Stripey bag

Stripey fabric bag, knitted jumper and red beret

My handy new bag

I need a new bag I thought to myself.  Well, actually I probably didn’t.  But then again, I only have one (I’m so not your typical female am I?!)  and it’s fairly small so maybe I did.  I went shopping and discovered that the sort of bag I had in mind costs rather more than I had to spend.  Nothing new there.  But looking at them I thought, pah, I could make that myself in an hour or two.  And for less than half the price. I’ve been thinking that a lot lately.  I recently made myself two pairs of linen trousers for less than £50 (including all the zips and threads), which is roughly the price of one pair of trousers from somewhere like White Stuff. Result, I thought. So if I wanted a bag with the sort of money I had to spend I’d have to make one.  Not a problem.  And for around £10 and a couple of hours work I designed and made myself a lovely stripey number.  Oh yes, lovely it is!

If I were making it again, I would of course do some things differently.  I have a bad habit of ‘designing on the hoof’ – ie I pretty much make it up as I go along.  Well, I start off with a plan, a pattern, but then change my mind and alter it half way through.  It seems to be much the same way I do anything.  I should make a toile first.  Well I would if it was something important or expensive, but for something simple like this I’m happy to just go with the flow!

Stripey fabric bag

I made it in one of my beloved Kaffe Fassett fabrics

Stripey bag closure detail showing suffolk puff

and used a Suffolk puff to decorate the closure.

Detail of stripey bag

Big enough to hold something A4, but not too big to lose things forever. Perfect!

Very simple as it may be I was pleased with the Suffolk puff detail on the closure – little things please little minds!  I like the added texture and change in direction of the stripe.   I also like the way I made the centre of it match the binding and inside strap fabric (a black linen).  I must’ve been on a creative roll there!  I enjoyed working out how to make the puff like this and thought that maybe you’d like to have a go too, so I wrote a simple tutorial which is in the next post.  Let me know what you think!

I don’t know how, but it’s got to the wee small hours already, so I’ll say ta ra for now and will be back soon.

Love Stephie x

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Bagging it!

I think I may have sorted out the upside down picture problem for the time being.  Well, I say that.  I think iPhoto is the problem, it’s only allowing me to upload the original photo and not the ‘corrected’ versions (ie the ones where I’ve turned the pictures up the right way).  That’s what I think.  At the moment.  The other irritating thing is that I can’t find a way of viewing the actual images, rather than just a list with the names.  So annoying because all the files are numerical rather than descriptive and therefore it takes an inordinate amount of time to find the right one.  Well, I’m sure you don’t want to hear me waffling on about software do you?  I know I would have found something else to read by now!

Let’s have a look at some pretty pictures instead shall we?!  It was Mother’s Day recently, a couple of weeks ago now wasn’t it? Well, I made this, not for me, but for my mum.  She knits a fair amount and I thought a big bright bag to keep her projects in would be fun.  I made up the design myself.  Actually I just made it up as I went along, didn’t make a pattern first or anything. Didn’t even use a tape measure!  I used 2 coordinating fabrics from Amy Butler’s new Love range and added a large pattern and needle pocket inside and a smaller pocket on the outside for bits and pieces like pencils.

Mother's day present

Mother's day present for my mum!

Rowan in the bag, of course!

Rowan in the bag, of course!

Yep, I went a bit dotty with the polka dot theme

Yep, I went a bit dotty with the polka dot theme!

My mum seemed to like it. She said I was very clever, which made me smile like the cheshire cat (age 10). I don’t think she’s ever called me that before. Usually the complete opposite. So, things are looking up!!!

What did you do for Mother’s Day, anything nice? I hope all you mummies received something lovely, or put your feet up and were waited on for the day :) Well, we can live in hope!  I was taken for a picnic on the cliffs at Chapel Porth, make hay whilst the sun shines as they say!  It was such a beautiful day.

Mother's Day picnic spot

Mother's Day picnic spot

I was also very fortunate to receive a lovely book along with a box of Thornton’s Turkish Delight – which Kim said he’d been waiting all week for me to open, ha, ha!!!!! But I am a good mummy and I did share them! Here’s the book I was given: (click on the image to take you to the Amazon page).

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It’s very good, even though I don’t have an allotment! I’ve been thinking about applying for one for ages – the trouble is they’re all at least a couple of miles away and I’m told that the further away they are the less likely you are to use them… Still, I’ve already got lots of tips from the book for my little salad/veg patch in the garden. I’ve been digging out there, when the weather’s been ok, and I have to say I feel that spring is definitely in the air!  Well I did until I went out this morning and was almost blown over by a freezing cold wind and soaked through by pelting rain.

On that cheery note, I’m off to raid the cupboard or the fridge, or both.  It’s lunchtime and I’m soooo hungry!

Catch you later.

love Stephie x

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