MELTDOWN...

I suppose that everyone is tired of hearing Melbournians complaining about the weather, so I shan't go on about it. It's been a shocking week (on a lot of fronts) in our city and we're all a little frazzled.

Just wanted to drop in to say that we had to shut the studio doors early the last couple of days and head for cooler places. It was intolerable and we couldn't work there, and I certainly couldn't keep a toddler there.

We stayed long enough to process all the orders that had come in and then got the heck outa there. I'm really sorry if we missed your order this afternoon, or (heaven forbid) you travelled to Brunswick especially to see us. We'll catch up with it all on Monday, when it's cool enough to think again.

There has been no product development this week, no Stitches and Craft preparations - only sales and customer service and heat-proofing measures (curtain-making and draping and keeping a small child cool). On every table there is a pile of inspiring fabric, but it's too hot to do anything with them... New pieces - ready to be made into hats and bags...

Large scraps - ready to be made into purses or colour detailing on plain fabric...

Small scraps ready to be made into yo-yos or origami, and a whizzy new Clover gadget yet to be played with...

All lying idle in the fan-forced oven that used to be my studio. Tomorrow's "cool change" (35 degrees!) will hopefully mean that fans will suffice to make the room bearable. I'll try to catch up a little and will keep you updated with finished projects.

A Fresh Summer Crop

These kid's hats and bags look remarkably fresh and perky on a day when the rest of Melbourne is feeling withered and droopy.... (43 degrees today and hotter tomorrow... yikes!).

I yo-yo'd this hat to within an inch of it's life - they're placed randomly all around the crown. The centres of the yo-yo flowers are made with self-cover buttons. (My... haven't self-cover button kits progressed since 20 years ago...? So easy now!). And the binding is made with an 18mm bias tape maker.I made up the Evening Bag as a kiddie bag to match the hat. More yo-yo's and buttons.... It also has flat o-rings in the strap and a template plastic base. The bag closes with a magnetic catch and the lining has a zip pocket.
I forgot to do a complete shot of the other hat - just lots of yo-yo close-ups!?? This hat has a wider brim and its crown is appliqued with daisies of diminishing size over the top and around the side - there is ... you guessed it! Yo-Yo's from here to next week!

The co-ordinating bag for this hat is the Small Slouch. It makes a cute kiddie bag. I appliqued a big daisy on it (and ...ummm... put a yo-yo on it... Is it my imagination or is there a pattern forming here?).
I also put double o-rings in each side of the strap. I like this look, and I think kids would like fiddling with the rings (at least I know MINE would!).

Now - I've had enough of this stuffy office - it's the hottest room in the house! I'm off to seek air conditioning ...or move to Minnesota, or something.

Leah's Mum has been clever again!

Leah's Mum demonstrated how she makes co-ordinating handles for her bags by threading coloured cord through plastic tubing. Isn't she a clever lady?

I can see BEADS threaded through the plastic tubing as well.... whaddya think? I might have to have a little play with this idea....

HOT in the City....

I really hope the Bureau of Meteorology is playing some sick sort of joke, and that we're NOT facing a week of 40 degrees days (around 100F I think?). Note to friends in the Northern Hemisphere - PLEASE send us an arctic blast or two...? A HINT of coolness...?

Ok - got that off my chest - now back to sewing....

I made this City Bag on the weekend. I think it looks a bit Hawaiian-shirt-ish - a bit of happy Summer (as opposed to oppressive, scorching summer... Sorry - I'll shut up about it in a minute...).

I kept it pretty simple - with 32mm Flat O-rings in the straps and a plain boxed-corner base (pic below). I used Fast2Fuse as the base support because it's flexible and comfortable when the bag is slung around the body (over the head - hands-free style) which is a really easy way to wear this bag.
This one (below) is cotton moleskin in a gorgeous shade of orange (that won't photograph easily!). It tones in beautifully with this Kaffe Fassett print.

