Another bag

I've made myself another bag - my Heather Ross Weekend Sewing Hold Everything Tote actually holds too much! So I looked around the good old "t'internet" for a bag tutorial. I knew what kind of shape and size I wanted but didn't know how to make one without some guidance. I stumble across this tutorial, and it was brilliant as I could alter the pattern to fit my needs.



I made the strap shorter and wider, and I made the bag bigger all around. I also lined the pockets and made the fastening from velcro. Big lesson learnt here - when pressing a project involving velcro avoid the velcro! I managed to melt the loops! I made it using canvas from Ikea which I bought to make Possum some curtains, and lined it with some orange fabric I have. Here the bag in use - carrying toys!





I'm well chuffed with it! It's just what I wanted! And I loe the super-bright colours. It could maybe be an inch bigger - but I'll just have to make another one with some amendments!

I've also signed up for a Friendship Bag Swap over at the Quilting Gallery - should be good fun, check it out. It'll be my first ever swap - how exciting!


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My first sewing project

Here is my first sewing project from Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing.

The raw materials.......

Et voila - the finished article


It's the Everything Tote. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, I'm using it as my combo handbag/diaper bag, and it's pretty roomy so it fits LOADS in. I used red ticking for the body and green ticking for the binding and handles, and the coolest camo print with hearts for the lining.

Of course I made a few amendments to the bag in the book. Firstly my tote is smaller - but still huge. The book calls for 1/2 yard of inner and 1/2 yard of outer fabric to make the tote. However this is way off the mark, I couldn't even cut the bag pattern piece from my half metre, never mind cutting the handles and binding on the bias! So I had to trundle off to Spotlight and get more fabric halfway through! In all I used 1.1 metres of ticking to make the bag and it's about 3 inches smallr in width.

I also used the suggestions from this post on AlewivesGirl to change the instructions to make more sense. I only folded the binding and the handles once, and I even left the straps open so that you can see the lining underneath and so that the straps are wider and stay on my shoulder better.

All in all, I'm pretty chuffed with my first sewing project (since I was at school) and I think the bag looks pretty special! (By the way I think I "forgot"to mention that my sewing afficianado mum was here for two weeks and oversaw the whole project!)

I already have my cogs whirring on making more bags!

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Il Postino has been....

Well I've been absent from Blogland for a little while, had lots of visitors for the last few weeks and haven't had time for much blogging.

But I have had time to receive deliveries......

This arrived from Kathy at Pink Chalk Fabrics....

These Tillsbrook Toadstool and Spotted Owl from Alexander Henry - no great plans for these, but they were just too cute not to have in my stash!

These beautiful Matrioshka prints from Heather Ross' West Hill - intended for a quilt for our bed (watch this space!)

And this pack of fat quarters because they were too cute to pass up!

And this arrived with my parents from Amazon UK (much much cheaper than it is here in the book shops in Singapore)


I just love this book, all the illustrations are soooo cute and all the project ideas are great, Heather Ross is just so fab. In fact she's so fab I've ordered some of her Far Far Away line from fabricworm, waiting for it to arrive as we speak, and I think I'd like to order lots and lots more!

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