Clearance Sale!

We need to make a bit of shelf space in the office before we order in a few more boxes of purse frames.

For ONE WEEK ONLY -
20% off
selected purse frames.

The lovely little 100mm curved frame with holes in antique colour.

If you don't have a pattern for this size frame already, then look no further than the Puff purse kit (which also includes a frame). Squealy cute.

Sizes 75mm, 150mm, 200mm and 200mm "chunky" square frames are also on sale.

It's probably a good time to learn how to make framed purses if you haven't tried one before.... Buying a kit will save you lots of time, fabric and frames (because I did all the working-out for you and used up lots of MY time, fabric and frames!).

If you're an old hand at making framed purses, now is a good time to stock up!

The 75mm frame makes the small coin purse (above) or the Spec Case (below).

The 150mm frame makes the make-up purse (in the photo above the spec cases) or the Poppet (below).

The 200mm frame makes the 200mm purse - which can be used as a clutch or a make-up purse.

And the 200mm Chunky frame makes a 200mm Chunky purse! (seen here in gorgeous Pippijoe fabric!).

Stock up while we reduce our stock. The sale is only for 1week, so get in before NEXT FRIDAY - 19th Feb. They'll all be back to their usual prices after that.

Survivor

My Spec Case has seen a lot of use....and a lot of dirt. Then it got a soaking in "the great handbag disaster of '09" (long story, involving my handbag and everything in it getting soaked). I had nothing to lose by throwing it in the washing machine.

I gained a clean spec case.... and also gained the confidence to say "You can just throw them in the washing machine!" when people ask me about cleaning the framed purses. (I also washed a 90mm coin purse and a zip purse - they were fine, too).

It certainly handled the new whizz-bang front-loader better than the knit top I made for myself last year....

remember this?

How do you like your purse...?

Yep - despite it sounding like soup or dog food - that's what I called it.... and I didn't even ask anyone what they thought. Just named it and printed it....

Well... printed 15 copies before the new printer decided it didn't want to play anymore. 10 copies are off to a new stockist in London this week, so until Mr Fuji-Xerox comes to fix or replace his wayward child, we have 5 copies to sell to those who want them...

I've rejigged the basic square pattern instructions quite a bit (can never leave well enough alone, me...). I've incorporated a few new purse frame tricks (discovered while working on the Barrel Purse) into the instructions and re-worked all the photos and diagrams for the new purse shape.

The Chunky purse pattern itself has a wider base than the other 200mm pattern, which balances the chunkiness of the frame and the big ball kiss-clasp.

The kit contains the pattern, instruction booklet, frame, interfacing and piping cord. You can use almost any weight fabric - you just need to adjust which fusible wadding to add (or not) to give the right amount of structure to the purse.

CODE: PFK200C

$29.70

...

...

We should have more printed by the end of the week. In the meantime, we have FIVE....

EDITED TO ADD - The lovely printer fix-it guy came and worked his magic. We now have as many copies of this pattern as we care to print!

But wait... there's MORE!

Still rebuilding that stash of mine... More fabric arrived today - this time from from Sew Mama Sew.

Then I went to GJ's to (..ahem.....) drop off some bag samples. I saw this cow print patchwork cotton for $12 per metre ("Oh, I'll have 2 metres, thanks....") and then I saw the pigs.... Unbelievably cute.

The nearly-four-year-old hand is used to show scale. The wee girl wants a "cow" dress and I'm thinking bibs for the pigs (and cow offcuts).

Now, to prove that it is not all obsessive fabric-buying for no apparent reason, here are the purses made today with my Pippijoe offcuts.... seen here yesterday.

A lovely (if sadly short-lived) relationship with new overseas suppliers has left us with half a ton of the wrong 200mm purse frame. The frames are slightly bigger and chunkier than the ones we ordered (ummm...using their production sample and saying "Yes, we'll have these ones, thanks".......!!??).

So (the short story is...) I've made a bigger, chunkier version of the purse. And - six toiles later - I like it.

More of my beautiful new fabrics will be cut up over the next week or so to make samples. Instructions will be tweaked and cover-art will be redone with new photos of new samples. And a new pattern will be born!

See...? I can justify anything!

Coming up for air....

I've been whizzing around between multiple tasks with one eye on the clock and my mind on several simultaneous deadlines. In the middle of it my home computer decided to throw a spanner in the works. There have been too many late nights and I feel the need to come up to the surface. Breathe.

