2011 Overview / Plans for 2012

All the bags from the 2011

As the end of the year is coming, people usually take a moment to look at the past year and make the resolutions for the next year.  I usually don’t do this, but this year I thought to myself “Why not?” So while the year 2012 is just around the corner, I decided to take a look at what I made this year and plan projects for the upcoming year.

Firstly, since I’m a huge fan of statistics (who would have guessed?), the statistics about the year 2011:

 

Made 8 bags (2 of them I gave to my friends, 1 is once again in the process of remaking, 1 I don’t like, so I have 4 bags left for using), 1 case for sunglasses;

Made 5 tutorials (2 for bag-making, 3 non-bag related);

Started a blog (I just had to mention this fact ;D);

The most popular post of the year: Tutorial: Backpack (I actually noticed, that posts about pattern making are more popular than the ones about assembling, so maybe I should do more of these posts next year? What do you think?)

Favorite bag: can’t decide between Classic Shoulder Bag/Clutch and Linen Tote

Most used bag: definitely  The Simple Bag (very comfortable to carry all the necessities)

Least favorite bag: ah, it’s so sad to say, but I’d have to say it’s The Day Bag. Please don’t get me wrong- I would love to use it every day, but the leather is terrible and very unreliable and I haven’t used the bag for this reason! Very wrong choice of leather for the bag that supposed to carry a lot things... Lesson definitely learned.

2011 was all about experimenting with sewing and searching for limits of what I can make at home, so quite often I took quantity over quality (you know, the situation “the more bags I make – the better”) and it was Ok, because, well, I had a lot to learn. However, 2012 should be more about the quality, because if the collection grows as fast as it does now, I’ll soon run out of space in my closet!

So, plans for the 2012…

Firstly, I’d like to make more classic shape bags since I love them (already have a top handled bag in my mind!).

Secondly, make a bright color statement bag (maybe deep red? Or coral? Or green? Or… ?).

Thirdly, make more tutorials! I really like making them and, I hope, you like reading them :) (by the way, if you ever made a bag based on my tutorials - please show them, I'd love to see them!) 

And, last but not least, sew some clothing. Since starting making bags I put clothing sewing aside, but now I really need more clothes (especially good quality basic ones), so expect more entries on this theme next year!

Have a nice day and a great year! :)

Tutorial: Re-fashioned Cardigan

A quick tutorial on re-fashioning a simple cardigan (admit it, we all own at least one!) by turning it into a short-sleeve cardigan with a braid along the neckline.

I actually liked this cardigan the way it originally was, but the quality wasn't the best and sleeves were falling apart, so I decided to fix it and here is the result:

The Already-Seen-Bag

Hello!

Today I'd like to show you a bag you already seen - the bag from Show and Tell №2. I really wanted to show you how it looks carried, but at the time I didn't have the possibility to take any other picture than a bag standing on the floor. So during last photoshoot for the shoulder bag/clutch, we took some photos of  №2 (I should have named the bags - it's now confusing ;D ). But photos with me didn't turn out well, so, with a permission of a friend, I'm showing the bag carried by my friend (to whom I actually forgot to thank for taking photos ;D ).

Have a nice week!

A friend carrying a bag 

Show and Tell №8. Classic Shoulder Bag/Clutch

Hello Everyone!

I've waited so long to make and show you this bag - the classic shoulder bag, with a removable/adjustable strap, which allows to wear the bag in 3 ways: like a regular shoulder bag; like a purse or as a clutch. 

If you read my previous post you know, that I was trying a lot of new things this time. And, well, I won't lie to you guys - I made some mistakes. On the other hand - I learned from my mistakes and I won't repeat them in the future, so yey! :D

Anyway, I glued way more than I planned, therefore I glued too many fingers (tipp: super glue are easily removable from fingers with nail polish remover that has acetone in it). Planned on sewing some seams by hand - it turned out to be mission impossible because of the leather (faux crocodile leather, by the way). But the glue came in handy and saved the day.

Oh, and in case you are thinking of making a handbag yourself instead of buying it, but still don't know if it's worth trying, let me give you one more plus to the "I'll make a handbag myself" section: it's very economical. I counted, that this bag is the most expensive handbag I've made - the materials costed less than 4 Euros (around 5$). All other handbags I made are much cheaper, some of them (re-constructed ones) costed basically nothing to make. Which allows me to say, that all the bags I made so far combined (I think I made 8 bags) costed way less than one bag from store! Isn't this a plus?

So, to sum up, the bag turned out to be better then I expected, though it has some minor mistakes. I'll probably make something like this again in the future, because, well, I really like it! ;D (of course, the next time I'm making it I'll make a tutorial, too!)

What I'm making now...

Faux croc leather in colour beige or nude (frankly, I can't tell the difference :D). In reality, those vertical lines aren't visible.

Wonder what I am currently making? Oh, a bag of course! But this time I'm making something different and using so many things and methods I've never used before:

1. Faux crocodile leather - actually it look very faux (see the photo above), but I wanted to try croc for so long that I thought I'll give this fabric a try (let's just hope it's not as bad as the leather I used on the previous bag...)
2. Gluing - can you believe I managed to go so long without using glue??? Why am I using glue this time? Well, this brings us to the next point:
3. A Sturdy bag - FINALLY! Making a very sturdy bag has been my goal for quite some time, since I really like them, but somehow I always end up making baggy bags. Actually my previous bag should have been very sturdy, but after starting sewing the leather I decided it would look better baggy (well, sometimes not everything goes as planned)
4. And last, but not least, - it's going to be a shoulder bag. If you're thinking, whether you've seen a shoulder bag here or not, the answer is no - this is going to be my very first shoulder bag! A classic shoulder bag is just the bag I needed for my so called "collection" :D

So, all these points combined - let's just hope this bag will turn out fine (though I can also see it going to the different - very wrong - direction :D). But if all works out well - new bag soon!