Me Made May 2020

Day one of me made May and it was harder than I thought to get started as I stared into my wardrobe wondering what to wear.  The problem being the weather, the reason that is a problem is that we are at that funny in between stage here in the UK where some days it is warm and other really cold.  I had decided that during the month of May I will try to wear something different each day rather than reaching for the trusty jeans and a handmade top whenever I am home.  The thing is I make a lot of dresses and today is not a bare leg day! Especially when out dog walking, so I was pondering the clothes in the wardrobe and thinking what days I am at work, what if it rains and so on.  I know I am over thinking it but I thought as this is the first year I have done this I will make a good effort, my wardrobe is packed with handmade clothes but I do favour the summer months.

So today I have opted for my grey jersey t-shirt, self drafted pattern with a ruched v neck (made quite recently) with a skirt I made a few years ago also own pattern but this time using the Sew What Skirts book.  I have mentioned this book before as it is fabulous and have used this for a few of my skirts.

Here I am wearing this with tights but due to the length of this skirt I prefer to wear this one with tights anyway.   It is a lined skirt and as it is fitted and made from cotton I do tend to get a crease across the front when I have been sat, small problem as creases are mainly unavoidable.  The sun was out earlier but it has now gone in so I have grabbed a hoody now (not handmade but years old!) to wear over my t shirt while out dog walking.

From the book I used instructions for straight skirt with fitted waist, added darts and belt loops.  As I have had this a number of years now I tend to be able to do it without the book, make my own modifications, darts and details etc.  If you haven't heard of it, it is well  worth a look.

Yesterday I made another bag, I tend to have a little run of making these when I am home.  This time I made my own patchwork design on both sides of the bag so this one took quite some time to complete. You can see my shop here

There has been more baking and my son asked me the other day why I was making more when the last cake hadn't been finished (er... I have lots of time;) well it didn't matter as it was all gone pretty quick.  I made the recipe for  gf vegan ricotta cake but I didn't have the correct size tin so I just used fairy cake cases and that worked out fine, I think they would have risen more with more space but my mixture was pretty much up to the top.  Still they were light and fluffy which is not always easy with GF vegan baking. 

We have already been at them here as I made twelve, so yes another good little cake recipe from Vegan and Gluten- Free Baking. I think I only paid five pound for that book a few years ago and everything I have made has come out well. 

That is all for today, on the days my clothes are made from patterns I will of course include the details but I have quite a few items where I have just made my own patterns.  I think I have used more patterns since posting for Minerva as people need to have something to work from if they want to recreate what you are showing.

Take care. 

Making and Doing

Well another week passed and we have sort of settled into a routine here, my husband and oldest son are working from home again this week and they seem to be getting on fine this way.  A lot of what they do is on the computer or the phone so I suppose that sort of work is more suited to home working.  My husband was based in the office for the last two weeks as they are alternating the number of people actually in one place at a time, a sensible way to do it and that way it varies who gets to work from home.

I have been varying what I do during the day and also where I do it, having a change of room can be helpful I feel and that is why I never understand why my youngest lives in his bedroom. I know I was that age once and I'm sure I did the same but I at least went out in the garden.  The weather has helped and I have been busy planting more flowers, weeding and watering.  Yesterday  I treated the newly cleaned deck with a coat of protective oil so that was a couple of hours work.  It needs another coat but it won't be today as it looks like rain.   The lettuces I planted are just starting to come up and all kinds of flowers, I keep going into to the greenhouse for a peep and I am sure they are coming up by the hour just now.

My sewing scraps are greatly reduced but this is making me even more inventive with my bag making, I had a woven throw my friend passed on to me some time ago so  some of that has morphed into a bag.  Also I turned my sons chinos into knee length shorts last year for his holiday and saved the legs, these have also been repurposed into a bag and I really like they way the teal colour goes with the mustard scraps from one of my handmade skirts.

Just small pieces pattern fabric as that is all that is left of that.

