So here is the black and white bag that I made for my friend. I just love the fabric! It measures 17″ wide, 12″ tall, and 5″ deep. I used metal rings to accent the handles. The inside has lots of pockets which she really wanted. I used decorator weight fabric and interfaced the outer fabric to give the bag body. I made a second bag which I am really tempted to keep but I plan to sell it. I did order 2 more yards of the floral fabric which actually turned into 7 yards total of various other fabrics so that I could get free shipping. I guess I better get busy making more bags. Next, pictures of the belts I have been making. I also have to get busy making things to sell at my home boutique in November. So much to do and so much fun doing it! Now go out and live the embellished life!
Here is my version of the clutch purse on the cover of Amy Karol’s book “Bend the Rules Sewing” which I saw on her blog. I used Chinese brocade and embellished it with one of my ribbon roses. It was so easy to make. I designed my own pattern, of course, which is basically two rectangles for the outer and lining fabrics. I purposely pressed the lining so that it would show on the outside of the bag. It didn’t take long at all to make. Lately I really think that I should be making things that take one hour or less to finish. I love instant gratification when it comes to creating with fabric. I have so many ideas that it’s hard for me to focus on a longer project. To think that I used to spend weeks working on a quilt. What patience! I think smaller projects are better for now. Next project – a bag for my friend. She wants black and white fabrics. I love black and white! Now go out and live the embellished life!
I recently ran accross a blog discussing zipper flowers. I thought that was so interesting and kicked myself for throwing away a bag of old metal zippers a while back. Anyway, last weekend as I was walking though JoAnn Fabrics, I noticed these long metal zippers in the upholstery department. They only come in this plain tan color (not enough color for me) but I thought I’d try playing with it. I bought a 30″ zipper for $2.99 and starting playing with it as soon as I got home. I opened the zipper and then folded the two sides like they were ribbon, making sure that the metal teeth always faced up. After two tries I came up with this beauty. I was so excited I forgot to thread a needle before I started so then I had to do it all one handed since I had to hold the flower together with my other hand. After sewing all the layers together I then sewed a pinback to the back of it and pinned it to a recycled denim vest that needed some embellishing. I wore my outfit to church the next day and received several complements. Most people didn’t realize it was a zipper. One person commented on how the tan color gave it an antique look. Gotta go. Now go out there and live the embellished life!
As you know, I love thrift store shopping. When I see the clothes on the rack I am mostly envisioning how I can cut something up and transform it into something else. That’s especially true with jeans and denim of every type. I made these bags with a jeans pocket, cute fabric, and even a denim top. They are so cute! I sold several of these to my friends. I used vintage junk jewelry and even silk flowers on some of my bags. They are lined with coordinating fabric. These would make great Christmas gifts along with my Texas scarves. By the way, I just bought a denim dress at the thrift shop. I’m trying to decide what to do with it. Do I embellish it? Do I shorten it and turn it into a cute jacket? Not sure yet. I’m sure inspiration will come to me soon. Oh, and you wouldn’t believe what I’m planning to do with a recycled denim shirt. Inspiration came to me while watching a cooking show. You’ll have to wait until I finish.
