Another bag

My sister-in-law loves green, so when it came time to make her present I knew I would use some green linen I had. Again I made a bag (very handy one-size-fits-all). I had a fat quarter of some quilting fabric that I had picked up just because I liked it and I thought it would make a good lining and detailing. A drew out a few designs and finally narrowed it down. It took me a while to make this one, as I had to keep trying to figure out the angles I needed to use. I put a front pocket on with the lining coming up over the edge to accentuate the edge. I then made the flap with the same edging. The bag turned out to be quite long in the end, but I was pleased with it over all. May 2010

Denim bag

When it came round to my nieces 12th birthday I decided to make her a bag. I used my old grey jeans that I had already used parts of on another bag, but this time I used the detail of a back pocket for the front of the bag. I used a flowery material (which I have used a couple of times before) to line it and also for the handle. I also had some brace clips I had bought previously, just because I liked them. I used these to attach the handle to the bag and also some matching poppers for the handle as well as the fastening on the front flap. May 2010

Yellow roses

My mum has been working on a cross-stitch of some yellow roses for years. The sewing has even travelled to Madagascar for two years with her. She finally finished this year and asked if I could make it into a cushion cover for her. It just so happened that her birthday was coming up so I said I would do it as my present to her. I found some fabric that I thought went well with the cross-stitch and then made a start. I made a border of my chosen fabric around the cross-stitch to make the front part of the cushion cover. I then made the back out of two bits of the fabric with a zip going across. This was the first time I had ever sewn a zip into anything so I was a little unsure of what I was doing, but used my trusty Sewing Book by DK to check the technique. I had also bought piping for the edge of the cushion, which like the zip I had never used before. I think it all came together pretty well. My mum loves it and it has pride of place in her living room. May 2010

This isn't the best picture, it's a bit dark, but you get the idea.