I thought I would applique the birds to the pocket to bring it together a bit.

My daily walk is more appreciated than ever and fortunately we have had lots of sunlight to do it  in, I decided  to take a few photos the other day as the light was so beautiful in the park but a couple kept stopping about ten meters behind me so I had to carry on as I didn't want to hold them up. So I went a different way so that I wouldn't have to rush on and they stopped and changed direction and still came the same way!   How very odd, we wouldn't normally notice these things I suppose but with the social distancing we are all very aware that we don't want to get in each others way.  I did manage to snap a few so here they are...

Getting these three to sit down and pose is near impossible so I had to be very quick.

This week I changed my supermarket shopping day, I have been doing it Mondays while I have not been at work but after a fifty minute wait in the queue last week I thought I'd have a change.  It worked as the queue was moving along the whole time so I was only in it less than ten minutes, so Sunday morning first thing from now on. While I am on the subject of shopping I  had got into the habit of buying us these individual vegan pasties, not very cost effective at all but they were well received so I sort of got in a rut of getting them.  So this week I said no this is ridiculous as I make everything else I will make some, even with ready roll pastry it is much cheaper.  Yes I can make the pastry but this way it still keeps it a reasonably quick meal and you can get gluten free ready roll too.

It is a shame that the regular ready roll is £1 and the GF is £2 but that is the case with all free  from foods.  I used a whole pack of ready roll pastry and it made four pasties, but mine are not very pasty shaped more of a rectangle with a lid so little pies, but they tasted good.  Here is the breakdown if you are interested.

Lentil and Mushroom Pie

ingredients

one onion   20p

one can lentils in water  400g ( I like napolina)  60p

one pack mushrooms   70p

one knorr herb infusion stock pot   25p  (these are a £1 on offer at the moment)

one pack ready roll pastry  £1  (£2 if gf supermarket own)

oil

Method

Fry the onion in the pan until soft, add the mushrooms let these cook a little then add the stock pot and lentils.  Stir so it all heats together for a few minutes, arrange half of the pastry on a baking sheet and score either as a large piece or four small pies.  Score around the edge about a cm in then add your filling to here.  You won't need all of the filling you will have a little left to eat with a baked potato another day. Then arrange the tops of the pastry, cook in the oven but check your pastry pack for timings as they vary mine was about twenty minutes on a medium heat.

Here is one that was left, as youngest son doesn't like lentils.  I am no food photographer but they were really tasty and the verdict was better than the overpriced ones I have been buying.  So that is £2.75 for four pies or £3.75 for the GF ones.  Now the vegan pasties were £1.80  each so a big saving making your own and depending on the cost of your other ingredients/where you shop/if you make your own pastry etc it would be lower cost still.  So let me know if you try it and what you think.

That is all from me for now, back soon. 

  

Autumn Makes

I have made a quick long sleeved t-shirt today, these are the things I tend to do in the colder months as my sewing area is very cold even with the heating on!  My sewing table is in a room off the kitchen that has a tiled floor and at this time of year that is not a good choice unless you have under floor heating and I don't.  I suggested putting a rug under the sewing table and my chair earlier but my husband said the table won't sit properly on it.  As the dogs have the run of that room when we are out replacing the flooring is not an option in case of accidents.

Anyway I will give you a peak of the t-shirt now, no pattern required just cut around an existing one and I am enjoying doing v-necks now so this is another V-neck.  The fabric was bought a few weeks ago at John Lewis, I got away with .80 of a metres just to save a few pounds.  I loved the soft feel of the jersey and the little stars so I thought I would just go ahead and treat myself.

The fabric was lovely to sew as well, I just did a double fold on the sleeves and hem and the neckline has bias binding. This is going to be the season of the long sleeved t-shirt for me, I love craft cotton prints but these are the clothes I wear so there will be more comfy jersey sewing going on.

I am also making tops a little longer to keep out the cold, tucked in or left out are versatile.

