Wednesday, September 29

Tuesday, September 28

Hello

Thankfully I'm back home. Thankfully there were no complications during surgery. I'm still a bit shaky and weak and unbelievably tired and anxious, because I haven't heard back from the doctors yet as to the final result. You see, this will determine whether I go back for another operation or not...

Having said that, I'd like to express my ♥ heartfelt thanks ♥ to everyone who left such lovely comments and well wishes on my previous post. They mean a lot to me and I'm so grateful for your support and friendship.

Not sure when I will get back to full-time blogging, but I'll try. In the meantime I hope everyone is doing great and I wish you all a wonderful week!

Sunday, September 19

Blog...interrupted

Hello friends,

just to let you know that I won't be blogging for a while, since I need to have (unexpected) surgery done. So, it's off to the hospital next week. Wish me luck.

bye-bye for now, take care...

Friday, September 17

Cupcakes anyone?


When I purchased this adorable cupcake fabric I knew I was going to be making an apron with it, but I hadn't quite decided which style. This vibrant print is quite busy, so I wanted to counterbalance that with a simple shape. I made a few sketches, did the math, then drafted the pattern. What I really like about this pattern is that it can be altered easily - longer, shorter, ruffled at the bottom, pockets - depending on the design and scale of the print.
I made the waist and neck ties from a cute polka-dotted fabric in raspberry that picks up the deep pink on the main fabric. It is fully lined in cream because I felt it was a bit sheer. The apron feels more substantial now.

Weatherwise we are experiencing cool and rainy days and this, unfortunately, is reflected in the quality of my photos, so please excuse the grey-ish tinge. At least when I'm wearing this I'll brighten up the kitchen with a bit of colour!    

Wednesday, September 15

Slimline Eye glass Case


I always follow up big projects with smaller ones - partly to avoid overstraining my eyes (being myopic and all) - and also because it's satisfying to see something completed in a relatively short time!
These slimline eye glass cases are made with mix-and-match designer fabrics and have an easy button flap closure. They are lightly padded and measure about 20 x 9 cm. These are suitable for regular eye or sunglasses, not the oversized ones. I will be listing them in my giftshop soon. They retail at Euro 10,-

Sunday, September 12

Lotus Pond


A couple of days after I showcased the Modern Hippie  carry all on my blog, I received a message from a nice lady requesting a bag such as this, but in a different colourway. Being partial to Amy Butler's fabrics, she wanted something flowery, but not too girly. After sending her a few samples she decided on a fabric from an older collection - Lotus Pond Ivory. I combined this green/gray/cream printed fabric with a solid jade green. As per her request I included a zippered interior pocket, two lined pockets, a long removable strap to wear the bag cross-over style plus a shorter version to slip the bag over the shoulder. Again, the band around the top part pulls out to become two short handles. I think the two fabrics together look great and this truly is one very versatile bag!

Tuesday, September 7

The bag making Bible


I've had my eye on Lisa Lam's craft book ever since I read about it on her popular U-handblog, and no sooner was it published I had to buy it!
I leafed through it yesterday. There are only eight bag-projects in this book, and although the author purports her instructions to be clear and easy-to-follow, I feel that beginning sewists (the term used in this book) who have never, ever made a bag before will be rather overwhelmed by the sheer mass of information. Indeed, this is a tome on all manner of bag construction techniques - from inserting the dreaded zippers to various pocket solutions. Special topics cover attaching all sorts of hardware, types of interfacing/interlining to use, making bag handles and embellishing. There is a sweet foreword by bag-making queen Amy Butler, and many of the bags shown are made with Amy Butler home decor fabrics. They are gorgeous, of course. I recommend this book to people who have made a bag or two before and are familiar with the basic construction of a bag. This book will take you a level up in bag making, plus it provides detailed information on professional finishing. The photographer did a great job by showing the bags inside and out and Lisa has kept the tone of the book light by injecting her special brand of humor.
A nice addition to my collection of crafting books!

Monday, September 6

Nicey Jane babydoll top


A couple of weeks ago I mentioned I was developing a few clothing patterns, because I wanted something to reflect my personal style. Besides, most store-bought clothes never really fit me well. I started off with a ruffled skirt pattern - nothing too complicated and quick to sew.
Then I advanced to this babydoll top, a bit more complicated and requiring a good amount of forethought. I chose the main fabric from Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane collection - full-blown roses on a cream background. The bodice part is twisted, much like a Swiss cheese stick! I can't remember where I got the fabric from, but I do know it is called 'hunky dory' - cute, huh? It took me a couple of tries to get the 'twist' just right to make it look symmetrical. I inserted a side zipper to make putting it on easier. Since it's so cold here I'm wearing it with a simple, white long-sleeved Tee, but it's intended to be worn without anything under, preferably on a hot beach somewhere on the Seychelles ;-)

Next up: a tunic.

Have a great week!

Sunday, September 5

Easy like Sunday morning...


A fresh chocolate muffin, a cup of steaming dolce gusto (decaf) and a glossy magazine...personally, I couldn't ask for a better way to start the day!

Happy Sunday everybody!!!

Thursday, September 2

Website update 2

Thank you for your helpful comments regarding my new website! I have already heeded and applied some of your advice. Unfortunately, I cannot change the sizing of the template - it seems to be 'fixed' - and I'm aware that the main panel looks a bit narrow on a wide screen computer. Also, it is absolutely not mandatory for you to rate/review my products...but is much appreciated by anyone who does make that extra bit of effort!
Anyway, as I mentioned, it's an ongoing process and I still have a bit of tweaking to do here and there. Bear with me! Eventually I hope to be actually selling my products from this site in the near future and maybe take it to the next level...and I already know who to approach then ;-)

until next time,

Wednesday, September 1

Welcome to the World of Dunibagz ♥

Hi everybody!

before I introduce you to my new website, I'd like express my admiration to all professional people who build websites/online shopping sites for a living. Wow, once is absolutely enough for me! And a word of advice to any non-professionals (like me) contemplating building one: plan months and months ahead! It is an ongoing process!
When I started out in January of this year I naively thought I could fix one up in a jiffy, much like a blog really. Well, I know better now. I probably should have started working on a product line before setting up a site, instead of the other way around.

Anyway, on to the important news...

I would very much appreciate if you could spare some time to take a look at my new site! Feel free to comment/advise/critique or give me a couple of pointers. I'm still learning, after all. As mentioned in my previous post, there is the option of rating and reviewing the products (note: some products sold already), but you will need to log in to do this. I know it's a pain, and believe me I fiddled around with that quite a bit, but the shop section won't allow that to be removed. Oh well.

So, I have a special prize for one lucky person who makes the effort to actually log in* to the shop section and rates/reviews any of my products! The prize will be a beautiful, handmade clutch similar to this one, and will be revealed on my Facebook Fan Page. One review = one entry. Chances are good, since I doubt a lot of people will make that extra bit of effort...Winner to be handpicked by me this Saturday, 4th September.

Thanks!!!

* your log in details will be removed once this special giveaway is over