Busy weekend ahead

I am working on a new design this weekend, a shoulder bag with adjustable strap

This morning I finished drawing out the patern and now it's time to choose the fabrics...

Ooooh, what to chose? In the past 15 years I have collected so many different fabrics but each time I want to sew it takes me forever to chose - I love my collection and fell in love with several fabrics the moment I saw them but since then I just don't feel inspired to transform some of them into a bag while I use others all the time.

I was thinking of offering sets of three or four pieces of matching fabrics as a destash in my shop, hopefully inspiring others to sew something. That way I can clear out some space in my closet for new stuff (!) - but what if those materials fail to inspire me as well after I put them on the shelf?

You see, it is a never ending dilemma...

Stay tuned for more pictures of my work in progress

& have a wonderfull weekend!

Night and Day

I have been trying to squeeze some work into my busy days - sometimes I have an hour in the morning and sometimes there is no time for sewing until the evening, after the children are in bed. So this is how the view from my sewing corner changes all the time:

And here is a glimpse at my latest project, a shoulder bag in salmon orange corduroy with embroidery and buttons. If all goes well I will list it in my shop by tomorrow...

Link your own button story to Petronella's Button Wednesday!

My creative space

I am working on a custom order at the moment (more about that in another post) and I thought it would be a good idea to take some pictures of my creative space before it gets all messed up again...

This is my magnetic message board where I like to attach current creative inspirations. Gaston, my 4-year son likes to make me drawings; most of the time he draws trains, buldozers and robots but in recent weeks he started drawing houses, perhaps influenced by my little house brooches. I love his attention to detail and intend to use his drawings in my future designs (if he agrees, of course).

Above the sewing table a little sales fairy is keeping an eye on my work. Sales fairy was a European Street Team project on Etsy a little over a year ago, a good-sales-vibes chain game in which we had to first catch a fairy (purchase it as soon as it got listed) and then make one ourselves to offer to the next in line. I was lucky to catch this beautiful creation by Michele from steinschmuckdesign and made Beeba for the next candidate. (I don't know where the sales fairy is today, I hope she hasn't retired yet...).

I will have more news about upcoming Loddelina bags soon!

My workspace - new pastels

Here is a sneak peek of what is coming next to Loddelina shop: some new and improved Mia zippered pouches I have been working on over the past two days.

I bought some imported Italian corduroy on my last visit to Slovenia and deliberately chose these soft, pastel colours to put me in the spring mood; lime green, robin egg blue, sky blue and dark salmon.

So far I made a few small zippered purses, same size as the Mia pouch (20 x 11 cm, 8x4.5"), only a little roomier with a 2 cm (3/4") wide bottom. To take a few steps outside my comfort zone I paired the fabric with (at least for me) unexpected colour of zipper and embroidered a blossoming cherry branch in front for a fresh, spring look.

I am quite happy with the result, a soft, elegant cosmetic pouch that allows us ladies to carry even more stuff in our handbags...

I tried to take more pictures today but the afternoon light is very cool, almost blue these days so I will take fresh pictures tomorrow morning - new pouches will be available in my shop tomorrow afternoon at the latest!

My creative space

I admit I am not the most organized person around (understatement of the month!) and it shows in the way I stock my supplies (so far I still manage to keep the new order installed recently) and in the way I design the sewing patterns for my bags...

Pictured here are a few of my old patterns, scattered on the floor - my only clear surface at the time this photo was taken. When I am designing a new bag, I draw the pattern on any available piece of paper. Sometimes I use cardstock, label all the pieces of the new pattern and neatly tie them together with a piece of string. And some other time I might use any sheet of paper that is large enough, even a page of a newspaper, and quickly make some notes and a more or less accurate sketch of the bag.

Organized or not, I like my folder of sewing patterns (yes, I have enough sense to keep them all in a large cardboard folder). Whenever I am looking for an inspiration or a little motivation push to make a new bag, I go through these old and tattered pieces of paper - and every time I am amazed at how many different purses, bags and pouches I have made so far.

It is time to design a new bag!

Don't stop me now ...

"... Cause I'm having a good time", said Freddy Mercury a long time ago.

And it is fun, spending every minute of my free time sewing & taking pictures, trying to list one new item in my shop every day or so. Larger bags take at least two to three days to make and at the moment I am busy with the smaller Mia pouch, determined to make as many zippered purses as I can before Freddy's energy runs out.

I start in the evening when the children are in bed; I match together a few different fabrics, trims and zippers, think about the new design a bit and then go to bed. In the morning I come back to the sewing table to see if the colours I had put together last night still match by daylight. I try to finish the pouch by afternoon the same day, stealing half an hour here and there between my chores, and then take pictures of the finished design before the light runs out and the intense evening family time begins. If it's not my turn to put the children to bed I use my evening to prepare the pictures on the computer and list the new item - or leave it 'till the next day and list two at the same time...