Another little make was a pumpkin pin cushion copied from Jo at Three Stories High she very kindly sent me the link at the bottom of my last post so I had a look and made one for myself.   I have to say I stabbed my fingers about four times trying to push the needle all the way through, there was a bit of cursing going on.  There are now some strategically placed pins covering the blood spots on the pumpkin.

To be honest I am not sure my version looks very pumpkin like but oh well it does the job.

There has been another bag created for my etsy shop, I popped that one on last week and also linked it to facebook.  That did give it an initial boost in views but they promptly went back down to just a few the next day.  I am trying all I can and reading all the tips, advice appreciated.

Earlier this week I finished The Salt Path, it was quite an emotional read so I now need something a bit uplifting to follow that up.  When I started the book I thought there was going to be more of a resolution for the couple and while they may have discovered a lot about themselves on this journey I am still astounded by the way they were wronged by a former friend.  If you have read this book you will understand what I am referring to, the idea that people can have their lives snatched from them in such a way is just too dreadful. 

As always book recommendations are welcome I always add your tips to my library reading list. That is all for now, I am off to find a film to watch on the T.V take care everyone. 

October...ing

These ...ing posts certainly come around quickly don't they?

Settling into the new season and only beginning to get used to getting up in the dark!  What happened there then? The dark mornings have literally come out of nowhere and my body is resisting getting up without daylight.  I am seriously considering trying out my SAD alarm clock again but the only trouble is it bothers my husband. I'll keep you posted.

Making a handbag as a gift for my friend, I had a lovely day sewing yesterday, planning it and finishing it off.  I am going to use similar colour ways for another one for my store but not the same of course, never two the same!  I hope she likes it.

I may add a few beads to the charm, if it doesn't look too much.

Same on the back minus the butterflies.

A bit of hot pink lining.

Reading 'Adventures for your Soul' by Shannon Kaiser, it is a bit airy fairy for me in places although I do enjoy positivity I draw the line at asking the universe for everything and it appearing. I'll carry on though as you never know there could be that one little thing in there that I just love. Also 'What the Dog Saw' by Malcolm Gladwell, now I have loved his other books but this one is very much a series of shorter articles.  A little disjointed and not what I thought but then that is my fault for not reading the review thoroughly.  On a brighter note I have loved 'The Corset' by Laura Purcel this was night time reading for when I go up to bed .  I like something gentle and non threatening before I go to sleep so this book just fit the bill.  I usually have a few books on the go non-fiction, a more challenging novel and an easy read for bed. My mum doesn't understand why I don't read them one at a time however they suit different moods and times of day. Does anyone else agree? 

Baking cakes, my latest was a lemon and walnut cake it was supposed to be just lemon but I didn't feel it was going to be nutritious enough so I swapped 50g of the sugar for ground walnuts and the water for soya milk.  It tasted amazing and I will make it again, no photos as it went so fast.  My gram flour eggless quiche did not fair so well .

Entering lots of sewing prize draws online, this is not something I usually do but I thought why not.  My friend enters these draws and she is incredibly lucky ,maybe some of it will rub off on me. 

Eating lots of seeds, I began doing this after reading an article on seed cycling to regulate hormones in the Healthy magazine.  You eat 1-2 tbs of flax seeds and pumpkin seeds for the first 14 days then switch to the same amount of sunflower and sesame seeds for the next 14 days.  You start all this on day one of your cycle.  It is easy enough to just add to cereals, I am hoping it may be helpful for migraine as I have a definite link with the timings of these.

Walking in the woods and being amazed by the size of the toadstools, much bigger than my hand and keeping my dogs away as they eat everything and we can do without more illness.

Appreciating all that I have, family, friends and a cosy home.

Take care everyone. 

September...ing

Well here we are in another month and I'm a little late I know, last night my laptop updated from teatime until 9.20 and by that time I was not in the mood for writing a blogpost.  My own fault of course because I have kept delaying the update as I am always using it when it asks, note to future self not to delay it next time. So here is my start to September.

