Sewing, refashions, jewelry, and random thoughts
I will be at Elizabeth Claire’s in Clinton, TN on February 27 with the Traveling Bazaar. This is my first time for this show, so I’m a little excited!  I will NOT have jewelry, but will have hats, purses & wallets, etc., refashioned children’s clothing and some microwave bowl holders. Carolyn Hanson is sharing my booth with her wonderful polymer clay creations. I’m looking forward to seeing you there! ‪#‎TheTravelingBazaar‬.
I’m developing new sewing skills. I’m learning to sew with vinyl and many, many layers of fabric–sometimes 8 layers. I try to keep it under 6, but sometimes it’s not possible. Here is the lining of my variation on the Kennedy Bag by Sara Lawson.
The lining is a cute cotton print of owls. Sorry the pic is blurry. I love magnetic snaps. They’re not hard to put in at all and work SO well.
The bag below is probably one of my favorites of all time. I used a man’s suit jacket from Goodwill and cut the back so that one of the large pockets would be centered on it. It’s great for a cell phone. The front pocket is made of vinyl (which I’m not too happy with really) that is lined with the cotton print fabric that I used to line the purse. Â The pattern is the Poacher’s Bag by Charlie’s Aunt.
I made the strap longer on the first Poacher’s Bag I made. The front pocket is perfect for my keys. I think I will make a larger, maybe full-size, zipper pocket in the back lining next time.
I’ve diverted my attention to sewing fabric lately instead of beads. Here are the latest purses and wallets I’ve made and some refashioned thrift store items I made for my beautiful granddaughter. The first jumper is a refashioned sweater with a cotton belt used for straps.
The second jumper and dress are refashioned from two men’s shirts. The red jumper is the softest corduroy I’ve ever worked with before. I think it works well with the plaid peasant-style dress made from a cotton blend shirt.
These are some of the latest wallets and purses I’ve been making.
