The Simply Stylish Handbag

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Simply Stylish Handbag from U-handbag - detail

I have started looking at my pile of unfinished pre-kitchen projects, and this is the first one I decided to pick up again. I bought the pattern from U-handbag a little while ago – before I went into my non-sewing period. It came as a kit, actually – something I don’t usually buy, and still this time I did, because I just loved the fabric. I was looking for the pattern on the website just now, but it seems this exact pattern or kit isn’t there anymore. However, there is a description of it here, and a more recent version here – though I have to say, I like this one. I managed to cut the fabric, and after that it has just been sitting around, waiting for me to get on with it. So a few days ago I did.

Simply Stylish Handbag from U-handbag

This purse isn’t hard to make, and the instructions are very clear, though attaching the leather handle would be easier for someone with more hand-sewing skills than I have. Otherwise it was a fun project. The purse isn’t big enough to use as an everyday handbag (not for me anyway), but it’s big enough if you are going out for the evening and just need to bring a few items like your phone, money and whatever. I went with contrasting thread for attaching the leather handle, and I’m not quite sure about that decision – however, I do think the handle adds that little extra to make the purse look stylish.

I feel confident I will get a lot of use out of this one!

Simply Stylish Handbag from U-handbag - detail

A Little Sewing

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Against the Sky

Yesterday we had a very nice afternoon after we all got home. The girls spent a while jumping and playing on the trampoline, and it was a joy to watch how Ronja took good care of little sister – doesn’t always go that way, but they were just great together.

Action on the Trampoline

Mads went to pick up another bargain for the kitchen – a brand new induction cooktop that someone didn’t find use for anyway. At a great price of course!

I finished an overall for a tiny baby that has just arrived in the family – we’re going to visit on Sunday, so I wanted to make something. The little girl was born 3 weeks early, so she is rather small, and I chose to make the #3 from Ottobre 03/2007 in a size 50. It is SO small – I really hope it will be the right size, because I wanted to make something that they can dress her in right away. I’m pretty confident that they’re not following my blog, so I dare post the pictures even if we’re not giving the gift until Sunday. Actually I think that half the pleasure of making a present like this for someone, is that you spend the entire time thinking of that someone.

Tiny Overalls

I used twill instead of a knit, and I didn’t add cuffs to the legs, because I like the look of adding elastics better for these. If you think you’ve seen something similar from my sewing machine before, you aren’t entirely wrong – see here. It was one of our favourite garments at the time, and I just love the look and quality of the twill. Now my little niece Marlinde is the very pretty keeper.

Earlier in the week, I made a pair of velour pants for Frida – they came about in a bit of a dispair because I hadn’t sewn for so long! (Yes, I actually had my sewing machine out twice this week, can you believe it?)

Long Time No Sewing Pants

The pattern is Onion 10009, and I made them a size 86, which turned out to be a bit too big for Frida yet. I even narrowed them a lot around the bottom, because they were sooo wide! This velour is from Stof og Stil, and it is wonderfully soft. I may just make myself a pair of pants like this. :)

Long Time No Sewing Pants

Right now we’re on our way to Legoland, and then we’re headed up to visit my mother. Have a wonderful weekend everybody!

We’re Off

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Anemone Japonica

Yesterday we enjoyed the very first day of our summer vacation, and tomorrow we’re leaving for Greece – or Chania in Crete to be more specific. The summer weather we’re having in Denmark isn’t the best at the moment, so we’re looking forward to warmer temperatures and lots of relaxation.

A few days ago, I promised Ronja that I would make her a new summer dress for our vacation. Do you remember back when she picked this fabric? I wanted to use it for this one, and I gave Ronja a choice between a layered dress from Ottobre, and a shirred dress like the top I made for me which also fit her – and she chose a shirred dress without even blinking.

Summer Fairy Dress

I used bias tape for the hem and the ties, but besides that it is just as simple as the top I made earlier – a square piece of fabric, sewn together, and shirred at one end.

