Back From Holiday

Hello, my friends!

How are you? Is everything ok?? I hope it is and I hope that you are having a great end of this crazy summer! My Big man is back to work and I’m back to my crafting after having spent four days in Croatia. There is a lot of things to talk about and I was wondering which photos share with you first. There are many of them to be shown, in particular those from our holidays are quite interesting, but I decided to start with the craft done before leaving, to put some order in the last week happenings. Both because I’d like to do justice to a great crochet designer and a friend and because I’d like to show you my first Xmas scarf FO yesterday night 🙂

As first, let start with the second bag I sewed for the family girls. I have found a tutorial for a really nice bag. I have simply fell in love with it and decided to try myself with, even if it looked a bit tricky…. well, it wasn’t so difficult to sew but I have had some problems with the union of the top and the bottom since the main fabric and the lining have to be attached in the same time…. oh,my version of it isn’t so bad at all, since I use jute and it looks quite cozy, but if I want to sew an elegant version, like the one from the tutorial, I have to be more careful…. here are the photos of my bag…

I find it so suitable for my artistic SIL! Very simple, made out from some natural fabric as jute and with one beautiful flower to adorn it. I hope she will like it 🙂 What do you think about my versione of the Canvas Slim Bag? Do you like it and, in particular, do you like the crocheted flower? I’m so very happy to introduce this ornament to you because its pattern was written by my friend Jennifer whose blog, Squirrel Picnic, I simply adore. This lovely lady is writing a crochet book, The Big Acorn Race, and asked me to be a tester for her pattern for this lovely flower named Tall ‘n’ Fast!

Can you imagine how happy and honoured I was and am to have taken part to her beautiful project!!! I highly recommend you to have a look at her blog,you’ll find there a lot of inspiration, and follow her during the book writing! She’s a genious indeed!! Can’t wait to see the book! Hi, Jennifer, hugs are crossing the ocean!! ❤

The first Xmas scarf is done! YIPPEE!!! I have started it a while ago and since I worked only during evenings I’m happy that it is FO 🙂 Since today it is quite cloudy I was lucky to have caught some sunshine during the photo session 😀

A simple seed stitch and some nice soft yarn, a mixture of cotton and merino wool, in a nice dark brown shade. So manly,don’t you think? 😉

I’ll be back soon with my holiday photos.

Love

xxx

Tajana

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FO :: my Mum’s Bag

I did it, I sewed it today…. and decided to do it as I always do… a tote bag with a slightly modified bottom …. that because I tried to quilt a phone case and the result was that….

😮 😮 😮 😮 😮

So to avoid ruining the nice fibric I have at mine I decided to experiment quilting with some more suitable wadding for bags which I still have to buy…. In the meantime I couldn’t stay still and I sewed my Mum’s bag and decided that this will be her Xmas present….

I added some lining and a zipper too…

…. and fixed some last minute discovered flaws….

Maybe I’ll have to crochet another Columbine in a different shade…. well,I’ll think about next week…. now I’m off to get ready for tonight…

Love

xxx

Tajana

FO :: the Button Sanctuary tote bag

Hello, my friends!

The credit for the name of my last FO project goes to Helen from BeastieBlog whose sweet comment on my last post made me smile, she indeed understood so well what I had in my mind !! I have a lot of old and old fashioned and unwanted bottons at mine given to me by my Mother in Law something like ages ago (…..because you never know…. ) and with which I didn’t know what to do at all… then, one day, I saw this on Pinterest….

What a lovely tote bag, don’t you think?

So,at last, all those buttons laying useless in my drawer have found a place “where they can live out their days in peace and contentment”, as Helen said 🙂 🙂 🙂 .

So I went to buy some fabric…

…. and this time I tried, for the first time ever, to use some interfacing to give consistency to the bag…

To be honest I don’t like it much…. not only I had problems in attaching it because it did not glue as I wanted it to, but the tote does not have the solid look I imagined it would have… I was looking for some answers online and saw that there esxist some fleece interfacing….. unfortunately, they don’t have it in the store I always go so I have to be satisfied with what I can eventually find… I hope that the messenger bag I want to sew for my Big man will turn out as I imagine it…. I have the FO image in my head and I do hope that I will be able to recreate it exactly as I see it…. but let’s go back to the Button Sanctuary tote bag! I sewed the lining and I added a pocket too….

….. oops… I forgot to turn twice the upper hem…  😮 I hope that it will not cause troubles….

I sewed on the buttons….

… and voilà….

It is a yarn shopping bag… this because it is meant for a yarn lover…. 🙂 🙂 🙂

…. and it looks good in a crafting den …

This was a kind of a testing bag…. I tested my lately discovered embroider skill, the frame in the front is embroidered with a split stitch, I tested the use of the interfacing and its effect on the overall look of a bag, I tested my button sewing skill since I used buttons of different shapes, and, finally, I tested my top stitching skill…. hard task indeed….

I want to sew eight tote bags for Christmas as gift for the ladies from family and friends and, as said above, a messenger bag for my BM… I hope indeed that I will improve the use of the interfacing but before I’ll sew a quilted bag…. I want to sew a bag for my Mum and give it a solid look… Since I have some wadding left from my quilted blanket project I’ll use it to make a more puffed bag…. I cross my fingers and hope that it turns out good and nice…

Love

xxx

Tajana

Suprisingly nice

Hello,my friends!

