A handbag!

Hello again
I've finally managed to finish the handbag I feel like I've been making for months. It hasn't been months of course as I only got the template about a month ago but it has taken me longer than I would've liked due to 'life' basically, which isn't such a bad thing. It's for a friend of my daughter's 13th birthday on Thursday, so it's a good job I finally finished it yesterday i.e Tuesday September 27th. It's the first time I've made a handbag and used a Clover template. I'm not that impressed with some of the instructions and the basic way Nancy Zieman has designed the bag, especially the handle attachment and top finishing but you usually have to adapt these things to your own style or what equipment you have handy. Obviously Clover want you to buy all their stuff and I did use their magnetic snap closures and their Shape 'n Create (Bag & Tote stabiliser) but I improvised on things like the sewing ruler and the rotary cutter as I don't have those. I am putting them on my Chistmas list though as they would've made a few things alot easier.

I had quite a bit of learning to do about cutting on the bias and making piping but I got there and it's pretty basic stuff, so hopefully I'll be MUCH quicker next time. Visit Peg Baker's youtube page to learn about how to join the bias strips and there are loads of videos out there explaining about cutting on the bias.

There are several good things I do have to say about the Trace 'n Create California bag collection template though, as it does allow you to make 6 different bag styles and I'm sure once I've made maybe one more, I'll be on a roll and able to adjust per my own specifications. It doesn't mention about the 'bag feet' which were mentioned on the Create and Craft show I watched a few weeks back which inspired me to buy a template. With the Carmel petite bag this is though, I don't think you need feet on it as it's more of a 'hang it over a chair' kind of bag rather than a 'plonk it on the floor' type.

I bought the material from online fabrics (click here) and I found their service to be excellent - I made a query about interfacing and was 'called' about it and they just added it to my order without me having to do anything. For them to actually speak to me was unreal in some respects as everything happens online these days but I loved that. The material was presented brilliantly and the delivery was very fast although it should be at £5.95 but I'd definitely recommend them. I got a fair bit so I'm hoping to make more of these bags, perhaps as Christmas presents.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings, here it is:

Take care out there

New version of napkin box

Hello there
I've finally managed to do a new version of the napkin box I made. Why I've done this and not one of the other three million things I'd like/need to get done, is beyond me as it was hardly urgent but hey, it's done and that's what matters.
I got my inspiration as such from the Cricut magazine, June/July 2011 issue. Maggie Lamarre had a scrap page of hers using a gorgeous deep pink flower she'd made from the Home Accents cartridge which I had loved since seeing the magazine. My flower isn't the same as hers in many ways but she got me started with this particular flower in the first place. I forgot to do the shadow version of the 'hearts' flower which Maggie used, hence mine is so much more intricate and was really quite a challenge to remove off the brand new mat and a few flowers were ruined in the process. I also feel that double sided card would've been easier to cut and appearance wise would've been better but I used the My Mind's Eye 2009 Totally girl pad I have. I did ink the edges but the white background still isn't great- perhaps I should've inked all of the back. Next time maybe. It looks better in real life so I'm more than happy for it to sit on the table.

Take care out there

What's next?

Hello
I have so many projects either on the go or on my 'I want to do' list but here are some photos of what might be one of my next projects. I also have some birthdays coming up, which'll need cards to be made of course but this is something new yet again.

This is what I ordered from Create and Craft last week and actually arrived this week - their orders often take quite a while to get to me.

This is the very first yo-yo I've made. It's quite large being 10cm wide but I had the material handy (I'm sure you recognise it from my previous post) and a bowl close-by to trace around and since it was only meant as a practise; what the heck?! I was inspired on the whole by a Clover show on Create and Craft. They were selling templates to make them but after seeing the demo, I thought "I don't need a template for that" and how right I was. I did a quick search and found Heather Bailey's very clear instructions; click here to see for youself. After spending rather a while looking at her great site which also sells her material, I made this little beauty and put a button from my collection in the middle. There's £5 I saved. I also looked on ebay and got some of the Clover flower yo-yo templates for free postage and cheaper than C&C, so I ordered those. These will be great to go on any bags I make - or any cards or scrap pages I make too.

This is material which I persuaded my mum to let me have. It was the curtains in my grandmas house which was recently sold, so they have huge sentimental value to me. I'd love to use them perhaps on a bag.

Fun and games to be had.

Take care out there.

One thing I've been up to

Hello
I participated in the 'Big Picture Classes' Words to live by free class this summer which overtook my life almost but I loved it. I had varying 'success' but the overall success for me was that I achieved it all. I had to do a scrap page a day, which for a none scrapper was a big task and also design is not my forte so I was so thrilled to get it done. The whole household knew about it of course and even helped with parts of it, which made it even more satisfying.

I've finally finished my home made curtains project which seems to have taken a huge amount of time but considering holidays with loads of things to do and applique of tonnes of butterflies, it hasn't been too bad I suppose. They're made out of old sheets which I dyed. The butterflies are made up of this lovely material which is covered in butterflies, so the perfect choice. They are two tone and very basic in design but they're great for my 'craft room/spare room'. It took quite a while to cut out the butterflies, mostly from my Cricut. Unfortunately I ran out of Bondaweb half way and bought another version of that from Dunelm Mill and it was rubbish, so I had to hand cut alot which was hard work. I also ended up sewing one of the butterflies back to front but I'm going to claim that was done on purpose to challenge people to find it. Things never seem to go all smoothly for me but that's because I'm always trying new things, so my own fault.

Since seeing Chris's mum's tie-backs a month or so ago, I've wanted to make plaited tie-backs for my curtains and I've finally got round to finishing them tonight. They certainly don't stand up to close attention but the overall look is good, so hopefully (once Chris has put the hold back things on the wall) I'll be able to have the curtains in their full glory. They're made out of the same dyed sheet material as the curtains and I managed them with the help of the only instructions I found online. Fairly basic stuff to alot of sewers but when it's the first time you've made them, it can take a while.. oh and there's always life getting in the way!

Take care out there