Monday 28 November 2016

A denim and favourite yellow bag

Gosh, it's been a while... a combination of being rather busy or waiting for some sun to catch up with photographing some makes. Well, it's still a bit murky and grey but then it will probably remain so for months yet so today I finally got out the camera.

It would appear that every summer (I really do have some catching up to do) I feel the need to make a new bag - a bag that I'm happy to get sandy at the beach, and that's a good size to take on holiday or days out and about. This past summer I made the gorgeous and roomy Merchant and Mills' Orton bag, an oh-so-stylish oversize beach bag (see my version here)  but I also wanted a more everyday size, goes with most things bag. I remembered a pattern I had kept from the first issue of love sewing mag - the slouchy boho tote - which looked just the thing
A denim bag seemed like a good goes with everything, and this denim was sitting in my pile, as was the gorgeous four corners weave cross. Purchased from fabric rehab earlier in the year, my local-ish fabric shop which has so, so sadly closed.

The finished bag is similar to the original... When I first saw the pattern I liked the curved boxed base and thought that the pieces were curved, though it was difficult to see much detail as the bag had been made in a busy paisley print. It was only when I came to make the bag that I discovered that the base was boxed and then other pleats added to somehow produce the curved shape. This all seemed a bit fussy for what I hoped to be a fairly plain bag, so I simply boxed the base. I also decided to only do two rows of stitching at the top, to stitch the facings, though the original has a few rows of stitching.

Another plan for my bag was leather straps, these lovely tan straps are the leather and buckle set from Merchant and Mills. I have the lovely Anna (of delightful noodle-head) to thank for my leather bag handle obsession, and have plans to make many more bags - mainly from Anna's book! And while I really do like this bag, and have been using it well into the autumn, I think I will continue my bag making with other patterns. I may have some navy waxed canvas and dreamy Rifle Paper Co sitting ready...

Wednesday 2 November 2016

The search for the perfect summery cotton pattern continued...

This is so very nearly that tee. Lovely pattern, a far more stylish version of the cotton 80's knitted tee I spent many hours this spring looking for... but there is a but!

The but though has nothing to do with the pattern - the amazingly free cap sleeve lattice top by purl soho - rather my choice of yarn. I wasn't yet ready to forget the idea of the 80's cotton tee and so stubbornly ordered more cotton and cast on once more, convinced that this time I would end up with the breezy top of my dreams rather than something resembling chain mail. (My first attempt has since been washed and has shrunk a little so has been saved from immediate unravelling, though we shall see what its long term fate holds when I wear it again next summer).

And this top does fit better than that first attempt... just not as well as it would have done if I had used the suggested wool yarn. Cotton has made it much wider than the original pattern but it is a wideness I think I can forgive as this cotton drapes well, so while it looks fairly boxy in these photographs, it does look much better on. (Something I am unable to show you as there is nobody about to take photographs of me wearing my summery tee on this chilly November day, but unless I get on and waffle about this today it will be another month before I pay any attention to this sadly neglected blog)
This 100%  organic cotton is  BC Garn's Alba, and is lovely to knit with. Ordered from the always speedy love knitting, in colours grey (EB 14) and cream (EB 16)
I do want to knit another of these tops, this time heeding the advice of those talented people at purl soho and knitting in a wool, but I think that will have to wait for next spring. Oh, and anyone have any recommendations for a cotton tea-bag type t?

On to some seasonally appropriate knitting... the beginnings of a make accompanying me to the swimming pool a few weeks ago now. A cosy, speedy knit that took just a few of P's training sessions to complete. More photographs soon...

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