Most of my time this last week has been spent on cork!  Unrolling it from the enormous roll on which it arrived, photographing it and setting up the products on the website..... but have I had time to play with it yet??  No, no!  I seriously need to find me some more (child-free) hours in the day.....


Anyway, before the cork arrived (this period in my life henceforward to be referred to as BC) I was busy working on a couple of customer orders - another Necessary Clutch Wallet (NCW) and an oil cloth messenger bag.

First up - the NCW.  I loved this one and didn't really want to let it go...  It was so satisfying to make, not least because of how well all the fussy-cutting turned out, at least I think so - fussy-cutting being something that I have never really done before.  I was very happy with the end result and, thankfully, so was the customer!


Next up - the oil cloth bag.  I love making these and they always sell so well but this one was another commission.  I adore the pretty butterfly fabric which is perfect with Spring being so close around the corner, and I think the pink spotty interior is a perfect fit (from Tula Pink's Elizabeth collection). But I especially love the bright zip on the inside!  I do so love to have a bit of bright colour pop out at you.  Just like the hot pink lining of the pocket of the NCW above I guess :-)


So what's next on the long list of things to make?  I've been asked to make a laptop bag out of waxed canvas, but because I'm using a pattern that I've not made before, I'm doing a test run first using just quilt weight cotton - this one from Tim Holtz's Eclectic Elements collection to be precise.  If you follow me on instagram or facebook then you'll already know that I'm a bit of a Tim Holtz addict :-)


The pattern I'm using for this is the Marigold from Blue Calla Patterns, but I'm leaving out most of the pockets as the customer said he just wants a very simple bag.  Not only am I using this pattern for the very first time, I'm also using Pellon fusible foam for the very first time, about which, it has to be said, I am a little trepidacious!

After this I have promised myself some me-time with the cork fabric....I can't wait to get my hands on it, especially as I treated myself to some lovely new hardware to go with it! :-)  


I am pondering the Miss Maggie from Emmaline Bags for this, and then there's the Snowdrop bag from Blue Calla, not to mention another NCW made out of cork....  See?  Too many projects, not enough time!

(NCW pattern by Emmaline Bags.)