Sunday, February 26, 2012

Sewing, is this counted!

Yesterday at the Rhodes Fashion Sewers ASG Group we had a workshop by the talented Monica Poole, the creator of  Moonshine Design, where there are patterns for bags, quilts and fashion.

We all stared worked with the one pattern, The Spice of Life pattern and the 12 bags were all very different, traditional quilted cotton, faux fur, and Gail's woven upholstery carpet bag which is very impressive.

The main fabric and lining is a Vera Bradley quilting cotton that I bought off Etsy a while back and the brown is duck cloth that Alison had left over from her daughter's laptop bag, friends are wonderful.

The batting suggested for this bag is Matilda's Own Bag Batting which a lot of the girls found very hard to find.  I ordered mine from Under The Mulberry Tree and it arrived very promptly and well packed.

I also needed some Template plastic which another friend suggested I purchase the very thin cutting boards that are readily available at the $2 shops, I got a pack of 3 for $3 and they are just a bit thicker than the template plastic but much more cost effective.

The zip for the internal pocket was from my stash and Monica had the Ghee's tubular bag frame available on the day for sale.

I made the small bag, the dimensions are 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12").

For the workshop we had to have all the bits cut out ready to start at 10.00am.

By 3.30pm most of us had completed bags.

And here she is:




I divided the pocket in two,for my iPhone and a pen.
  


I'm very pleased with my new bag, yes I know there is a tuck of fabric above the pocket from when I topstitched the top down, and that the zippered pocket is not quite as nice as I would like, but this is my first handbag and I'm thrilled with how it looks.

One of the girls did ask me if it would go with anything in my wardrobe!!

17 comments:

BeaJay said...

Lovely - great combination of colours - I love brown with a soft blue. I am sure you will enjoy your bag.

RhondaBuss said...

Your bag is lovely. What a fun workshop to attend!

kbenco said...

Your bag looks terrific, and of course it will go with your wardrobe, you are a colour combination expert!
I have not yet made a handback, but am now the somewhat bemused owner of 2 metal purse frames- 10 inches, so now I have to work out how to "sew" with them.

Alison said...

Now that you have entered the dark side of bag making there will be no stopping you! Have you got any of the VB fabric left?

It looks fabulous and you have done a great job for your first attempt. Zippers are always tricky so don't fret about yours.

pdiddly said...

I keep looking at bags and am really tempted (I have bought a few patterns and they are sitting in my stash - I love the fabric combinations you have use.

velosews said...

That's really pretty and will fit in nicely with your wardrobe. I know how you feel about zips ...

Cherrypix said...

Gorgeous colour combination...and very useful looking!

Cherrypix said...

PS - I changed my ID to Cherrypix...
Signed,
formerly Annec0911

Robyn said...

Your bag looks very impressive, I've never tried making a handbag.

The Material Lady said...

What a lovely bag! Well done.

Mary said...

That is wonderful, and of course it will go with most of your wardrobe :-) I have made a few bags but have yet to try a frame. I love the fabric combinations you used.

Diana said...

Your bag is beautiful! What fun it must have been to sew with a group and to see the end results of the same pattern!

gwensews said...

That's a wonderful bag. And what fun, doing it in a workshop! I love making bags. Yes, bags making counts!

Gail said...

I didn't see your lining on the day. Very impressive and one up on me as I didn't have time to do pockets. Next time.

Carolyn said...

What a cute bag! And your mInoru jacket is simply outstanding! I am in awe...

Wanda said...

What a great bag!
Wanda in Edmonton

Diana said...

Hi Sharon. I hope you don't mind but I've chosen you to receive the Versatile Blogger Award.If you like, just visit my blog and grab it. I think you are a good example of a versatile sewer!