A little treat

I thought it was only fair that with me spending so much time sewing and not showing much that I needed to give you a little sneaky peek at what I've been doing. These new metal framed purses or 'Mini bags' as I like to call them are adorable and only 9cm x 10cm. I have made 5 for the show but they will be added to my website soon.

Do you remember the 'betty bag' fabric, well she is now a saddle bag with an adjustable strap. Sorry for not showing the whole bag but I needed to keep something a surprise for the show. I have to say I love this bag and will most definitely be making one for myself. And I couldn't resist adding a little bling :D

Thank you for all the good luck messages, I am feeling considerably calmer now. Just the packing and organising to do......oh yeah and the dreaded 'Press Release' to write :o/ Eeeeek!

Sore fingers

While you are reading this post I will be in the studio wrestling with a zip, lining and bag. I am not afraid to say it but sometimes things are just a little bit beyond me and it takes a little while to 'work it out'. Meaning sewing it together and unpicking numerous (6) times :D Well it wouldn't be fun if it was too easy, right? ;) Cutting and sewing and cutting some more and then sewing something else, is what I have lived and breathed for the last 4 weeks. And I have to say I have a bruised middle finger from hand sewing.....never had this before. So I'm gingerly typing with that finger Ouch!

Its all coming together though, even if I did have a semi breakdown last week. As they say its good to get it out of your system, even if you do look/sound like a crazy woman in the process. After I have 'mastered' the zip......and I WILL!!! I will be cutting out one more bag. I have already packed up the finished bags and Chris has pretty much taken care of everything else. What would I do without him??? Meltdown that's what! :D I

I have a few more posts planned before I leave on Saturday and I will be taking my laptop so I'm hoping to post a few updates from the show. Really starting to look forward to it now. Hurrrahhhhh!! Much better than stressing out.

Something a little bit different

...4 days to go until set up day for BCTF 2011. Its been a manic one preparing this year. I am almost there! One of the new bags that I have designed for this years show has these very lovely 'o' rings on the handle. To say it was a challenge is an understatement ;) I got there in the end and I have to say I am quite impressed. They look fab. If you are near Harrogate 3-5th April (this weekend'ish) you should def check it out, details can be found on the website. More photos coming soon.

Oooops I forgot to add....

When I was totalling the money raised for the Japan Quake Appeal I forgot to add on the donations made for the fat quarters I had for sale. Thank you to the ladies who donated to Global Giving in return for some lovely pieces of fabric from my stash, the total now stands at:

£93 ($148) + £15 ($24) = £108 ($172)

Another big thank you to all who donated and to Jo for organising it all.

Winner announced...

I'm sure that when I say thank you from the bottom of my heart for donating to the Japan Quake fund it will echo across many blogs throughout blogland. I am always astounded at the generosity and compassion that is shown by fellow crafters/bloggers alike.

From this raffle alone we managed to raise a modest sum of £93 ($148). I am sure that Jo will collate all the numbers and let us know how we did.

The Global Giving website stats are:
Total funding received to date : £1,298,745

Pretty amazing huh!?!

OK time to let you know who won the bag of goodies :D

After getting C to draw a winner from the hat (well it was a bowl but close enough) :) the winner is:

Strange Fruit

Congratulations :D

Thank you to all who donated/entered, you are all truly wonderful people.

Japan Quake Appeal Raffle Now Closed

Thank you so much for all your donations to enter the raffle. I will be back in an hour or so to post the winner.......fingers crossed!!! :D

Cocktail sticks for my eyes please....

......I am just about managing to keep my eyes open. But I thought I would just stop by and let you all know that I hadn't completely lost the plot and fell off the end. :D

Its just been very busy and I am trying to get as much completed in the time that is left which is leaving me utterly exhausted!! Thank you so much for the messages of support, its lovely to have encouragement when you need it the most. You really do keep me sane :)

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Japan Quake Appeal Raffle : UPDATE

Your donations are still coming in, I am so grateful for your help in raising vital funds for the people of Japan. Although the situation seems to have taken a bit of back seat on the UK news front (typical) its still in my thoughts and only wish I could do more. You still have until 12 noon on 26th (Saturday) to donate and enter.
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I do have photos to post, honest, and I will get round to it soon. Just bare with me while I get things in check.

