Another doily and beads T shirt

Well this one is finally done. 

That means I can put away the bread board that was holding it perfectly flat while I decided if I wanted to do it or not. 

That is, if I could be bothered to do it or not.

But moving the board around finally got to me so I ironed all the bits on and then machine sewed the large pieces. The rest is hand stitched down while the beading took place.

Wouldn't you love to have creamy white skin and a svelte figure like my model?

Just a touch of sewing in between the man jobs

I finally got my mojo back sometime last week after all that white painting and rearranging of our home, only to have it cut short by work last Thursday and then an annoying case of back spasm for the last couple of days.

But I am still loving what I have done.

One girlfriend put in an order for an all black nappy bag for her niece, with maybe a giraffe or monkey, and the other one found me some black denim that she thought would work a treat for it.

However, I wasn't too keen on the denim, as the niece had specifically asked for black and I have a feeling that the denim will fade, so I bought a meter of some sort of sun blocked black curtain fabric from Spotlight. I have used this before and it holds it's shape and colour well.

I really would have loved black canvas but, alas, it is not sold in my part of the world, if anywhere.

Anyway, I cut out the black straps, then thought I might as well use the denim for another bag and cut out staps for it too as they are the fiddliest bits in this pattern.

I've been toying around with the subtlety of lining the underneath of the strap with a paterned fabric and this is what I came up with. Scraps of leftover Ikea fabric cunningly sown together

Not entirely subtle but I think it definitely has possibilities.

But those possibilities will have to wait while I put in a new floor and line the walls of the garage, depression era style for my new boarder!!
I honestly can't see any paint in this job but loads of vinegar, the odd spot of rapid set (never touched concreting before. EeeK!) and tons of hammering.

On the sew again

I'm trying to do something productive even though the humidity here is really tiring me. I just don't want to do anything or say anything but when I looked at my stats the other day I felt really guilty. Thankyou to all my loyal readers.

I also felt rather guilty about not getting this bag made for the young man who needed it. Actually, it was more his mother who needed it as he already has one of mine from a year ago. The last one though was made with light coloured fabric and that is not a good idea for a six or seven year old. Needs too much washing to be decent! Another lesson learnt along this fun road.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, this is what he will get. The exterior is made from three vintage serviettes and the lining is left over from a quilt I made a few years ago. And finally the boys get interior pockets as well. I think that should make them feel as special as their sisters.

No camera!

Hanging on tight to my brother way back in the mid sixties.

I am crafting - honest I am.

But the camera won't work. It keeps saying "file no. full" whatever that means. So until I've worked that out (already deleted and reformated and tried every combination of settings on it) there will be no pictures.

I think when my energy and will is low I continue to craft so that I can blog about it. My crafting is my medicine but blogging and everyone's sweet comments makes it that much easier to do. Therefore, the work had nearly died out from when I realised I couldn't take photos until today when I saw

Ethel Loves Fred's fabulous upcycled bag.

I have been trying to make something for nearly everyone in the family of the Mum who received last post's gorgeous folder (thanks for all your love of it! and encouragement about working despite imperfections). I only had one person left to make something for and was stuck for ideas until I saw that bag. Just the thing to get me sewing again. Madly clearing the other bits for that family so I can make one like this too. I just hope I am brave enough to use some of those old doilies again. Talk about materialism!

And totally enjoying lashings of homemade mustard flavoured mayonnaise on fresh bread. Too good!!!