Crafting Consolidation

I've had a bit of a craft explosion recently. (You might have noticed!!!!) and I've ended up creating things using crochet, knitting, sewing and beading techniques. I now know how to set in bag handles, iron on interfacing, fit a lining, make a pattern, cover a button (Thanks Terri!) so I have acquired quite a lot of new skills.

This last few weeks, I have been consolidating these new found skills. I've been doing the same things as before, but making the tweaks that I thought about when I was making the things the 1st time... "if I were to do this again, I'd make *this* bit before *that* bit", "next time, I'll set the handle over *there*".

I've been experimenting, a little, as well, just to see what I can create.

So, remember this bag...? It's the 'buttercup bag' from "Made By Rae"

I had another go at it....

This time, I interfaced the lining, so as you can see, the bag has more structure than the top one. I did the pleats a bit differently, and I also applied an internal pocket technique "Easy Peasy Bag Pockets" which I found on a crafty blog website. Oh, and I did the lining bright red. It's lovely isn't it????

Triple internal pocket will hold phone, cards, and your lip gloss safe inside!

Did you spot the deliberate **ahem** mistake though? I got so excited with wanting to turn it inside out and see what the pocket was going to look like, that I forgot to pin in the strap. Ooops! I may go back and put one in, but it looks like a cute clutch bag without one, so once I've put the snap fastening in, maybe it will stay like that!

Next....I made a few scarves....2 in cream which are gifts for Mum and Eithne one in pinky purple for Auntie Bo, and one in brown....which is in progress! I perfected the tassley ends so that the casting off doesn't pucker the last row! This, as well as any more I make are available for purchase for £20 +P&P

Here is the link to the wool website for the colours and I can definitely get Bunny Tail 2 (cream), Hot Pink 3 (pink), Black Velvet 9, Tutti Fruity 11 (pinky purple), Leopard 12 (brown/cream...as seen in this pic...) which are all for sale at my local hobbycraft!

Let me know if you want one.

My next experiment is a crochet/fabric techniques hybrid.

I learned that when you want to make a bag with a flat bottom, you have to cut pieces which have a notch cut out of the bottom corners. (See the 1st picture in this tutorial which shows the pattern pieces for a square bottomed bag. NB I used this tutorial to make Janey's lovely blue bag!!!)


So, I decided to try and crochet a bag using the same pattern, with notches "cut" out of the bottom corners, or rather just shaped using the power of the hook!

Here it is with one corner already sewn, and the other, you can still see the notches. Pretty cool huh? I think it's a bit short though, as I didn't really take into account the fact that the bottom of the bag curving under would take some away from the height. Dur! But, it *is* an experimentation after all.

I do like the way the bag has depth now...

And I love the way the bottom corner looks...

I still haven't decided what to line it with - well that's a fib, I did decide on a gold velvety chenille fabric, but (1) it didn't like my sewing machine, and (2) when I tried to hand stitch it, the cotton thread just pulled through to the other side. I think we may be back to the cotton for the lining (which I'll have to interface) and I'll crochet a nice big flap over the top. I also have some lovely green beads which will look fab on the front.

When I first started my adventures in crochet, I was inspired by this lovely fabric...

...and I wanted to do a nice stripy crochet bag (in the style of my earlier ones) and then embroider/stitch some flowers on. It's not going so well. I've made the front of the bag...

 I do like the way the various widths of colour look. And up until yesterday I had some rather shabbily embroidered white flowers along that bottom line of blue. It looked rubbish, so I've pulled it out and I'm going to stare at it until I decide what to do. Maybe the stripes will be decoration enough!

I also made this...

I think it might be the front of a bag, although the dimensions are more square than the usual shapes I make. So, no idea what it will be.

Pretty though, innit?

So, not so much of a week when I'm churning out 'product' but more of a skills consolidation and a little bit of fishing around for inspiration and working stuff out. It's a tough old game!