Slightly more detail here. The same o-rings as above, but also an eyelet in the strap and an oval zipper-pull.

I also included a structured base on this bag. This is the method I teach so that you can add a hard base and purse feet to any box-cornered bag. It uses Vilene S520 and Template Plastic as support (and requires competent sewing machine skills).

I'll be teaching this method at the Stitches and Craft Show as well as in A Sharper Edge classes. I also offer a printed tutorial (if requested) with purchases of Vilene S520 and Template Plastic.

Last pic... this is the inside of the bag. It has a large zipped pocket and a compartment pocket.

I'm just going to lap up the air-conditioned comfort of home for a while and steel myself for tomorrow. My studio is NOT air conditioned and I have a date with a fusing press...!!!?

Woof!

I had a busy weekend of sewing. No photos were taken at the time because I couldn't remember where I put my camera all weekend (it was actually ...ummmm....in its case in my bag... hmmmm...who was a little bit distracted and excited about all that sewing time???).

Among other things I made these Kid's Hats out of the doggy fabric. I made his and hers versions by making one brim longer, keeping it downturned and adding a yo-yo flower - the other is a shorter brim, upturned and without the yo-yo.

The binding and the lining is made with cutesy little paw print fabric - I think from the same "Paws and Whiskers" range. I bought the fabric in GJ's.

More pics to follow....

My Creative Space

My multi-tasking station today... A bit late for Kirsty's Thursday's meme again.

Instruction-writing and pattern-tweaking on one computer, online (answering emails and ...ummmm reading Bloglines) on the other, mobile phone, memory-card reader for the camera, remote control for the wee girl's dvd player, and a City Bag that I managed to finish in dribs and drabs betwen computer boot-ups, pdf writing and software crashes over the last few days.

Oh - and I also had a three-year old hanging off my neck (when she wasn't being fobbed off on Charlie and Lola) and managed a few small projects with her. We made a small pillow and stuffed a few of Poppy's puppies (an Audrey and Maude pattern started about last September!!). She also built several houses for her toys from cardboard boxes and bits of furniture and fabric.

SO... all in all it was quite creative. Not sure how much was achieved (?) but the main thing is that we survived another STIFLING hot day in the studio.

Clearance of Discontinued Stock

Our suppliers are constantly changing their offerings - bringing in new things and discontinuing others....it's good and bad. Either way, it's hard to keep up. I've been meaning to put up a CLEARANCE ITEMS page on the website for ages but it hasn't happened yet. In the meantime I thought I'd let BLOG READERS in on a few bargains...

25% Off on these discontinued handles (first in, best dressed... Email Leah with your order).

We have 1 pair of #21 Blue handles (190cm wide). Normally $13.50. Now $10.10

1 pair #11 Blue (13cm wide). Normally $9.50 - Now $7.10

2 pairs #3 clear (13cm wide). Normally $10 - Now $7.50
1 pair #3 amber (13cm wide). Normally $10 - Now $7.50

We also have a few incidents where the suppliers have sent us the WRONG THING, and it's been more trouble to return them than keep them.

The 40mm Square rings are now 45mm!!! Same price as 40mm (although worth slightly more). We don't have any of the 40mm left in stock right now but the 45mm look the same ...only 5mm longer!

We still have more of these magnets. LOTS of them were sent by mistake, so we're selling them at near cost.

By the way - If you're on my mailing list you should have received an email last night. If you didn't, could you please check your JUNK MAIL FILTERS and un-junk my email? You have to let it into your allowed list or future email from me will keep being swallowed up. We're looking into overhauling the mailing list (along with the whole website) so hopefully we can clear up this little... ahem... glitch.

Reasons to be Cheerful

Kirrily is pretty happy. Her ADORN purse (made using my pattern) has been getting a bit of attention on Etsy lately. (BTW - She also makes fab nappy bags and other goodies).

