Bagorama!

Yes, I've been back at the bag making over the past few weeks. It started with this one (above) that I made for myself from my own pattern and some vintage upholstery fabrics. I originally made it with one handle that was sewn into one side at the front and one side at the back, but it didn't hang very well. So I went back to the more traditional 2 handles. The original handle had a wooden ring on both ends, but I decided not to add more, and have them off-set on the 2 handles.

Next came this similar bag. Same pattern, upholstery fabrics, but metal 'rings' this time in the handles. I have to say, I find putting a bag together with tabs for the rings, and adding the rest of the handle later is easier than wresting with full handle straps. And there is much more scope for variety.

What have we here? Well, I do believe it's the same pattern yet again! And again, below. It's nice to be able to get so many 'looks' out of the same pattern. All the fabrics are reclaimed upholstery weight and the buttons are vintage.

After this lot, the bag-making urge disappeared and now I'm going in a slightly different direction. Although, I'm sure there are still more bags in my future!

Oooh, I can't believe I nearly forgot this one. I just popped into my photos to see if I'd missed anything, and there it was. I'm really pleased with how this one turned out. It's 4 different denims and a bit of abstract applique.

As I said before, the bag in the top pic is mine. I've sold the second one, but can't remember whether I've listed the rest in my Folksy shop. I'd better get over there and check. (I just checked and they're all there, phew).

Bye for now
Teresa x

Random Round-up!

 I've was lucky, recently, to have the chance to buy a selection of fabric sample books from an ex-interior designer.  I had a good rummage and came home with 5 full books and a pile of larger samples - all for £30.
She had about 140 fabric books in her garage so it wasn't easy to choose just a few.

The fabrics are perfect for bags and purses. The boxy bags above are my first projects with the samples.

I had a couple of round cushion pads taking up valuable space in my shed. This one now has a crocheted cover, complete with zip, and is ready for my stall.

I saw a triangular shaped purse somewhere on the web recently and had to have a go to see how it was made. I think I've got it out of my system for now!

In non-crafty news, son and girlfriend have moved into his new house. It's not quite finished yet but they couldn't wait. It's lucky they can still pop over the road for showers and internet connection. I had visions of them moving in one weekend, with us all traipsing across the road with all his belonging until it was done. No such luck. We still  have all his belongings, too. I'm sure it will go eventually, but it'll be a much slower job than I thought.

Bye for now
Teresa x

Processing!

Hello folks! Hope you had a good Easter. We had a quiet one at home, with a few hot cross buns and a little chocolate consumed. I enjoyed a lovely, impromptu coffee with friends after a simple, meditative Good Friday service, then a rousing Easter Day service.

An airer full of donated fabric drying.

I am very lucky that lots of lovely friends give me yarn and fabric they no longer want. I usually try to wash fabric before storing it in the shed. This is mainly to make sure any shrinkage happens now, and not after it's been made up into something. When I have lots of bitty-bits, I put them in a duvet cover to wash. They still get a bit tangled but it prevents the washing machine getting clogged with frayed threads.

Along with the lovely, pristine, unused balls of yarn I get from people, or from charity shops, I also un-run jumpers etc to use the yarn. This is a deconstructed jumper after being tied into hanks and washed by hand. These are now dry and rolled into balls waiting to be made into something else.

I finished this longer term project the other day. A crocheted hexagon throw that I've been gradually making at my  2 weekly crafting groups. I had a couple of photos showing more of it but they've disappeared from the laptop. They should still be on the iPad, though, so I'll load them onto my Facebook page in a couple of days (I don't know how to get them on this blog from there without a lot of faffing). This throw was sold and paid for before I'd finished making it, by a lady at one of my groups.

 At home, I'm still on bags. I don't know why, but every piece of fabric I pick up in my shed says 'bag' to me. It's about time they started saying something else. This one,covered with applique flowers cut from another fabric, is my usual boxy style. The main fabric is a sort of strong hessian type. It's lined with a flowery fabric and has an inner zipped pocket.

And this one is a completely new design that I made up in an oddment of plain fabric, to try out before making the 'real thing'. The outer zipped  pocket is also a new thing I tried. It's made from 2 tea towels, a pillow case and a belt. 

I'd like to say I'll have something completely different to show next time, but I have a strong suspicion it may be more bags!

