I really enjoy sewing. I don’t like to make quilts (they are strongly favored by my mother), instead I prefer to try my hand at stylish clothes and purses. There is nothing quite as fulfilling as a wonderful little focal piece that people look at and say “No way, you actually made that?!?”
(I’d like to point out that this is very, very different that someone looking at your handiwork and saying, “Oh, you made that, didn’t you?” This is something to be avoided at all costs, but unfortunately I have my fair share of these pieces. Oh well, live and learn!)
Unfortunately, good fabric is very, very hard to find. All the shops around here seem to cater mostly toward quilting, offering beautiful boutiques, colorful cottons, and tasteful threads. Unfortunately, these fabrics do not transfer well to wearables, at all. Really, to get good clothing fabric I should go to a $$$$ specialty shop in Chicago or somewhere. But some of these fabrics translate beautifully into purses.
Here, let me show you some of my treasures:
Ooo...the Treasure Chest! I'm so excited! What could be inside? Maybe some...
...gorgeous pink brocade! (The folded edge is the "wrong" side of the fabric, not wrong at all in this case! Brocade is beautiful on the front and the back!)
Also, there's some fun pink and black polka dot fabric...tons of it! Enough here for at least one more purse, maybe two if they're small!
Oh and I love this one! All the colors are hand-dyed pieces done by my mom, and then patched together into this heart that was then appliqued onto this black background. I really need to get around to making this purse...it will look awesome!
I love this piece...I used it for the lining on a clutch...and really want to use it in something else again!
This is gorgeous...and was the outside to the abovementioned clutch purse.
These are some other goodies in my treasure chest...I actually used the chopsticks as handles in one purse...A totally fun idea but unfortunately I completely botched the purse. So maybe I'll try again.
And these are my latest/next projects...the pink one is for me and the black one for Emily. Unfortunately, I can't find my binding fabric to finish it off! Oh well...I'll figure it out eventually!
So, what are your hobbies? Do you collect anything pretty, or are you utility driven? I love how fabric can be both, but tell me about yours!
Ive been wanting to make a purse this summer, cause i have had all this fabric for it for like two years, but i am so lazy. You will get to see it next semester, if I somehow triumph over my laziness.
Even I think your (shudders) pink purse is cute
I'm a knitter at heart, so I drool over all sorts of yarn. In winter, I simply can't allow myself into any department store where they sell sweaters, because I have one of two reactions, a) Pfft, I can make that sweater! or b) I want to buy it, so I can knit something else out of it.
Reaction a) is usually the one I say most often. I do, however, go to numerous salvation army's or goodwills and pour over their sweaters. Sometimes I'll find something great. Some of my favorite "playful" knits come from this refurbished yarn, but most of it is still sitting in my knitting bag as "yarn ramen."