Opening a lovely gift of fabric from Jo at Three Stories High, this is so thoughtful and I can use them in my bag making.  I like to use up lots of different bits and sometimes I have to say I use my scraps until I am fed up of seeing the same recurring patterns so this is a lovely treat.

Returning to work after the summer, this was less painful than I imagined as it is always good to see everyone and there is something to be said for getting back into a routine. Needless to say the first few days I bounced out of bed and by Thursday I was feeling shattered.  The trick would be of course to go to bed early but I am no go at that and end up restless all night, so I will just have to settle into it.

Enjoying a lovely selection of tomatoes from the greenhouse, they really do taste so much better than the ones from the shops. There are still quite a few left to ripen so I am not sure if they will all turn while on the vines.  I have read you can bring them in and put them on a window sill if it gets too late so we will have to see.  I am getting a tub like this each couple of days  and some large ones the size of apples are now turning so it will be good to try those.

Reading Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, I am really enjoying this and wondering where it will lead.  It is good to start another book and enjoy it instantly as that doesn't always happen.  I finished Everything I Never Told You that I borrowed from a friend and had a bit of a book hangover (where the characters are still on your mind!) So I have been pleasantly surprised by how easy this was to get into.

Sorting through this collection of patterns a friend has passed on to me, she buys sewing magazines so ends up with quite a lot but only sew occasionally.  She will pick out the odd one she wants to keep and passes the rest on. I have noticed there are a few I have already so I will passing on a few myself.  I may make the winter coat as it looks like the kind you can fit a good few layers underneath, also the trousers with the paper bag top look interesting.

Making bags but planning ones to gift now.  There is so much more enjoyment from making something to gift and then having it well received than the push of trying to get noticed through online selling.   It is a bit of a joy stealer I feel and I really like seeing things I've made in use.  I was out the other week and a friend of mine was using a bag I made for her years ago, seeing it being used all these years later was lovely and priceless I might add.   

Watching Chernobyl, I have actually just finished the series last night.  It was interesting but of course not easy to watch.  So many mistakes in such a dangerous industry, the story of all the brave people who did what they could to minimise the damage and knowingly giving their lives in the process definitely needed telling.  Worth watching to understand what happened but be aware very upsetting.

Discovering avantgardvegan on youtube, Gaz Oakley has some wonderful recipes for vegans or those just wanting to cut out a bit of meat a few times a week.  He also shows how to food prep for a few days ahead and gives costings.  Very clear and easy to follow instructions, I made the tofu scramble last night and will be trying a few more recipes this week.

Well that is all for now, I have decided to return to my once a week blogging routine unless I have something pressing I want to share.  There have been a couple of times when I have been busy on a Tuesday and then remembered I haven't posted anything.  This is something we do for fun and to connect with fellow crafters so I don't want it to ever feel like a job.  So it will generally be a Friday, updates permitting! Maybe the odd midweek post if I feel like it.

Back soon. 

Many Bags!

This week I have done more bag making, if you have noticed my little image for the Etsy shop you may have noticed that the little bag there matches my dining chairs!  Well I didn't want to waste that little bit of fabric, here it is I started it after I finished the chairs.

I have been listening to some podcasts from create and thrive and also reading the information on the site.  A lot of the advice about Etsy selling is all about being constantly having an online presence, posting to Instagram and other social media. I may have said before but I don't really want to make social media my life so if that is the only way to go it may not be for me.  So I am adding a few more and then I will them sit a bit and just see what happens.

Next up was a blue bag using up a few bits I have left over from a dress I made for a Minerva post, a few pieces of canvas only big enough for strips and some former duvet cover lining.  The faux leather I still have a bit left of that.  There was also a bit of experimenting here making a bird keyring  to go with the fabric.

Today I have almost finished another one but I think I will keep this one, it is a bit wild colour wise and I used part of a charity shop bag for the top, I will share later when it is complete.

