Jean Bag - Jeanstasche

The costume is about 3/4 done, and I've even ordered freezer paper for the FEA! How productive!

I'm posting though because I discovered some pictures of a bag I made for Christmas - I recycled an old pair of DH's jeans and lined with an elephant print from Stoff&Stil.

Have a lovely Wednesday!

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Das Kostüm ist zu 3/4 fertig (und ich halb blind vom kreischfarbigen Karnevalssatin...) und ich habe "freezer paper" bestellt, damit es hier mit dem Schablonieren weiter gehen kann.

Zeigen wollte ich heute aber dieses Weihnachtsgeschenk, das ich bisher unterschlagen hatte. Aus einer alten Jeans meines Mannes (seit "destroyed" im Trend ist halten die guten Stücke ja höchstens noch ein Jahr), gefüttert mit Elefantenstoff von "Stoff&Stil".

Habt einen schönen Mittwoch!

Boy's Hat

Cute, no? In a pinch, I've borrowed it for a bag. I made two identical *hats* for myself and my best friend who loves London as much as I do, from the Cath Kidston fabric bought last year in England.
Von dem Hut aus Cath Kidston-Stoff (letztes Jahr in London gekauft) gibt es zwei Exemplare, für mich und meine genauso anglophile Freundin. Ach ja, zur Not kann man ihn auch als Tasche tragen:

The last picture is, incidentally, Day 2 of Self-Stitched September. I may or may not get around to doing a review. Bad blogger! Happy sewing!
Das Bild dokumentiert außerdem Tag 2 des Self-Stitched September. Wer weiß, ob ich Euch mit dem Rest noch beglücke. Schönes Nähen!

P.S. Thank you for the encouraging comments regarding the school problem. We'll get through I'm sure.
P.S. Und danke für die netten Kommentare zum Kleid und zum Schulproblem. Manchmal hilft es ja schon nicht ganz alleine dazustehen.

P.P.S. I drafted the bag with the help of a dinner plate. As it turns out, Wedgwood (anglophile, I told ya`) dinner plates make a good bag size.
P.P.S. Die Tasche habe ich mit Hilfe eines Esstellers (Wedgwood, natürlich :-)) entworfen. Esstellergröße, so stellt sich heraus, ist ein gutes Taschenmaß.

Ballet Bag/Balletttasche

After sticking with my resumed ballet classes for almost a year (I even found my old pointe shoes!), I decided to make myself a dedicated ballet bag. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know my obsession with Russian nesting dolls/matryoshkas. Imagine my delight when I saw this Asian doll fabric on the Stoff&Stil website. Ballet+doll fabric=bliss!

I drafted the entire bag according to what I need to take to class with me. The order of construction: I made the front/back/flap part as one piece and lined this (with inner pockets sewn on the lining) first. I then lined the two side parts. Then I sewed together middle and side parts, wrong sides together or "open seamed". Last, I attached the (lined) strap.

I used a soft interfacing, wanting a light bag and no trouble turning the bag during construction. You can see how it all fits in the pictures!

Nach einem Jahr (erneutem) Ballettunterricht gehe ich mal davon aus, dass ich eine Weile dabei bleibe und habe mir eine passende Tasche genäht. Der Stoff ist von Stoff&Stil, und wer in der Vergangenheit meine Matrjoschka-Obsession mitbekommen hat kann sich vorstellen, warum ich ihn ansprechend fand!

Ich habe die Tasche dem entsprechend entworfen, was ich zum Ballett mitnehme. Alles passt, wie Ihr auf den Fotos sehen könnt!

Eine kurze Erläuterung zur Konstruktion: Ich habe den gesamten mittleren Teil (Überschlag, Vorderteil, Rückenteil) und Futter mit Innentaschen verstürzt und zwei Seitenteile ebenfalls mit Futter verstürzt. Dann erst habe ich mittleren Teil und Seitenteile "offenkantig" links auf links zusammengenäht und als letztes den Schulter"riemen". Ich habe nur eine leichte Einlage verwendet, da ich keine Gefummele beim Wenden und eine leichte Tasche wollte.

Happy sewing!

Boy's Cap and Girl's Tote/Jungenmütze und Mädchentasche

After making the pajamas, I dutifully consigned my old ones to the rag bag. Enter DS, crying, "But Mom! They're so soft! These are your best pajamas!!" Enter, then, my first refashion project (radical refashion, I might add). Pajama pants to boy's cap lining (not shown) and appliqué. What riddles me most: I used scraps of navy fabric to make the outer cap, but I can't remember having sewn anything in a navy blue smooth cotton. Hmmmm.

I used the pattern Ottobre 3/2010/39, "Cap Coconut", before here.

