Finished tote bag

I saw some material when I was last at Spotlight and thought that it would make an ideal tote bag for my Heart sister in New Zealand. I bought a metre of it and then trolled the internet for a pattern.

I liked this pattern and so I bought it, I think it was $8 on-line but I figured that I would get good use out of it. The beauty of buying it on-line is that the pattern is available almost immediately.

Oh My Goodness, 42 pages of pattern and instructions. I have been sewing for years but some of this I could not make head nor tail from it. There were patterns for some and not for others just measurements.

This was where I had got up to before Nano started and it has been at a stand still with just the top to put in and the handle. I am sure there were many more zips as part of this than I put in but i was happy with a zip on the side, a pocket inside and a zip to close it.

Writing went very well today and I did over two and a half thousand words before lunch so I took some time off to sew and get this finished.

This is the top view and now the finished article.

Very happy with it. I hope she is as well. She loves bright colours, the panel is brighter than it looks in the picture, for durability I put the black with it as shopping bags do tend to get dirty. I haven't shown the inside but it is a light fawn which makes it easier to find things. keys are on the outside and phone on the inside pocket.

Now that I have made one i will make myself one as well, not with the same material though, after working on it for so long i am over that fabric.

Over 43 thousand words to date 7000 to go and six days. I will probably write some more tonight.

Sewing days

I took Warren to Spotlight a few weeks ago as I wanted to buy some material to go with other pieces that I had to make patchwork doonas for the new caravan. Patchwork for me takes quite a long time so I figured I would start early.

Bit of a disaster really as he didn't like any thing that I wanted to get and was drawn by these materials.

He said that they would save me having to cut and piece and of course he was right but I was trying to be frugal and use up some material that I already had. I made his quite quickly and had mine ready to sew, it was waiting and waiting. Finally Wednesday I sat down to the sewing machine and got it done and sewed the buttons on it to hold everything in place. The cream is the backing and has ghost trees on it.

Warren's has sports and mine has places, they are similar and the colours will blend in with the van.

Once these were finished, it was time for the next project. Youngest grandson had asked me to make him a jacket with lots of pockets, I told him that I would make it for his birthday. His birthday is next month, so plenty of time but I like to start early as things do tend to get in the way or I don't feel like sewing. Yesterday and today got much of it done, I had a pattern that I wanted to use but it needed to be traced and copied first. He loves green but the green I had was a bit too green so I have added green trim to brown check, hopefully he will get more use out of it being a neutral colour. So far I have ten pockets and have run out of places to put them so ten is going to have to do.

This is one of the fronts and a sleeve, the sleeves have two small pockets with a green button on each and the opening for the cuff is trimmed in green, I am considering adding a strip of green to cuffs, shoulder and collar. Not far to go now, should finish it over the weekend. I feel a little guilty as the only thing I had to buy especially was the open ended zip, think I will add a little some thing in each pocket

 

Inspiration

I visited the woman that I am helping with her sewing on Monday. I took a couple of books of patterns for her to look at, while we were going through them, I realised that they were too advanced for her just yet so I brought them home again. There is a pattern in one that I think would be suitable for her eight year old granddaughter and so I will draft the pattern first.

The book show clothes and then there is the pattern but as there are about 20 pattern in each book, the patterns run over each other and at first it is daunting to know how to draft a pattern from it.

I was having a more in depth on Tuesday and one pattern really appealed to me, I have not looked at these patterns in years and had de-cluttered the rest of them, I did have about a dozen or more but now only two and I don't really know why I held on to these. I thought I could make that and it would be

suitable for Lindsay, our only grand daughter. The flowers and leaves also featured in the pattern and as I had some felt from another project a few years ago, it was quite easy to do while watching TV. then I made a second one in drill, the first one is black corduroy and good for winter over a jumper or a long sleeved shivvie.

I added the frill as by spring, she will probably need the extra length and hte green was a piece that I had in my stash. I did go and buy the black and the drill and I got another couple of pieces as well so i should get four items for under $20. Ryan will be  twelve in June and I will send the black dress down for Lindsay with his birthday present.