The purse pattern has been finished, patterns and stock for the show have been printed and packed, freight sent to Sydney for the Stitches and Craft Show next week and my Thursday night students got the notes on zippers that I promised. Phew!

And so... it seems the people's choice for the new purse wins! Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce you to the Poppet purse... including the pattern, instruction booklet, frame and all the interfacings you'll need to make your first purse. Available NOW for $45.95 - Code: PFKPOP150.

I'm sorry it won't be on the website until I can sort out a new computer for myself.... but you can email, fax or phone through an order directly to us.

Kathryn, we'll send your kit to you as a thank-you for choosing the name. Lara - thanks for being super-final-tester again.

I'm also thrilled at the arrival of my copy of Homemade - the recipe book put together by the crafting community in aid of the people affected by the Black Saturday bushfires. It's full of inspiring recipes to get even cooking-mojo-less folk like me excited about the kitchen. You can order your own copy too. All proceeds go to help fund bushfire relief efforts by the Salvation Army.


For updates on what happened to all your generous donations of handmade and restash goodies head on over to the Handmade Help blog. For Rainbow Comfort Pack updates you can visit the wonderful Monica's blog.

If you're in or around Sydney, DO COME to the show and say hello. There are lots of other fab things to do there, too.

That Baggy Pursey Thingamy-whatsit....

Ah yes, folks... the saga continues. We're getting closer to having a finished pattern but still have no name for this one.

Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions (and I'm sorry that personal responses to comments are very few and far between in these last frantic days before the Stitches and Craft Show). There were some great ideas and I really appreciate the time you put into offering them up.

I have a shortlist of snappy names - but may need a bit MORE help to choose the winner...

Is it a Kiss purse?

A Party purse?

A Date purse?

A Jazz purse?

Or.... ummmm...a Pop purse?

...Or a Poppet?

I'm waiting to hear the lowdown (and adjust the pattern accordingly) as my trusty team of pattern testers sew up a storm this weekend. We're racing the clock.

Edited to add: We have a winner! The pattern is ready to go... unfortunately my computer isn't. I shall do the big announcement at the next available opportunity. In the meantime, thanks for playing.... and we don't need any more name suggestions!

xn

The Bag With No Name.

"150mm Barrel Purse" just doesn't seem to cut it. This purse is a bit too cute..a bit too elegant.. a bit too versatile to be a barrel.

It's girly and fun as a structured handbag.

Versatile and practical with a detachable wrist strap.

It's elegant when it's dressed up for a wedding.

It can be anything from funky make-up purse to bridal accessory.... and it needs a name.

The best I could come up with was "Pop" (Pop Purse... kind-of has a ring to it, don't you think...?).

THE GIVEAWAY

If you can come up with a name that suits, we'll give you a kit. Leave your suggestions in the comment box.

THE RULES ARE:

1. No girl's names, thanks. We don't want any Charlotte or Frida bags here. We're into simple, snappy descriptive (or onomatopoeic) words.... take a peek at the rest of the pattern range and you'll get the idea.

2. Mr Random Number Generator doesn't get a look in here. In the end, it'll be down to what we in the studio think works best.

3. We have to make a decision sometime within the next week, so we'll review and discuss the suggestions as they come in. When one looks like a good fit we'll proclaim it the winner.

Failing that, I'm going to call it the Pop purse.... so please come up with something better.

Edited to add - WOW! Lots of food for thought there... Haven't had time today to really think about any of it, so there's still time to add your two-cent's worth if you have a name you think might fit.

Just thought I'd mention that we already have a Teardrop purse and a Snap purse in the pattern range - so it's best if we avoid those words for this one. Oh - and I should also add that a SINGLE word is best... like Pop?

Making a spectacle of myself...?

Or making a spectacle CASE for myself..? What the hell - I'll make a few of them.

I'm editing instructions on the directions of a few pattern testers, and we should be ready to hit "print" as soon as they're proof-read again. So.... that giveaway draw is looming! Are you in it?

I'm still refining new techniques on this purse (read: making more instructions to write). I'm also playing with earlier patterns and using a few newly-learned tricks to make them better. A great leap forward, indeed.

I think my Advanced Purse Frame Class will be better than I initially planned it to be.... there are two places left on the course. Any takers...?

Barrel Purse Kit is HERE!

All back from the final round of testing (thanks Lara!) finished and packed....the (90mm Square Frame) Barrel Purse is ready for sale! It's the first of the new generation of my purse frame kits, which focus on teaching you about creating structure on smooth curves ..with LOTS of tips and tricks to help you along the way.

