Purse & Travel Bag SET in 'cinnamon spice'

The big bag project is now finally finished. What I actually had in mind was to take a photo of these in a train station setting, but I just wasn't feeling up to it. With a little imagination on your part I'm sure you 'get' the mood that I was going for...
Anyway, I'm pretty proud of this bag set. As with all my bags, I never really know how they turn out, because from sketch to finished product I usually make a number of adjustments. This set, however, has turned out even better than originally drafted!
The bags are made from home deco designer cottons with a satin finish. That means they are not only durable, they are also smooth to the touch. The travel bag is the perfect carry-on: 6 pockets, one of them zippered, fully-lined and stabilized with interfacing plus a removable stiff bottom, opens/closes with a sturdy zipper. By attaching the shoulder strap you get a hands-free option - great when browsing the duty free shop on your way to your next destination! The matching purse has a mobile phone pocket as well as a slip pocket for cosmetics, tickets and other essentials. Oh, and aren't the colours yummy? Mellow chocolate brown with spicy cinnamon and cream - perfectly autumnal! For details please visit my website here.

Thank you for stopping by and wishing you a beautiful day!

Taupe Roses Fashion Bag

When I stock up on fabrics I tend to gravitate to rose prints. They seem to be popular as there are a multitude of rose-themed fabrics out there to choose from, so I always have to remind myself not to buy up the entire range ;-)

Nevertheless, one or two rosy prints always sneak in to my shopping bag along with unusual, graphic and strong prints that I think might look good made into bags. I recently finished another fashion bag using a very large rose print in a mellow taupe on a soft blue background, which doesn't show particularly well in the photo. You just have to trust me that this print really is lovely :) I was lucky to find a polka dot fabric that matched the roses perfectly. This I used to embellish and strengthen the corners as well as the lining. I sourced a pair of slim handles in a cognac brown which I think go well with the two main colours. These I stitched on by hand which, considering the solidity of the front and back panel, was quite a challenge!

Retro Heart Handbag

It is proving exceedingly difficult to take photos of bigger bags! As we've had rainstorm after rainstorm there was no opportunity for me to take them outdoors. Here are my best efforts.

I've been wanting to use this yummy 70's inspired heart fabric for ages, but after sketching a few designs I wasn't really satisfied with 'the look'. I knew I wanted to combine it with a solid colour and that the bag needed to have a 'non-fussy' shape in order for the hearts to stand out. I finally came up with this design. It measures about 10 inches at the top, gently tapering to 14 inches at the bottom with a comfortable 3 inch width.
The heart panel is actually a large pocket that closes with a hidden magnetic snap button. I used this fabric for the handle as well. There's an interior zip pocket and two large pockets in the lining too. The handbag closes with a magnetic snap button. I used the rest of the heart fabric to make a matching frame purse, which I think is cute.
Here it is hanging off a door knob. I took this shot solely to show the tapering shape of the bag.

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Have a good week! 

The 'lady in red' fashion bag

You may have noticed that I try to keep my product photos light and bright on my blog, but try as I might this new bag just wouldn't look good with a white background - which is strange, because it worked for the red clutch I made a while ago. Hm.
In the end I just threw a piece of black cloth over a chair and took this photo. The colour of the main fabric is now much more true to what it looks like rather than the orange-y it came out before. Apart from the background and lighting, I find it is quite difficult to photograph bigger bags. I'd prefer to do it outside, but it's been raining for days!

New Bag Line - Part One

The casual observer will probably not realize that it takes 28 individual steps to complete this bag, from cutting the fabric to punching holes into the leather handles and riveting them to the bag front and back. One also needs almighty strength to actually get a hole punched and then a (w)hole lot of patience trying to get the punched bit out of the hole punch pipe thingy!
I admit, I'm not a fast seamstress. I proceed slowly but precisely. So if you've been wondering why I've been neglecting my blog, well, I've been working on these (I call them 'Fashion bags') and they will form the main category on my new website. I have finished 4 bags so far. Anyone who sews will know that wrestling  six layers of decorator weight fabric and industrial strength interlining underneath the presser foot is not an easy task.

Despite the cuts and bruises on my fingers and the hair loss I'm very pleased with the way they turned out!

I'm not so pleased with my photographic skills, though. The bags look a bit 'flat' in the pictures, while actually they are quite substantial and 'boxy', as you can see in the picture below:

I've tried different angles, but the shape seems to distort. Oh well. I'll keep practising. These bags are a lot of fun! Each bag has a different colour and/or print, contrasting lining, genuine leather handstitched handles, a two-way zipper, metal feet on the bottom, a mobile phone pocket and two multi-functional pockets as well as a snap hook for attaching your keys (you'll never have to grope around looking for them). The bag itself is really sturdy, stands up on its own - you could carry a pair of free weights in it, no problem ;-)

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying your day off wherever you are and stay tuned for part two!