You know when you do something and nothing, but nothing, goes right with it? Ever had that happen to you? Yes ? Then you'll know the feeling I've had for the past few weeks trying to make this bag. It was a great idea - but only in my head it seems... I saw this beaded fringe on a market stall and a vision of it adorning a bag came into my mind so I bought a metre. It was £4, so not a snip, yet I paired it with a remnant of creamy gold curtaining that only cost a £1. Already you can see I was not thinking clearly...
I decided to use some grey linen from Laura Ashley for the top of both the inside and the outside so my husband kindly offered to buy it when he was next in town. I wanted a bare half metre but he came home with a metre because there was a 30% off sale on the day and he thought it was good value. I told him that 30% off of half a metre was better value but I was stuck with it. Now I have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous in what this bag is costing to make but that's nothing to the horrors I encountered when I started. Firstly I couldn't sew the fringing as the beads kept getting under the presser foot. Think - change to zipper foot! Better? Marginally, but it looks OK from a distance. I've picked it up, thrown it down, picked it up, thrown it down for the past three weeks....get the picture?
Then I tried to put it together and the linen was so stiff I ruined the first set of handles. Made a second pair. Ruined those too. So now I'm beginning to thank my husband for buying that metre but cursing at the same time at the cost of the fabric I'm wasting. I had great plans to make a bow on the outside and use stiffening on the bag but abandoned all of those in the end. This morning I made the THIRD pair of handles and just finished it as it was. I can't see me buying any more fringing for another try and it's not even my sort of bag. A classic case of where I had to try something but didn't think it all through in advance. So typical of me.... as is my next idea with this man's jacket from the charity shop....
Now I don't want to offend anyone but what man in his right mind would wear a bright green jacket with red threads running through it? I saw this on Monday and it was only £4. It stood out a mile. Luckily these photos don't show how green it is... anyway, when I looked at the label I noticed it was wool and alpaca so I snapped it up and I've cut out the panels from the back piece and used the lining to make another bag.
Disappointed with my previous effort I decided to hang fire before getting too far down the road. One of my friends suggested I overdye the fabric for the bag or overdye some of the rest of the jacket for future ideas. Another friend suggested I embroider some motifs or something on the material before I make up the bag. As I have a lot of skeins of thin wool, dyed with natural dyes, this is a possibility, but the project then starts to stretch out into something that will take me months to do and I am a quick turn around merchant. If it takes too long I go off the boil and drop it in favour of a quick fix. If anyone has any ideas they would be gratefully received.
Finally, speaking of quick fixes and because I had to try and do something today that I was pleased with, I made this little journal. I got the idea from here which suggests using photographs for the covers. They call it a photojournal but I didn't want to do that. I had these old notecards from Ikea and used the two I had left for the front and back covers. I cut the text block from a note pad I had and found a strip of decorative paper for the binding. All you need to make it is some pva glue, a brush and some pegs or bulldog clips. The video tutorial on the link is very good and the book only took about 45 minutes to make. This includes hanging around waiting for glue to dry, so worth a try.
So the day started off badly but got better. Then I had a lovely present arrive in the post from a friend. It made my day completely. It can't get much better from here on in!
5 comments:
Your bag looks lovely - but I can certainly identify with the frustration, hope you find a good home for it. No idea at all what to do with an old coat, but it reminded me that my first teddy was made out of a brown coat, my mum used to make soft toys out of recycled clothes and sell them in the early fifties when toys were a luxury.
Lots of creativity going on with you there today Lesley - I think your bag is gorgeous and the notepad is a brilliant idea - do I spy the Taj Mahal or is a Russian dome? Very inspiring. Look forward to seeing what you do with the jacket.
Jeanne x
That wool jacket is beautiful - could it be felted perhaps? Used to make cushion covers or another bag? Covers for a journal or needlecase? You could needlefelt some of your natural dyed yarns to create texture and pattern onto the red stripes or between the stripes depending on the colours you have perhaps. You have enough fabric there to try all sorts of ideas. Good luck and will look forward to seeing the finished results.
That little journal is lovely I must check out the tutorial and have a go at something like that myself. Thanks for sharing.
Jane x
I must say an inspirational post!! I love the bag, like you not my type of bag but I like it all the same. I get frustrated when something thats sound like it is going to work in my head but goes terribly wrong. :P
Lucy xx
Dont just DONT get me started on things that "seemed" a good idea at the time.... luckily my camera is in its death throws or you would be reading about them! Now, that journal looks like a VERY interesting project...... Dare I try? Hmmmm???????
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