Nachdem ich meinen neuen Schlafanzug fertig hatte, wollte ich den alten unauffällig in die Altkleidersammlung schmuggeln. Söhnchen kriegte die Krise. "Der ist so schön! Und so weich! Das ist dein schönster Schlafanzug, den kannst du nicht wegtun!!" Okay, aber zerschneiden kann ich schon. Zur Applikation und Futter (nicht abgebildet) dieser Mütze. Die habe ich übrigens schon mal genäht (auch als Recycling-Projekt), hier. Das Schnittmuster ist Ottobre 3/2010/39, "Coconut".

While DS is at choir practice, DD and I have a girl's library date. Here's the tote bag to go with it:

Während unser Großer neuerdings beim Chor ist, gehe ich mit der Kleinen in die Bücherei. Da musste natürlich eine Mädchenbüchertasche her. Dringend.

Happy sewing!

Tote bag

I made a tote bag today. I'm a bit embarrassed to show it off. Such simple sewing; but then
again, whole sewing books have been sold on the concept of simple sewing - and why not?

DD could use a bag for her musical lessons, and I had some of this adorable zoo animal quilting fabric left over, so together with some brown corduroy left over from these pants, a green button left over from these pants, orange fabric left over from this table runner, and ribbon left over from these pants, I put together a tote bag.

DD's comment? "I don't want it. There's no Prinzessin Lillifee* on it."

Kids.

*Prinzessin Lillifee, for those lucky ones who don't know her (translation: "Princess Lillifairy"), is a very pink, very blonde, very sparkly character designed to sell anything that doesn't yet have a Disney princess on it. And girls love it.

Now, I'm all for letting kids develop their own taste. And I'm all for someone having their own style, even if that means a lot of pink. But sometimes, people, a mom needs a break!

The bag

So I finished the bag.

I may not have given it my all (other than all my speed), but it held up well to being carried for 14 days, stuffed full, all the time, everywhere. It also proved the perfect format; large enough to carry the necessities (and then some), but not so big it becomes unwieldy or too heavy.

I drafted it myself; length and width in magazine size (gotta have fashion magazines!) plus 2 inches, and about 4 inches deep.

I interlined it with fleece from an IKEA blanket bought for this pupose. The bottom is stabilized with stiff (pelmet?) iron-on interfacing, and the handles with a layer of fleece and some topstitching. I inserted a regular dress zipper because, um, that's what I had!

Finally, I added two large pockets on the outside, one large and three small ones on the inside, and a matryoshka key chain.

Oh yes, and the matryoshka applique I can't seem to live without these days.

It may be a very colorful and playful bag for a grown woman, and I'm not usually one for juvenile fashions, but the colors make me happy, and I like to carry something my kids have fun with, too. So this is, for the time being, my official mommy bag. (Aren't I glad to be rid of diaper bags!)

Top and purse

We're leaving for two weeks' vacation tomorrow.

I finished one more garment for the Craving Color Wardrobe (do three garments count as a wardrobe, now?). The rest of my colorful fabrics have been put back in the closet, to be taken out again next spring - I don't expect I'll feel like more summer sewing when I return in the middle of August. And no, this time I'm not taking my sewing machine - I'm counting on sunny weather and very little time spent inside the house.

This top went rather fast; I just traced around an existing garment, added two darts, plaited three unfinished strips of the fabric and attached at empire seam height. Violá!

To satisfy the rest of my color cravings, preferably all in one, I started this last-minute purse:

I hope to finish it and get all packed up and get some sleep tonight, so wish me luck!

Half wadder: bag

(Photo on me for scale.)

'Tis a sad thing to work on something, have it almost come together, only to discover: not quite good enough. Almost, not quite.

This bag was completely self drafted (possibly the first mistake), vaguely inspired by YSL's Muse Bag, which has the same dome like shape. I've always loved the Gucci-esque bamboo handles (and only now discover I'm a terrible designer-name-dropper. Forgive me.), so I bought those too, and drafted the bag with two zipper pockets - one almost hidden on the outside, one on the inside - and four small inside pockets, cut a bit roomier than the lining and pulled together with elastic sewn onto the seam allowance, for putting in all those odds and ends we lug around all day.

So, as resolved, I took my time, measured twice, ripped out, cussed a bit (what a pain to pull a whole, interfaced, stiffened bag through a hole in the lining...), and really liked it.

I used quilting cotton and a linen-structured brown rayon, a softer iron-on interfacing on the sides and top, and a very stiff interlining ("Schabrackeneinlage" in German) on the front, back and bottom.

Three problems: First, the bottom drops a bit, not too bad. But second, the top gets pulled down by the lining when I put something heavier/bulkier inside, and not just the top parts right and left of the zipper, but also the printed, stiffened front and back parts, causing the bag to lose its dome shape and look - shapeless. Third, these pretty bamboo handles really hurt my shoulder, because they are so hard. Ouch. How does Gucci do it?

I still can't bear to part with it, though, because I really like its looks. Maybe I'll use it as an evening bag for carrying one hankie, or so?!
Do you keep any of your wadders because you've become attached to them? Or am I the only one?

Happy sewing!