An emergency project - clutch bag large enough to carry shoes!

 It was Teen's Prom this week and we thought everything was organised - the frock... the bag.... the shoe... a spare pair of flats for tired feet ...  that wouldn't fit in the clutch bag! And she discovered this the night before!


I wasn't in the mood to spend all day chasing round town for a bag that we  might not find, so rummaged through the material stash and discovered this nice black brocade from an old skirt belonging to my elder daughter and some stiffer suiting material to line it.

 It was a little flimsy so I lined all sections with heavy interfacing - and the flap with a piece of plastic! Pelmet stiffener might have been better but I was working with what I had.

 The bottom was made long and wide enough to take the shoes  - and a camera, phone and make-up. Then pleated onto a narrower band.

I didn't actually get as far as putting a fastener on because I ran out of time - finishing the hand sewing just at the last minute!

'Really' finished now

I know I'd already claimed this to be finished but it was waiting for one little thing - a fastener.

It's always the little jobs that sit around waiting for the longest before I get them done but I have eventually sorted out a toggle and now the bag is ready to use.

As it would have been visible, I didn't want to use ordinary sewing cotton to attach the toggle and, after thinking of using embroidery thread or some wool, I decided to sew it on using thin ribbon. Hopefully it won't wear through quickly.

Same trousers - Another bag

I've already made one small bag out of a pair of my daughter's old embroidered trousers and I'm now working on another, larger, patchwork bag using the remaining cord material and another old pair of trousers - this time very flowery ones!

I've joined the main pieces, with an outside pocket and  ribbon trims. Now I'm trying to work out lining, how many inside pockets to add, handles, zip fastening etc etc.  The deciding often takes longer than the making.

Finished!! Up-cycled Bag from old trousers.

  At last, after a lot of difficulty turning the strap, I've finished this upcycling project. 

It started life as a pair of outgrown and worn on the knees embroidered trousers which I didn't want to throw away. The lining is from an old skirt and the velvet trim removed from another garment.

All I needed to finish was sew the inner and outer 'bags' together and turn - and this turning went relatively easily.














The only little job left is to find a toggle to fasten through the velvet loop. I definitely have several with a natural wood finish but 'think' I have a bright pink one which would look better.

Picking up my 'up-cycling' project

 I had a free day this week so got my sewing machine going again and worked on this long-running bag-making project. If you haven't caught the earlier posts here and here this is being made from a pair of my daughter's old trousers and lined with an old skirt!

I've at last got it into a 3d bag shape - this is the outside..

..and this the lining

checking to make sure they're the same size

but I decided to add a phone pocket at the last minute.


Next step is sewing and turning handles .. and the end looks almost  in sight.

Abandoned project - continued...

 I've been progressing again in an intermittent way with this bag project.

I cut out the strips for the handle.

Lined and turned the closing flap - which now needs top-stitching

Part of the delay with this project is caused by trying to use the material in two bags. 

The one below hasn't advanced much beyond piecing the front and back panels together using this cord material with some from a printed pair of trousers.

I'm just hoping that I DO have enough material for both.


Previous stage

Reviving an abandoned project

 I'm at last getting round to picking up an abandoned sewing project - turning an old pair of daughter's trousers into bags.

I'd got so far and then ground to a halt while I sorted lining material (old skirt).

lower pocket lining in place

I like to have as many pockets and zipped up sections in a bag as possible - not one cavity with everything jumbled up in it. So, the first thing to tackle was a zipped section

from the right side

 Beyond copying a bag I already own, I have no pattern so this is how I cut out pieces - using a finished section as pattern!

I'm hoping that now I've got this out again, I'll actually get it finished soon! 

Watch this space...

Last Christmas - 2

another pony themed Christmas present for my younger daughter - a bag from home-made felt.

same yarn, different colour, but showing the knitted tension

it was made using some very old Rowan lightweight double knit wool; the yarn was knitted up doubled on quite thick needles and at a fairly normal tension
then, washed on a cotton cycle at 50 degrees in the washing machine
and it shrank a lot!

once it has shrunk, the knitting stitches can barely be seen

then I appliqued a pony cut out from shop-bought felt with mane and tail in embroidery thread and a small bead for his eye, some lazy daisy flowers and sequins and made a rope strap from the contrasting dark pink yarn.

can't bear to part with it? - sewing

some years ago my youngest daughter had a pair of funky jeans, with frayed edges and embroidered flowers. when they grew too small, or she grew too big, they sat in the spare room waiting for a new lease of life. my first thought was to re-cut them into a skirt, but this project took so long in the making that my daughter grew between measuring for the skirt and it getting finished. for a while, she'd been saying " that would look good as a bag", so,for her birthday, I cut the skirt back up and turned it into a shoulder bag, and hopefully she thinks it's turned out well.