Bagging the Blogspot

Yikes! I have landed on the list of UK Craft Bloggers at number 485!! Now I know what it feels like to be Victoria Beckham with a new song - wondering if it's going to go up or down the charts, or just fade away due to lack of interest! Ofcourse, I don't know what it is like to be Victoria Beckham as far as her lifestyle goes, but I do know i'd rather be poor and happy with my lovely sewing machine, in my lovely garden room on a sunny day, than rich beyond my wildest dreams and forever pursued by a permanent wall of photographers... Imagine never being able to nip to the shop for a loaf of bread wearing nothing but scruffs and mascara? A nightmare if I ever thought of one (or looked like one for that matter). So, fingers crossed that I get some traffic and crawl up the blogging charts, perhaps even one day, to the dizzy heights of the top 40!

So here is the place, at the back of my house, where I spend my sewing and blogging days.



After a busy Valentines weekend - I DO celebrate it, but in a very non-commercial way - it's just fun after all, I haven't made anything of note in the last few days - not even a cake, and am just about to embark on a bulk order for tarot bags. So I thought I'd post some pics of my pre-blog bags.

This is my gardening bag. It's made from an old coat which I bought in a rare "hippy moment" years ago, but it was always too big for me - they didn't have my size - and so after a few years of trying but failing dismaly to look good in it (moments which I'm sure are very sparse in the life of aforementioned Posh Spice), and loathe to throw it away or donate it to charity because it was sooooo pretty and velvety I made this bag! I needed something to carry bits and bobs to the Allotment - gardening gloves, plant labels, pens, phone, water, reference book, sketch pad, paints etc., (not all at the same time, I hasten to add - it's not that big!). I sewed a lining with pockets into the inside, and added a few little pockets on the side gussets, and some beads which you cant see in this picture. Infact, the coat was big enough for 2 or 3 bags, this is just the first one! I found the front pockets and a portion of the back the other day much to my delight, when I was clearing out a cubboard.


This is a purse which I made for my friend at Christmas. Despite being in her late 30's, she still has a delightful childlike passion for all things Disney and the purse frame, called "mini" was just begging to be dressed up like Mini Mouse! I learned how to use purse frames from Lisa Lam's fantastic tutorials on U-Handblog (thank you!).


These are bags which I made for my Sister in-laws from a job lot of remnant velvet which I found in a shop years ago. It was cheap as chips, and i've still yet to find better velvet anywhere. I think it's silk velvet! The linings are all recycled bits of fabric, from clothes and underwear (washed of course!) and the inspiration for the style came from ... yes you guessed it... U-handbag again - cheeky wristlet tutorial, but i customised it to fit with the materials and fittings that I already had in stock.





This bag, which was ridiculously easy to make, is also courtesy of U-handblog, and was for my mother-in-law who loves all things oriental - well she spends enough time in those parts, so it's hardly surprising. Do you recognise the fabric?


This is my day to day handbag. I love leopard print and corsets, and I wanted this bag to have an underweary feel about it (don't ask me why, it was an odd moment!), without looking like a pair of knickers, or the pride and joy of Bet Lynch (i'm not sure I succeeded with that one)! The body is made from a velvety material called velboa and the gusset is made from corset coutil and there is a closure made from lace.


Here is a corset I made from the same fabrics


Now that you have seen the place where I spend my days, and considering that I'm still suffering from the after effects of weekend revelry, here is the place where I shall be mostly spending the rest of the evening ...