New Bags Ready For My Shop

I made these camoflage saddle bags to sell in my shop.  I have only taken photos of one of them as the other one looks nearly the same, just where the pattern in the fabric is a bit different.  The fabric on the outside was some lovely cotton camoflage fabric that Mooloo sent me.  I quilted it with a stripey pattern to make it stiffer and give it some body.  The inside is black poly-cotton sheeting.

The bag has lots of pockets in it, like my starry bag I made for myself.  There are two pockets on the front.

There is a zipped pocket on the back.

The lining has a zippered compartment in the middle.

There are two other compartments either side of this, one has another smaller zipped pocket and the other has a double pocket for pens and a larger pocket to fit a phone in or something.

The bag has a long strap so it fits cross body and comes down to about where your front pocket of your jeans would be.

I am very pleased with these bags, I am getting better at making them but there are still bits I think I could do better next time.

Flowery Top

This is the top I have just made myself.  I used a top I already had and fitted nice for the pattern.  It was really easy to make, the top front and back are just like horseshoe shaped bits of fabric, I had to cut two of each, two fronts and two backs.  The fronts were a deeper U than the back.  The front and back main bits are just long rectangular pieces with a slight diagonal cut to the top corners where the arm holes would continue.  I turned a small hem along these four diagonal edges then run a gathering thread across from side to side across the tops of the main bits.  I found just by sewing a large stitch on the machine it gathered itself enough to fit.

Next I sewed the shoulder seams of both front and back pieces so I had to bits that were sort of circular in shape.  Then I placed the two bits together right sides facing and sewed all around the neck line, turned it through and pinned (would have pressed it if it had been a cotton but this fabric I wasnt sure about putting the hot iron on so did it without pressing) all the way round and then edge stitched around the neck.

The next thing to do was to mark on the sides of the top bits where the shoulder strap parts would stop with some pins and then I pinned and stitched the main front piece to the front top (just to the top layer, the other layer will be the facing) and the back piece to the top layer of the back top.  Then I laid it all out on the table and turned a smalle hem in around the shoulder straps and pinned the two pieces together and carried it on all the way round so that the seams I had just sewn were enlosed under the facings.  Once it was all pinned together I sewed a line of stitching as close to the edge as I could making sure all the edges were turned under and sewing right around the circular piece over the front, across one shoulder, over the back and then across the other shoulder.

Next came the side seams which I zigzagged after.  Then I turned up a half inch hem at the bottom and run a piece of elastic around inside and that was the top finished.  The fabric cost me just £2 a metre at Lewisham Market and I have used just over a metre of it.

Citrus Coloured Quilt

I finished this new quilt yesterday for my shop.  The fabrics in the middle part were bits I had left over from other projects.  I made up some 9 patch blocks and then put some strips of a checked fabric around the outside of the blocks to join them together.  Some of the fabric used are Laura Ashley and Kaffe Fasset.  The wide border around the blocks is a lovely Liberty lawn called Duvina. 

This quilt has taken a bit longer to make as it has been so warm, it was too uncomfortable to do much hand quilting at a time.  I am pleased with the finished project though, I think it looks nice and tropical.

New Shirt

I made this shirt today for my other half.  It is using the same pattern that I made the other ones from.  The fabric was off a market stall in Lewisham, London and cost me £2 a metre. Two metres was plenty enough as the fabric is a viscose and very wide.  I had to buy some more interfacing which cost me £1.50 for a metre but I have loads left over.  I already had some buttons in my tin so the cost of the shirt was about £4.25 if that plus a days work.

He will like this as he is always on about having a nice flowery shirt like you see the celebs wearing on the tele.  He liked the blue flowery one but this is a it more bold.  I can't wait till his birthday now in August to give it to him.