The weather has been very changeable here and it’s been so wet for the past few days that I haven’t been able to get into the garden, a sprint to the greenhouse is just about all I can manage!! So gardening has been out, bulk cooking is out too as I have a full freezer. I never seem to have space to bulk cook much or is it just that I have a ridiculously small freezer space???? So I have been sewing again! I re-jigged the checked bag I made at the weekend as I wasn’t happy with the handles. A local craft store sells a small selection of wooden handles, so I picked a nice set to put on the check bag.

Then came reversible tote bag…………

The outside view

I’m currently grappling with a grab bag pattern, attempt one last night didn’t go too well, I think I made the mistake of being determined (read stubborn and tired) last night to get it done, even when I wasn’t sure of where I was going with it. Hopefully this version will work a little better.

(This is a picture of the not so good version)

The fabric I’m using today come from my Freecycle stash, there’s lots to choose from and the bigger pieces left over have enough space to cut a square for my quilt :0)

I think the terminology for re-using items to make something else from them is “up-cycling” ? Plenty of up-cycling in this house then!

It took a little bit of time to get the lining in, this was my first ever attempt at bag making, so I didn’t expect it to go so smoothly. I finally solved the handle problem by using cotton webbing I found while out shopping today.
Hubs helped at the end to get the rivets in place. It took a bit of time to punch the fabric out, but I think it was worth it as the bag looks unique with this style of handle.

I didn’t use a pattern for this bag, I just started with denim patches cut from an old pair of my jeans. Not bad for a beginner :0)

I’m still cutting out squares to make my patchwork quilt and after seeing one on sale in a store today for £115, previously £145, I will be most definitely making my own!

I spent a very happy afternoon yesterday, sorting through a big bag of fabric. It was given to me by a very lovely lady on freecycle

There’s an amazing assortment of colours and fabrics, most of which apparently came from a dressmaker. I have one piece in a gorgeous lilac which is big enough to make something really special with. I’ll save it until my machine skills are a lot better, it’s too nice to cut into squares for a quilt!

The downside of my fabric collection now is that after I start to cut out all my squares, there’s loads of threads and fluff everywhere, the dog doesn’t help as he carries it off to play with and then leaves it sticking all over the place. *sigh* I’ll just have to get used to more hoovering I suppose :0)

I’ve become domesticated. It’s official. Not only do I own a sewing machine, but I know vaguely how to use it too. Now this may come as a big shock to those of you who know me well. I’m certainly not the girl I was years ago!! If you’d told me way back when that’d I’d be happily married, gardening, cooking and now sewing, I would have laughed in your face. But now, here’s the proof in full glorious technicolour……..

I sewed a bag this evening from an old pair of jeans. Now not even a straight up and down bag, no, I decided to make a patchwork one. Ambitious for someone, who until recently was just about able to zoom up an old pillowcase in a not so straight line.

To make a bag from recycled jeans, I cut out some squares

Sewed the squares in a strip

Sewed the strips together to form a large piece, then sewed the two piecess together, with the right sides facing.
To square off the corners, I squashed the bag down and sewed across the corners

This is how the bag looks, inside out…

Turn it the right way round and voila!!!

To make the handle, I’m recycling a belt from an old pair combat trousers…
I have to yet finish the lining, I’m going to use an old pillowcase for this. Maybe. Or I might use some old curtain material, I haven’t yet made up my mind.

I’m so proud of my efforts this evening!! Quite an achievement for little me :0)