I've been making myself a new bag all week. I need a roomy bag that I can take out with me that doubles as a handbag and holds all the 'junk!' I need to carry everywhere I go. At the same time I need it for the odd bit of shopping and the impulse purchases (mostly fabric and gardening items). Also my lunch from time to time, and my sewing bits and pieces, when I go to classes or go out to visit my clients.
The fabric was left over from the waistcoat I made last autumn and I bought some red to do the contrasting handles, side pockets and the lining. I got the pattern from one of Amy Butler's books, she calls it the 'roomy and super-easy-to-make bag for today's runabout'. Which was just what I wanted. Well roomy it certainly is, it will hold all the normal things, like purse, keys, phone, water bottle etc. And there is enough space to add things when I'm out and about. However, the easy bit I did not agree with.
Like last time I found the instructions difficult to understand (I've made another bag from this book already), so had to make it up as I went along. I did some minor adjustments too; I made pockets inside for the things I want to take out regularly with me. Like my hand sanitiser, my glasses, a pocket the correct size for my purse and another for my note book.
The stiffening that is needed to make this bag is difficult to stitch and work with. The bag was a challenge to do and I spent a lot of time working on it, perfecting it to my standard of workmanship. Otherwise it is great, just what I wanted. I really like it, and can't wait to go out with it and give it a test run.
I used my new gadget for the first time as well this week. I found these silicone finger covers that help when pressing, they worked a treat pressing the side seams open. I bought them because I find I burn my fingers a lot when pressing the seams during tailoring projects, but now I know they work and I am sure they will be very useful.
On Tuesday evening I attended my first meeting of a local quilters group. It was excellent. I was made very welcome by the members and enjoyed it so much I shall certainly attend next month, and most probably join them as a member.
The speaker of the evening could not have been more appropriate, it was Magie the lady who runs the African Fabric Shop www.africanfabric.co.uk. She explained all about the use of indigo dyes in the fabrics she buys. How they are produced and the facts we need to know when working with them. She showed slides from here visits to Africa where she has seen first hand how the fabrics are produced. She brought along some of her wonderful printed fabrics too that helped illustrate her talk. Many of processes used to finish the fabrics were also illustrated. We learnt how the many different dying effects are achieved, it was a very interesting evening. Anyone wanting to find out more should explore the web site, it's well worth it.
I knew about her after buying some of these lovely fabrics last August, at the Quilting Show at the NEC here in Birmingham. Which I made up into a waistcoat for my City and Guilds.
My fabrics were indigo dyed, I used four different fabrics to create this waistcoat.
It was lovely to work with these fabrics, the African designs and colours are wonderful, I intend to buy some more for another project soon.
