Wednesday, November 19, 2008

It's Finally Here!

Little by little, my sale site, http://www.mrsdesigns.blogspot.com/, is up! I will always continue to list my inventory there, as long as I'm making new things, so check it out! And be sure to check back.

And if there's anything you see here, or anywhere, else, that you'd like me to make for you, just email me! I'm always open to custom orders and specialization. Can't wait to hear from you!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Creme and Green Tote

Anybody know the difference between "cream" and "creme"? I'm too lazy to look it up right now. Anyway...

This is a lined tote bag I've made to sell at the craft show. There's nothing too special about it--it's just pretty. The green fabric was in my late grandmother's stash, and I probably have 4 yards or more of it. The creme colored stuff is something I found at WM for $1/yd. It's nice: light yellowish linen with white cotton strings woven thru it. (Just be careful not to pull the strings, or you'll have a run!) There will be a matching wallet for this, b/c it doesn't have any pockets.
This bag has a flat bottom, achieved by folding the corners in in triangles and securing them to the bottom of the bag. I really like the look of french seams, mainly b/c it resembles boning, which is nowhere to be found in my little town or the surrounding area. Gives it a nice, crisp look.
Not to stray too far from the original purpose of this blog, I'll add the cost to construct: about 50 cents, total, maybe less b/c there's quite a bit of the creme fabric leaft over, which is the only thing I spent money on for this project. It took about an hour to make, probably, maybe a little more.

Flat Bags

I am going to try my hand at selling some handmade things at a craft show the weekend of November 15th in Moberly, MO. My wares will include wallets, purses, bags, and a few baby bonnets. These are a few of the items I've made to sell. I'm calling them "flat bags" b/c that's exactly what they are. They are basically two panels of fabric with stabilizers in between, folded in half and sewn together at the edges, with pockets on the insides. The one with the square applique also has a pocket on the back of the outside. They are made of red corduroy and cotton fabric. There's one more in the works, but our camera is on the major fritz so I snap whenever it'll allow.
This idea came out of necessity. I was always having to unload my wallet, notebook, phone, and a pen from the diaper bag whenever I left my daughter in the nursery or at home with my husband. So I made myself a large tote with lots of pockets for a diaper bag, but to avoid packing around a handful of loose things whenever I'm seperated from the babe I made a small, slim bag to fit inside of the big tote. (Someday I'll take pics of the ensemble and put them on here!) Now when I don't have/want the big bag with me, I just lift the small one out and go! While these bags aren't ideal for a load of stuff, they're perfect for smaller quantities. They fit into small places and the hard sides mean that you can put papers or paperback books inside and they won't get mangled. I love them!