Have I pushed myself too far?

Known to be a typical Geordie who wears her heart on her sleeve I have always been honest while writing my blog. I don't profess to be an expert bag designer/maker (I make plenty of mistakes) or that I am at all perfect (dear lord no)......warts an' all as they say what you see is what you get with me.

Hot bath running (with bubbles), glass of wine to hand and feeling absolutely E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D.

Admitting that I am a tad bit stressed in the run up to the first of this years trade fairs would be me being totally honest. Up until now I have not been able to say that out loud with fear that I would implode on myself and turn into a heap of mush. I have to keep going as I am on the final stretch and I am certainly not giving up now!!!

If I can remember how to think rationally, I'm almost there, I have already completed a large chunk of the items I am taking. But somewhere along the line (as good as it is) I decided that I needed to move up a level, pushing myself that little (huge) step further. And today I think I have aged myself about 10 years ;) who knew that cutting out very gorgeous (and expensive) fabric to a new pattern, that I haste to add had not been trialed (I just don't have the time) would make me feel so nervous I thought I was going to be sick. If it all goes wrong and I have wasted time and fabric I think I might cry, as trivial as that may sound in comparison to what is going on in the world, everyone has a breaking point and I think that just might be mine.

I know I am being : irrational/drama queen/ridiculous (please feel free to choose any of these options) but I am putting it solely down to the fact I am soooooo tired. The day job, although being part time is still so mentally draining and having to do extra hours because of staff cuts has not helped matters.

Sitting in my studio holding metal 'O' rings and rectangle sliders and buckles for one second I thought "what are you doing? Are you crazy woman?" The stressed out side of me stood up proud and said "YES I AM!!" and then the rational Emma came out and said softly "Its OK, you can do this!"

I decided that the complicated sections need to be sewn together tomorrow when I am not so emotional/exhausted/cross eyed ;) fresh eyes as they say. Thank you for listening (well reading) to Crazyladee as she is known today. I promise I will have pulled myself together for my next post :D and hopefully will have mastered the art of bag making without unpicking too much stitching.

Hugs xxx

More gorgeous fabric....

*****PLEASE DONT FORGET TO ENTER MY RAFFLE IN AID OF THE JAPAN QUAKE APPEAL TO WIN A BAG OF GOODIES*****

CLICK HERE

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Whilst I am whiling the hours away sewing frantically to get ready for the trade fair, I thought I'd leave a little bit of eye candy for you to ogle.

It has now been made into a bag and her name be "Charlotte". I love these shades of green. The day job has been quite stressful lately and I've been finding it tough to actually get out of work on time. But after a good talking to myself its full stream ahead from now on. Not a minute to waste.

Sew, sew, sew!!!!

Please spread the word....

I am joining the many bloggers around the world by not posting tomorrow to mark a day of silence for Japan.

xxx

Easter Bunny Egg Cosy Tutorial

Now that its out there in the bloggysphere I can now reveal the big felt project that I have been working on for the very lovely Annie over at The felt fairy.

A Felt Easter Bunny Egg Cosy tutorial, I had lots of fun making these bunnies, easy to make and a great project to do with the children over Easter. Annie supplied the ever so soft and luxurious felt and embroidery threads and as always I used some of my ribbon and buttons from my own stash.

I love to write tutorials and make templates so I jumped at the chance to collaborate with Annie. If you have never stopped by Annie's blog you are missing out on meeting the most warm, friendly, witty and inspiring lady......pop over and say Hi I'm sure she would love to meet you.

(I will add this tute to my tutorials page at some point)

:: Its manic at bagladee HQ with only a couple of weeks left until BCTF 2011. So its sew, sew, sew. I will be back with photos soon of my progress ::

Japan Quake Appeal - Raffle

I have to say that its been hard trying to concentrate on anything knowing what is going on over in Japan and after reading Jo's post as mentioned yesterday I just had to join in to try and help raise some funds.

