One By One

Cute Sheepies!

I was recently enticed by a Superbuzzy sale on Japanese sewing magazines. Of course I could not pass it up!

After finding a magazine I wanted, I took a look at the fabrics available and found the cutest sheep fabric ever! My package came in yesterday mail:

And I just have to show you a close up of the fabric:

Isn't the print just fantastic? Cute sheepie-ness without the typical nursery coloring that usually comes with it! I imagine that a knitting bag just might be in order for this. (I think I may have gotten lucky and purchased the last of the blue, but there are two other colors available)

And I love the Pochee Summer magazine. It is also available here (it also provides a good sampling of the patterns available). There are a couple of dresses and tops that I'm just itching to make. I also see that Superbuzzy now has the fall Pochee available that is calling my name!

Bucket Bag Fun

Here was a really fun project... inspired by one of the Japanese zakka books in my stash:

   

This cute little cube bucket bag is 7-3/4" tall and 6-1/2" wide / deep. The handles tack on about 7" inches in height, making it 15" tall in all.

The main fabric, lining, interfacing and ribbon were all from the stash. The main fabric, interfacing and lining required about a half yard of each, so this is a perfect little stash and scrap buster.

It turned out sooo darn cute! I'm imagining embroidery... and decorative stitches... and longer handles.... oh what fun!

My first 'pear' bag

From 'Bags & Specials' ISBN 4834755371, my rendition of Design 7:

I tracked down some magnetic closures as well:

This bag turned out really cute! I really enjoyed having to sketch out the pattern pieces and piecing the bag together based upon my knowledge of sewing other tote bags - because I certainly could not understand the Japanese directions :) The only aspect I did not like was all the hand-embroidery - it caused quite a bit of soreness in my forearm and wrist. There are many more designs that I really love in the book, I think the next one I decide on from it will require less of the hand-embroidery!

One finished sewing project justifies moving onto another:

Don't you just love that fabric?!?

Anyway, I'm using a pretty basic pattern as a template to designing my own knitting bag. I have a pretty neat idea that I want to try out to see if it will work. Mum's the word for now though :)

After searching on the internet, I located this site that has 99 embroidery letter designs... yes, 99. I downloaded one and gave it a test run on some scrap fabric... what do you think?

I would have liked to have something just a little bit bigger, but because my software program is very basic, this was a big as I could get it - just over three inches. I'm afraid to embroider it directly onto the bag because -

#1 - There is a depth difference between the blue denim and the design fabric due to how they are put together. If I continue making these bags, I will put the two pieces together differently that would eliminate this gap - but for the time being, I don't know how my machine will react to this difference in depth.

#2 - I need to do some research on the pulling of the bobbin thread to the top of the design - See this:

This is not good - the white bobbin thread is being pulled up through the design. It might be my stabilizer, and it might be that this was a practice fabric and it was not very stiff.

To resolve the problem, I think I might try to make an applique patch with the letter on water-soluble stabilizer and attach it after the bag is completed. Does anyone have any other ideas?

It's All Her Fault!

After quite a few emails, and my futile attempt at trying to ignore them, Erika sucked me into the world of Japanese Crafting!! On one of my lunch breaks last week I picked up these:

The one on the left is "Bags & Specials with Applique Accents" ISBN 4834755371; the one on the right is nameless in English, however the ISBN is 4529040011. Both contain the *cutest* bag patterns and ideas. The only catch is, well, it is all in Japanese... I'm not kidding:

Erika and I are officially off our rockers! Luckily the diagrams are extremely detailed.

One of the ones I fell in love with (there are many)...

...(minus the pear bit)... I started last night after an New Year's afternoon jaunt to Joann's with Erika. First off - calculating and constructing the pattern pieces:

Yes, that is a cereal bowl... this is what happens when there isn't a protractor and compass to be found anywhere! (Guess what kids, you really do need them in real life!) DH and I searched high and low for the perfect circle that would fit... and it ended up being the bowl.

After completing the pattern pieces:

It was time to cut the fabric!

I decided on a different applique, a flower that was on another bag. So, it was off to Joann's again to pick up felt and yarn:

And after more construction of pattern pieces and some spray adhesive:

But that's not all... there is hand embroidered embellishments on the front of the bag as well as on the flower. Here it is a couple of hours later:

And, well, after a few more hours, more sewing, ironing on of interfacing, more hand embroidery, I have this:

Anti-climatic, I know... but my fingers really could not take it anymore! Jamming a larger size needle threaded with yarn into multiple layers of fabric and felt is literally brutal on the fingers... mine are just throbbing! I need a break. But, don't worry, she's just about done... one more line of hand stitches on the handle, and the sewing machine construction, then she will be finished!

This is just one of MANY I want to make. Thanks a lot Erika - I need another obsession like I need a hole in the head!