Monday, August 31, 2009

Bag Insert

Corryna, I did not design the insert, it is from Studio Kat Design. They make pretty bags there!
The red bag is one I purchased. The one I'm taking currently. Will try some others during the week.
Annick, I'll keep you inform about the mess. You'll see by yourself anyhow.

Oh, if you intend to make bags, a good tip is to purchase zippers by the meter or by the yard...They are cheaper!

Have a nice monday!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

The Encore Purse Insert

I've been quite busy this week. Apart from working long hours at the office, I made this:
Have you guessed it is a bag organizer?
(And have you seen that I need to improve my zipper sewing?oops! I had not seen the bug...Never mind for this one, I'll do better for the next one.)
Looks good doesn't it? And it is supposed to make switching bags a dream. No doubt I'll test that this week.

The model is The Encore Purse Insert by Studio Kat Designs.
The pattern is very detailed and well explained. Requires a bit of attention though. (I had some troubles with it, but I was not in my best shape this week, too hot and too tired. The more I work at my office, the more I long to do something creative when I hit home, resulting in a very tired Vero at the end of the week.). Honestly, the instructions are great and I highly recommend it. It is in my list of "to do again".

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Taffetas top

This is what I did while off-line...


It is the same as the one I made for me.
They are meant to be worn over a Tshirt. Right now, we tend to wear them as it, they make the temperature more bearable :-)

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Back on line, yeah!

Well, I'm very impressed by this new provider.
I live in a small village and the phone lines may be a bit "old". The safest way was to stay with Orange and France Telecom, the national Internet and phone provider. Meaning I pay for Internet AND for the phone. And then, another provider contacted me, saying the lines have been updated, and that I could safely go to the concurrence. The main point is to save the phone bill. About 1/3 of my Internet/Phone bill in fact. But I expected technical or commercial issues. The new provider said it would take less than three weeks, so I read it WILL take three weeks. For once I was wrong. The whole took one week, and I was offline less than that. Installation was easy. The new provider did all the paper work except one letter. Yeah!

Emilie has been camping last week, near Rodez. She came back with this beautiful cake.

Go here to see how it is done.
In the meantime, since I was not surfing the net, I made some small items, like this one:
This is a little bag to carry boarding cards, passports, etc... I made it from leftovers (cat fur is on option...).

By the way, Lisa and Rosemary, huck embroidery is quick because the needle always stay on top (you just slide it between two threads), and counting is required on the first row. The following rows are offsets from the previous one, at least in this kit. So you can be lazy and achieve a lot!

It is very, very hot here. I hope you enjoy a beautiful weather too! Take care all!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Offline!

Hi to all

I'm moving to another Internet and phone provider. So they are doing stuff on my phone line, with the consequence that I'm offline for some time. I don't know how long it will take...

In the meantime, take care!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Huck Embroidery - tea towel

Hi to all.
Thank you so much for your kind comments on the dress and the purse!
They both were fun to make.
Really, do visit Ellen, I like the kind of patterns and bags she proposes (but I'm not commisionned by her :-)).

Regarding the dress, it was funny, because Pochee is all Japanese. So it was a bit like a game. Seams included or not? Where does the 85 cm strip go? and the 65 cm one? etc...
Anyhow, it is a great dress, perfect for the present heat, as it is very airy. But the pattern will be great in winter too, over a thicker sweater.

Yesterday was one of those days where I just wanted to veg in front of the TV, watching silly US series :-). But it need something to keep me busy, otherwise I'm fast asleep after 5 mn, and for the whole afternoon.
I bought recently a Huck Embroidery kit by Avery Hill Designs, from Nordic Needle. It was the perfect project for a lazy warm afternoon. Here it is. The embroidery itself took me one lazy afternoon, really, and I sew the hems tonight.
You may want to have a look at Pin Tangle. Sharon has posted this weekend about Pattern Darning. I haven't read it thoroughly yet, but I will, and I guess it is worth the visit!


Sunday, August 16, 2009

The Coquette Bag



This is a kit by Ellen Medlock.
It is a limited edition kit, that comes with these lovely fabrics. It exists also as a pattern with the frame.
The pattern comes as a leaflet, with instructions easy to follow, and the metal frame. It is quick to do, I've spent about half a day sewing this lovely purse.
The trims come from "La Droguerie".
Ellen is a very nice lady, very helpful.
Go and visit her, she has a lot of fun bags to offer!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Batik dress

Here is what I did last Sunday.A Japanese pattern by Pochee (spring 2009).
Very loose fitting, perfect for the heat.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Le bonheur est dans le pré, continued

Thank you for the comments :-)
At least, I've got a green lawn at home...

Marianne, yes, I did dissolve the film. Then I brushed the grass slightly to make it fluffy again. The film had "glued" some of them to the background. But apparently, using a net and heating it leads to the same result.
Fifiquilter, anytime I receive Stitch, I say WOW!, I must do that, and that, and that, and finish doing nothing. This time, I put myself to work immediately. You need a few minutes to cut the felt, then a few minutes to prepare the background, then a few minutes again to sew the grass, etc. It is the ideal project to work on whenever you just have 5 minutes here and there. And so rewarding at the end :-)

Nice evening to all of you! DD #1 arrives tonight for a couple of weeks...

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Le bonheur est dans le pré...

I saw this project in the last issue of Stitch by the British Embroideres Guild. I fell in love with it.
Since I needed to renew my notebook, it was the perfect timing. My sister had made me one, perfect for doodling, but I needed one with a calendar in it, for appointments to the dentist, to the nail lady, etc...
I bought a refill at the size I needed and made a customized cover to go with it.
The background is green commercial felt. With mistyfuse iron on it. Then covered with little bits of green yarns. Stitch uses a net, that is heated afterwards. I preferred the solvable film option. So I covered the bits of yarn with the film, did a little grid sewing with the machine. Made sure the grass blades had their ends free.
Then I embroidered the daisies, by hand, with a leftover of white yarn, and some yellow DMC yarn for the centers.
Finished with a zigzag on the edges. And here it is!


How do you say "Happiness is in the meadows"???? as in my title?

Blogs to visit

Hi Ladies,

For once, this post is not about myself, but to invite you to visit two new blogs about travels.

El Mundo is our Oyster is about Sophie, Céline and Amandine, three lovely and lively young ladies who are setting off to the wild wide world.
Sophie has just arrived in the Dominican Republic, where she'll work for an NGO. Amandine and Celine are about to travel to downunder.
Speaking of Amandine, she has just started her own blog: Amandine in Wonderland
Her last post is so sweet! Go and read it, and you'll understand: I'm the mother she is talking about :-) Besides, you'll have another sight of Budapest. Interesting we did not see the same things.

I'm sure they'll love to have your visit, and they are the cutest girls I know (in addition to Emilie, my other daughter, of course).