Monday 17 March 2014

Happy....



May your day
be touched by a bit of 
 IRISH LUCK 

XXXX

Thursday 13 March 2014

Tartan love....

We have been having the most beautiful spring weather here.
Sunshine, clear blue sky, birds singing and a lovely warmth in the air.
Not really the time of year I normally work with wool fabrics, in spring I like working
with flowery or nautical fabrics in cotton, linens & silks. 
But all through the past winter it’s been niggling at me that I was in need of a large tartan bag.
  I have a bit of a tartan thing, I just love it, to me it’s one of these timeless classic’s I will never tire of. 
I already made a few bags in different tartan but they are all a bit on the small side.
My bags have to fit my life into it or more to the point that of my family
....muuuum could you just put this in your bag.
A favorite tartan of my is Mr Mc regimental tartan, I made a clutch bag out of it few years ago.


This clutch has been my loyal companion on many nights out.


I love the mix of tartan with the heavy gold fabric and the sparkle on the cap badge
just finishes it of perfectly.
It looks just as great with a cocktail dress as it does next to a pair of jeans.
Unfortunately it’s to small for daytime use. 
A bag in the same tartan with plenty of pockets & room in it, is needed.

Ta-dah


My newly made bigger bag.  It’s a little crazy really how excited I can get over a tartan bag.
 I created this pattern to fit exactly what I wanted
....getting it right included quite a bit of experimenting & playing around with different ideas,
something I very much enjoy.
I ended up making the bag twice, each with a few little changes,
one I gave to my lovely friend Kula and this one I kept for myself.


The playing around really paid of,
I wanted to create a very classic looking tartan bag on the outside,
but with a colour full contrast inside for a bit of a wow effect.


A center pleat as a little homage to the kilt.


One of my absolute hate’s is standing outside my front door both hands full having to rummage through my bag to find my keys. This bag needed a clip to attach my ever wondering keys too.
I like order in my bags ....well I like to fool myself,
thinking with plenty of pockets I will have order, it doesn't always work!
A big enough zipper pocket where I can fit a medium size purse into.
One pocket perfectly sized to for my cellphone or equally fitting a packet of hankies,


plus a couple of extra pockets on the other side.



I have to admit I obsess about the little details in a bag
....like making sure all the tartan lines join up not just where you can see it straight away,


but also in the less obvious places.


By making the top piece inside tartan you can’t see the liner fabric from the outside,
giving it that wow when you look inside.



The bag is only fastened with a small magnetic button.  I wanted a separate small bag
that closes with a zipper and can be clipped onto the bag for an additional pocket
but if I need the space it can be taken out completely.
I love the mix of the roses & gingham with our regimental tartan. 
A few people have said they would never have thought of putting them together,
though seeing it finished like this, they really like it and I have had a few wow'.
A regimental button for a little bit of sparkle, I always need a little sparkle!


Any self-respecting “couture” bag needs a fancy label,
....as I’m using Mr Mc Regimental tartan what could be more fitting then the regimental cap badge.


And I mixed the metal fixings in gold & silver to compliment the regimental crest.


You may have noticed with all the photos....
 I just LOVE LOVE LOVE this bag!
I’m sure I will be making this bag again in a different fabric
....thinking of an oilcloth maybe?

XXXX

Monday 10 March 2014

A few little changes....


 I have been working on this little space of mine and 
you may have noticed a few of the changes over the last week or so.  
I have always had a very clear vision of how I wanted my little space to look.  
I like simple, clean blogs, in soft colours with a little whimsy.  
My life is so full of chaos I need calm on here.  
A space not stuffed full of flashy buttons, garish colours,
where the eye doesn't know what to look at first.  
I like a space where the post is at the center of the blog.  
  I think I have stuck to that principal by enlarge over the past year.  
When I started this blog I had only just figured out how to do the very basics, 
in my very outdated Photoshop Elements software.  
I loooove iworks, I know exactly which button does what..... 
Why oh why does every software program have to be different.  
I spend hours watching tutorials only to discover they are not showing me what I’m after.  
Gosh.... this computer work so time consuming.  
Trying to understanding the benefits of different features on the blogger platform, 
linking social media together.... it’s all Chinese to me 
and it has taken me a while to get my head around it all, 
then deciding what is right for my little space here or what I would rather not have.  
I have come to the conclusion learning Chinese would have been much easier, 
more fun and faster for me!!  
 One thing I can say about my last year in the world of blogging I have learned to persevere.  
 I have LOVED my year in blogger land 
but I had no idea at the start how time consuming blogging can be,
especially if you are the author, photographer & graphic designer all rolled into one, 
with no training in any of the fore mentioned.


Changing my header every month over the past year was really a way 
for me to remember how to work the software and play around with different ideas.  
It’s been fun for me to look back over my headers!


Some I still love


....others I’m not so sure of anymore.
Playing around with the header has help me to make up my mind and
I have very much enjoyed the journey to the new look.
It's not an extreme makeover, just a few tweaks here and there.  
A little change of colour, new more permanent header and link-buttons.  
It’s not quite finished yet, still a couple of tweaks & link ups to do.
But I LOVE the new look so far and
it would be lovely to hear what you think about it.
xxxx