Little Purse

I found a sample piece in Marimekko store a few weeks ago; a purple and off-white upholstery fabric, measuring 30 cm x 90 cm. It cost only 2 Euro, so I couldn't let it be. My idea was to make a little purse out of it, and here's the result.

I used almost all of the fabric, what remained was a tiny patch measuring 7 cm x 3 cm! I drew the pattern myself, and it's actually really simple if you measure the pieces carefully. You need two long strips for the straps (one of them is split into two for the zipper), and two larger pieces for the sides. Sewing was a bit more complicated due to the fraying fabric. If I did it all over again, I'd start with the serger and sew around all the pieces before starting to sew them together.

A visit to Marimekko's factory outlet was also scheduled for this week. I knew I was in trouble as soon as I saw the huge bags full of striped knit, costing only 12 Euro! (When I got home, I put the bag on scale, and it weighed more than six kilos - all that knit for almost nothing.) And then things got completely out of hand: a big selection of knits, rain cloth, wax cloth and lots of other things for 6 Euro per meter. I had two really big bags in my hands when I finally made my way out, and didn't even have the car with me ;) So, what you're going to see is a lot of Marimekko clothing in the future!

Phoebe Bag

I had a Björn Borg shoulder bag for over five years but it was slowly starting to fall apart (or disintegrate, more like!). So it was time for a new bag, and it just happened that I had a small piece of a lovely mod fabric that I had saved for a special project.

I salvaged the shoulder strap and the zipper from the old bag, and made myself a brand new Phoebe Bag. Loving it. I didn't make the magnetic snap, but used the old zipper instead. In retrospect, I maybe should've used interfacing to support the mid-weight fabric, but then again, I didn’t want the bag to be too rigid either.

The Phoebe Bag pattern is by Rebeka Lambert of Artsy Crafty Babe, and I can recommend it highly.  Great pattern, well written, and it’s free, too!

Bean Bag

Here's one project that I should've made double right away - the bean bag. It's the favorite TV watching spot for my boys and something that is fought over quite often.

The bean bag is stuffed with small styrofoam beans (about 1 cm in diameter) which tend to be very static and fly all over... Here's the best tip I got for handling them: cover your hands with a fabric softener, at least up to the elbows. It reduces the static and makes filling the bean bag a lot easier.

I also made a second bag from an old sheet inside the cover, so that curious little boys can't just open the zipper and spill the beans, so to say ;) There are also two loops for handles for jumping around like a Hippity Hop. The pattern comes from Moda magazine 1/2008, and fabric is from Ikea.

Grab Bag

I saw this pattern a while  ago and immediately thought it was something I just had to make. However, once I'd finished the bag, the first time I used it was in the funeral of my dear uncle, and now I always tend to think of him when wearing the bag. It's kind of a bitter sweet reminder of a good person.

Buggy Bag

This shopping bag was made because of our - hmm, let's say - challenging baby buggy. We have an otherwise pretty excellent German twin buggy for the boys, but the shopping basket is incredibly difficult to reach. The footrests and the basket are separated by a 15 to 20 centimeter gap, which makes it difficult to squeeze anything in.

I decided to make a narrow shopping bag, and as a basis I used one-and-half-liter milk carton, or roughly the biggest purchase these buggies can carry. Other components and dimensions are my own "design". I probably learned to make a simple bag already in school, thanks to my excellent crafts teachers! The fabric is a heavy Ikea cotton.