The kit contains the four different types of interfacing that you'll need, piping cord and the frame, as well as a full-size pattern and a booklet of very detailed instuctions. It's like a purse frame class in a packet, and is designed to bring intermediate sewing skills up to advanced level. It'll have you whipping up little gift purses for everyone you know....

It's $32.95 for the whole kit and kaboodle. You only need to supply the fabric scraps and glue. ORDERING CODE: PFKBA90.

The major breakthrough I spoke of was for a variation on this barrel theme - with size and structural differences (and a bit of singing and dancing and thinking I was a bit clever thrown in). Stay tuned for more on that.... in the meantime you can practise on the 90mm one!

300th post... with thanks (and a giveaway).

Last night I was lucky enough to have been invited to a wonderful blogmeet organised by Lara. Great Thai food and warm conversation with like-minded souls and friends. I gabbled on about how wonderful blogging has been for me - the connections and friendships forged with wonderful people around the world - and very much in my own hometown (and it seems, particularly in the Northern suburbs of my home town!). I meant every word of it.

And so... on my 300th post (!!) I'd like to thank you for reading, for commenting, and for making me feel like what I do is worthwhile. I'd also like to thank you for your creativity and the inspiration you share with us all. The generosity of the craft-blogging community never ceases to astound me - and it warms my heart.

... and of course you want to know what the giveaway is.

I've mentioned secret patterns, mad deadline-bound writing, half-finished projects. This is one of them.... nearly finished. The finished Spec Case kit should be ready within two weeks.

If you'd like to win a kit hot off the press, leave a comment here with a short introduction to what your blog is about... sewing, crochet, family, food etc. Think of it as an opportunity to connect with a few more bloggers - introduce yourself to new friends at a virtual blogmeet! If you don't have a blog, you can write about the types of things you like to read about on blogs.

I'll random-number thingamy it when the kit is finished and ready for sale.

I didn't make this one, either....

This is the Melways purse, made by our resident Crafty Girl, Ann Marie. She also made these ones using my kits.

Ann Marie did a purse frame class with me years ago, and then our paths kept crossing.... crafty girls seem to walk around on the same paths an awful lot. Now she's working with Leah in the office!

Funny, how things work out.... Welcome to the fold, A-M!

Flickr Favourites

Purse
Originally uploaded by Butterfly Stitch

This is from the Nicole Mallalieu Design Group pool.

I love Butterfly Stitch's bags and purses.... I only taught this talented gal to use a sewing machine a year ago, and she's already doing LEVEL 4 (Advanced) patterns beautifully! She's also developed her own strong design style that is really fresh, bold and feminine. You SEW, girl!

Butterfly Stitch followed up the "Get to Know Your Sewing Machine" class with more workshops and courses (in a natural progression) through the year. She also practised a lot at home.

Look at the results!!! She's LIVING PROOF of what can be achieved in a short time (...when you've been bitten by the bag bug).

If you want to learn to make bags like her I suggest you book into a class with me SOON! Don't leave bookings for too long - there are very few places left and I don't have time to run extra classes this year. (Just letting you know... you know?)

Make it Snappy!

I spent today in the studio - determined to finish this 300mm Snap bag....

It wasn't finished before the afternoon light began to fade - so the pictures are a little dimmer than I'd like. Ah well - I'm just so happy to have had enough time at the sewing machine to start and finish something in one sitting.

I used brown pinwale corduroy and this lovely print - I think from the Rhapsody range by Baum Windham. The frame is "antique brass" coloured, which brings out the warmth in the brown and green of the flowers in the print and tones in beautifully with the brown corduroy. I also used my lovely antique brass flat rings....

...and the new antique brass purse feet on the hard base of the bag.I like the over-all effect - it's earthy but girly at the same time. Probably a bit like me.

One thing I have to admit to... I had to read the instructions to make it!!! It's been a while since I've made one, and I made TOO MANY samples while I was developing the pattern (ironing all the kinks out of the work-flow). I remembered that there were lessons learned in the process, only I couldn't rememeber what those lessons were! It was handy to have a ready supply of the instructions to tell me what to do when and - more importantly - what NOT to do.... although I felt a little silly having to read them!!

(In hindsight I'm heartened by the memory of hearing Billy Joel saying that he once asked Bob Dylan how he remembered all the words he's written. Apparently Bob pointed to a copy of "The Complete Bob Dylan"...!!).