Here are my latest additions:

First pouch is made of striped basque cloth in forest green, deep sage and purple with brown leaves on the trim*

and the second is another wool tweed experiment, this time with embroidered acorns on the front and lace in the back.

I recently purchased a nice stamp that says "Handmade" and have already tried it out - on the paper I use to wrap my purses ...

... and stamped, with more permanent ink, on the inside of the pouches.

* The credit for the first Mia purse in forest green goes to my husband: it was him who, while peaking over my shoulder the other evening, suggested I sew the ribbon with leaves horizontally and put the Loddelina label in front rather than sewing it on the side.

Thanks, Mr Loddelina!

Organizing my workspace

I have finally managed to tidy up my sewing corner. I was putting away the new supplies I have purchased recently and realized all of my stuff needs better organizing so I always know what I have to work with and can get inspired quickly - I was amazed at all the supplies I have "in stock" but they were so well hidden that I have already forgotten about them...

Following an advice I once came across in an Etsy forum I put all my ribbons and trims

in big glass jars where I can easily see them and at the same time they provide a nice decoration for my shelves (pictured is my lace trims jar). I organized all my metallic charms, hardware (magnet snaps, loops and split rings) and large beads in smaller glass containers (which we have plenty of thanks to our love of preserves!).

I keep smaller jars in a drawer but before starting a new project I can always take them out and arrange them on the table so I have a clear view of what I have to work with. At the moment I am making some new, smaller zipper pouches / pencil purses in warm and elegant autumn colours.

Stay tuned as I list the new items in my shop very soon!

My creative space

This post was supposed to be about the new zipper pouches I have been working on lately - but instead of sewing I was happy to receive guests this weekend, a German family we became friends with during our stay in Augsburg. They arrived on Thursday and shared Sunday breakfast with us before they had to go back home. The flat looks quite empty now after three days spent in the company of four children under 4!

So instead of a photo of my sewing table I will share with you a picture of our front door from yesterday afternoon...

Now back to work!

Flashback Friday

I have almost erased this picture from my camera the day it was taken, it is blurry and you can hardly see my face because of the harsh back light - but today, six years later, I'm glad I kept this souvenir of spring 2004.

That was the year I met my boyfriend, now husband. It was him that took the picture when he came from France during Easter break to visit me in Slovenia for the first time (we have met on Malta a month before, long story, perhaps next time...).
I am standing in front of my desk I used to draw at and cut fabric on and I can't believe how tidy it is (no doubt I tried to impress my boyfriend!). On the far left are my pens and paint brushes and on the far right of the photo stands a cookie jar of doggie treats for my hairy flatmate, Zuza.

A spacious, tidy working desk is now a distant memory. But at least I kept the photo...


Want to play along? Link your flashback over to Christopher and Tia blog.

Work in progress

I was able to set up my sewing corner last weekend - as soon as the table was put in the guest room, which we use as children's changing/bathing room, I started drawing a new pattern for a purse. I had some free time to sew when my sister in law came to visit for a couple of days to spend some time with the children, allthough Gaston helped me sew as well, mainly by decorating my sewing machine with pieces of tape...

The results will be introduced in my shop later today as I still have to take the pictures of my two new purses... Stay tuned!

Woman at work

Yesterday I started working on a new tote, trying out some new fabric I have bought recently (nice and heavy black denim) and matching it with colourful pieces of the handwoven basque cloth.

My initial inspiration was spring (Christmas isn't even here and I'm already fed up with winter and the icy cold), but it later evolved as I decided to join this week's challenge, organized by Etsy's European Street Team.

The amazing ladies from EST meet every day in the forum thread, where they discuss everything, from their creative progress to cooking recipes&cold remedies and share all the latest listings, Treasury lists and blog posts. Every Monday the new theme is announced by the winner of the last week's challenge and then members have one week to make and list an item, inspired by the theme.

The challenge (and the relatively short deadline) seems to bring out the best in everyone, giving amazing results, each creating an item in their own signature look. This week the theme is "friendship" and you can follow the listed items as the last week's winner, Kim from viltalakim, posts them on her blog.

We meet back here in a day or so if you want to know what the final result of my challenge attempt looks like...

Update 19-12-09

See the final result HERE.

And thanks to Laura from BlueTerracotta, another fellow ESTsian, my Bee mine decorative heart was featured in recent Treasury West along with some delicious honey/caramel items. Thank you!

My creative space

I've been working on some new designs lately, trying out the freehand embroidery foot on my machine again and setting my mind to holiday season...

Here's a sneak peek of my working place (that is what I call a small corner in the dining room) and some new totes I'm trying to inject with christmas spirit. I HOPE I'll be able to list one of them by the end of this weekend - and only then I will have some time to look through that copy of Vogue that has been sitting on my desk for a week...