In Between

In between the Christmas sewing, I made a mini Ploomer bag from a pair of jeans. It really turned out cute. Pockets outside, and of course inside too.

ToteATee -- Fun & Easy

Latest experiment -- remember I design as I go -- turned out great. I wanted to make a bag that would have teen appeal, so I turned to tee shirts. This project was particularly hard for me, a perfectionist, because it entailed raw edges and nonprecise sewing. But it was so easy and fast and FUN! I've named it ToteATee. Cute, huh! I feel a tutorial coming on. Here's my first two bags. The first bag was made from a tee that had screen printing on the front and back, thus the two pics (drum and eye). The second bag (Love Thy Neighbor) has pockets inside. I took both bags to church to get a teen opinion, and I'm happy to say she thought they were sooooooo cute. Appears I'm on the right track.

Before and After -- On Commission

I had a client who wanted a purse made from a favorite skirt that she didn't wear. Check it out at http://www.yayamade.blogspot.com. Here's the before and after shots.

LEMONADE

It's old. It's trite. But it's so true. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And that's what I did.

I had been working on a passport wallet/purse. (See http://www.yayamade.blogspot.com/2009/06/day-tripper-1-sold.html, (Day Tripper). Since I design as I go, I sometimes end up making several mock-ups before I get the finished product. I had really slaved over the last one, which was to be my first Day Tripper model. I had worked very hard to get it just the way I wanted it. It was done, finished, except for the YAYAMADE iron-on label. Well, to make a long story short, I melted the entire front off of the thing. I said a few choice words, you know, "rats" and "darn" (yeah, right) and, yes, I did cry. And I wondered how in the heck I was going to get that goop off my iron.

Here's the lemonade part. It peeled right off the iron (it had cooled). And it was an intriguing plasticy substance. So, ta-da, I have discovered a new art medium. It's strong, it's pliable. I took a small piece and appliqued it onto a piece of fabric. So, there you go. You never know when life will give you lemonade. (The pics show before and after the iron fiasco.)

FUN PROJECT

I saw a bag on the internet made from a man's suit coat. It was really cute and a clever use of the coat. It had a lot of piecing, like crazy quilting. I've had that in the back of my mind, so I bought a man's suit and vest at one of the local thrift stores so I could give it a try, and put my spin on it. I had a blast creating three bags, and even have enough left to make a fourth. Since I design as I go, there's some things I'll do differently next time, which is always the case. But these turned out well-enough to offer on YAYAMADE. They are sooooooo cute. Here's a pic of all three. You can check out individual bags and get the details at http://www.yayamade.blogspot.com/.

MY FIRST JEAN PURSE - 8/3/2008

This is my first jean purse. I used a pair of little girl jeans in cute orange print and lined it with a bright green fabric from my stash, and even put in an inner zipper in the lining. I used Velcro as closures for main part of bag and outer pockets, and trimmed it with some cute sequin trim that I had bought a while ago. For a handle I used silver rings to make a chain by joining them together with an orange scarf that I have had in my closet for some time. I will construct the next one a bit differently for a neater look, but I am satisfied with the overall outcome. I thought I might give this to my granddaughter, but she's very conservative, so I will keep this one for me.