re brand

The etsy shop that I started last year hasn't been very successful, I have made sales but not as many as I would like. I don't think the problem has been down to the products or the prices. So I am taking my daughters' advice (her husband has a very successful on line shop)and re branding. She is helping me with a new name and logo idea and I have another friend who will help me with the design. I will still make clothes etc for babies and young children and as I have a background in teaching early years I will be focussing on Montessori inspired products too. 

Here is the first of these....

A reversible draw string bag made from original retro fabric and calico

inside are eight little crocheted balls, two of each colour. These will encourage different areas of development....physical and cognitive. The balls are made from fair trade organic cotton and are lovely and soft to touch. They can be used for colour naming, colour matching, sorting and counting as well as squeezing, rolling and throwing! 

bags more

I made two more bags this afternoon, the blue one is much the same as the last one I made but with different handles. The top one is from the 1970's Daisy Chain fabric I bought earlier in the week. Both have cotton wadding between the layers to make them more sturdy. 

I just found out that my son will have some photo's in an exhibition of punk fashion in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York...will show you when they are exhibited :)

Birthday Bag

 We have a number of friends/family who are 60 this year. So for the first friend I have made this bag. I just used the same idea as when I made my daughters a few weeks back. I somehow deleted the photo with the fabric before sewing together. I had had these fabric pieces for years waiting for a project. 

I joined strips of fabric, then sewed up the sides, added the boxed base. Made a pocket and sewed in place to lining. I sewed wadding to the lining and then fitted the lining inside the outer bag. 

 Made straps and sewed in place 

Bag

Its my eldest daughters birthday next week so I decided to make her a tote bag. I bought an off cut of oilcloth from Laura Ashley and used some heavy gingham fabric that I have had for some time to line it. I didn't have a pattern and so copied a canvas bag that someone had given me. 

I made pockets to add to the lining

Made the box shape corners for the base so the bag can stand up

Making the lining and outer bag both the same, I then folded in the top edge and held them in place with paper clips so as not to make holes in the oil cloth with pins

I made long straps so the bag can be carried on the shoulder and sewed them between the inner and outer bag (I am not so happy with the straps as they didn't sew as neatly as I had hoped)

But I was pretty pleased with the overall finished bag