Bye for now

Teresa x

Money Raising Goes Awry!

 I've mentioned before that I had a little idea to raise some money. It involved getting rid of some clutter at the same time, and I set out with high hopes; but things didn't go according to plan. I gathered together a random selection of items that were languishing in drawers, or just lying around the house, and took them off to a local auction house.

Outside effects being auctioned in the sunshine

A couple of weeks later the items had been sorted and labelled and were ready for auction (amongst hundreds of other varied and strange items). OH came with me and I was quite looking forward to the day. We didn't have to be there to see our items auctioned but, not having attended an auction before, I was interested to see how it all worked. When we got there, we picked up a buyers' number - just in case.....

Most of the items we took went for only a few pounds, and 2 items (a clarinet and a watch) didn't reach the reserve I put on, so we brought them home again. This pair of Staffordshire spaniels, which came from my MIL's when she passed away about 6 years ago, made £22.  Not bad since one of them was 'crackled' all over. At least now my daughter doesn't have to explain any more, to friends she brings round, how we acquired them and that they are not our chosen style of decor!

 I took a chance entering this pen as a separate lot, but it had the name 'Esterbrook' on the nib so I listed it as such and crossed my fingers. I'd had it since I was in secondary school and remember using it and filling it from an ink bottle. I was surprised when someone on the internet got it for £16. Altogether, I made £59 (before fees and costs) which I was quite happy with. But..........I somehow managed to spend over £100.

You really can't blame me, though, when this little beauty was up for grabs. A couple of people were bidding for it in earnest but came to a stop at £65, so I pounced and got it for £70 plus costs etc!!!!!

 I also nabbed a useful box of fabric for £17.50, which was also quite popular in the room. When I got it home and had a proper rummage, I found this vintage, 2.5m, unused piece of Liberty in the bottom, which is probably worth more than what I paid for the whole box.

Crafting has also continued at The Thread Shed with a phone case, child's bag and a cushion sold to friends. The bag above is a new design I tried out, and it worked quite well. Instead of my usual 2 handled shopper type, I tried a single handled shoulder design.

I've also finished this randomly pieced, rustic-looking quilt. The centre panel is made up of squares, HSTs, half-square-rectangles and 4-square patches. I started by cutting the bigger squares, then kept cutting smaller and smaller shapes as it got less and less. It was still too small to be useful so I dug out some larger pieces and made 2 large random borders.

I machine-quilted the whole thing with 2" criss-cross lines. Then, because I didn't want to bind the edges, I added a piece of tea-dyed sheet to the back (by sewing front-to-front and turning) and did some hand quilting to hold it all together. I love the finished result!

Bye for now.

Teresa x

Patterns and Plans!

My craft stall at the local village Fun Day, last weekend was not hugely successful in the selling stakes. However, it was a useful day in other ways: such as networking and upping my local profile.

After being given another box of lovely fabric and goodies by my aunt, I was able to run up a quick string of bunting to decorate my stall (will show a stall pic next time).

Also, for the stall, I finished this clutch bag from Michelle patterns. I added a thin strap after taking this picture, because it was awkward to carry without one. This is the first time I've used a pattern when making my bags and, crikey, there were a lot of different bits and pieces! All the stiffening and padding added to the structure of the bag but don't really fit with my upcycling ethos. If I make this style again, I'll try some modifications and alternative materials.

In an effort to appeal to the children who would be at the Fun Day, I made 5 mini shopper bags at the last minute; which was a good decision because I sold 2 of them and had an order for another in a different colour.

I was also given a bag of useful buttons by a local resident and a tip for another craft fair that should be more up my street. 

We live and learn!

It's about time I added some money to the household pot, though, so I've a plan in mind, and I've also been asked to proofread a couple of books that are in the process of being written, so things are looking up!

Bye for now

Teresa x

Breaking the Ice!

 Here's a question for all you craft seller's (or anyone): How do you 'break the ice' with a potential customer when selling face-to-face?  Do you plunge straight in when they approach your stand and tell them about yourself and your products; start talking about the weather (or some other neutral subject); or wait until they pick up an item and then start telling them about it? There must be a very fine line between engaging them or scaring them off.