Let me tell you that I managed to find here in Peschiera del Garda the stores I need the most. He he he well, I think my Big man wouldn’t agree with me but I’m sure that you can understand me if I tell you that a haberdashery, a fabric store and a yarn store are essential for us crafters! I found a place that took my breath away in the very moment I got in! A beautiful fabric store with a well stocked haberdashery corner: Giesse Scampoli !I don’t usually promote big stores because I like to see the small ones work more but this place has everything I need! And there are fabrics sold at any price! So good for me since I’m not good at sewing and I like to find some offcuts to destry which do not cost me much. It is so great to know that from now on I know where I can go if I need anything and there is a bike road till there too so I do not have to go far away from home 🙂

I found a yarn shop too. But…. let’s talk about…. have it ever happened to you to enter a store run in a very messy way??So messy that you feel bad when you see some beautiful yarn indeed thrown negligently on the floor covered with a thick layer of dust…. something like that….

Of course,I couldn’t take a photo of the store but the above photo can easily tell you what I’ve found… I saw the same yarn Katia has in her store in Parma, yarn of a good quality indeed, but how can I buy anything if I can’t have the chance to look and touch the yarn which is a way I sometimes let myself to be inspired with… Well,I will go to Katia’s whenever I’ll have the occasion to and maybe…. when I will have that unbearable need for something new…. I’ll try and go to that chaotic place….

There’s no need to say that I got home from the fabric store with a little purchase. I spent 3 € for a nice offcut… and I got an idea…

….what about a bag with a Shetland lace edging applied…. ?

Needless to tell you that the pattern is from this book 🙂

When I applied the lace yesterday I thought that I have chosen the wrong colour to applied on the grey fabric I bought but I decided to finish off my project despite my doubts…. and it has not turned out badly…. on the contrary,I’m quite pleased with the result of my delirium….

To sew this bag I followed the You tube tutorials of this girl which helped me quite a lot! I find her directions quite good for a beginner like me! With her help I was able to add a zip and to sew the lining too.

What do you think? Do you like my bag? This is the first time I tried to apply a knitted lace to a fabric but have to say that a crocheted one is better. It stays more firmly. I have already put all my bag stuff in my new creation and will let you know if it works good like an everyday bag or if it is better like a “bring along your WIP” bag.

Up till then I wish you a great weekend!

Love

xxx

Tajana

FO :: my freaky tote bag

Oh,yeah,my freaky project tote bag is ready…

 

…. yes,I want to let people know that the bag is handmade…. the eimbroidery is a bit megalomanic, you say…. well,you’re quite right… yes,I want people know that it is handmade but the fact is that the only eimbroidery stitch I’m able to make is the cross stitch and this is the smallest letter version I was capable to make….. so my so called label turned out quite big…. never mind, I will remove it if that will be necessary…. 🙂

That’s it,my friends! Off for some relaxing Saturdays knitting 🙂

Love

xxx

Tajana

My new crafty bag

Hello,my friends!

What to say…. my Big man and me are having some deliriously busy days lately (as you already know….. ) but it seems that our hunting will end soon…. fingers crossed…. today, between a phone call and an attack of hysteria, I’ve started to craft my own crafty tote bag….

It is almost done but I didn’t have enough energy and concentration to finish it off….

It’s strange with all those colours not exactly matching well but …. It depicts my personality quite well because it is so obvious that the bag is a study of colour, shape and look…. I wanted to create a more sober bag than my usual and I think I did but I used the grosgrain ribbon of a wrong colour shade…. in reality the colour is not so blue, it’s more like a dark blue-green as the below one…..

So…

…. all in all, I have to admit that I like the bag and its being odd even if it didn’t turn out like I imagined it would…. never mind, because I will have soon a nice super strange tote bag to carry around my projects and have a perfect excuse to make another one… 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

Love

xxx

Tajana

A romantic tote

Hello, my friends!

This is the super quick post about a tote bag I have just finished off for Jennifer from Squirrel Picnic… Unfortunately I’m a bit busy today so I’m going to post only the photos and I sincerely hope you enjoy the view.. 🙂

Love

xxx

Tajana

The prototype

Hello, my friends!

It’s midnight and I have to say that I’m quite tired but I knew that,in the very moment I sewed on the button and finished it off, I would share with you my last craziness before go to bed… well, the crazy part was being crafting up till now, not the project itself…

So… I told you that I crocheted a filet lace…

…then I took the necessary measurements for this project….

…. and with stuff I have in my stash…. an old jeans, a bad crochet project and an even worse sewing project…

….. I have crafted this….

….. ops, sorry, this is a WIP photo… I repeat…

… I have crafted this…

…. a tote for BOOKS…. this is my BOOK TOTE BAG prototype!!!

I was nourishing this idea from the first time I saw the knitted book bags on one of my FB friends’ profile … I loved them so much that I had to craft one myself! And, at last, the right moment has arrived!!! (I have finally realized that crafting is all about right moments and nothing more.. ) The tote is perfect for those who like to read and travel a lot or has a long trip from home to work… As usual, the tote has different measurements than I originally planned but, in this particular case, it turns to be an advantage because….

…. you can carry along more than one book…

 

…. and it can be used to carry home a lot of crafty magazines….

This tote turned out even better than I thought…. I’m really happy about and I know the right person to whom give it 🙂

Now I can go to sleep 🙂

Good night ❤ ❤ ❤

Love

xxx

Tajana