I love to read

A short while ago I made a custom Mia pouch for Sophie who told me she loved it (thank you, Sophie) and asked me if I ever considered designing a reading glasses case. She was looking for a sturdy eyewear protection (because the hard case she uses now looks like a truck has run over it, as she put it) but she gave me the idea of offering a softer, yet still well padded version in my shop.

It was time to put the collection of my father's old neckties from the 70's and 80's to use...

The result is this padded eyeglasses cozy in dark chocolate wool tweed (slightly striped), originally intended for men's suits, adorned with a piece of rusty brown vintage necktie and two matching buttons. The case is lined with dark aubergine padded lining and is approximately 18 cm (7") long and 8 cm (3.2") wide across the opening. It closes securely with an elastic loop.

I am still testing the new design and thinking of ways to improve it so I was very thrilled to get a message from lovely Dominika @ PanicaLab this afternoon - she has included the new eyeglasses cozy in her I love to read treasury!

Thank you!

Buttons and ties

Returning back home from my vacation I took with me a few things I had stored at my parents' house when I moved away (there was no way I could have taken everything with me and it is nice to keep coming back and discovering forgotten treasures...).

On top of all the sewing supplies my mother has collected over the years, I myself have never thrown away an interesting button, a piece of ribbon or a leftover piece of fabric - one never knows when they might be the very thing that puts a finishing touch to the design.

On this last visit I've discovered a box of my father's old ties from the 70's I have once saved from being thrown away - they are a collection of amazing vintage patterns and colours, some wide, some narrow (early 80's, no doubt), some have stains, some traces of wear and tear, but I'm sure I can incorporate at least a part of them in one of my next projects. The other box contains my collection of buttons; some I've bought over the years, some were cut off items of clothes that were too worn to be given to charity and some are the "backup" buttons from clothes I've purchased (and have long ago left my wardrobe).

Aaaaghh, so many ideas, so little time! I have to reopen my Etsy shop first and then it's back to the sewing machine!