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked, at short notice, to take my crafts to sell at an 'open house' event.  The hostess did all the organising, asked lots of people to come (I asked a few but had limited time) and didn't charge me to attend.  I was glad that I made a contribution to the refreshments, in the form of some mini muffins to serve with tea and coffee,  because I didn't know she wasn't going to charge me.

 In the few days I had to prepare, I made sure to finish the cathedral window cushion and felt bunting (both above). It's surprising what can be done when there's a deadline! I'm pleased to say my things went really well (my best yet) and I sold a variety of items, including the CW cushion! I also had a lot of good feedback, comments and chats.  I'd like to take all the credit but I have to give a lot of it to the hostess, who was great at introducing me to everyone who came and, therefore, 'breaking the ice' for me!

I like to make things, but not being very good at striking up conversations with people from cold is a dilemma. My new job at the salon has helped, though, and I think my chatting skills are improving.

I may have another one or two functions to sell at before Christmas, so more deadlines should get things moving around here. I made myself a new bag first, though, because if I don't get it done now I don't know how much longer it would have been. It's a new style for me with the outside pocket and flap fastening - I might try a few more like it for the sales.  The fabrics are left over furnishing scraps from my auntie plus khaki cord from a pair of trousers.

As I also sold my last baby quilt at the sale, I've started making another one.  I'm not sure if I like it yet. I've done my usual thing of starting to make it and seeing where it goes, rather than planning anything. I'm not sure it's even suitable for a baby!!

Bye for now
Teresa x

Making Work for Myself!

 The sun has been putting in some welcome appearances recently.  When it does it's lovely and warm, although the temperature still drops quite significantly as soon as a cloud brings some shade.  I prefer that, though, to the sort of sunshine that leaves you longing for a cloud, for a little cool relief.

I joined my daughter and fiance a week or two ago to walk their dogs on the hill above their town.  We met half way with some of fiance's relatives who then walked back with us.

And last week Mr D and I went to the first of a new regular Farmers' and Vintage Market at a nearby manor house.  We were delighted when we turned the corner of the stable block and almost bumped into an 'ostentation' of peacocks, which is, apparently, what a group of them is called (I just looked it up in case it comes up at our next pub quiz). There were at least a dozen of them!

We came home with some lovely, local, home-made goodies;  welsh cakes, leek and stilton sausages and wild boar and apple pies, laid out on a lovely big piece of fabric I got for £4 from one of the vintage stalls. We'll definitely go back again, when we have time to look around the gardens too.

A few days later, I went with my Ladies' Group on a visit to tour the same manor house, (Llanvihangel Court) followed by a pub meal.  If you're ever in the area (and it happens to be open) the house is well worth a visit.  I can't imagine there being a better example of a house of that age anywhere else.  The Lady of the Manor gave us the tour and pointed out many portraits of her ancestors, including her great-grandmother, who was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria.  Unusually for a 400-year-old house, there wasn't a speck of dust or cobweb anywhere, and every room was stunning yet homely, and although the furnishings were from all over the world and from different periods, nothing looked out of place.

On the crafting front, which has been a bit slow lately, I've added these small felt brooches to my collection. The felt is from an old felted jumper and is quite thick and sturdy, making it strong enough to hold its shape well.  The decoration is all reclaimed bits and pieces, including hanging ribbon, from inside new clothes, to make the bows (you know me - I keep anything that could come in handy).

I've also been recycling the already recycled!  I made a cushion cover a while ago with hexagons on a blue background.  It never looked like the vision I originally had but I was reluctant to waste the work that went into it.  However, when my daughter said she wasn't keen on it either, it was time to take action. I unpicked all the hexagons, stitched them into a block and made them into this zipped bag, with the blue from the cushion as a lining. As usual, I 'winged it' with the design as it's another different construction method. This time the seams are on the outside and are covered with binding.  I also used binding to attach the zip on the outside, which was quite fiddly, but meant there was no need for turning it all inside-out and risking sewing things the wrong way.

This was the cushion 'before'

Helen from The Patient Gardener's Blog asked me a few weeks ago where I got the pattern from for my summer top.  Sorry for the late reply Helen but I had to dig it out of the shed again to remind myself.  It's an old-ish pattern from Simplicity, No K2938, and includes trousers, a dress and a jacket too.  I tried, without luck, to remember where I got it from but am pretty sure I didn't buy it new.

