The new look Shoulder Bag

After umming and ahhing about how to go forth with this bag in much more subdued colours and embellishments than I prefer, I happily hit upon the idea to go forth with an elegant natural look...with some pretty but subtle embellishments...like the wooden heart shaped button on the pocket and hand sewn embroidery stitches.

The hard wearing black drill may be reversed to the very soft brown side which has quite a dressed up look , two bags in one. The client wanted long shoulder straps, so with such long straps I decided to make a feature out of them and was really happy with the result..

Here are the materials, whats next...

My next challenge...to make a shoulder bag (Carry All) in black & brown, nothing too fussy or pretty for a lovely lady to wear whilst shopping for goodies for her collectables store.

Here are the materials I bought, a hard-wearing black cotton drill, to give the bag some weight, and a soft brown linen...It will add a really nice texture and it will fray well! I do love to fray...Add a cute little button and we are on our way...

Stay tuned over the next couple of days to see what these goodies turn into : -)

See you all and thanks for reading. Its nice to hear from you and I'd welcome you joining me for my updates on my handmade adventures (you can automatically join my updates through clicking on the 'Follow' with Google Friend Connect button ). I am having fun, learning lots and enjoying meeting others with interests in the handmade world...

Another in the Vintage meets Retro range, Carry All bag

I so loved the fabrics I made the cushion from (see previous post ) I made a Carry All (Mamma's Bag) with the same fabrics. One of the inspirations for this bag came from a beautiful handbag I purchased a few years back, from Laze of Melbourne. Many people comment how nice it is and it appeals to my like of things shabby chic ...

As a mum I am always carrying lots of bits & pieces. Know what I mean? So I designed a good size bag that could carry lots of stuff.

This bag may be rolled up into a small size and tucked into my handbag. Its soft, yet it may also be used as a handbag...So its pretty versatile. Its like a stylish version of the green bag (you know the ones you get from the supermarket). I got tired of carry them around and thought, " why don't I make my own 'green bag' for all my kids stuff (spare clothes, snacks, drink bottles, favourite toy, hat, washer etc etc).

This bag may also be used as a nappy bag, and has lots of useful pockets - a bigger one inside for a purse/wallet / anti-nappy rash cream / wipes and two outside (one on top of the other) for a mobile phone, lipstick, sunnies / dummy etc. Its also reversible. The picture shown has the red carnation print to the outside, however it can be turned inside out to reveal the warm retro brown fabric on the outside and the pretty red carnation as a suprise inside the bag. Two bags in one.

Retro meets Vintage Home-ware Cushion

This vibrant, fun cushion is part of my Home-Ware range. I am really happy with the way it turned out.

So what was my inspiration? I needed to Tame the Beast...my overlocker (serger) that is. For those of you that have them, you will know what I mean...

I was over cowering and saying prayers of hope as I approached the beast. So I decided the day had come. After some searching I found a teacher who showed no fear at all, and promptly booked into her class...The result, this beautiful cushion - completely created by way of my overlocker. I am thrilled with the disovery of its capabilities and my new found skills...

The cushion is of a warm brown 100% cotton fabric with a retro style circle patern. It is teamed with a stunning, cheerful vintage style print of red carnations. A feature of the cushion is the flat-locked stitches that embellish the front, giving it a unique appeal. I have made the covers removable for ease of cleaning, important with littlies. They can be custom made, or personalized.