Dusting off the sewing machine

These days, I spend much more time knitting than sewing. The advantage of knitting is that I can do it while the kids are watching telly, or while I'm waiting for them to finish eating, or when I'm out for a coffee with friends. My sewing machines are all set up in my bedroom and if I go up there to do some sewing, I can bet that within ten minutes, I'll have a child at my side wondering what I'm up to, pushing down all the pins in my pin cushion, and can they have a go at the pedal and what does this button do? Strange how they don't bother you as long as you can be seen... The advantage of sewing is that projects don't take nearly as long as knitting projects, if I spent as much time sewing as I spent knitting, I'd have far more to show. But, because of work I haven't really sewn much for the past few years, even though I do still enjoy it immensely. Sometimes I manage to find a few hours or a small project and then I remember again just how much I enjoy sewing. Which is what happened when I made this


It's for I., who at nine years old has developed a thing for bags. It seems she can't have enough of them. I bought the fabrics in Holland at a fabric market, the pink cord of the outside was meant for a skirt for her but I couldn't think what sort of skirt would look nice so when I saw the pattern for the bag, I thought the fabric would be really nice for it. It's really soft, and lined with a stretchy cotton.

The pattern came from an old Ottobre, a Finnish magazine that I used to subscribe to. The only thing I don't like is the way the shoulder strap has worked out - at the top, where the fabric strips join, there is rather a lot of bulk which doesn't want to lie flat. I. doesn't seem too bothered and is more interested in the fact that the bag is entirely reversible...



After finding this pattern, I left a few other Ottobres out with patterns I'd like to make. Chances are though that they'll stay right where they are now, in a bag under my desk, gathering dust...

I leave you with a photo of our autumn bounty from this weekend:


Anyone want to take bets on whether these will last us to Christmas?