Hello, remember me?

Sorry, I don't know where the time has gone since I last posted! I haven't been idle. I have been doing some knitting, sewing and beading.

I have been struggling a bit with my dressmaking endeavours. Nothing seemed to be going right. So I decided to take a break from making clothes and make a bag instead.

I bought a floral bag from a well known high street chain about 5 weeks ago (I am not naming names for obvious reasons). After 2 weeks the bag started to fall apart. The print faded dramatically, the base of the bag developed a hole in the outer fabric and one of the straps started to shred. Admittedly I didn't pay a huge amount for it, but I was bitterly disappointed. I decided that I could make a much nicer and more robust bag myself, for a fraction of the cost of the high street one.

A couple of months ago, during a trip to Fabric Land, I had bought a bag pattern on impulse -

The Lisette Foreign Exchange Bag pattern seemed to give me everything that I need. It had a small outer pocket, an inner zip pocket and a divided slip pocket for my phone, pens etc. I decided to sew View D.

I had a piece of Amy Butler fabric, perfect for the bag. I paired it with some blue cotton drill and some blue and white polka dot fabric for the lining.

I spent a few evenings happily sewing my bag. 10 or so years ago I used to make and sometimes sell bags and I had forgotten how much fun they are to create. It went together with only a few small hitches. I loved the pattern and would definitely sew it again. It was fairly easy to make. However, the instructions left a little to be desired in a few places, so I don't think this is a bag for an absolute beginner, but perfectly fine for someone with a few projects under their belt..

I am really pleased with the result.

As you can see my version is not exactly like the one on the pattern envelope. Here is what I did -

• my fabric is quilt weight so I added fusible fleece to the outer fabric and medium weight fusible interfacing to the lining
• I added a central zip top pocket to give me much more organisation within the bag
• I added a piece of plastic canvas to the base for added stability
• for more security I added a magnetic snap fastener to the top edge
• the original pattern tells you to leave a gap in the side of the lining, then slip the bag inside the lining, right sides together, stitch the top edge and then pull the bag through the gap in the lining. As I had added an extra pocket and extra layers of interfacing this was not going to work. So I made some binding from the Amy Butler fabric, dropped the lining into the bag and bound the top edge.

I am particularly pleased with the front pocket. It is the perfect size for holding my travel card and swipe card for entering buildings at work. Plus it gave me the opportunity to showcase a beautiful 1950s vintage glass button from my stash.

I have been using the bag for a few days and I have to say it works really well as a work bag with plenty of room for my pens, phone, MP3 player, purse etc. There is also enough room to carry a notebook or file, if I have to go to a meeting.

I used the instructions from Lisa Lam's wonderful book 'The Bag Making Bible' to create the extra internal pocket.

Another recent purchase was a Kindle. I have always loved books and really enjoy handling them as beautiful, satisfying objects. I never really saw the appeal of e-readers.

 

However, after talking to a couple of friends who own Kindles I started to rethink my attitude. They both told me that they read so much more than they did before buying their Kindle. It is much lighter and easier to carry around than a paperback or hardback book.

So, I decided to buy one. I have to say that I love it! I am now able to read waiting for the bus, waiting for appointments and during my lunch break at work. I would highly recommend them.

I have been doing some beading too. However my beading endeavours have been hampered by my having contracted a rather nasty virus. This left me shivering, coughing and sneezing, on the sofa, covered in a quilt for a few days. My head feels as though I have cotton wool stuffed inside it and it takes a great effeort to concentrate on anything. However I am trying to carry on with a design that I am developing for an Art Deco inspired watch strap. More about this and my knitting endeavours very soon.