Thursday, February 26, 2009

New Messenger Bag

I have finally finalized my new messenger bag. After many attempts of making one I liked, I have finally come up with one I love. I think it's the perfect size for everyday use. I didn't want it to be too big but I wanted to fit everything I needed to take to work in it. It has two outside pockets and 3 inside pockets because I like to keep my stuff organized. I only have two posted now but I should have more coming this week.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

February Bag Winner

I picked a winner for February's bag giveaway. I used Random.org to pick a number. The winner this month is Stephanie from lesjoujou. She has a new shop on Etsy, so check it out when you get a chance.
Thanks for entering everyone and if you didn't win, don't worry. March's giveaway will be coming soon.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

New Fabrics

I love getting new fabrics in the mail. I told myself I wasn't going to buy any more until I used some of mine up, but I couldn't resist these. The first pic is Joel Dewberry's Ginseng in home dec weight. I have already made a wristlet in this and posted it in my shop. The second, is Amy Butler's August Fields, also in home dec weight. The third I have used many times before and it's still a favourite. It's from Michael Miller and is getting harder to get.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

My Favourite Bag

If you read yesterdays post you will remember me mentioning my favourite bag. I make a lot of bags and accessories and I truly like everyone, I won't sell something I don't personally like. This one though, I loved before I even started sewing it.
It is one of my new patchwork wristlets made with plain brown twill and 2 out of print fabrics from Robert Kaufman. It is brown, orange and a deep yellow gold colour. I think it is very retro looking which is what I love about Robert Kaufman fabrics. This bag is so me. I still haven't decided if I'm going to list it in my shop yet. I have very little of these fabrics left. I will check today to see if I have any more to make another similar one.
So here it is, my favourite bag ever!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Back to the basics

You may have noticed that there is not a pleat or ruffle in my new bags. After a lot of thought I have decided to go back to the basics. When I started making purses, the greatest fun for me was the fabric. I love great fabrics with bold prints. These tend to get lost in all the pleating and ruffling. I also love straight clean lines not only for bags but in home design as well. After thinking about which way to go in my shop, I have decided to go back to the simple designs in bags with great fabric and great fabric combos. I want to see the fabric I spend a lot of time picking out. Now that I've decided on simplicity, I love sewing again. Of course you will still see my love of yo-yo's on my wristlets.

In my shop, I have added gadget cases. I absolutely love the convenience of these. I will be adding more in the next few days. I have also made a new retro looking wristlet. I think this is my most favourite item ever. I am still debating on whether or not to list it. I will show this hopefully tomorrow. This deserves it's very own blog post.

Don't forget February's Giveaway is still on until the 22nd.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

February Giveaway!

I planned on starting February's giveaway tomorrow but decided to do it today instead. This month's giveaway is for a pleated wristlet/clutch with matching coin pouch and card holder. All are made with Erin McMorris Park Slope fabrics. I love the bright colours in this collection. To enter this month's giveaway you can either leave a comment about a fabric that you love or tell me what style of bag or wallet you like best in my store. To get a second entry, blog about this giveaway and leave another comment. I love finding new blogs to read. This contest ends on February 22nd at 9:00 P.M. EST.
Good luck everyone!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

New for Spring

I have been sewing some new bags this week for Spring. I have decided I'm done with winter and I'm looking ahead. I started with some new market totes perfect for everyday. These will be available for a limited time only. The second bag design is a new wristlet. These are patchworked and slightly bigger than my original wristlet. These are my new favourite. I have started listing these in my shop. I will be working on a shoulder bag version of these.
Also, keep watching for further markdowns as I will be clearing out more older styles of bags.
Stay tuned, February's giveaway is coming soon!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

The life of a wallet

I am often asked how I can sew so many items without any help. I took some pictures today to show how I do it. I plan my items to try and sew in the same colour groups. The wallets I sewed today all used gray thread so I didn't have to keep re-threading my machine. This is a huge time saver.
First, I cut everything out. This is probably the most time consuming with wallets because there are so many pieces. I then put the fusible interfacing on everything now I'm ready to sew. I sew all the change sections first, then the cardholders.



Next I assemble and sew the inside of the wallet. Once that's done I make all the closure tabs. I add snaps to them and the main wallet piece. I then sew the two together. I turn them all the right side out, iron them and top stitch.



It took about 3 hours with a couple of small breaks to make 5 wallets. I love seeing them all finished and lined up. These wallets will be posted in my shop in a couple of days.