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 year, new projects

Hello again,

I hope everybody had a smooth transition into the 2012 leap year (what will we do with that extra day!), may it be a happy, creative and prosperous year for all!

A friend of mine asked me to design a diaper/nappy bag for her sister-in-law, who is expecting a baby. So I started my new year with a new bag - so far I have made a sample bag to test the pattern and I am quite happy with the result, so much that I intend to make more of these bags for the shop.

I used one of my happy printed cotton canvases by IKEA for the exterior (they are sturdy and washable) and lined it with black lightweight canvas and matching printed canvas for the pockets.
There are two larger pockets on one side of the interior for nappies, wipes, creme, etc., and a swivel hook to attach a dummy or a small toy you don't want to lose. On the opposite side there are three smaller pockets for bottles, tissues and other necessities plus a zippered pocket for valuables.

Both exterior and interior have folds for more volume so there is plenty of room for some extra baby clothes, bibs and other little things a mom might need in a hurry. All fabrics are interfaced and seams reinforced, the bag closes with a magnetic clasp and has adjustable shoulder strap.

The bag is 30 cm (12") wide on top and 35 cm (13.5") tall. I intend to make a matching foldable changing mat that fits in the bag, more pictures to follow...

And to get in the mood for coming spring season, I purchased some cherfull green and beige prints on white canvas and matching green lining - for a large tote perhaps or smaller hipster bags.

Valentine's Day is approaching as well so I better stop writing this post and start cutting out some nice little zippered pouches...

See you soon!

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!

Some yummy new fabric

I got these delicious cuts of basque cloth from my mother in law who purchased them at her recent visit to Pays Basque. Multicoloured striped cotton canvas is made by the artisans of La Maison d'Artiga and every year they launch a few new collections, using rich, contrasted colours as their trademark.

Basque cloth is traditionally used to make espadrilles that come from that very region but the vibrant stripes have inspired many other uses. As it is quite expensive, I like to use my precious swatches of basque cloth very carefully, mostly as embellishment by pairing them with solid colour fabrics, like in this case.

Since the picture was taken this morning, I have already cut out a few patterns and will be adding some new Pupa shoulder bags to my shop very soon...