Day Eleven :: Sitting down

My day started with an hour of sewing before breakfast. Plenty of time, I thought, to construct and finish a bag! This has been a very special commission as a birthday present for a lady about to celebrate her 100th birthday. A lady of great style obviously!

Three hours later it was almost done... But not quite.

But it had to be put aside as we had a funeral to go to. A wonderful man from our village died suddenly a week ago. Well loved and well respected he was a real village character who will be missed. The church was packed. We were at his eightieth birthday party just six months ago, but he was active and busy until the day he died. Very sad but the way to go really, I suppose. Better than being ill or suffering.

It was then back home to pack up the car for the school Christmas market. Despite dropping the price to £5 I only sold one cat... And not much else. Just about covered the £10 for the stall. Wouldn't be so bad if it hadn't been for the woman who picked up and examined each cat and when her daughter asked if she could have one she replied "No, if we drag out the old sewing machine and get it working we can make one ourselves. And our machine does embroidery." I just smiled... Through gritted teeth!

 

And now I'm finally sitting down with a cuppa and I should be doing my Italian homework not blogging, as it's our last evening class of term. I always do my homework the afternoon of class... Just like when I was at school really! 

 

Arrivederci!

Day Ten :: Colour

Can't stop for long today...

Having too much fun stitching and playing with colour....

This is destined to be a bag, that has to be finished by Friday... Another reason I can't stop for long.

Needless to say the Christmas prep is no further along but I may well have a bag to show you tomorrow!

Bags of Style

Do you remember the crazy collaged bags I was making earlier this year?

I made four in quick succession but then got distracted by other projects...

However, my students and ex-students have been busy making their own versions.

First of all Brenda sent me a photo of her fabulous blue bag, covered in wonderful flowers.

Then in my class this week, I noticed Linda was using her bag... I love the black and red combination but then I'm biased as these are the colours of the bag I use.

Jan has made this beautiful green bag...

And Ann has used the collaged fabric technique to make her own style bag using some old wooden handles. I love the richness of this fabric... it makes me think of Mary Poppins' carpet bag!

The pattern is still available in my etsy shop if you would like to make your own bag... and if you do, or already have made one... please send me a photo!

Things always take longer than you think!

I had a plan for today.

It started well - an early morning swim followed by a Pilates class. Home for a quick breakfast whilst I checked and replied to emails and caught up with some blog reading.

Then it was turn the computer off and come into my studio to work.

 

 

The plan was to use this collaged fabric that I had made earlier and to turn it into another bag. A pleasant morning sewing, followed by lunch and then an afternoon spent doing my paperwork for this week.

 

Well that was the plan.... which started to go pear shaped as soon as I realised I needed to make some extra fabric for the collar of the bag. That took until lunch time.

 

I then realised I didn't have quite enough of the fabric that I wanted for the handle so spent a considerable amount of time searching my stash for something suitable.

 

I've yet to make one of these bags without doing something wrong... so I then had to do some unpicking so that I could put right the twisted handle!

 

I had to cover a button...

 

Take lots of photographs...

 

and then upload it all to my etsy shop... by which time it was almost 6 pm. So much for the paperwork!

 

So I then thought I might as well write a blog post to let everyone know  there is a new bag in my shop. Just half an hour... then I'll get dinner started...

 

That was well over an hour ago and already two of them have come in to ask when's dinner and Stewart has just announced he's going to have to resort to some "emergency toast" while he waits!

Of course, if you would like to make your own collaged fabric and possibly turn it into a bag... the tutorial and pattern is also available in my shop. And a huge thank you to everyone who has bought one so far!

 

I really had better go and make dinner now....

Bag loads of bags

Before I released the instructions for my collaged fabric onto you dear readers I had been road testing it on my weekly machine embroidery class. As ever, armed with the same instructions and my samples, each member of the class has come up with their own individual interpretation.

 

 

Margaret made this lovely purple and turquoise combination into a changing bag for her first grandchild... and very obligingly, baby Penelope arrived this week!

 

This summery looking bag belongs to Linda our newest member of the class... but she always makes such lovely accomplished things that I really am going to have to stop calling her a beginner.

 

Di included some fabulous fabrics in her bag, including these old doilies.

 

And of course, as Di is a beader she had to add a little special beaded touch... have you spotted the butterfly?

 

Jan made two bags in the time everyone else made their first one and was already on her third by the end of term!

 

Barbara's pictured below was still a work in progress...

 

As was Ann's below. Ann has a lovely handle to attach to hers when it is finished. It also has an incredible amount of stitching and it reminded us all of Mary Poppins' carpet bag!

 

And Jean made this lovely bag below following my bag instructions to the letter, thoroughly testing it and proof reading it for me. Thank you Jean!

 

Feeling inspired? Then why not buy your own tutorial to make some crazy collaged fabric for yourself... available here!

A Handbag????

The title of this post needs to be read in your best "Lady Bracknell" voice....

 

Do you remember a few weeks ago that I was inspired by the fabulous work of Lauren Shanley and as a result I devised a way of creating a similar collaged fabric and then made a bag? You don't? Ah well, never mind, I did and the result was the bag pictured below... so do read on...