Katy is happy with the new Tote bag that she made . Sophie is happy because her handmade bags were well-received at Christmas.

And I'm VERY HAPPY that my little patterns can make someone's day! I receive lovely emails from wonderful people each day and appreciate every one of them - they are rich rewards, indeed. You really have no idea how much it means to me to hear that my work is worthwhile.

Now it's my turn to thank YOU! I love hearing your feedback, I love your emailed photos and I love seeing your photos shared on my Flickr group. It warms my heart and keeps me going. I really can't thank you enough.
xxn


PS. I try to link to as many blog mentions about my patterns as I can on my website testimonials page. You can see a few here. If I've missed any of your posts about my patterns, please let me know and I'll add them to the list!

All Dressed Up

I've been making new bag samples to take to the Stitches and Craft Show in (eek!) March.

The Dress Bag is a particular favourite of mine. It's called the Dress Bag because it's the right size to take out with you when you're dressed up! Think lipstick, phone, keys, money... all you need dangling from your wrist when you're looking gorgeous at a party or the races. It's simple to make, needs very little fabric and can indeed be dressed up for any occasion.... it's very versatile, and I like a pattern that's versatile.

Here's some detail of the rose on the front. It's a bagged-out bias strip that is hand-stitched into place.

It appears that I'm on a bit of a detachable strap bender.... (Swivel hooks are a marvellous thing!!). The purse can be a wristlet or a clutch purse. It can also have a zippered gusset closure (with a plastic rectangle zipper pull).

This one - in Flutter-By and Full-Moon Forest (both by Moda) has been around since last November, but it fits in here because it shows the flap....

...and an alternative closure - magnetic catches (snaps). It also shows the optional inside zip pocket (and a little patch pocket on the other side that I added just for fun).

And here it is all ready for a spring garden party in a gorgeous Sandi Henderson print... I put the yo-yo maker to work and included a flat o-ring in the strap. I think that's all the decoration it needs.
...Oh.. and there's a zipper pull on the zipper.

We still have these plastic zipper pulls, some oval ones and a few of the brass teardrop ones left (finite resources!). We're on the lookout for more supplies of the discontinued flowers and hearts.

Watch this space for more of my new Stitches and Craft samples.... and hopefully a new pattern before too long!

Troubleshooting Interfacing Woes...

OOPS....This is what happens when you press delicate interfacing with a searing, steaming, linen-setting iron. It shrinks and bubbles - rippling the fabric up. If you do this in the EARLY stages of cutting and fusing you can rip the interfacing off, press the fabric and fuse a new piece of interfacing on. When you're half-way through making the bag up you just have to try to fix things up as best you can.

(BTW - My fashion industry friend did exactly the same thing when we were sewing yesterday. We laughed about the habits of industry-trained sewing types who - no matter what the fabric is - always have the iron set on linen and high steam. Good to know I'm not alone in the steam the bejaysus out of everything camp!!).

If you use good quality woven interfacing IT CAN BE FIXED!! .... a bit. (If this happens with non-woven interfacing you're in a spot of trouble. It's hard to resurrect shrunken synthetic fibres).

Step 1. Turn your iron back to COTTON setting.

Step 2. Press and STRETCH out the fabric to flatten out the puckers and wrinkles. Press down REALLY HARD with the iron. Smooth it with your hands (as much as you can without burning them on the hot fabric) and hold it flat until it cools.

The pic below shows the same piece still on the (sleeve) ironing board - nice and flat.

Step 3. Once you take the fabric off the ironing board and move it around you might still see small ripples, but it won't be too bad - not visible on most fabrics from a few feet away. (Unfortunatley most people look at my samples REALLY CLOSELY!!!).

Treat the bag kindly and press it back into shape as required. It'll always be prone to a bit of wrinkling.

NOW.... This is what I SHOULD have done before I started the bag....What is it that I tell everyone who asks me an interfacing question.....? TEST IT ON A SCRAP OF FABRIC FIRST!!!!