Summer Fairy Dress - shirring

Summer Fairy Dress - fabric detail

Ronja seemed pretty pleased, and the dress is now packed in the suitcase with the other ones – since we’re leaving tomorrow morning at 3:45 am (oh oh…). Modeled pics from under distant skies will be here in about a week.

One week of sunny warm weather, our choice of swimming pool or beach, yummy Greek food, a few outings, and  lots of taking things as they come.

MMmmmmmm – see you in a week!  :)

Gingham Flower Pants

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For some reason the pants that Ronja wore during summertime when she was Frida’s age, are too big for Frida still. So I have a good excuse for making summer pants for Frida, which I don’t mind at all, and I made her these yesterday.

Flower pants

The pattern is the same one from Ottobre, that I used for the chicken pants – #17 from 2/2003. The chicken pants have been such a success – she’s wearing them all the time, so I thought I’d try to follow up on that. I didn’t make the back pockets, but instead I used gingham for the bottom of the legs and the flower appliqués. The main fabric is linen.

Flower pants

I drew the flowers myself, and I think they turned out quite sweet. If you’ve been reading here for a while, you’ll know by now, that I am very fond of linen. I think it works perfectly for these pants as well – they should be nice and light for warm summer days like the ones we have now. It is very warm today, and the day will be spent relaxing in the garden mostly.

Flower pants

Chicken Pants with Heart Pockets

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After a few weeks without sewing, I made Frida these:

Chicken pants

I altered them slightly from the pattern which is from Ottobre 2/2003. The smallest size was an 86, and normally I would make Frida an 8, so I made them slightly narrower in the legs, and the fit is really good. I thought about having square pockets instead of heart pockets, but I decided it would look cute – and I think it does.

Chicken pants - back pockets

I tried the pants on Frida before I closed the casing for the elastic, and finished the hemming – and they look so cute on her. I’ll get a modeled shot soon, so you can see for yourself.

Chicken pants - front

Frida is already quite enthusiastic about the chickens…

Chicken pants - detail

Oh, and then I just think this goes perfectly with the colour of the pants – we have more peonies in bloom now, and I just love them!

Peony

Kayla Jacket for Frida

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This weekend I made a jacket for Frida. I made Ronja one a bit like it a little over a year ago, and she has been using it all the time, so I wanted to make something similar for Frida for the cooler spring days.

I went shopping for the fabric Saturday – I was going for some fleece, and I found something labeled luxury fleece. It is incredibly soft, and I have no doubt the jacket will be comfortable to wear! The fabric inside the hood is the same one I used for Ronja’s sweater. I was going to look for a pattern in my old Ottobre magazines, but just to be sure I checked the new issue first – and there it was!

I wanted to add something extra to it, and someone at a Danish sewing forum was kind enough to give me the pattern for the elephant appliqué a while ago – I think it works perfectly for this jacket! If there’s a drawback to this jacket design, it would be that you can’t really wear the jacket open, because of the  asymmetric front – but that’s a small thing, because I really like it! No modeled pics yet, because today it has just been too warm to wear it.

Other than that – we’ve had a quiet weekend. Yesterday, we both did some shopping, each with one of the girls. Frida has been having a rash, and at first we thought it was chickenpox, but it turned out it’s probably some sort of allergic reaction.  She started out having a fever, so she was at home Thursday and Friday, even though she was supposed to be at the nursery. Tomorrow, she will be going to the nursery for her first full day – Mads and I are both going to work, so I really hope it won’t be too difficult for her.

Finishing the fence

Today, as I mentioned, it has been summer! Warm and sunny – the girls have been outside all day, Mads has finished the fence down back to keep the girls in the garden – well, Frida mostly. We’ve visited our friends a street away for coffee, and we were actually able to sit in their garden, just enjoying the sunshine, while the kids were playing.

It won’t be long before bedtime – tomorrow will be an early day – taking both girls to daycare.

