Clutch or standard?

The piles of fabric surrounding me today were more than I could stand. I had to photograph some of my favorites before they were cut and sent off to a life of their own.


The purple silk embroidered in a modern sort of geometric pattern has been keeping me company for years (literally) and I decided to finally let some of it go. It is now an evening bag with black piping. The rust color with leaf pattern is a new aquisition, purchased specifically for the Arts on the Common.
The mustard colored bags were made from some yardage I picked up at Winmill Fabrics in Chinatown with Addie. There will be another full size hand bag made of this as well. The fabric is quite beautiful and I would have been happy just keeping it in my stash for a while but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.........so it will be at the show and hopefully sell!

More to come...

....but keep the old

These are left overs from last year, but thought they should be in the mix.....they are each appx 9" across.

Black bird fly......

This bag was really difficult to photograph. The colors just aren't coming through the way I wanted. I think the closest to the actual color is the shot of the close up of the handle. It is a bit quirky, but I like it!

and the bags continue.....

These two bags are made using the same set of fabrics. The panels were created using the 'pagoda quilt' technique of curve piecing, then each was embellished separately.

The small purse was the first experimental design using beads and surface yarn. The second bag, uses the basic pattern of the previous black and white bag. The decorative stitching is all flat machine stitching and I used different piecing techniques for this bag as there is more structure to work with. This bag also has a zip closure.

Mama's Got a Brand New Bag!

Preparing for the Arts on the Common in Burlington later this month, I thought that a new bag should be added to the repertoire. This one is adapted from (yet another) Threads article. Remnants, remnants, remnants....not a bad outcome from the reject table at Fabric Place!

More to come.

Senior Prom contrast

OK folks, here are the prom gowns. This year, each of my daughters chose thier own pattern and fabrics. We made muslins first to ensure that there would be no raging hormonal breakdowns when the garment was tried on for the first time. I am happy to say that both gowns needed very little adjustments to the finished stage. My girls were happy with their dresses and I was happy that THEY were happy.
No long story here, these dresses were made as if for a customer so there was very little emotional attachment as they went together. I wanted to get these photos up before I take some time to regroup.....

Alaska should be the perfect inspiration for (yet another) new beginning. Talk to you soon!

Variation on a Kimono Bag

For some unknown reason, my dearest friend receives the prototypes. For Dal, this red kimono bag was no exception.

I saw an article in Threads about handbags made from old kimono sleeves. Not having any old kimono sleeves laying around (which is surprising if you've ever seen my sewing room) I opted for using yardage. The first bag I made for my friend is the red one. I stitched it up with a piece of batik yardage from my stash. I followed the directions given in the article, but I found that the opening was too small to be practical. On the second bag, I knew the opening had to be bigger but didn't want to change the line of the bage. I added large snaps to the upper corners to keep the top closed.

Both bags had the embellishments chosen for their soon-to-be owners. The first red bag needed a bold statement, but I didn't want to overpower the fabric (I loved this fabric and held off using it for at least two years....) I chose some vintage beads and chenile yarn.

Mother's Day was an opportunity for me to try again and the blue bag was born. My mother was happy with her gift and I was careful not to embellish this one. I thought the sea shell flower was enough to highlight the fabric and wanted my mom to be comfortable.

So far, both women are happy with their kimono bags. Maybe I'll get around to making one for myself!!