the outer. It then all gets pulled (handles and all) through a smallish hole in the lining (birthing!) to get it right side out.

Also I realised yesterday I was wearing the same print but in green!

Bag of the Month - Companion Carpet Bag

This year I decided to join the bag of the month club. Basically, its a bag pattern download club - you don't know which patterns you are going to get in advance - its all a bit secret (although you do know which designers are contributing)

I am already behind, but I did finally get the January bag finished!

January - Samantha from Sewing Patterns with Mrs H designed this Companion Carpet Bag (mine is in the smaller size)

I used some of my Cath Kidston fabric for this. Clocks for the outside, floral for the inside.

There is one zip pocket and two slot pockets. There is also an external pocket with a magnetic closure.

I used premade bias binding to make the green piping. 

Looking at it, I think maybe I should have put it along the top edge between the contrast and the main fabric, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. The straps are pre-made. I've not used those before so this was a first.

Overall I'm really happy with it. I love the frame feature and I already have taken an order for another one of these (this one sold straight away)

Bag Time. Again!

Back in October, U-handbag introduced the Queen Bee bag, which I instantly loved. I must have been one of the first to download the pattern, and I started cutting out the fabric (this gorgeous Frida Kahlo pattern) immediately. 

Then I started getting inundated with orders. My Queen Bee Frida ended up on the back burner. 

And its not until this week that I finally decided b*gger it I'm finishing that bag. 

So I did.

 

 

Unfortunately, I messed up the corners. I don't know what happened, but the shape was wrong and my fabric didn't reach the frame. This is why there are lace inserts in each corner of the external bag, and fabric inserts on each internal corner. Gutted that I made this mistake, but still love the bag, and decided I was going to keep it. 

I visited my mum on Saturday (sans children and hubby). She lives 3 hours up the A1 (if I really bomb it up there) and I arrived mid afternoon. We went out for a lovely meal with my sister to celebrate my mums 70th (she doesn't look or act anywhere near 70!) The cake was not made by me. I decided a long time ago I don't have time for cake decorating :)

On Sunday, I got some bargains at Sedgefield car boot sale, and Maxey let me have free run of her sewing room. She is a generous lady and has a vast stash of fabric and wool. I was quite restrained I thought and only took a small selection of fabrics. She also donated a lovely wooden sewing box she found at the tip. Noah has since tried to comandeer it, but he's not having it!

Whilst at the car boot sale, Maxeys friend Jill was admiring my Queen Bee. Quite a bit. 'Lynn sells bags' says my mum. 'Oh, are you selling that one?' Jill asks. Umm. Ok.

So I sold her my handbag right there and then (after transferring the contents to my mums bag LOL)

I shall have to make another, and get it right this time!

 

This is my haul. I also got a min-iron from Aldi which was on sale - I've been after one for ages for my bag-making but £7 was a bargain!

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 :)

Swing Dress Finished! Puppytooth framed handbag finished!! Vintagebrooch in use!!!

All at the expense of a poorly sick child, which meant I could not attend my place of work today, instead having to fill in the time between being at his beck and call, by having my foot firmly on speed-sew...

So firstly. I finished the swing dress. I will post more photos on a page soon, but for now we'll have a few of me posing in some dreadful shots that I must apologise for but its the best I can do on my camera-phone with a dusty mirror. I'm pretty pleased. I think it looks the part and I'd be happy to wear this to work on a summers day, not just to the vintage tea party I made it for.  

   

Check out my brooch. This belonged to nanny (my dads mum - who was born in 1910) and is a vintage paste brooch/dress clips.Its been sitting in my jewellery box since she died in 1984.

I only just found out what dress clips are. Its been bothering me for years. Basically the brooch comes apart and the two sides become separate clips - for many years I thought they must be earrings - but that would be too painful due to the metal 'grip' at the back. More recently I thought perhaps shoe clips. Then I read about dress clips - eureka - so that's what it is! I have chosen to leave it in its brooch form here, but they were commonly worn either side of the neckline to jazz up dresses and coats.

  (I have ironed this believe it or not!)

I made quite a few adjustments along the way. I sewed up the bodice front as I can't be doing with gaping wrap style necklines. I shortened the sleeves and added faux cuffs. I shortened the waist-piece. I had to add side panels cos I'm such a porker. And the sleeves for the same reason. I added a few gathers to the sleeves at the shoulder. I had to modify the neckline at the yolk because the patterns off (OK, it is probably my lack of cutting skills)

New skills learned:

gathering using machine stitching (have always done by hand)

Invisible zip insertion. You can't see a zip can you? No? exactly.

Modyfying a pattern to fit (without the use of a muslin or a dressmakers dummy)

Also - I made a bag. A bag with a frame. I used the puppytooth fabric as it matches my shoes (sort of - its not entirely correct as its white/black not cream/black but near as dammit) For a first time/practice run I'm extremely pleased. I decided to leave the bag plain and have a nice polka lining. The strap is detachable. The brooch I made - well I'm a bit so-so about it - I think the ribbon makes it look a bit like a horse show rosette - but the beauty of course is that I don't have to use it. I may have another attempt at a different type of embellishment.

I would probably prefer the polka on the outside for more frequent use, but as I said, first go and all. The inner pocket is also too far down. Never mind. Its still a pocket.  It wasn't as hard or messy as I anticipated. The sewing bit was easy. The glue/fabric/frame bit was fine. I did spend half an hour picking glue off, but it looks OK now.

I am now really really wanting to start on my graceful kelly bag. But I need to make Noah his fox trousers first.