Oh, and I mustn't forget............My new job is a part-time receptionist at a hair salon - at the salon I go to, actually!  I was sitting there, having my hair done a couple of months ago, chatting away to the stylist/owner (as you do) when she asked about my work.  When I told her I was redundant and looking for part-time work, she offered me the job. I've already done some 'shadowing' of the current receptionist and one morning on my own, and I start officially next week!  It will suit me quite well at the moment to work 3/4 days a week, leaving time for proof reading, crafting and helping son and daughter with their accounts.

Progress since last time:

Turned cushion into zipped bag
Added more patchwork diamonds to Country Living inspired quilt
Started cathedral window patchwork cushion
Felt brooches

Bye for now
Teresa x

Win, Win, Work!

Goodness, it's taken me ages to get back here and post - it was much easier when I could put a quick something together in my lunchtime at work.

 I'd love to show you some photos from our performances of Anything Goes but I'm afraid cameras weren't allowed at the show, and I couldn't bring any costumes home to photograph because they were all hired! However, I can say that the run went really well, I enjoyed doing it (although, for some strange reason, not quite as much as last year), and we had a really good review in the local paper. We have one more performance of the title number, tonight at the Mayor's Show, and then we move on to the next project.

Above is my stall at the craft fair I mentioned last time.  Within the first 5 minutes of the doors opening I sold my first item!  It was a small pink baby quilt and more than covered my costs for the day.  Which was good because I didn't sell anything else after that!  Advice for selling at craft fairs often mentions having a 'story' behind a product to make it more interesting and meaningful - I found the opposite (where the customer has a story for buying the item) is also rewarding.  The granddaughter of the lady who bought the quilt was having a baby girl soon and the baby was going to be the first girl born into their family in nearly 50 years.  I felt quite honoured that they chose to buy my quilt for a child that was obviously very special for them.

I've had a couple of lucky wins lately!! First is this sweet little book that was reviewed and given away by Ali of the wonderful Very Berry Handmade.  I'm dying to have a go at one of these tiny little characters but I don't know where to start - there are so many to choose from.

Ali also sells bundles of lovely Liberty fabrics and I was thrilled to find a little package of pretty scraps in with the book.

My other lucky win was a packet of multi-coloured buttons from Craftseller magazine, that will be a very handy alternative to my stash of mainly browns and whites.

I'm having a stall at another craft fair this weekend and have managed to finish a quilt for a baby boy, this time.  You never know ......!

And I mustn't forget the lovely Marivel of Cristali Designs who very kindly awarded me a Liebster Award.  I think I'm supposed to say something about myself so, here goes:

My favourite colour is orange
I love to read, sew, sing, knit, crochet etc.
My middle name is Mary (so is my daughter's, it's also the first name of 2 aunties and was both my grandmothers')
I also like to watch The Mentalist, Marivel!
Oh, and I've got a new job - probably (more details to come).

Bye for now
Teresa x

Oh Blow!

I'd like to show you pictures of my costumes for Anything Goes, like I did last year for Me and My Girl but, although the show is in a few weeks, I don't know what I'm wearing yet.  I got a few items together when told what I needed, but apparently they weren't "sexy enough", whatever that means.  One dress that the Society lent me to try on was a bit too revealing and I had to decline the offer. After all, I didn't want to suffer a serious costume malfunction in the middle of Blow, Gabriel, Blow!!  Finally, I was told last week that they've hired all my costumes, so goodness knows what I'll end up with!!

 In the absence of show costumes I've got more crafting photos.  After booking tables at a couple of craft fairs I need to produce a bit more stock, so I got myself into gear and made a few zipped purses.You can just see, at the back, a glimpse of black, patterned fabric, which I intended to be another purse. Sadly, things went irretrievably wrong and it was not to be.

 I tried something different here.  The design is a combination of the purses above, the zip closure of the laptop bag (that I made before Christmas) and tote bag handles.  It also needed a little extra something, so I tried out my machine's blanket stitch to attach the 3 hearts.

 Hexie crocheting was my holiday project.  I managed about 6 when I was away and the rest since we got back.  The pile on the left has been blocked so looks a bit neater.  They're made from an un-run charity shop jumper but I don't know what I will make from them all yet.  Probably a baby blanket.  I'm nearly at the end of the yarn and it won't make anything much bigger than that.

