An Amy Butler Birdie Sling bag

Posted on September 25, 2008

Let me start out by reminding you all of my issues with patterns. I don’t know what it is – refusal to follow directions, perhaps an inability to follow directions, or maybe it’s just that I’m cheap (let’s call it frugal, shall we?) and can’t justify paying for a pattern.

In any case, it makes me wonder why I agreed to make this bag for my friend Amy. (perhaps I should have warned her about these issues before agreeing to it!)

She did pay for the fabric and pattern, so I couldn’t use that as an excuse, and I figured I could try to follow the pattern directions as written. And I’m pleased to say that I did it!

I used all the materials they suggested (well, with the exception of a turning tool and pressing cloth) and I followed the directions, and you know what? It came out just as pictured (imagine that!). I do admit to not following the pattern in the exact order though… baby steps…

After a lot of debating, Amy selected some lovely Amy Butler Lacework in Gray with coordinating Amy Butler Full Moon Polka Dots in Slate. Rather than complicate things by having to select a different lining fabric, we went with the Lacework on the interior as well.

And I finally got to use one of my new labels!

Luckily we had seen one of these completed bags in person, so we already knew the finished size. Otherwise, I’d probably be shocked – it’s huge! You could fit a ton of stuff in here. If I attempted this one again, I might try to make some modifications to the pattern to shrink it down a bit.

All in all, a good experience. It even makes me think I might be able to tackle other patterns…

Amy, I hope you love it! I can’t guarantee when I’ll be getting to the post office to mail it out to you, but until then, you can just look at these pictures and think about how you’re going to fill it!

Posted in Household Goods | Tagged , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Labels!

Posted on September 24, 2008

When I started sewing, I didn’t think I’d ever have a need for labels. I wasn’t sure I’d ever make anything I’d want my name on, and at the time I didn’t imagine I’d ever be selling my items… Since I’ve started selling a few, I decided that a label might be nice… if only to make things look a bit more official! (and I admit it, I’d love to see someone in our local grocery store carrying one of my market bags, complete with a tag!)

I ordered these a couple weeks ago and just received them. It’s nothing too fancy – just my name printed on a woven label or ribbon, but I think they’re pretty great! Unfortunately, I haven’t finished anything lately, so I haven’t had a chance to use any yet.

I chose the name Adelaides because I wanted something that was related to my name without actually using my name. My name is Ashley, but my mom often calls me Adelaide, so that was a logical choice.

(Of course, www.adelaides.com is already taken, so if I ever wanted a website, I’ll have to think of how to tie everything together – although come to think of it, how do you tie the name Filminthefridge with anything?! If you want to know the truth, this blog was supposed to be a photo blog, and then the name would have made more sense! It was already set up when I decided I’d focus more on sewing and crafts, so being lazy, I just left it as it was.)

Anyway, that’s a side note, but something I probably should have explained long ago! So there you have it… mystery solved.

Hope you’re all having a lovely day!

Posted in Household Sewing - bags, napkins, pillows | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Etsuko Furuya wall hangings – instant art!

Posted on September 22, 2008

I’ve had this project in mind for some time now, but only just got around to completing it. I don’t know why I waited so long though – I could have had art on the walls long ago!

For the past couple months I’ve been buying pieces of Etsuko Furuya fabric as I find patterns I like. I love the panthers and polka dots of course (I still carry this bag daily!), but also am liking the new Nico collection – those old cars, scooters and the patchwork – love it! I was also happy to have found some of the Bird on a Ball print, which is now out of print.

Anyway, over the weekend, I collected all these pieces and set to work. My idea was to combine all these prints for a series of wall hangings for my office. I didn’t want to just cover each canvas with a different fabric though. Instead I wanted to recombine them into my own patchwork pieces, so I cut out the sections I wanted from each fabric and put them together to form three large patchwork pieces.

Once I was happy with the way the fabrics looked together, I sewed them together to form a piece large enough to cover my canvas. I used a series of three canvases that I already had, or you could buy blank canvases at any craft store. (There happen to be oil paintings of trees on these particular canvases, but I had tired of them as artwork and decided to reuse them for this project.)

The sewn pieces need to be pressed well to ensure the seams lay flat when you cover the canvas. I then simply stapled them to the canvas. Since these fabrics have stripes, as well as the new seams, if you try this at home you’ll want to make sure not to stretch the fabric too much when stapling, or else your formerly straight lines will end up kind of wavy!

I think they’re a great addition to my office, don’t you?

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