Colours galore!

I was in one of the most dangerous shops for me recently: Abakhan on Oldham Street in Manchester. A shop which should carry the warning label: "Enter at your own risk! There is no such thing as 'just browsing' - you will leave weighed down by beautiful fabric and an empty purse".

I went in determined to buy the two things I needed: blue fabric and white fabric for a pantomime dame's costume I'd been commissioned to make. Needless to say, this went out of the window the moment I walked past the basket labelled “African Wax Fabric”. The magpie instinct kicked in and my brain was hijacked by the 'Ooh pretty' reaction that then found me sitting on the floor for the next half an hour making piles of fabric around me: the 'definite', the 'maybe' and the 'no' categories.

It's been a while since I used my sewing machine, and these fabrics are the perfect excuse to cover my floors with scraps of thread and fabric (it's a messy business!) So, I'm thinking of the best way to show off these gorgeous fabrics is by making some boxy cosmetics bags, ipad cases and baby changing mats.   

I've spent this week making patterns, cutting fabrics and pinning them together.  My first attempt at the boxy cosmetic bag was not quite what I expected.  All seemed to be going well until I wrestled with the corner sections and it came out a tad lopsided!!  As I said, it's been a while since I used the sewing machine, but the general principle of the bag is good.  I just need to unpick it and tidy it up and keep trying until I get my skills back! :-)