I've been featured!

Back in May - I think it was - a journalist from the one and only local interior/architecture magazine 'La Case' emailed me for a possible interview and 'how to' make a quilt.

First I hesitated, because I had never heard of the magazine. Before I said 'yes' I wanted to see what kind of magazine it is. A book/magazine shop in town didn't have it, but after some hunting I finally got it at a bigger bookshop in Rose Hill.

'La Case' has stunning photos about interior/architecture as well as a few sections about arts & crafts.

After having a look at the previous issue of the magazine, I decided to go for the interview and to show the readers 'how to' make a simple baby quilt. I don't know what the journalist expected, but definite I was not able to make a small and simple baby quilt in 3 hours - as the interview and 'how-to' took! :) I did what was possible for the preparation, which I'm very glad I did! I wasn't able to finish it that day of course, so the photographer had to come back a few days later for the shots.

Here's the finished baby quilt...

... and here's the 'how to' page.

Here's the interview. If you click on the photo, it should be possible to read it - for those of you who know French - or you can go to Google Translate for translation to your language. Don't know if you can just 'copy & paste' the text into the translator, or you have to write it all..... Haven't tried it...

Since the official language is English, I had expected at least part of the magazine to be in English, but it is 100% French.

Since I don't speak French, I don't know how easy it is to follow the tutorial, but I trust the journalist has done an understandable translation.



Bag making goes slow

As you can see from the heading, making bags go very slow. Not so strange; I am a 'bag-making-newbie'!

A couple of weeks ago I bought two craft magazines from one of the supermarkets; Homespun and Sabrina Patchwork; Sacs. We never get the latest issue of foreign magazines until approx 3 months after they are published. The 'latest' Homespun in the shelves here is #93/Vol 12.2, while the latest issue is #12.6! That doesn't really matter! What matters is what the pages hide! :)

Homespun has a wonderful bag to make by Carol McLeod. She uses cotton clothesline and strips of cotton fabric to make her bags. Very interesting, and this is something I'd like to try! Visit her website here.

A bit sidetracked here... I was going to tell you about another bag..... The other mag I bought - Sabrina Patchwork/Sacs - is all in French! I don't know French! DH speaks French and so does MIL. DH & I tried to understand the French pattern. It started out quite well, until it was time to do the first pocket. The pattern talks about 'interior' pocket - all the way, until it is time to add it to the bag, then it becomes an 'exterior' pocket! Poor DH wasn't able to understand the next step, so we headed up to MIL (next door). She has been into sewing since she was a little girl, now she's 73. When I mentioned the problem, she just looked at me and said; 'French patterns are hopeless'!!! After studying the pattern and the pieces I had cut, she was sorry she couldn't be to much help. She advised me to give it a trial by pinning and basting. I'll do so, but I think that bag has to rest some time in the drawer! I haven't given it up and I don't want the bag to win; I want to win! lol (Even if my first attempt went in the bin! :( I've heard from other sources too that French patterns are not always 100% accuracy! DH told me not to buy French craft magazines anymore! Perhaps he is right! :)

I got quite discouraged when I went shopping for interfacing etc. Here they have no clue when I ask for specific Vliselin, Pellon or Peltex! I'm surprised, in spite of being a 'textile country' (exporting lots of clothes) they know so little about what other countries use. Shop owners/importers are not willing to get what I ask for either, so when they don't have it - they don't have it - c'est toute! At times shopping here is a big challenge!  It almost took the courage away from me, but now a friend in Norway is going to buy and ship interfacing etc to me! :)

Even if this was a little 'downhill', I'm still working on two bags. I'm making one for MIL;

it's going to be the same as the two alike I posted here. MIL wanted 'old-people's colors' - as she stated it! I have some fabrics that look 'old' - reproduction, I think some of them are -  and got her to choose six different. She came up with three and asked me to choose the other three.  

I intended to finish it over the weekend, but that is not possible. The zipper as well as ric rac for the trim, is  not available here in town...............

The zipped interior pocket. I have used linen for the lining.

Open interior pocket with two rooms.

We've been twice to Port Louis (the capital) over the last 2 weeks. I had that shopping list and other errands to do, but we managed to do only half of what was on the list the first day. Port Louis is always crowded and shopping takes time, and still there are a few errands to do! 

Since I've got the 'bag-making-virus', I wanted to buy some yards of linen for bag linings. I remembered from last year I bought good quality linen at 'Magasin Baboo' in Corderie Street #35 - famous as 'textile street'! A very friendly little shop. The shop has a good variety of linen and I came home with 6-7 yards in different yummy colors. Another trip to 'Baboo' this week; I bought navy linen and I couldn' resist these fabrics;

Aren't they beautiful?! I regret I didn't buy the pink one too! I can see some colorful bags here.... :) The fabric has a little  'stretch', but adding  fusible interfacing should do the trick.  

For quite some time I have wanted to do some stitchery. The other day I started working on a friendship quilt. The quilt has 12 cute stitcheries, all about friendship. Here's the first one I'm working on....

I thought this was going to be a short post, but I have one more thing to share with you.

Again - about bags! :) I searched the net for books on bag making and ended up with these books;

Sew What! Bags - by Lexie Barnes

From the back of the book; 'Your bag, your way. Choose a project and make it your own. Designer L. Barnes shows you how to develop your own personal style and create customized bags using fabrics that you love, pockets where you need them, straps that feel good on your shoulder, and dimensions that work for whatever you want to carry'.

Personally I feel this is a book for a totally newbie, but of course I did find some hints and info I didn't know about how to make bags.

The other one I bought; The bag making bible - by Lisa Lam, foreword by Amy Butler. It has 160 pages jampacked with information on bag making as well as some free patterns. Definitely this book is going to be my favorite!
From the back of the book;
'An amazing sewing education coupled with beautiful bags that of course, you can customize' - Amy Butler.
'Expert tips, trade secrets and inspirational advice result in professional and beautiful results'.

Click here for the link to Lisa Lam's shop. 

I intended to do some gardening today, but I've gone lazy since I got up - lol!

I think I'll snuggle up with a hot chocolate and read about bag making! :)

  

Going Country

Once farmer - always farmer!

After making the three tote bags for baby earlier this month, I got obsessed and have got a new craze! I have made another three bags, and here they are!

The fabrics I have used is one of the first purchase over the net, in 2008! Perhaps it was high time making something out of it. I've had a look at those fabrics several times since I bought them, but never came up with any idea what to make out of them, until now...

I have used the size of a bag pattern and manipulated the rest to make it 'my way'. I have added one zippered inside pocket. It has gussets, where I have added velcro at the top of each side to hold it together and I've added the closure (?) and buttons (it doesn't have zipper for closing). The front is changed too, and I've added a bottom to it, made from template plastic covered with one layer batting and one layer fabric. It works well. :)  

The front. It was a bit difficult to make the panel pieces straight when adding the strips on each side; it was not printed straight on the fabric, so I had to wet, stretch, pull and iron it. It's not OK, but I couldn't make it better. :)

The left, front side; cute hens! :) And the wooden buttons.

The back of the bag.

Here's another bag, where I have followed the pattern, except the ribbon and buttons, they were not mentioned...

I even managed to do the zipper without any problems! :) Only one broken needle for three bags - not bad - lol! :) This bag has one zippered inside pocket too. 

I thought it looked a bit dull without any decoration, so I added ribbon and buttons. Oh, missed the buttons here, but you can see them on the first pic.

The third bag; same as the blue, but using other colors.

Added ric rac and buttons to this one too.

So much fun making bags, and they don't take weeks to do as a big quilt.

From the leftover fabrics I have made a few other things, but that will be for another post.