Fabric hunt and a new clutch for the summer

On my last fabrics and supplies hunt I came across a shop in Besançon selling mostly decorative upholstery fabrics and curtains. After I explained to the owner what I needed fabrics for, he invited me into the back room and showed me cardboard boxes, full of scraps, leftovers and fabric swatches. He told me local schools often come to him looking for smaller, inexpensive scraps to make different sewing projects.

I happily dug into those boxes and found some interesting, large enough pieces of upholstery jacquard and other sturdier fabrics, mostly in neutral colours with plenty of potential. There was also a vibrant palette of chenille swatches and couldn't wait to get home and start mixing and matching the colours.

The result are these three large clutches in cotton corduroy, decorated with stripes of chenille - as there was only a small swatch of each colour, these clutches are one of a kind. All three are now available in my shop.


Lov na tkanine in nova torbica za poletje

Pred kratkim sem na lovu za novimi šivalnimi materijali naletela na trgovino z dekorativnimi tekstilijami in zavesami v Besançonu. Prijazni lastnik, ki sem mu razložila, za kakšen namen kupujem, me je povabil v skladišče in mi pokazal kartonaste škatle, polne ostankov in odrezkov. Menda k njemu pogosto hodijo šole, ki iščejo poceni materijal za šivalne projekte, jaz pa sem se z velikim veseljem zakopala v škatle in našla precej uporabno velikih kosov v nevtralnih barvah, ki jih bom zlahka uporabila. Kot prve sem razrezala pisane vzorčke šenilje, ki sem jih uporabila za proge na novih torbicah iz rebrastega žameta - vse tri torbice so že na voljo v moji trgovini.

New hipster bag

Here she is, another Loddelina hipster bag, now available in my shop!

Yes, it is definitely a girl because it is made from bits of juicy red, dark red and raspberry pink corduroy and smooth cotton velvet in bright fuchsia. The bag is so soft and cuddly people will stop you in the street to stroke its velvety texture...

Hipster bag has a generously adjustable cotton webbing strap in khaki beige and a large zippered pocket in the back. Sturdy canvas lining in khaki has a gadget slip pocket and D ring for attaching your keys - and the magnetic clasp to securely close everything inside.

Just listed...

Another Maia small zippered clutch - sky blue corduroy and flower print canvas, a fresh blue-cream-orange combo for summer.

And I just realized it matches the Blogger "publish post" layout perfectly...

I'm off to bed, good night!

Pippa Grande

This new design came to life thanks to a custom request from Heather - she wished for a larger Pippa shoulder bag she could carry around every day and I made her a bigger version of this bag in brown chenille with embroidered branch.

I liked how a larger scale shoulder bag looked like so I decided to introduce Pippa Grande to Loddelina family (thanks, Dawn from Latouchables, for suggesting the name :).

So here is another one, this time in salmon orange corduroy and warm gray upholstery fabric, decorated with various blue buttons and embroidery. The shoulder straps are made from the same gray fabric and matching denim blue canvas and I added some teal blue stitches for a more graphic look.

I really enjoyed making this bag and focusing on all the little details, from the zippered pocket to swivel hook loop and embroidered word "handmade" in the lining.

Today I ran out of daylight to take the final picture of me modelling the bag, perhaps tomorrow...

Good night!

Here she is

For those of you who were wonering what those buttons and embroidery turned into: a new Pippa shoulder bag.

Made from sky blue corduroy (not the same robin's egg blue as in some of my other designs) and warm grey canvas with dark grey handles, floral print lining, an interior zippered pocket and a swivel hook.

There are other almost finished projects on my sewing table, I will try to list them in the next few days.

Have a wonderful start of the new week, everyone!

Still cloudy today ...

... which is why I have colour on my mind!

I made two new corduroy Maia clutches last night and just finished listing them; I took pictures at midday when the natural light was the least dull but I still had a hard time capturing their true colours; in reality this soft corduroy in robin's egg blue and dark salmon is extremely vibrant and juicy.

New clutches are now available in my shop, I hope they cheer up your cloudy day!

Introducing: Maia clutch.

And here they are, three new corduroy clutches in sweet pastel shades of robin's egg blue, dark salmon and lime green.

I had to find a different name for them since the new Maia zippered clutch is slightly roomier than Mia pouch due to 2 cm (3/4") wide bottom. I have to say I love how it sits comfortably in the palm of my hand and the corduroy is super soft. All three clutches are embroidered and decorated with beads and buttons and I added a matching decorative loop at one end for easier grip and some extra spice...

The clutches are now available in my shop and more corduroy items are coming 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!

New in my shop

I know I should be searching for my Monday inspiration right now but instead here is a brand new Pupa shoulder bag I listed last night.

It is made of floral upholstery fabric in olive green I bought years ago in Troyes in France - I found a lovely fabric store very close to where we used to live, but sadly it was closing down so I had to quickly grab the leftover pieces that were still available.

I love this soft and luxurious fabric and it goes really well with raspberry pink corduroy and metallic lace trim in old gold. In my vintage buttons box I even found two matching metallic buttons and to make it more summer like I lined the bag and the zippered pocket with colourful rose print. The handles are made of thin ribbed corduroy in khaki, adorned with raspberry ribbon.

My newest listing: Ola 'Christmas' bag

Ola tote bag is now available in my shop

I made this large wooly bag a few years ago, just after I've moved in with my husband (to live in a small town in Borgundy, France) and was trying to get into the Christmas spirit in my new town, new country and new life.

At the local fabric shop I found many inspiring pieces and this lovely wool melange in green&brown made me immediately think of some sort of ethnic embroidery in red, green and brown. I sewed it into a large A shaped bag with a doubble front pocket, a pattern that had been very popular among my friends (or, shall we say, pre-etsy costumers).

The red corduroy shoulder straps and inside pocket give this bag a very christmasy look and that is why I decided to list in now, before the holidays...