A Holiday Bag

It's that time of year again and for some reason before I go on holiday I usually get the urge to make
 something to take with me. This year I opted for a bag.

It is similar to the one I made recently as a present except that as it will hold passports and stuff I wanted a zipped top.

 I know I could have searched for a pattern but I had a big zip (bought from a charity shop for 10p!) and decided to just wing it.

I literally just sewed it in one side at a time using a couple of pins to hold it in place, and the result is actually ok.
 

 

The bag has a brilliant lining made from a recycled shirt given to me by my older brother.

You can see a peep at it here but I will get a better picture and show you the full effect when I get a chance.

Long may he wear bright shirts and recycle them in my direction!

 

 

The handles are very rustic. Strips of 3" wide denim cut from old jeans and sewn together before folding in half and zigzagging the cut edges together.

I added two straight seams for reinforcement. The slight give in the fabric (they were jeans with a bit of stretch in) gives the handles a really comfy fit on my shoulder. I like it when something very unplanned turns out to be a good idea.
 

 

I tried to get a hanging shot over my own shoulder!

 I don't know whether you've tried that but I found it impossible, so this will have to do.

Roll on holidays.

Playing with colours

 

I have started making some Granny Squares with a view to a blanket (I think).

I played around with a few colour combination ideas to begin with and have opted for red borders and a bit of white somewhere in the square.

Will keep you posted. 

 

 

I have also been making this shoulder bag.

It wasn't easy to photograph but you get the gist.
 The handles are also black linen (left over from the dress) and are about 16" long so that it sits at about waist height if worn over the shoulder.

I like making the tabs along the bottom and playing with the colours.

 

 

It is lined with this orange and white striped shirt (recycled)
 with a pocket (Brandon Mably fabric).