Better than a bag of sweeties

Aye up me ducks. It was raining this morning but I wasn't going to let it spoil my day. The plan was a Scrapstore visit, Sandra hasn't been before so it was a good excuse to go. Three of us went over the Humber Bridge to Hull. I had only intended to fill a basket for a £5 spend, but oh dear, I got carried away. I was like a kid in a sweet shop. The place was bursting with loads of different fabrics. 

Tracey was busy unpacking a new delivery of  wool for felting and asked me if I had done any before. I haven't but fancied giving it a go. She made me up a couple of bags of mixed colours, and then of course I had to buy the gadget to go it with. Linda has already got a gadget so she just bought the wool. Now I've got to look at some yoootooob videos to learn how to do it.   

I've taken a few pictures of some of the fabric I chose. A lot of it was included in the £5 basket, they are different sizes, some small, some large.

These three embroidered flowers are from sample books, they will make nice embellishments.

These five pieces are all one metre lengths off a roll, they are not included in the basket price, but are very cheap at £1 per metre. It's the thick fabric with a rubbery backing, ideal for bags. 

The following pieces are from sample books, I picked up two books, they are included in the basket price.

This book has paper inserts showing the design of the following fabrics. The colourful pages could be used in paper crafts. 

I now need to sort out my own mini Scrapstore in the spare room, the fabric is spilling out over the front of the shelves because I keep diving into it as I search for specific colours. A massive tidy is on the cards.

Thank you all very much for your complimentary comments about my bags. I know that several off you have expressed an interest in owning one, and I am chuffed. I am sorry to disappoint you, but I won't be taking orders. I make them for fun because I enjoy playing with fabric, mixing and matching colours, and creating something from recycled materials. If I make mistakes and they are not perfect then it's not a problem, because I give them away, and someone who gets something for nothing shouldn't be picky. If I were to start  taking orders and charging for them it would take me a lot longer to make them, because they would have to be perfect before I let them go. I don't want to be stressing about if my work was good enough. Also I don't want to be tied to bag making, churning them out would be so so boring. I hope you understand.

What I really would like you to do is make a bag yourself. Have a go, even if you don't have any sewing skills. Look at yoootooob videos for patterns and techniques. Bags can be hand stitched if you don't have a machine. A shopping bag is so simple, a front and back, and two handles. Don't worry if your stitching is not straight, or it looks a bit wonky. The pleasure of using something which you yourself has made is far more satisfying than handing over a few quid and buying one. Every time I use my home made bags I proudly tell everyone. The checkout ladies are well impressed.

Got to go now. Thanks for popping in. Catch up with you soon. Toodle pip.