I had a nice walk and a cup of tea at a café today with my friend, I also showed her where the  local fabric shop is as she wanted me to make her some tops.  Of course I couldn't come out empty handed and bought a gorgeous piece for me, it is now blowing on the line.  I thought I would wash it immediately to save me prematurely sewing it up later unwashed and regretting it.

Sense and Sensibility is finished and I didn't think much of it, if you are going to read any of the Austin project novels don't choose that one or maybe just stick to the original as the modern day character versions were far too tedious.

The garden is beginning to look tired, though I have to say the flowers have had a really good run.  There are just a few things still to open and they were planted quite late, the rest needs a good sort through now.

Well that's all for today.

August...ing

I thought I would do a post like this early on in the month instead of leaving it until the last minute so here goes.

Making mainly bags at the moment, I have decided to set a certain amount to stock on each online shop then stop, leave them on for a fixed time then if nothing is really happening after a reasonable amount of time they will be used or gifted.  Here is yesterdays bag, which is more of a revamp as I made this one a while ago but it has been improved.

Baking gluten free, vegan scones for the second time this week, I just know they would taste so much better with regular flour as the GF stuff has a certain taste to it but I have to look after my tummy.

Watching  Keeping Faith, I have pretty much binge watched this, this week and I have really enjoyed it. The scenery is lovely and I found the story very engaging even if I did wonder what the hell she was doing standing by her sad husband, if you have been watching you will understand!

Reading currently Night Road by Kristin Hannah, now I am half way through this and it is not really my thing but a friend passed it on and said it was amazing.  Well I am not feeling it and my husband keeps on saying why are you still reading that book you don't like? Well I feel I should see it through as she enjoyed it and books are a very personal thing.  Who knows the last few chapters  may blow me away, fingers crossed.

Growing  more lovely flowers in the garden, quite a few of what have come up have been a surprise as I planted some mixed colour seeds.  It would be nice if they had specified what they all were as I am now finding I like certain ones but have no idea of the names.

Enjoying the summer break but wondering why it always leaves me uncertain if I am in the right job. Maybe it is having more time to think but I am just not sure if I want to do the same thing for the rest of my working years but have no clear plan what path to take. 

Listening to  more Rich Roll podcasts, the latest one was an interview with Dan Buettner founder of Blue zones you can have a look at the website here . He has travelled the world studying the longest lived citizens of various communities and what they have in common, it is really interesting and of course a lot of common sense.  Both the website and the podcast are worth look/listen.

Wondering what to grow next in my greenhouse or garden for late summer, any tips for autumn colour as I would really love to keep the colours going for as long as possible.  Budget plants being the theme, I have no time for expensive plants that give a week of colour and then they are gone, especially with our British weather.  A week of bad weather could see us inside all week with blooms been and gone, no I want to grow or plant value giving varieties to keep the garden looking well a little longer.

That's all for now have a good weekend. 

Sewing Face Wipes

Today has been a bit of a washout so I have been getting some small sewing jobs done.  The main thing I did was to create some more of the face wipe pads that I made for a colleague earlier in the week.  I have made little sets of eight with a wash bag to put the dirty ones in and then I listed two sets on Etsy and two on Folksy.  I don't know if they will have any interest but with the current trend towards using reusable items over throw away ones lets hope that is something that more people will adopt.  They will certainly not go to waste.

I love the fact that these use up small amounts of fabric, these ones match but they don't have to so there is no reason why every bathroom can't have a set.  

It is cotton jersey, soft side up on the back and feels really soft.  Simple zig  zag stitch as my overlocker was not making a great go of such a small curve.  If I made them a bit bigger it was fine but then they are a less handy shape.  I think people sometimes like thing to be similar to the originals and these are more like the removal pads you buy in terms of size.

I also had to take a photo of this lovely plant, the hot pink seems to be theme this week.

Yesterday when I was out watering I snapped a few more pictures of the garden, it makes me happy that just a few months ago this was bare and these plants were just seeds in a packet.  We did wonder if we were able to fill the space with what I was growing in the greenhouse, we needn't have worried.

