Day: 27 April 2008

miscellaneous, this is ...

This is … my favourite book

Each week I await the announcement of the following Sunday’s “this is … ” with a little excitement and a little trepidation.  Will it be too hard for my overfull, addled brain?  And this week, we have “this is my favourite book”.  How on earth to decide?  I like most books, for all sorts of reasons!  Eventually I thought that I should let my first impulse rule the day.  This is my favourite book.

Why?  Firstly, it reminds me of my Gran.  She started me off on the “Anne of Green Gables” books when I was quite young, and I adored them.  I still do!  Secondly, it’s a great read; incredibly evocative in its descriptions.  Thirdly, the main character is fantastic.  Considering the time in which the novel was written, she’s a terrific female role model.  And the male lead isn’t half bad either!  Each time I read this book I appreciate it differently; I first read it in my early teens (maybe earlier), then again in my late teens, then as an adult.  It’s still a really lovely story.  Not terribly deep and/or meaningful I suppose, but there are some lessons to be learned about living each day as though it is your last, about facing your fears, and about being true to yourself.  So thanks Gran! 

bags, craft, patterns, sewing

Beach bag

It’s great when Nicole Mallalieu is designing new bag patterns – because generally I get to test them out!  Here is one that will be available in a week or so – the Beach bag.

The fabric is all from my stash.  No idea what it is made of or where I got it from.  The blue is fairly heavyweight; I used a light/medium weight interfacing on the body of the bag, but a light fusible wadding in the straps.  This is a fantastic, highly versatile pattern – there are photos of a few of the variations on the website.  I made this one with overlaid handles, but an alternative is a shoulder strap.

I chose to close this bag with a zippered gusset, but there are also instructions for magnetic catches, and the examples on the pattern cover have some other closure suggestions.

This pattern has loads of pocket options.  In the spirit of testing out the pattern instructions thoroughly, I used the three different options that were included.  Inside the bag I’ve used a patch pocket on one side and a zippered pocket on the other.  On the outside I’ve used compartment pockets, which became instantly divided when the overlaid handles were sewn on.

And I love the hard base!  It contains interfacing (two different weights) and template plastic, and has purse feet.  It wasn’t hard to do, and I think that I am addicted.  I’ll be using this type of base on most boxed corner bags that I make from now on.

I am giving this one to my friend Di for her birthday (and yes, it was a couple of weeks ago – you all know that I never actually get gifts finished on time).  But I’m looking forward to making another, with different design features.  Thanks again to Nikki for the way that her patterns encourage the user to be the designer.  Now I’m sounding like an advertisement … but I promise, I’m just the pattern tester!