The last time I used a paper dressmaking pattern was probably about 20 years ago, when I made a few things for my children.  Guided by the measurements on this pattern, I'm cutting it out as a size 18!!!  I think I'm erring on the side of caution but it should be possible to make it smaller if necessary.  It seems that dressmaking patterns are made in 'real' sizes. It's an old, second-hand pattern I've had for a while but can't remember where from.

Progress since last time:

4 Zipped Purses
Lots of crochet hexagons
Mini zipped heart bag
Top cut out and marked
Cut out lots more diamonds for tumbling blocks

Bye for now
Teresa x

Snow Joke!

I thought I'd better get on with posting my snow photos before it's all melted (not that it will melt in the photos, but you know what I mean).  I know there are a couple of readers who rarely see snow and like to see the pics. It's stayed around for longer than usual due to the cold, but temperatures are forecast to rise soon so I don't think it'll last too much longer.

This is our road the morning after the first major snowfall.

I ventured to the village on foot to pick up a couple of groceries.  The main roads were slightly clearer than ours so deliveries had got through and the local shop's shelves were not empty like in some areas.

The castle was looking a little different, and children, happy that their schools were closed, were sledging on the hill (just out of sight).

We had 4-6 inches that first day and a couple more a few days later. We've heard a lot about the problems and issues caused by the snow (including some sad ones) but there have been some positives too;  Although many parents couldn't get to work and children to school they were able to spend some quality time together with nothing else on the agenda; People came out to help neighbours they may not have spoken to much and the sight of the snow seemed to give people a boost so that they passed the time of day with a smile when they would have normally mumbled a brief greeting (if that).  It also meant much less travel and, therefore, a huge drop in emissions and pollution.

On the crafty side, I've finished piecing the 4 table-mats.  The supplies for quilting and binding arrived yesterday so I can finish them soon.

In the meantime, I was inspired by this quilt in December's Country Living to start a new project.  I'm using the fabrics my auntie gave me and am making the blocks quite large so it's not too daunting a task.  I decided it would be quicker to hand-sew the seams back-to-back rather than paper-piece like the hexagons; and I thought the corners would come together better than if I tried to machine stitch. So, time will tell.......!

Progress since last time:

4 table-mats pieced
Tumbling blocks patchwork started 
Purple scarf nearly finished

Bye for now
Teresa x

A Couple of Connected Hitches!

No, I'm not refering to a new type of knot!  Blogger told me recently I had reached my 1Gb photo limit in Picassa and that I would have to pay to increase it.  It put me in a bit of a quandry for a while; did I continue without photos, pay for more space or give up this blog (none of which appealled to me)!  There was one other option - delete some older, unused photos and hope the free limit is increased again soon, or I will have to seriously consider paying for more space.  So that is what I've done for now!

A few days later, I was taking pics of the map boxes when I dropped my camera.  The lens was out at the time and it bent and broke, so although the power still turned on, I was unable to use it anymore!

So, there I was, back with the same dilemma but for a different reason.  It did, however, solve a problem for OH.  The problem of what to get me for Christmas!!  A couple of days later he came home with an updated version of my broken camera and normal service was resumed. Well........ he couldn't wait until the big day when my need was so urgent.

Now, I'm able to show you the random items I've finished recently that you haven't seen yet. Top pic is a selection of felt and fabric brooches.  Next are the map boxes mentioned last time.  They are actually sets of 3 tucked inside each other, with the largest being about 4" square.  The odd yellow one is made from handmade paper a friend brought from abroad and didn't want any more.

This is the little bag made from a pair of child's jeans with a belt handle.  The purple crocheted/knitted bag had two previous incarnations as scarves but never really worked like that, so this is it's final re-form.

Finally, here's a big pile of potential given to me by my auntie (next-door-but-one) who used to make soft furnishings, and has lots more where this came from.  I had a great time going through it all and sorting it into piles. It took much longer that it should have as my mind whirred with what I could make.

Progress since last time:

More map boxes cut and glued
Purple bag finished
Christmas present started.

There'll be only one handmade gift made this Christmas (unless someone buys something I've already  made) and I'm not going to reveal it until after it's been received (I won't make that mistake again!)

Bye for now
Teresa x