I decided to hold a raffle and my contribution is this lovely bunch of goodies pictured above. The prize consists of:

Limited edition Bagladee shoulder bag, complete with corsage

(not pictured but will be finished in time for posting)

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Felt pencil case, including a ruler, eraser, pencil sharpener and coloured pencils

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Felt brooch

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Felt purse

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And a mini felt pin cushion

A bit of a fab prize don't you think? Well I thought because it is for such a deserving cause then it deserved to be a pretty special prize. Now this little lot would cost over £50 to buy from my shop but all I am asking is that you buy a raffle ticket!! Sound fair?

Here's how to enter:

• Go over to http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/ (United Kingdom) or http://www.globalgiving.org/ (USA) and make a donation. (if you need help with donating then read Jo's post here).


• Every £3 ($5) donation buys you 1 raffle ticket. You can enter as many times as you like.


• Once you have made your donation, come back to this post and leave me a comment telling me how much you have donated (how many tickets you have bought) and your receipt number (please make sure you write down your receipt number as I will ask you to verify this as your entry).


• Make sure you leave your email address in your comment (if you are worried about spam you can write it as name(at)hotmail(dot)com.


• If you make a mistake or need to change your comment then please delete your first comment and rewrite it.


• The raffle is open to everyone as I am posting worldwide (I will be paying the cost of postage as part of my donation).


• The raffle will close at 12 noon (GMT) on 26th March and the winner will be drawn at random and notified by email.


• Please note :: this raffle is being held on this blog, in cooperation with A Bit of this and a bit of that. We are in no way affiliated with Global Giving, that's just our chosen method of getting funds safely to the affected area.

Jo will be posting a list of links to all the blogs taking part (each requiring separate donations) so if this little lot doesn't tickle your fancy then take a look at the other prizes on offer. We all want to raise as much as we can to help the people of Japan so what ever you can donate is very much appreciated. Please spread the word via facebook, twitter, friends and family and blogs.

Thank you :)

P.S. I am also donating any monies from my Fabric De-stash to Global Giving so have a peek and see if any take your fancy.

Japan Earthquake Appeal

In light of what has happened in Japan the lovely Jo (who lives in Japan) has asked all her bloggy friends to join together and try to raise some funds for those people who need our help. Please pop over to Jo's blog and have a read of her posts. If you have a blog and want to get involved then that's where you need to go to find all the details. Its really simple and hopefully we will raise a good amount. If you don't want to host a raffle/auction then please spread the word by using Jo's appeal button or if you would be so kind to write a post, tweet, FB and tell your friends. I know its not much in comparison but its a start....

You can also make a donation here: http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/ or http://www.globalgiving.org/

Like many bloggers already, I will be taking part and have chosen to host a raffle. Details on how to take part and what is up for grabs will be coming soon. I have also decided that if anyone would like to buy any of the de-stash fabrics I will also donate the money from that too.

My thoughts are still with all those people who have lost their lives, are one of the many thousands still missing and those who have lost their homes to this devastating catastrophe.

Please note :: The raffle that will be held on this blog is in co operation with a Bit of This and a Bit of That. We are in no way affiliated with global giving, that's just our chosen method of getting funds safely to the affected area. Thank you.

Fabric to make you go weak at the knees.

And this pretty little bundle certainly does that. I love the 'grown up' print of this fabric. For those of you who would like to know the fabric is: Lecien House Designer, Garden, Bouquet in Navy & Lecien House Designer, Garden, Fresh buds in Navy. I have teamed it with a peach 100% cotton and have already decided what 'her' name will be when she becomes one of my new bags.

As I thought it deserved a post of its own in the correct way I have blogged about the Japan Earthquake Tsunami here. A sad day indeed.

Cosmetic pouches

Here they are, the eagerly awaited cosmetic pouches, 14 different ones to choose from and they are now all listed here.

If you have signed up for my mailing list then you would already know about these, if not then why not pop over and sign up. Just pop your details in the little box in the bottom left hand corner.

I have been busy and have made stock so they are all ready to be shipped straight away. (There were more than these but I just couldn't fit them into the tub ;)

Top Secret Project

I bet you are itching to know whats in this box that I posted at the end of last week????

