Handbags and Gladrags

Buttercup Bag

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel the urge to buy a new pencil case at this time of year?!

School starts back tomorrow - and, whilst I don't have last minute homework to complete, I still have a pile of new uniforms with labels that need sewing on them. So, kettle on, start typing... and doing just about anything else other than sewing on labels.

Tomorrow is also the start of a new sewing course for me - Handbags and Clutches. Or, as Rod Stewart's voice keeps popping into my head every time I think of this course, maybe I'll rename it and have that playing in the background as people arrive...

I am really excited about it. Not least because it has provided me with the perfect excuse for some fabric shopping, of course, and, also to try out some new patterns in the process of making up samples.

So, during a couple of child free days staying up in Nottingham with my oldest friend (sound blissful?), I squeezed in some time to browse fabric shops there. Of course.

Must. Resist. The urge to just look at this and never use it. 

And the great thing about buying fabric whilst staying with a friend? Well, she was kind enough to humour me and let me take her through my purchases at length, and then, having a good eye for what works well design wise, had some nice ideas I hadn't thought of on what to use it for. And so, that red wool is now destined to become a cute little autumn skirt for me, and not another bag or present for someone else... (Don't you just love friends who encourage you to be a bit selfish from time to time?)

Here's what I've done with the Nottingham fabric so far:

Gathered clutch in Amy Butler fabric

Going to be teaching how to sew with zips as part of the new course, so
thought I'd better use some of them!

(My button fetish is still going strong)

(As is my love of flowery things)

Just for fun, I thought I would see how much I could squeeze out of a mere 20cm of fabric - as, let's face it, some of the lovely prints available out there also have high price tags attached. John Lewis will happily sell fabric in 10cm chunks, and so instead of buying one or two prints, I picked up a few and just bought 20cm of each.

Buttercup Bag, with internal hidden zip pocket and matching coin purse -
using 20cm of the print, plus a bit of plain for the lining and trims.

I still had change from a fiver after pulling together everything for the above picture - and that's including the cost of the interfacing, magnetic snap and zip I used. Another reason to love sewing, me thinks!

And finally... currently on the cutting table is this cool fabric I bought, well, just because, really.

Now my tea has gone cold. Back to those labels.