Mamma's got a brand new bag

Or should that be Grandma? That's right, almost five months ago our family welcomed our first ever grandson/nephew into the world. This has inspired my mother to turn to knitting. And what self-respecting Grandma doesn't have a dedicated bag for knitting?

Being increasingly particular about how she wants her custom bags to look and work, she decided she wanted a zippered pocket but only on the outside - the inside didn't need any pockets. The fabric was chosen for its funky but slightly old-fashioned look - perfect for a grandma who still cycles every day, plays with the dog, and jumps up and down when she's really excited. 

 There should be a shoulder strap, but not one long enough to cross over the body, and it should be detachable.

And the closure in this case is a handy hex frame that you pop open and closed. Snazzy.

I'm not quite the knitter my mother is, but certainly am a little bit covetous of this bag. Then again, she's starting to think maybe it's too nice to save only for knitting...

A Gentleman's Manbag

What, oh what could today's gentleman desire more than a chic, roomy, and completely bespoke weekender bag?

Exactly. So here's the bag I made exclusively for my very dear friend (who is such an international jetsetter that his lawyers have forbidden me to even allude to his name for fear of international scandal or somesuch). His requirements were clear and precise: the bag should be sturdy, but look elegant and understated on the outside, yet show off my client's more exuberant side in the interior fabric. I immediately thought of a paisley print, he said it reminded him of his grandma in the best way possible and the choice was easily made.

Furthermore, the bag had to be small enough to be classed as hand luggage by the world's airlines, but large enough to hold all the necessaries for a modern gentleman's weekend away, and leave room for a souvenir or two. The (leather) handles should be short enough for him to carry the bag in hand, but long enough to sling over his shoulder, with optional detachable shoulder strap. It also needed a zipped interior pocket for travel documents, as well as a larger pocket for files and/or a laptop. I told you he's a jetsetter!

Above you can see the zipped pocket, and a glimpse of the bellows pocket intended for documents and laptops.

For reasons already mentioned above, I cannot show you any of the many, many pictures of the very, very ecstatically happy customer. But when you see this bag being carried about the airports of the world by a man with a huge smile on his face, you'll know it's him.

A Very Special Bag

This bag, ladies and gentlemen, is my first properly commissioned bag. An elegant, but deceptively roomy evening bag in emerald green silk (exterior) and mint green satin (interior), finished off with a truly delectable rhinestone clasp. Bling bling indeed.

The bag was intended as a Christmas present for a friend's sister and as I understand it the bag was a hit. Now for to find a camera that can take pictures that actually do the bag justice...

More updates on commissioned bags to follow - watch this space!!

Not just a pretty face

Tadaaaa!!! The finished product in all it's door-hung glory.That's right, the lucky lady has been given her custom-made bag, and was suitably impressed and pleased (phew!). So now I can get on with describing this latest of my creations to you. It's the exact same size and capacity as the infamous 'Pimp my bag', except that in this case I made the handles myself from the external fabric and some very sophisticated-looking O-rings.
The external fabric is a lovely sturdy grey linnen, with hot pink piping along the top edges, and a floral cotton lining - it was this floral print that reminded me of the recipient, and inspired the bag. I then decided that two internal pockets weren't enough, so added an external pocket, which of course had to be entirely pickpocket proof. Alright, so I can't absolutely guarantee no pickpockets, but the external pocket is zippered and has a little flap for added security. This adds a bit of interest to the outside bag and I think it looks quite nice...

Ahh...the inside scoop. With an interior this pretty, I figured Jamie's Italy would have to miss out in favour of a pink notebook (no offence, Jamie). Rest assured that any one of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks would still fit inside!

There are OF COURSE two internal pockets: one zippered, one unzippered.

I maintain that I think this bag might just be the best one to date. Sturdy, just the right size, lots of pockets, chic and sophisticated, pretty floral interior...*sigh*...A lot of work, but very very much worth it!

Not just a pretty face - preview

A little sneak peek at my latest bag...I've designed it specifically for someone, as her birthday is coming up and I saw this floral fabric and immediately thought of her. As I want the finished product to be a surprise, I'm not showing you everything in this post yet (aren't I a tease?), but can't resist showing off a little...

What's that? A zipper? And piped edges? In beautiful shiny pink ribbon?

And a little peek at a bit of the handle...

Although this was a relatively complicated bag to make (I do like to keep myself entertained), I also think it's one of the best, if not THE best I've yet made. So if the intended recipient doesn't want it, I think I might just have to take it back and use it myself....

I'll be posting the 'full frontal' bag pictures in a couple of weeks - don't hold your breath though, I've heard not breathing for two weeks can kind of mess with your viability and is therefore not recommended.

Delaina's birthday vision (part 2)

Last Saturday we celebrated Delaina's birthday. It is therefore finally time to reveal her birthday vision... Tadaaaaa!!! The finished product. I think it is ridiculously cute, even if I do say so myself.
Rear view (teehee...) with fully adjustable straps, which are extra padded for extra comfort.

Little magnetic snap. Little outside pocket. Little bit of my hand visible top left. Le inside. Big enough for bottle of water and paperback, and then a bit extra to wiggle your hands about. This last bit is very important, I feel - what is the point of a bag that is too small to wiggle your hands about in?
(ps The tie is a recycled ribbon from a box of Belgian chocolates...)

I am pleased to report that the birthday girl was so pleased with her gift, she said she didn't have the words to express it!!! Coming from a journalist, I'm going to take that as a massive compliment.

'Pimp my bag'

Oh how I love to recycle!! Not just glass jars and bottles and paper and cans, but curtains and sheets and now even bags. So this one actually didn't have so far to come. It was once a CHEAP bag from a certain very cheap but fashion-savvy high street store (which shall of course remain nameless), and therefore the zip gave up after two uses. Hmph.

The main reason I had bought it though, was because I liked the print. Even after the zip came apart, I kept the bag, thinking maybe I would one day fix the zip, or put a new one in, maybe.



That never happened.



Instead, I decided, in a fit of clearing out cupboards, to 'Pimp my bag' and make it into a more useful bag. I took the bag apart, saved the internal zip, handles, main fabric panels and some of the piping, and designed this bag. (I'm not entirely sure I can officially declare this bag 'pimped', though, due to it's distinct lack of 36" LCD screens or 19" chrome rims. Oh well).Argh, I forgot to take pictures of the darts again. But rest assured this bag has 'em. The sides are slightly rounded, since this bag seemed to want that.



Topside view of very safe zipper top. And piped top edge. And yes, this bag is lined in a very pretty pink floral print fabric. Yaaaaay....(Fabric is not recycled, by the way).

Ooooh, a little tab at the end of the zip!! Once the bag was finished, it turned out it didn't necessarily need that long a zip (but I couldn't be bothered to go back to the store and get a shorter one), nor a tab at the end of it, but it's too late for that now. I might sleep on it and maybe make a little key-purse at the end of the tab, or something. Then again, maybe I won't.


But wait! Does this bag have an internal zip pocket, I hear you wonder? Of COURSE it has one. Made with the salvaged zip from the old bag. And... ...it's got yet ANOTHER internal pocket!! This one is unzippered (make of that what you will), but big enough for your sunglasses. I don't know that a pocket next to a big heavy book is necessarily the best place to keep sunglasses, but I figured they'd look good on the picture. Like a celebrity that doesn't want to get recognised.

Peace out y'all.