Hot in the City! Part 2!

How beautiful is this little girl!
I was looking for something and found this picture (as you do!). She's dressed in one of my first attempts of dressmaking....as I remember there was a hat and she little red wellies (yes I know paddington bear!!)
I was very proud of my achievement!
When waiting at a bus stop one day an older lady remarked,
"Is'nt it lovely the things you can buy them these days"!!!!!!!
Arrh enough of memory lane!

Here's some more making stages of Hot in the City!

This was where I was up to last post. I still did not like it, it felt incohesive?!? Well scruffy! And I wanted it to glisten.
I played about a bit.
I know I wanted more gold mesh. I like the effects of the mesh on the gold organza rather than the burnt orange.
I also wanted to solidify the pattern which meant to me that bold strips across, going with the base fabric could bring it all together.


Then I pressed it like mad until it was pan flat!

Y0u know I was thinking that the fabric did look like a cityscape of roads and houses. I thought of the images when you see the car head lights in darkness moving at high speed.....a red glitsy thick embroidery yarn, couched with the orange thread was added....

The whole fabric got another pressing and it's time to cut out the bags peices...this is where I'm up to now!

What do you think?

Well this is where it's been up to for the past week as I'm waiting to purchase some magnetic bag clasps. I'm working on a oversized under the arm clutch bag with the larger section....I'll post pics of that next time...I think I really like it!!!!

So this is my life in my sewing world to date!

Don't forget if you stop by please say hello....'til next time take it easy and enjoy your moments,

Jacqui

Feelin good....feelin Hot in the City!

I've fab news!

I....(drum roll)....sold my first clutch bag and change purse!!

They are SOLD...SOLD...SOLD...somebody else loves my fabric creations enough to buy one from me... giggle giggle...oh really!!

This is my Croation Sea fabric made into a clutch bag and coin purse!

These close up photo's are of the closure treatment...wire crochet and a button, bead. The dream of finding a real pearl in those beautiful waters around Croatia did seem real!!

The coin purse sits inside.The person who bought it is going to a posh doo on Saturday and she will be using it...it never even made it for public view!!

Hot in the City, Hot in the City....tonight....(wish I knew how to get the sound track on!!!).

After that success I decided to make another fabric....perhaps this is my niche??

So I thought I would challenge myself (oh dear!) I was to use colours that I'm not so attached too and I would try to make half a metre of it in one full piece HA!

So I measured my muslim, got out the fusable double sided fabric adhesive....

Oh no the adhesive is not as wide as the fabric but I want 60cm width....oh cut it in three....one down the middle and the other two down each side...only leaving a 2cm gap of adhesive....

The gap....THAT was my MISTAKE!

This photo is suppose to show the gaps in adhesive....a picture and the memory will remind me NOT to do it again....(I think the camera lies again!)

But it does show it's nearer the true colours....trying to get texture, pattern, sheen, reflection, balance and that little something!

The bumps, bubbles and pieces are just acting like themselves and they're on the loose!....as the double sided fusable fabric adhesive bonds the layers together all the fabrics act as one, no matter their previous life was....hhmmm I think I get too involved with my fabric making!!

AAAaaaRRrrhhhh! Look...look.....what happened......my normally well behaved Bernina 807 was eating the fabric.......

That was the last straw....I was having bad feelings about this fabric....."give up, you don't like the colourways anyway...."(MGH it's only fabric I'm getting emtionally involved here)....strange!

I GOT FED UP AND CUT IT INTO THREE PIECES! No second thoughts or worrying.

It had to be done.

I just could'nt manage it under the sewing foot because of the size and the fact I'd been stingy with the double sided fabric adhesive.

So eventually (and under strict instructions from my friend Maddy Beth! to have another go!) I decided to fuse a layer of wadding to the underside.

The Croation Sea clutch had a layer too but I'd attached it after the fabric was finished and cut. I thought a little padding would finish it off....

Now that was better my fabric base layer was tamed!

So to the next layer.....

I've laid burnt orange, gold organza and gold mesh ontop of the base cloth. It's fixed with varigated orange embroidery thread in waves and swirls.

So I swirly free-hand machine embroider over the organza and then artistically (!) cut away to revel the base cloth.

So Hot in the City started life from this.......

.............to this....with organza overlay.....I'm now considering my next move....red sparkly thread....red thick wool...have got some handmade organza ribbon, red or yellow ribbon, gold sequins.....ooooo the possibilities!!

Watch this space for the next layer of surface treatment of 'Hot in the City'!!

And finally here's the work blouse washed and ironed!! I put the top button on for safety sake!!!! But the front goes slightly off line...I don't think others would notice.....Makes me feel fresh wearing it!!

What a week, beautiful weather, no school people, creating fabrics and Stitch Keepers...aarrhh now they're another story!! Purrrrfec.

Don't forget to say hello and tell me your thoughts on this installment of

"Jacqui's fabric adventures"....