Out of town!

I'd like to thank Michelle, Su, Storybeader and Dee for helping out with the Facebook widget/fan box! I thought I finally had it, but when I tested it it showed up as error. So, back to the drawing board :(
As exciting as it is being on FB, there are a couple of things already beginning to annoy me - 1. my (previously saved) settings keep returning to default. 2. I seem to be getting the same messages over and over again!

Well, I'll worry about that when I get back from my visit to my mom's place. On the way back I'll be meeting with a lady who would like me to make her a customized bag. Since she wasn't very clear about the shape/size/fabric in our telephone conversation recently, I will bring along a few of my bags and my sketchbook and ask for specifics.

So, only a short post today, no pics either. Gotta run. Take care and see you all back in a week!

Garden Scenes II & a Kitty

A few of my favourite colours brightening up our garden...

...and Sammy!

Cosmetic bag/Sponge bag in brown-pink

I have not made this shape of bag in a long while - until I found this gorgeous ornament print in brown-pink. This fabric reflects my new website colours perfectly. This sponge bag is perfect for traveling. The tall shape and slightly narrower bottom will keep your bottles and tubes all lined up in a nice row without tumbling over. It is fully lined with a coordinating pink mini-polka dotted fabric and interfaced for stability. The icing on the cake is the button from my personal Vintage collection. I love this button and I'm so happy it matches the main fabric perfectly.
If you look closely, what animal is hiding at the bottom?

New zipper pouch and feature

Last year I mentioned that my blue strawberry zipper pouch was one of my bestselling items in that category. Well, it still is. Since then I have had requests from friends and students for this particular pouch. But now I have run out of fabric and my supplier doesn't know when/if he will get another bolt in or not!

Meanwhile I have found another fabric that is just as cute. It's got little red strawberries and tiny pink flowers on a white background. I hope people will like this one just as much.

Lastly, my cupcake pencil case is a featured item in Forever Denim on Dawanda. It's the one on the bottom far left.

wishing everyone a great week!

Choices, choices...

pre-washed, ironed and ready to cut

There are so many fabrics (wovens, knits, quilting, decorator etc) out there it's sometimes hard to determine what type of fabric to choose for a sewing project. Not to mention all the colours and prints available these days. No wonder sourcing fabric takes up a big chunk of my time!
Believe me, the fabric one chooses to construct a bag, a garment or anything else for that matter, can absolutely determine whether it's a success or a failure. As a general rule I use light-weight (about 160 gr) quilting fabrics for my cosmetic pouches and sleep masks. They come in endless prints and plenty of colours from muted to vibrant. By interfacing them they have just the right thickness and stability to keep their shape without becoming too stiff or bulky. A thicker fabric would make sewing in the zipper awkward.
On the other hand, decorator weight or even upholstery-weight (about 240 - 380gr) fabrics work well with my purses and shoulder-bags. Since these bags are meant for heavy-duty use it's important that the fabric is a tight weave. Under no circumstances should it have 'stretch' , often found in denim fabrics - great for a pair of jeans, awful for bags! Almost all the fabrics I use are 100% cotton. I pre-wash them to get rid of the excess dye and any remaining industrial odour, as well as accounting for the loathsome 'shrinkage'. They are also easier to sew afterwards.
The pink and lilac polka dot fabric you see up there in my stash is a wonderful thick cotton with about 25% linen blended in. I am going to make cute shopping totes with these. Stay tuned :)

Garden views

Hey everybody!

it's a public holiday today, so I slept in (which in my case meant I got up at 7:00 a.m. instead of 6:00 a.m. - haha). I've got animals to feed, you know.
This is the view that greets us first thing when I open up our bedroom window. Lush green, isn't it?

And  here's the pond with our three ducks. I had to zoom in, because they are very shy and normally wouldn't let me near them for an upclose shot.

It's nice to have a day off in the middle of the week...now, if only the temperature would rise! It's only 6°C (about 42°F). Brrr.


'till next time,

Pink Flower Tile Sling Bag

This sporty yet feminine sling bag is made from a smooth beige, decorator-weight, tightly woven cotton. The front pocket panel and shoulder strap are made from a pretty pink floral tile print, which I have used for the interior zip pocket and mobile phone pocket as well. The bag is spacious enough to fit in all the day-to-day essentials without appearing bulky. It closes with two strong magnetic snap buttons to keep all your items secure.

This bag is easily customizable - choose your favourite solid colour and combine with a multitude of fun and fresh prints! The entire bag is interfaced for stability and measures approx. 14 x 12 x 3.5 inches. Oh, and it's machine washable too.

Have a great week!

Featured x 3

First off, a BIG THANK YOU to my blog designer Sheila who, upon my request, efficiently changed the by-line of my header in super quick turn-around time!

Next, a big thanks also to the English team at Dawanda for featuring three of my items in their new theme 'a day with Dawanda'. 

My pink clutch and the carmine red clutch are featured in Party Time, and my vintage cherry sleep mask is in the Bed Time feature. Yay!

Happy Weekend!

Another Rose Fabric :)

As mentioned in this post  roses feature heavily in my fabric stash! When I source fabrics - either while traveling or on the net - I frequently get a hunch when I spot 'my' fabric, and I have learned long ago to act on that hunch. The next time I look it might be sold out or I might never pass by that store again -  so I seize the moment! Whenever I fall in love with a certain fabric I buy atleast a meter, even when I have no idea what to use it for. I know that I will be inspired to create later down the road just by looking at it :)

So it was with this new fabric that arrived yesterday. It's from Heather Bailey's new Kissing Booth collection and is called Hello Roses. I chose the cream, but it comes in green and pink colourways along with coordinating basics too. The fabric is quilting quality and is very soft to the touch. Since the scale of the pattern is quite large it's perfect for interior decorating, such as a bedspread and a set of pillows or even curtains. Believe it or not, for once I'm not going to be using it to make a bag! 

Have a beautiful day!

Featured in cherry blossoms trends & themes

One of my cosmetic bags (bottom row, 2nd from left) is included in this month's trends & themes on Dawanda. The theme is all about cherries and cherry blossoms and I think it is one of the nicest they have done so far. Dawanda is available in three languages - German, English and French - and this is actually the very first time one of my products is featured in the German version. Funny, since I'm registered here. Anyhow, it's always fun to see my products featured and it sure keeps me motivated!

have a great day,

I do...

In honour of the wedding season I have designed and made this wedding/special occasion purse made from buttersoft repurposed genuine leather in pure white. It opens/closes with a glamourous diamanté clasp, and comes with a long detachable silver chain. It is fully lined in the palest pink cotton with an all-over heart pattern und it's softly padded to help keep its shape.

This DB Exclusives purse is a one-off creation and cannot be reproduced once sold! It comes with its own soft cotton dustbag for safe storage. Whether you're a bride-to-be or celebrating a special event - this bag will make you feel like a princess!

p.s. for anyone interested - the dress is a vintage debutante ball gown, which I spotted while traveling around Europe. I had the bodice altered by a friend of mine who is a professional fashion designer. It's not for sale ;-)