What you need to know about velvet

I was so surprised when the doorbell went at 9:00 a.m. I wasn't expecting anyone, least of all the postal service! I was even more surprised when I saw this parcel on my doorstep that was taller than I was. It could only be the velvet fabric I had ordered two weeks earlier. Yippee. The velvet I ordered is a rich, dark chocolate brown...Cindy, the grass can be greener, you'll love this one! It was on sale, so I ordered quite a lot of it. The company I ordered it from did the right thing by rolling the fabric onto a cardboard tube with the right side facing in. This is really important for velvet, because if it had been folded up like cotton, you'd have a really difficult time getting the creases out. You cannot iron velvet. It has to be professionally steamed to remove the creases. So keep this in mind if you have some velvet fabric and need to store it over a longer time.Don't fold it!

Something to cheer me up ☺

I know I shouldn't be sitting here at my computer, not in my condition anyway...and I can already hear my mum's voice in my ear telling me I'm being very silly indeed. Not to mention my hubby, who firmly believes the best place for me to be is under three layers of blankets! But I just had to share these fabulous fabrics with you (the box arrived yesterday). And as you well know, and I'm free to admit: I'm a fabric junkie! I'm also addicted to blogging. Anyway, take a look at these gorgeous blues and greens and tell me you're not immediately despatched to a tropical island somewhere...

In fact they remind me fondly of the one and a half years I spent in Indonesia. Some of the real batiks I saw there looked uncannily like the fabric #1 It's very difficult to get real batik these days. It's too costly, and the art of batiking (not sure if this is spelled right) is dwindling rapidly. Nowadays there's lots of the polyester variety. Luckily I do have real batik in my stash of fabric from when I stayed in Indonesia and I'm glad I've kept it all these years. Okay. That's all for today. I'd better make a dive for the covers now, before hubby gets upset!

Funky Circles

Did I mention I just love circles, dots...polka dots... mini dots...in fact dots in all sizes! Of course, I just had to buy this funky circles fabric - red, pink, brown circles in various sizes on a pale blue background. If you look really closely, the background has an overlay of almost transparent white polka dots. I teamed it up with a solid chocolate brown, medium-weight cotton, and I matched the lining in brown with irregular shaped, all-over dots. You can see it peeking out at the top edge. Simply dotty! The inside features two pockets for keeping your mobile phone and/or wallet and/or mp3 player. Two sturdy, faux-leather handles in brown complete this bag (which is padded for softness and stability). Measurement approx. 29.5 x 23 x 8 cm or 11.5 x 9 x 3.5 inches. I made this bag for an acquiantance who happens to be crazy about dots too!

Tote Bag

I finally finished this custom-made tote bag for M.W. I normally specialize in smaller purses and make up bags, but M wanted something large enough to carry A4-type files and notebooks in. This bag measures approx. 30 cm x 35 cm x 8 cm - the perfect size for anything A4, plus it has two pockets for a wallet and mobile phone on the inside. It can be easily carried over the shoulder; the straps are padded for extra softness and are not too long - which is usually a problem for someone smaller than the 'average' 1.68cm. The top part of this bag is a gorgeous rose fabric in sugar pink and red from the Tilda series. It is stunning and a real eye-catcher. I teamed it with a rich, dark chocolate brown. The lining is a crisp pink and white stripe. As a final touch, I embellished it with a little 'strawberry' button. I will be making something similar in different colour variations soon, but for now I'm focussing on smaller bags...besides I have my translation work to take care of, too, and there just isn't enough time for bigger projects at the moment. More's the pity...