What a day!

Not only have I managed to make another bag,(piccies at the weekend!), I have taken a two of my fabulous students to a reception in the strangers dining room in the house of commons today. One of my girls made a speech - she was brilliant - I felt like a proud mummy even though she's not my child! We couldnt take any pics but if the official photographer sends me nay i shall scan and upload.
I promise some more piccies of bags this weekend!bags bags and more bags!
Will write properly at weekend when piccies are ready
have a fab rest of the week and keep your mojo flowing
j xxxx

The smallest things excite me!! (sound slike a Frankie Howerd moment!)

Just a quick posting.
Successful evening - have just managed to lay my hands on some lovely gold finished coin purse frames in bulk.
Am going to work on a pattern for a hex frame iphone purse this week as well as one for a lovely lined bag book - who knows I may even get to do it without getting really stressy and swearing a lot! Perhaps if I set up a charity swear box at least some of my stress could be used for some good!!!!
Ok I am off to watch Family Guy now.
Hope you all have a lovely week. Take care everyone.
Jane xxxx

I'm out of the dining room (oops I mean the studio!)

Ok, Rob had tidied up the dining room so I have been pretty efficient tonight!
The pictures are of a purse made with Micheal Miller fabric printed with scenes of 1950s fashion in Paris and lined with pretty pink small square gingham. The other is a funky shaped purse (took a while to draw the pattern to get it to look slightly unusual!) using a gorgeous Amy Butler fabric. Both fabric designers are American and they have produced some awesome collections this year. If I didn't exercise some constraint I would have to hire a studio to put all the fabric in! For Mother's day I made my mama a gorgeous retro 1950s styled apron with the Micheal Miller fabric. She told me on the phone the other night that she puts it on when someone comes around for supper so that all her friends get to see it and she can brag! Ahhhhh my mama loves me. Ok it's getting late and I need to do some ebay scanning so I shall get piccies uploaded and bid you a good night. Janie xxx

Brrrrrrr....and Karen and myself in maths!

So it is almost the longest day and then it starts getting darker in the evenings again! How did that happen without even getting any decent weather?!
I helped out today at Wimbledon Village Fair today - it waa packed but boy am I glad I played safe and wore jeans and took a jacket.
Enough moaning about the weather! I have been pattern drawing this week - hmmm didn't think I would ever need a protracter once I left school. It reminded me of Karen and myself struggling through maths trying to work out what on earth we needed to do maths for when we were clearly going to be rock stars! "come on girls rotate the shape at 12 degrees" - it still mystifies me to this day!! What about you Kazzy-Lou?
Off to sew now - the dining room (oops sorry, studio) awaits me! Do hope Rob cleared up a bit after hours of working in there on Friday!
Mug of skinny cow - check
DAB radio - check
Patience - let's wait and see!
Hopefully will have piccies to upload tomorrow
Have a lovely Saturday night
Janie xxxx

BAGALICIOUS FUN!

Yay! I did it! I made my first and certainly not my last frame purse. I have kept it deliberatley simple but hey the world is my oyster now- haha!
I entered the dining room this morning feeling very nervous in case I messed up - well it would have been an expensive mistake!!! Radio on, coffee made, machine plugged in and ready for some serious sewing action!
Unfortunatley the colours really dont show up well in this lovely english summer light we have to take photographs in! The bag is beautifully squishy (do you know many layers of silk fleece are involved in a bag?)and a beautiful coffee colour with cream and a faded red lining. It's a real shame you can't get to see that. I shall have to get some better lighting for the photography.
I am just baout to be invaded by family so I shall take my sore backside (yes I did some serious squats on the TRX int he gym today!) and get some supper on the go!
Speak soon
J xxxxx

Phew!!!

What a week! Long long days at work and exciting post!
We are full flow in exams now so tension is high in the sixth form! Anything that can go wrong has gone wrong this week - students forgetting their exam times and arriving late, students forgetting about their exams (how?!) and racing around to find enough answer booklets. Combine that with tears of despair and elation - you've got the picture!

To compensate I have had some lovely post this week. Glue, fabric and handbag frames. I've got the most beautiful antique brass finish frame to work with. Combining that with two different prints of Moda French General fabric and I am ready to go! Everything is cut out and just waiting for me to shift my bottom away from my blog and get it sat in the dining room - which if I were feeling pretentious I would call my studio! Somehow the room functions as a dining room, office, study and sewing room. I can only assume this room must be a female as it is multi-tasking!

Last week I told you that I had got some great vintage fabrics and bits and pieces in Brighton - how fab is "Snoopers Paradise" in the North Lanes? I have put a couple of pics up to show you what I was getting so excited over!
I'm expecting a few more little parcels this week - I've had a field day in between exam stress sourcing vintage or interesting fabric pieces.
I have decided not to go sailing this weekend such is my desire to make the handbag! So tomorrow morning it's off to the gym and then straight home and squirrel myself away in the dining room!
Well if all goes well a piccie of finished project will follow!
Happy days
J xxx

All at sea!

Well I promised to post more often and I promised to upload some piccies of Ruby Summer..............so here we go - madam "rowing"!!!!!!!!!!!! These were taken last weekend (May bank holiday) down at Langstone. I think we have another potential sailor in the family as she now wants to go sailing on the "big boat"!!!

What eras inspire your crafting?

At last I am here finally writing a post! I promise to be far more diligent in future!
I have been incredibly busy visiting vintage stores, browsing magazines including some great editions of womens weekly from the 1940s (a great find in Snooper's Paradise,Brighton.) This has allowed me to get story boards building - I love doing these!
I have sourced some fabulous 1940s fabrics which when you are a fabric freak like me is really exciting!Expect to see this stash appearing later in the year in some of our special retro creations.
Since really concentrating on storyboards I have realised just how deeply I love the fashion and accessories of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Without a doubt this will show through in my work! What eras particularly inspire you and why? I'd love to know!
To relax I have spent time at the coast recently. Living in London the most obvious place to go is the south coast. Being mad about sailing I seem to have taken loads of photos of boats! I have got some particulalry sweet pics of Ruby Summer "rowing" the tender down in Chichester Harbour. It was a very giggly day especially when she insisted on singing "row row row the boat" quite a few times! Anyway pic will be uploaded asap - just give me two minutes to tranfer them to my lappy!
The barbecue is beckoning on the garden on this gorgeous summers evening so must go!
Looking forward to seeing my crafting crew girlies next week at the Craft Barn in Lingfiled - yay!
Happy crafting - be daring
Lots of love
Janie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
contact@rubyusmmer.co.uk