New fabrics and bags

We have been back in Scotland now for just over two weeks. On one of the stopovers to Scotland, in Zwolle, I bought a whole stack of new cotton and linen fabrics for the bags I want to sew while in Ireland this winter and in Hawick I bought twenty pieces of curtain fabrics in the most beautiful colours. Even if we have gale force winds this winter, I will not be bored! As long as I have my fabrics and my sewing machine, I will be totally happy and content.

And here are the latest two bags for Presents Galore. They are made of a very soft green faux suede and woollen tweed in greens and browns. I had hoped to make a series of four again but I don't think that I have sufficient green faux suede left. I may have to use another colour of faux suede for the round bag I intended to make. It will be either brown fleather of yellow faux suede and I hope to finish these two before October 6th.

The complete herringbone tweed and yellow faux suede collection

The collection is complete now and I am quite pleased with it. Especially the last bag was a real challenge. I had never done grommets before.

It is not difficult to put them in but I have learned one thing - do not try something new on a finished product. I had tried one grommet out before I did the two on the bag. However, I should have put the grommets in before attaching the flap to the bag. By the time I finished putting them in last night, I was sweating blood and praying I would get them right! But I think the bag looks great and I have a nice collection which I will put in my ETSY shop (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PageHirst) in September when we are back in the Scottish borders.

Back with zippered pocket

Front with closure strap

Inside slip pocket

Closure strap with magnet

Full collection

More Tweed

I finished the third bag of my tweed and yellow faux suede collection. This is a small round bag with just one front slip pocket and no further pockets inside. I used the same fabric for the lining as I used for the other two bags. The price for this one is € 34.95 or GB£ 27.95.

Some more on my Scottish theme

I found this herringbone woollen tweed skirt again in one of the bags ready for the clothes collection and fell in love with the fabric again. I always loved this skirt but, funny enough, never wore it a lot. I washed the skirt and it came up beautifully. I decided to combine it with yellow faux suede and make a series of different bags.

The first two are now finished and I have used the same pattern for these two. However, one is a shoulder bag only, whereas the other one has an adjustable strap and can be worn cross body. They both have a full width slip pocket at the front that closes with a magnet and a full width zippered pocket at the back as well as a slip pocket on each side for easy access to mobile, glasses, keys, etc.

The bag itself closes with a zipper: a black one for the shoulder bag and a yellow one for the cross body bag. Inside both bags are two slip pockets and the lining is a beautiful pale yellow fabric with a woven-in leaf motif.

These bags will be part of my collection for the Presents Galore Fair in Kelso, early October. Asking price will be € 59.95 converted into GB£s.

Both bags viewed from the front

Shoulder bag

Cross body bag

Side pockets

Back of both bags with zippered pocket

Zippered tops

Inside slip pockets

Page yellow lining