 

 

I loved creating this fabric... it was such fun.

 

So much fun in fact that I went on to make a second bag... very similar to the first as I perfected the technique....

 

and tried to write out the instructions for my students in a language they could actually understand.

 

I even added pockets and labels...

 

I was actually so excited that I went on to make a third bag but this time in pink. I'm working on a collection (I jest not) which I'm hoping to have ready for Open Studios in a couple of months.

 

But just to test the water I have decided to list the pink bag and one of the black bags in my Etsy shop.

 

Now I am aware that I'm about to shoot myself in the foot and I'm unlikely to pick up any awards for salesman of the year... but the bags are a bit pricey!

 

In truth, I do think by the time you factor in all the time, planning, fabrics etc. they are not really that pricey at all and are quite good value for money... especially when you consider that each one is a unique designer item and actually it seems positively cheap compared to some bags!

 

But I'm also aware that I wouldn't want to pay that for a bag that I would probably think I could make myself. And let's face it... my average reader is pretty useful when it comes to making things for themselves. And so then I hit on another idea (prompted by a special blogging friend), that if I was teaching this to my students then I could also teach this to you!

 

So as well as listing the bags in my shop I have also got a 14 page step by step, fully illustrated tutorial and pattern listed for making both the fabric and the bag... two for the price of one!

 

So you can choose... a ready made bag... or instructions to make your own!

 

And next time I'm here I'll show you the bags that my students have made!

Bag Lady

I loved making the first collaged and embroidered bag so much...

 

 

that I made myself another one, slightly smaller and more handbag sized. (The first one is in our exhibition and for sale at Art Van Go)

It has got a brightly coloured lining and a pocket for my phone

 

As well as a holder for my pen.

 

I even added a label.

There is a story to the labels. I had them printed many years ago, probably about fifteen years ago if I think about it. I was just dipping my toes into the world of making and selling and thought that it would add a nice finishing touch to my items. I made some children's clothes which I then sold at a fair at my children's primary school (which shows just how long ago it is). A fellow Mum, a "friend" in fact, bought one of my tiny waistcoats for her son but her reaction when she saw my label at the neck completely floored me. I can't remember what she actually said but her words accompanied by load guffaws were along the lines of "Who was I trying to kid... textile artist???"

 

I must have been feeling fragile because as a result those labels have remained wound up in the back of a drawer ever since... but no longer. They are coming out and will grace more of these bags... because I'm already working on my third one as well as the pattern for the bag.

 

Yesterday I wore my bag to the Fashion Embroidery and Stitch show at the NEC. It was a wonderful show with much to see...  purchases were made, opportunities discussed and I have come home buzzing. But all that will have to wait for another day... I've got a bag to finish and a skirt to make!

Fashion and Textiles

Do you remember me mentioning that amidst all the rubbish stuff going on I'd had a lovely day out in London? Of course you don't... but it was so good, and so inspiring that I'm going to tell you all about it whether you remember or not!

 

 

I went with Gill to the wonderful Fashion and Textile Museum, near London Bridge where they have an exhibition called Artist Textiles. In an attempt to make their work less elitist and more relevant to the lives of ordinary people, many 20th century artists designed  textiles for the mass market. This exhibition charts the course of this movement from Artists such as Raoul Dufy and Vanessa Bell through to Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.

 

Post WWII many artists were commissioned to design head scarves as part of a strategy of national recovery after the war. Henry Moore and Matisse were among those who designed some of these head squares but we rather liked these fruit and vegetable inspired scarves too, designed by Marcel Vertes.

 

I also liked this one by Salvador Dali with its whirling dancers.

But there is so much more to see than just scarves with a wealth of glorious prints and some fabrics made up into garments. I loved this floral furnishing fabric by Marc Chagall. It is a wonderful exhibition and if you are remotely interested in textiles it is well worth a visit, especially if you go on a Wednesday like we did, when there is always an excellent short guided tour at lunch time.

 

The weather was so good that we then had a stroll through Borough Market, another feast for the senses, and then all the way along the South Bank as far as Westminster Bridge. On our way we browsed through the shops in the Oxo Tower and discovered the amazing work of Lauren Shanley, who has a shop on the first floor. Lauren makes the most exquisite appliqued and embroidered textiles... yet more sensual stimulation! Her work is an absolute explosion of colour and she was lovely, spending ages chatting to us about her work... we even offered to come and do work experience with her!

 

And so I came home inspired to try my own version of a Lauren Shanley fabric and started piecing scraps of fabric together... and in no time at all I had a bag!

 

It was such fun to make and a great way not only to use up masses of scraps and all thoose little bits and bobs we hoard but also a chance to showcase a wealth of machine embroidery stitches.

 

I loved the technique so much that I'm already making my second one and I've got my machine embroidery class making their own versions.

 

Plus it was a chance to put one of the hand embroidered buttons I made a few weeks ago to good use. I think we could all do with more inspiring days out like that! What's inspiring you at the moment?