It is a bit crowded and wild at the moment but I don't mind I like the colour.

Ignore the odd bits of wood next to the fence, they are temporarily filling gaps one of the dog keeps making.

As one thing stops flowering another thing starts so that has been good.

The stone circle you can see in this image had an evacuation of flying ants the other day they were everywhere!  It happens every year and we always have lots of ants on our garden, I should have been quick and got an image of that for you.

Well that's all for now have a good weekend.

Charity Shop Finds and an Elephant Bag

On Saturday we  went for a walk in town and had a browse in the charity shops, I am not a fan of shopping as something to do but we were treating ourselves to lunch out and there are quite a few nice charity shops on the same street.  Whenever we are near one I will have a look and often come out without anything but there is always that chance that you will spot something you need/want and that is the fun part.  Going and buying things new the minute the impulse takes you is not great for the purse but I can appreciate if it is something you truly want and you can afford it then why not.
I love the fact that you are saving unwanted items, getting a bargain and benefitting the charity so it makes the whole process feel a lot more satisfying to me anyway.

As I often mention on this blog I get most of my books from the library but sometimes if there is a particular cook book or reference book that I know will be  read more than once I sometimes buy them.  So with that in mind I was delighted to find this Deliciously Ella book for £2.50, I would not be able to buy that cheaper on ebay as you have postage costs so that was my first bargain, it is a hardback too and looks like new.
The pretty little skirt above is from Oasis originally and I paid £1 for that from the reduced rail, it is a little big so a little bit off each side seam and it will be perfect, it is fully lined too. The glasses were £2.49 for four and I love the fruit design on the sides, finally there is the cute cake tin for £1.50.  My husband did not get why I was so thrilled with this but it was the design more than anything, I think it may stay in sewing area for non food related items ;) it is too much fun to stay in a cupboard.

I finished another little bag yesterday and I am afraid I want to keep this one, I know I will not get very far stocking up if I keep taking a fancy to them myself but it is also sad if they sit waiting to sell and I could have been enjoying them.   This was made from elephant fabric leftover from my blouse from a while back, the stripy blue and white skirt I made last year, duvet cover lining and new vinyl.  Oh and the charm is just odd bits and beads.

I am wondering if white is a good idea on a handbag but it will wash. 

We have been watching a new French drama on Netflix this last week, it is called Black Spot  (Zone Blanche in French and that doesn't mean black spot but rather white zone or area so that bit of translation is a mystery).  Anyway it is a crime drama set in a small town surrounded by a forest with high levels of crime, a lot of it centring around this  forest. There is an unusual police force and the town seems to follow it's own set of rules. We are really enjoying it and I have seen other French dramas with the similar backdrop of the sinister forest, it seems to be a recurring theme in a lot of their television.

I have finished two books this last few day Small Move Big Change by Caroline Arnold and Make Your Bed by William H. Mcraven  I found the first book interesting and the second very repetitive they both cover the subject of positive habits but Make Your bed is from  a military perspective and I really don't feel that all the yelling and screaming from drill sergeants or whatever they call them is always the making of people.  In fact I wonder how many are actually broken by the whole experience, so while discipline is good and needs developing in the mind I think there  are healthy limits.  That's all for today, thank you for reading. 

Bag Making and a Day Out

Last week I mentioned that I had finished another handbag and was about to list it on Etsy, well I did that although I am still not sure if it is the best place to get seen these days. You are something of a drop in the ocean of handmade sellers out there.  Anyway on it went and I am really pleased that I used up my last piece of the Paris fabric in this handbag.  I made a skirt in this about five years ago that I still wear, then it went into another bag that belongs to a friend of mine.  Later still it made up some of the hexagons in my lap quilt it can be seen here.

So it was only ever a metre of fabric but I really do try and use all that I can and that makes me happy that there is very little waste.  Here is the bag, all elements of this particular bag are recycled including the strap, I saved that years ago from a different bag.

