Blue Bags

Amongst the miles of material given to me by a friend a week or so ago were two beautiful tableclothes. She suggested that it would be lovely to be able to have a row of them in her little boutique, Get Gorgeous in downtown Forster, NSW. So I gave it a go. So far I have only used up less than one tablecloth but I think the other one has been earmarked for a circle skirt.





This bag was based upon the design of one another friend found at a thrift shop. It is really comfortable and very roomy. Perfect for nappies or a trip to the beach. I have included a couple of pockets as well as room for two pens and a key fob in all of these bags. Even though I am not a pocket person I have a feeling that they help sell bags! Sorry I didn't get any photos of the inside.





This one is based on the Summer Serendipity bag by http://handmadekate.typepad.com/ .It is also roomy but the lovely wide shoulder straps don't suit my sloping shoulders. But, as Maria says, someone else will love it.





This last bag is my own design. I love the look but I think I should have spent more time layering the seams so that they could have been flattened better. Still it is cute.





I couldn't find any suitable buttons either in my collection or in the local shops so I resorted to my current favourite method of combing two buttons. I think this looks even better with vintage buttons but is still great with new ones.


Cheerio!

A lazy week

It's been a quiet week for me, mostly just resting and trying to recover my energy. On the weekend I was able to help clean a flat for some elderly friends who were finally moving away to be with close family. We are very sad to see them go but they will feel so much happier being with their loved ones. Some people can accept help from anyone but others only feel comfortable to expose their needs within the family. Even if their code is different to ours we need to respect it because otherwise they can't feel whole. So it was with this dear couple. At this last moment they actually let a few friends come in help and I am glad because it also allowed us to show our love to them. Before he became very sick the husband had been an avid gardener. The surrounding yard was chock-a-block full of potted plants. I was very happy to be given two lovely, large geraniums - one pink, the other white. I love geraniums because they are so hardy. I wish I was more water conscious but the actual fact is that I just forget to water my pots so I really need plants that can survive with minimum care and that is just what geraniums are.

Another friend who also moved last night loaded me down with lots of things including bags of teenage clothing - some still with tags on. I was able to share a lot of things with other friends. I went to bed one night feeling over the moon because I had seen the look on a teens face as she went through the bags and found lots of treasures.One beautiful item I received was this tureen which i am actually thinking of using to on my dressing table.(I'll show you a picture of that if I ever get it sorted.) It is shown here with todays purchases from the craft shop.

I will leave you with cheerful face left over from our chinese fried rice, only because the dogs aren't enamoured of rice.

Cheerio!

Bags!

It took me a long time to come up with something but one night it just hit. So voila! Here is my swap tote. It is based on the morsbag; the only difference is that the handles are longer. My swap partner is a Mum and I just thought that something you could hang on your shoulder would be better than a hand-only-held bag. The little owl was made from a pattern I found on the internet. The designer is http://moonstitches.typepad.com/. Thankyou for your lovely tutowlrial. It was fun to make.

Unfortunately my swap partner has had a death in the family but despite this she has made a real effort to hold up her end of the bargain by buying a bag. I think this sort of conscientousness should be rewarded so I would like to say a public thankyou to my partner Jodie for the extra effort at this time of trouble. Thanks again!

A fuzzy photo of the full width pocket made from a recycled pillowslip.

As well as my swap tote I have been under obligation to my oldest daughter to make a couple of bags for her with fabric that she purchased in December. So here is the first one. The straps are long because she wants to be able to carry it across the body.