Bags in the making - Fabric delivery

Last week I blogged about the two bags I have planned to make.

I ordered fabric on Oct 22nd and last night when the girls and I came home from school I had three slips in the mail telling me to come to the grocery store to fetch my packages that were too big to be delivered.
Two contained the fabric and one package was from the UK where I had ordered the interfacings.



The fabric is just gorgeous! It has such a nice feel to them and the colours are rich and yummy.



The gold fabric I picked for the lining of the Sophia bag is not an obvious choice but I think it matches very well.

I think there will be time tonight after we get home from the cinema to chuck the fabric in the wash. Not that I plan to wash the bags a lot but the materials are chosen so that it is washable should the need arise.

Another Amy Butler bag in the works

I wrote yesterday that I plan to make a Weekender Travel Bag designed by Amy Butler. To add to the crazy I also bought fabric for a Sophia Carry-All to match. I am planning to start on this one since it seemed a bit easier than the Weekender.

The outer fabric is the swirly, blue one. It's from the same fabric collection I bought for the Weekender but it has a very different vibe. I hope the colours will be close enough to make them go together.

I had planned to line it with a blue solid but I had a hard time finding one that matched. It's extra hard to do online and I had excellent help from a very nice lady at Fat Quarter Shop.

In the end I decided to go a different route and line it with a gold fabric. I really hope they go together.

While I wait for the fabric to arrive I think I will take my machine in for a tune up. It's been sounding weird and clunky and I think it is time. I finished Isabel's pants last night and I'm driving to town tonight to drop the machine off.

I've been in the market for a new machine for a while but I need to save up some more money since the one I have my eye on is quite expensive. We are keeping the one I have now because both girls are showing interest in sewing and I think it will be a perfect machine for them.

I'll probably take the time to do some cutting while I'm sans-machine. I'll prep for the Sophia and Weekender, but also for a Messenger bag for Isabel.

Amy Butler bag in the making

I've had my eye on this bag for ages. I love the look of it and well made it looks very professional and sturdy. I have however doubted my ability to finish such a project.

Then the other day I was browsing my favourite US quilting cotton store and saw that Heather Bailey had come out with a collection of home decorating weight fabrics that looked amazing. And suddenly I just knew I was going to make the Weekender Travel Bag.

I've had the pattern at home for a few years and I've read the instructions. They seem straight forward enough, I just mostly worry about all the layers of interfacing and Timtex and zippers.
I guess the trick is to take it all one step at a time.

I'll use the grid dot for the outside and the bird print for the lining. The pattern calls for using the lining for handles and piping but I bought a striped fabric for that since the bird pattern will just look busy and scattered as piping.

I also found a store in the UK who sell interfacing where they compare their product to a Pellon interfacing product. Pellon is hard to come by in Europe/Sweden - at least I've always had trouble with that.
But at CottonPatch it was easy to find an equivalent to Pellon SF-101 and all the other interfacing types the pattern directions called for.

Another time it will be easy to shop for substitutes in town since I know what quality to look for.

I'll be reading through the pattern directions again to see what type of inside pockets are there to begin with. I'll also take the opportunity while waiting for fabric to be delivered to clear up in my sewing room to make better room to work.
I do love this part of sewing - the planning and preparing.

Sewing day

Last year Rickard and I gave each other alone time for Christmas. One Saturday every other month we're free to do what ever we want for a day without having to mind the kids.

Today was my day and I took the opportunity to get a hair cut and then go back home and sew.

I had cut out some pattern pieces this week so I could just sit down and sew.



I made this bag from some left-over, gorgeous Lantern Bloom fabric I bought for a quilt. I used the Phoebe bag pattern by Artsy-Crafty Babe.

I've not had a lot of experience making bags. I made a Multi-tasker tote by Anna-Maria Horner but that was about it.
But the Phoebe bag was very easy to put together. The directions were easy to follow and I made the bag from start to finish (not counting cutting time) in about 2,5 hours.

I didn't have a magnetic snap so I used a closure I bought for a cardigan I'm knitting for Sofia. I'll have to get another on Monday cause her cardi needs two.

I made some other stuff too but I'll have to wait posting about that cause it's a secret.

I have more Lantern Bloom remnants and I plan on making another Multi-tasker tote but I haven't cut out the pieces yet. I started cutting the exterior when I cut for the Phoebe bag but I never finished the job, and now it's really too late to be cutting fabric. I'll only mess it up.



This is Isabel's doll quilt, finished. I have one more for Sofia to quilt but I haven't gotten to that yet. I think I'm gonna tie that one instead.



Here's a close-up I took of Isabel's quilt while trying out the manual focus function on our camera.
I just discovered it - we've had the camera for 4 years. Yes I've run it on Automatic basically since. I'm challenged when it comes to photography.

The evening ended with delicious bulgur and kefta for a late dinner while watching Brüno. Yeah, not the best combo. That movie was disgusting at times. Mostly in regards to other people's behaviour - not necessarily Brüno's.

Picnic bag

One evening last week I went to the Quilt-store across from my office for a sewing class.
We were gonna make a garden tool bag or a picnic drink bag.

Initially I was gonna chose a fabric with winebottles and wine corks to keep with the theme, but in the end I opted out on that and decided to use fabric from Sandy Gervais' latest collection Freshly Squeezed.

It made for a very summery bag I think.

The pattern was fairly simple but it had a lot of steps so I don't think I'll be making it again.
If I do there are a few things I would change about it so maybe I'll give it a go during my upcoming 5 week vacation.

Another view of the inside

Apples and Strawberries

I made another sewing bag to match the Apple bag I made a few weeks ago.
It came out a lot better than the Apple bag so I decided to take off the binding on that one and remake it right.

A Bushel of Apples

Last night I started a sewing bag that I had been keeping an eye on for a while. I think I sewed, ripped and re-sewed portions of every single seam on that bag, but now it's done.
It's not done right or perfect (I misread part of the pattern) but it holds together and serves its purpose.

Here are some more pictures
The basket patterned fabric makes up 4 pockets on the outside.


Another outside view


The Lining


And then I had coffee and a sandwich or two ...