Thursday, September 10, 2009

my creative space




I usually work on the basis of minimum input for maximum output. Cooking. Sewing. Life.

I like instant gratification.

When sewing, this typically means projects completed in under an hour. Even less if I can help it. By this time The Little One is usually done with trashing my studio and ready to move on to greener pastures.

This weeks project was the opposite. A spent the best part of Saturday making this little . . . drawstring bag?! I came to loathe that stitch unpick.

I expected it would be a twenty minute job. Halfa at the most. It took me hours.

A bit of experimentation with some dodgy eyelet pliers seemed like a good idea. Resulted in serious fabric munching and shredded drawstring. The very fun and practical waterproof lining, made for seriously slippery sewing and shoddy stitching.

But when things go wrong, it often leads to some creative ingenuity. As was the case here. I'm happy with the outcome, even if it doesn't reflect all the blood, sweat and tears.

... and I'm sure the Little Man it's been made for will appreciate the finer details of the design and craftsmanship, as he takes it off to swimming or soccer.

Be inspired by other creative spaces over here.

Be sure to check out my fabric (and more) giveaway below!


32 comments:

  1. If I'm ever sewing anything practical like clothes or bags, I always find frustration takes over and ingenuity kicks in! I'm sure it feels good to have gotten it finished though!?

    Bec.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I so agree with that bit about things going wrong leading to creative ingenuity. I think it looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's perfect!! And I think the hard work shows quite well...I can relate with the desire for super quick sewing projects, oh the messes children can make in such a short time :P

    ReplyDelete
  4. The result is fantastic! Well worth the blood stains ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lucy it looks great! I've just had a wander around your blog, and it just lovely :)
    I don't know what technique you ended up using, but a walking foot or thin paper (torn off later) over the sticky side helps with sticky fabric (I've got some of that myself for some showercaps I'm making).

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think it's fab, and very stylish! Can imagine kids using the bag in summer.

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's so fresh looking and gorgeous - I love it! I always find the best things come out of me making loads of mistakes :) K

    ReplyDelete
  8. I guess n ow that it's done, there was probably heaps of stuff you learnt while you made this bag. It can be hard to appreciate the "learning" while you're in the middle of it, unpicking it!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ah, experimenting can be full of misery but lots of learning too, huh? I'd heard bad things about eyelet pliers.... The finished bag looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  10. hehe - this exactly the same way most of my sewing venture head. Great outcome though!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the bag and I'm glad my creative space this week is not the only one about unpicking and hating the project by the end!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your bag looks great and very professional - I really love the vibrant colours! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I think your bag was well worth the blood, sweat and tears, it looks terrific. Bright, beachy and ready for some serious summer fun.

    ReplyDelete
  14. it's always the tings that appear simple that cause the most grief!! Love the stripey fabric!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I agree ~ looks like it was worth. It is fabulous. Very summery too!

    ReplyDelete
  16. The blood, sweat and tears were worth the effort! That is one super cool drawstring bag!

    ReplyDelete
  17. It looks just fabulous- thankfully all the sweat was for a good cause...!
    Annamaria :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. It looks fabulous...despite the frustrations.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Love the colours you have used. You'd never know what you went through to get the finished product!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great bag, very practical, gorgeous colours too... but why do 'simple projects' sometimes turn bad?!

    ReplyDelete
  21. It looks great! Hopefully the new owner will appreciate the extra-specialness of it given the amount of time it ate :-)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Looks fabulous. I bet you were glad when it was finished!

    ReplyDelete
  23. what a bright bag ~stipes and dots a favorite!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I love the bright colours of that bag. It's great!

    ReplyDelete
  25. fantastic and bright, well done. Thats a very handy bag for little ones.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Well, the photo is smashing! and I enjoyed the telling of it's creation.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Just my style! :-) I love the fabric.

    ReplyDelete
  28. gorgeous fabrics!!
    I can't decide which I like better - spots or stripes! =)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Lucy, you sound like a sewer after my own heart. Short is always very sweet in my book. : D
    The bag looks great, love stripes and spots together. And you are so right, not one single sign of a struggle. What a champ! : )
    ~ Alisa

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is a very cute little bag. I am all about the quick fix projects and get a bit cranky when they don't go to plan. I am learning to chuckle rather than chuck it with each ridiculous error.

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make my day! Thanks for stopping by.