Oops I just realized I bought the D ring on the front and the black ribbon new, I did make the little tassel.  I am very fond of these at the moment so every future bag may have a tassel :)

So the back is the same apart from the tassel, the fabric is in the style of an old newspaper.

Anyone recognise the fabric inside leftover from a dress I made a few weeks ago?

After pottering away with that on Friday I had a sewing free day Saturday as we  visited my sister in law at Bridlington for her fiftieth birthday.  She had rented a hut on the sea front and was having a get together there, it was a lovely day in terms of seeing people but the weather was not so good, grey cloud, wind and rain.  All week the forecast had been good for Saturday too, oh well she has the hut for the week so they have been enjoying it for the last couple of days too with better weather. 

While we were there, it was the Steampunk meeting and a classic cars event so plenty to see.  However we only went for the afternoon but we did have a look around and I managed to get a few photographs.

This camper was amazing, such a lot of work had gone into it and the couple (I presume the owners) in the photograph looking like pirates were posing for shots for hours.  I couldn't get any closer as there were so many trying to take pictures I didn't want to get in the way.   A lot of people had gone to great  effort over their costumes.

Inside the Bridlington Spa it was mainly stalls selling the Steampunk type of clothing but there were a few others with accessories I managed to find myself this...

I decided to wear it immediately and then someone said to me 'out of all that stuff in there did you manage to find the one thing with a sewing machine on?'  Ha! probably yes, it was calling to me. 

My husband found these lamps interesting...

Outside the Bridlington Spa were the classic cars, you really don't realise how big they are until you get up close.  We are so used to seeing the cars in films but can you imagine the costs of running one on fuel over here.

So it was a nice afternoon and a good chance to get to see family who are living in Bridlington now, also my sister in law had a bigger turnout to her party than she expected so that was nice.

That's all for now I am off to cook the dinner and finish piecing together a free print off pattern.

Etsy Shop Here

Santoro Fabric Bag Complete

Well I finished this bag this morning, it was sort of complete last night there was just a little hand stitching I needed to complete.  I have really enjoyed making this and feel I may get back into bag making, I did stop because I have a little collection that are unsold upstairs but for myself and gifts they are always appreciated.  The rivets have not arrived so I have left off that detail, I may add a couple later to strengthen where the strap meets the bag when they eventually arrive!
Here it is...

Now it isn't stuffed with anything here so I think it is standing up quite well empty, I will definitely use faux leather in future to strengthen bags.

It is the same on both sides, I was expecting the buckle and claws on the strap to be more silver or at least bronze but never mind.  There was also lots of pulling and straightening to get the folds out of the strap when it arrived but I suppose that it was you get for £3.49, I didn't want leather so there we are.

I made the little charm from a bit of the faux leather, an old key ring and some jewellery making beads and bits I had in my sewing box.  The tassel was a lot longer but I thought it looked too much so I cut a chunk off, I was also unsure how to attach it but I decided on a bit of embroidery thread plaited and stitched in before rolling the tassel.

The piping is just mock, I simply folded over some cord fabric, the only problem being that you don't have a definite width guide to follow.

Inside I have used a leftover bit of cotton from a dress I made last summer, and a saved zip from an old bag.

So in total this project has cost me £7.69.

Materials list

Santoro Gorjuss fabric £3.00 fat quarter from Happy Hare
Black strap  £3.49  ebay
Piece of black ribbon  £1.20 ebay
Cream faux leather;  leftover from an upholstery project for a relative.
Lining; leftover cotton from a dress.
Zips; recycled some years ago when they were unpicked from an old bag.
Mock piping; recycled cord leftover from making a cushion for a friend.
Bag charm; assorted bits from my sewing box ( and a lesson never to throw out old key rings, I have just recalled we got rid of a few two weeks ago when sorting the junk drawer!)

All in all this bag had a lot of recycled items and it has made me think a bit more about the details that make up a bag. Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference and not what we spend on supplies.

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