Our cherry tree

Summer Top with Leaf Appliqué

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Finally finished the summer top. You know, I mentioned I was making something else for me, and this is it.

Summer top with leaf appliqué - mosaic

It didn’t come about easily, and I’m still not quite sure what to think about it. If you’re not interested in the proces, just skip the next part or I’ll be boring you to pieces…

I love the lavender stripes from Kaffe Fassett (found the fabric at 50% off recently at Fabric.com – they’re having sales all the time at the moment!). And actually the linen, the ribbon, the buttons – everything is very much my choice. I started out thinking I wanted it to be simple – just the lavender stripes and the linen and nothing else. But when the top was almost done, it just didn’t look right – nothing brought the two fabrics together, and really it just looked odd. Chopped in halves, sort of.

Anyway, I put it on a hanger on my closet, and circled around it for a few days – finally I went through my ribbons to see if anything would help combine the fabrics. This ribbon from Danish Aspegren helped, but I still wasn’t quite happy. I thought about hemming the bottom with a lavender bias tape, but I was afraid it wouldn’t bring it together but rather just frame the obvious – that there wasn’t a link between the top and the bottom. So I decided I needed to use the lavender fabric on the lower part of the top as well – somehow. Which is how I came up with the appliqué. I browsed for leaves and trees on the internet, and found this one below that I liked. Yesterday, I traced it and put it on there. Helped more I think, but I’m still not sure exactly what to think – perhaps because it didn’t turn out the way I imagined it.

Summer top with leaf appliqué - detail

Because it is made with a woven, and you have to be able to get into it, the top is a bit wide, but not as wide as I think it looks in the picture – I’ll try to get a modeled pic soon. It has darts on the back, which I actually sewed together on the wrong (=the right) side of the fabric at first, meaning the seam allowances were on the outside, LOL! Wasn’t the easiest thing I ever had to fix. The pattern is from the Danish craft magazine Ingelise once more – same issue as the tunic, Summer 2008.

I like it – but I’m curious to learn what you think! Also – which top should I use for my entry in The Spring Top Week – this one or the summer tunic?

Finally, I’d just like to mention that Ronja’s tree is now blossoming. Small, pink, perky, lovely flowers – I love it when her tree is in bloom.

Ronja's tree blossoming

Easter Holiday

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Easter eggs on Easter branches 

We are so enjoying our Easter break here. It totally popped up at the right time! Yesterday, the first day off, was a day of painting Easter eggs and spending time in the garden. The weather is awesome, and for a few days now, Frida has been almost completely back to being the happy girl we had before her surgery, and it’s just a joy to see. She manages the arm splints brilliantly, and does just about everything she normally does – they really don’t seem to bother her much during the day. They only mess up her sleep a bit, but still, everything is so much better now, and we can only be happy about the way she’s coming round.

Ronja and I painted Easter eggs yesterday. Mads and I blew out the eggs, washed them, and left them to dry – and Ronja just couldn’t wait to get started with the paint! So check it out – before:

Ready for some paint 

During:

Ronja and Mom at work 

And after:

Colourful 

We had a lot of fun, and Ronja was actually a more patient painter, than I would have expected. I love the eggs she made! Afterwards we fetched some branches from the garden to for them to hang on, and I added some of the Easter stuff I have already.

Easter eggs on Easter branches 

We spent the afternoon outside – we still have to keep Frida from colds, but the weather was really warm and not too windy, and she absolutely loves being in the garden – as does Ronja!

 No room for Dad on this motorcycle!

I haven’t been getting around to do any sewing since I made nightgowns for the girls, but yesterday evening, shile Mads was playing with his motorcycle in the garage, I got around to cutting the fabric for a tunic – for me, myself, MOI! Yep, that’s right – it’s kind of a test drive really. The fabric for it comes from my stash, and I really want to check if the pattern is good, before I move on to possibly purchasing fabric for the next version of it. I hope I’ll be able to do some sewing tomorrow.