Some happy, bright sewing

A few bright, sunny spring days and flowering daffodils have had an effect on me. Some time ago I unearthed some fabric from my stash and decided I would like to make a bag like the one on the cover of a book I'd bought: Patchwork Bags by Cecilia Hanselmann. Here is my adaptation of the pattern:

I had bought the bamboo handles several years ago and they seemed to suit the bag nicely. The bag has a firm base, two internal slip pockets and a matching purse/make-up bag.

Carrying on with the spring theme and using more of my stash, I made a little bag for collecting Easter eggs.

I think it is rather cute and keep going to take a peek at it! I have started a bag with a chicken on it, so I'll see how that goes. Hopefully, there will be some people who want to buy a bag in which to put their Easter eggs!

My first blog of 2014!

This year seems to be flying by and I'm only writing my first blog of 2014 three months after my last blog! I do have one rather big excuse, though.

In February I went to South Africa for three weeks.My main reason for the trip was to celebrate my sister's 70th birthday with her and, of course, there was the added bonus of seeing my son and daughter-in-law and grandchildren as well as my brother and sisters-in-law. I also had a great time catching up with friends. It was a wonderful time and I'm so pleased I went.

 I decided last year that I would go for my sister's birthday; if I hadn't gone, I would never have known what I had missed. My niece organised a wonderful gathering the day before her birthday and then we had a happy day together on her actual birthday. As a big surprise, my nephew flew out from Scotland for his mother's birthday, so that made it extra special. Here I am with my sister and brother-in-law:

February is the hottest month of the year in KwaZulu-Natal and I really felt it! On the Saturday before I left for home, I went to uShaka, a water park on the Durban beach front, with my son and his family and one of my sisters-in-law. We all enjoyed cooling off in the water!

As usual, I returned home with a few pieces of fabric to add to my stash! I haven't used them yet but I've done some sewing since coming home. My first sewing task was to make 40 table napkins for the care home where I work. They look so easy to make but are actually quite time consuming.

I've also tried my hand at making these wooden bead and fabric necklaces. I bought two at a charity shop in Durban and thought I'd give them a go. Softer fabric certainly works better than stiff shwe-shwe fabric from South Africa. They are quite effective, though.

Last weekend I went to London to help my Durban daughter-in-law promote her business at an exhibition in Kensington. Imagine my delight when I found out that the Spring Stitching and Knitting Show was on in the same exhibition centre, the Olympia! I managed to spend a short time wandering around the many stalls and stands. It was all rather overwhelming! I managed to resist temptation except for a few small purchases. But more of that later, as well as my current sewing projects.