HINDSIGHT IS A WONDERFUL THING.... If I'd tested a few options I would have discovered that the Medium-heavy interfacing (above) was the one I needed. It would have given the fabric the structure I wanted and it can take any amount of heat (in fact it NEEDS a super-duper hot iron to set it!). This particular bag needed lots of pressing and I should have thought that out before I put in an interfacing that likes very LITTLE pressing.... Having chosen the wrong interfacing, I wish I'd checked that the iron was on an appropriate setting.... and I wish I'd had a manicure before I took that photo....

Oh no - but I thought I knew it all...

I have a quote from the fabulously ironic Jane Austen pinned to the wall (above the iron!) in my studio. "Why not seize the pleasure at once? How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation!.."

Vlieseline have a search function on their website to help you choose the right interfacing for the job. A bit of research and a bit of testing can save a lot of pain. But in the absence of forethought, please refer to the tutorial, above....

That Ol' Pattern Magic...

Finally... a change in the weather means that it was cool enough to wear one of the tops I made on my holidays. This is the long-sleeved, long-tie version in a viscose jersey. Lovely and drapey to wear.

It doesn't hold in a weave structure, but can be knotted lots of different ways.

I have the fabric and the plans for a sleeveless linen version (with the woven front stitched in place as in the book... invisible side zipper allowing me to get into it). There is also a large quantity of cotton voile awaiting my attention to make a sheer version.... and they'll probably have to wait until next summer holidays.... ho hum.

My Creative Space

I'm a tad late with this one. It's a Thursday meme and it's Friday already. (Kind-of sums up this week....).

This is the side of my cutting table, with patterns hanging from the holes in the angle-iron base.

And this is what I've found hanging from various holes in the workshop tables... (there are several of these bundles hanging about. Too cute!).

Cut, hole-punched and hung by the assistant.

Thanks Kirsty for another lovely weekly meme. Check out the rest here.

Website Updates

We're chugging through the backlog of work that has built up over the summer break, and catching up on the to-do list. I'm also madly trying to prepare for the Stitches and Craft Show and finish another pattern.... We're peddling fast so we'll eventually get there!

I spent yesterday sorting out the new 2009 Course Schedule. It's up on the website here....

There will be less classes this year than usual. I have too many other commitments and projects on the go, and I'd also like to spend some time with my family. Last year was crazy, and this year I'm trying to find a bit of balance.... so my apologies if you can't make the dates that are listed - I simply can't fit in any more!

Do remember that if you can't make it to a workshop, that my patterns are written as mini-classes in bag-making techniques, and follow a natural progression from beginners to advanced. If you treat them as a self-paced course YOU WILL LEARN LOTS about bag-making and your sewing skills will improve!

I'm catching up on other website updates, which had fallen way behind during the big pattern-finishing push at the end of last year. New to the website (not necessarily new to blog followers...) are....

These cute loop buckles (which you can see on the Carry All bag here). We now have them in 25mm (1") as well as 18mm. The size measurement is the width of the strap that will fit the clasp.

...Ahhh... those lovely Moleskin Pressing Cloths for folding into all sorts of shape and size pressing hams. See the demo here...

Fairly new on the scene are these 40mm brass o-rings. They're made from sturdy 4mm wire. You can see them here...

I just realised that it was "My Creative Space" day today, and it's midnight. I'm not feeling too creative now and have no photos to share.... I think I'll be a day or so late with this week's effort, sorry!

Thankyou Méri!!

The ever-sweet Méri sent a present for my wee girl. It's an ancient design and a traditional toy from Portugal. You hold it by the handle and move it from side to side....

...and all the little chickens peck like crazy. Super sweet. The wee one loves it.

If you haven't visited Méri before, you should pop on over to see her. She's one of the true gems of the blogosphere, and one of the kindest souls you'll meet.

Thanks Méri!