Inspiration comes from....?

I can't be sure but I suspect you read sewing blogs for the same reason as I do.  No, we aren't nosey...we are all just looking for some inspiration.  So - to share the love I  thought I'd do a post about finding some inspiration and putting it into action. 

One of the hardest things about making my bags is getting the right combination of fabrics, bag style and any ornamentation.  So how do I go about it?

First I check the stash!  It's great to have a large stash
of fabric and old clothes so I can get out a pile of fabrics and play with combinations until something clicks.


One thing I love about sewing is being able to take an old piece of clothing from the op shop  and making something new from it.  (Note to non NZers - Op shop is what we call a secondhand store here - as in opportunity.)

We all know that so many of the clothes in secondhand stores are way past their 'best before' date -  pilled or stained or just so out of fashion they are only good for uni student "bad taste" parties.  (As a side note, I once wore a long dress a la Nana Mouskouri to a bad taste party that I'd kill for now.)  As a dedicated second hand enthusiast I feel really good being able to recycle these unloved items into something useful.

The other day I went to one of my regular haunts and got a tartan skirt and a saggy raffia bag.  The skirt was pure wool and really soft but sized for a tiny waisted and long legged super model.  From the bag I could salvage the cane handles, two D rings and the magnetic closure.

I played around with stash fabrics for possible linings.

And here is what I eventually went with.  I decided the skirt would provide enough for two bags so I chose two linings.

Green and blue Thai silk - The tartan skirt - pink linen with a Japanese floral print.



I set about deconstructing the skirt and bag to get my starting materials.

First I made a small cross body bag with a flap.  I used the pink linen for the lining and the strap.  It has really similar tones to the main fabric and I wanted to save the contrasting silk for an open bag.













I think it needs something on the flap.  Maybe a green crocheted flower?





I used the magnetic closure and the two D rings.  The green in the lining ties in really well with the tartan.   I'm really pleased with the result. This bag style is one of my favourites and perfect for small pieces of fabric.

Next I made a boxy bag with stiffening in it.  The green and blue silk adds a nice contrast in colour and the handles give some different texture too.  Sort of Chanel meets Grandma's knitting bag.

I added a small rosette made from a cheap tape measure with some buttons in the middle.  I always try and use a brooch backing on anything I add so people can change it if it's not to their taste.

I'm not as happy with this bag as the smaller one.  I still think it's nice though and not something I'd pull apart.  I think the bag body could have been bigger and I should have used more interfacing to help it hold it shape better.

So there is some inspiration made real.  I have no idea if anyone else works like me or if I'm going to provide any inspiration to anyone! 

Maybe you have a totally different way of tackling a project.  I'd love to hear if you do.  In the meantime I'll keep Op shopping and creating my bags - it really is what I love doing best.