Don't be silly I'm not going to tell you, well maybe a sneak peak but that's it though!! D You will just have to wait.....sorry ;)

Kindle cover challenge

And a challenge it was, but anyone that knows me knows I love a good challenge. I think it was late January when I received an email from the lovely Clare over at Bligger Blogger. She had seen the iPhone covers that I had made for 2 of my friends at Christmas and wondered if I could make something similar for her Kindle.

You can read about it here in her blog post.

Clare knew what colours she liked and wanted something with a seaside theme, she was more than happy when I suggested little beach huts. Seeing as I hadn't worked with leather very much I was a little apprehensive as to how it was going to turn out. But as soon as I started sewing it I was more than happy with the results.

It wasn't all as easy as that though, and after a second attempt we got it spot on. So the first cover had its stitching unpicked and was cut down to make a zip purse.

Clare was a perfect 'Custom Order' customer. Thanks ever so much Clare for asking me to make them for you. I am hoping to make some more leather items in the future so it has been good practice :) I loved adding the detail of the buttons....I know any excuse to use buttons.....they're just sooooo nice!! :D

Exhibition prep

Once again C has outdone himself and designed another backdrop to my BCTF stand. Were going all white again, and since I have a bigger stand this year (3mx1m) there was more room to be a little bit more dramatic.

Still keeping the antlers (click this link to see last years stand) though, they worked so well and give the stand that little bit of Ooooh when people realise they are antlers (dont worry as I said before no deers were hurt or killed to get these as they do shed them). There will be a fire place complete with hearth and two sweet little cabinets.....just need to get all the bags finished Eeeek! Just about 4 weeks to go and so much to do.

New Fabrics

Well I did promise that I would show you the GORGEOUS new fabric I bought at the end of last month. New fabrics for new design bags. I just cant resist such lovely fabrics. It took some time to whittle it down to a reasonable selection. I say a reasonable selection because I could have continued to add more and more fabrics to my shopping cart and considering this little lot cost me a small fortune, I had to reign it in a little.

Don't forget that there are still lots of fabrics up for grabs in my destash for £2.50 here. Cant wait to see what you make out of them :D

Lots of sewing planned for the weekend, starting with making some slouch bags tomorrow. Hope you all have a lovely weekend :D xx

Destash - Fabric for £2.50?

::UPDATE ::

If anyone buys any of the remaining fabrics I will donate all the monies to the Japan Earthquake appeal.

thank you.

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As promised (and after my splurge on new fabrics last month) here are some of my destash fabrics. I decided to start with the smaller pieces first so I've sorted through all the ones which are a fat quarter and a little bit bigger.

Here's the deal then, each fabric (size stated on each) are £2.50 that includes P+P. If you fancy any of them please leave a comment on this post or email me direct emma@bagladee.com it will be on a first come first served basis. And if you tell me what kind of prints you like I will also throw some pieces of fabric from my scrap bag (good for quilting etc) for good measure. I will send a paypal invoice for the sum and then I will post it out to you the following working day. Sound fair?

(if you are outside of the UK and are interested, I will try and do postage for as cheap as I can, please email me for details)

OK :D (oh I should also add I have no idea who the fabrics are by....sorry....some were purchased quite sometime ago).

Fabric 1

Size : 1 fat qtr

Reserved for Josie

Fabric 2

Size : 1 fat qtr

Reserved for Kate

Fabric 3
Size : 1 fat qtr + 13x13inch square (all one piece)

SOLD!

Fabric 4
Size : 1 fat qtr + 21x10 inch (all one piece)
£2.50 (includes p&p)

Fabric 5
Size : 1 fat qtr
SOLD!

Fabric 6
Size : 1 fat qtr
Reserved for Kate

Fabric 7
Size : 1 fat qtr
£2.50 (includes p&p)

Fabric 8
Size : 1 fat qtr + 10x18 inch (all one piece)

SOLD!!! Kindly donated to the Japan Quake Appeal by Emer Mc Cormack

Fabric 9
Size : 1 fat qtr
Reserved for Kate

Fabric 10
Size : 1 fat qtr
SOLD!

Fabric 11
Size : 1 fat qtr
SOLD!!! Kindly donated to the Japan Quake Appeal by Emer Mc Cormack

It pains me to part with them but I am never going to use them. I promise to post photos of my new fabric soon.