Linen-cotton Polka Dot Bags

If you ask me which type of fabric I prefer working with, my answer would be cotton. Cotton is obedient. Creases can be ironed crisp and the variety of print available is mind-boggling. But I really, really like linen more. What I like about linen is the texture and feel of the fabric. Linen also has this antique look which you can't get from other types of fabric. But linen is extremely hard to work with. It shifts and it shifts. You can go crazy sewing it. And the worst part is it creases endlessly.

To get around this shifting issue, I get linen-cotton. With linen-cotton, you get the obedience of cotton and the texture of linen. If you can live with some creases, it's really a perfect solution. The problem? Linen-cotton fabric is extremely expensive and not easily available.

I acquired a small amout of polka dot linen-cotton fabric from the Yuwa Live Life Collection recently and I made 2 items.

Shoulder Bag With Wooden Ring

I can't really describe the colour of the fabric. It looks grey and blue at the same time. One big problem with some blend of linen-cotton is customers get quite taken-aback by the "antique" look of the fabric. I've made a few items in the past and majority were bought by women who knew what linen was. So you could say making bags in linen-cotton is a risk as the buyers would only come from a minority.

Look at that big ol wooden ring.

Recessed Zipper - I modified the method but you can't really tell!

Oh look! Even the inside pocket has polka dots.

Mini Zip Handbag

By the time I finished this little zip-pouch-disguised-as-handbag, the sun had set so sorry about the picture quality. The "handbag" is really small, maybe a little bigger than a regular zip pouch.

Nifty zipper

Check out the nifty zipper. It's not a dress zipper but closer to the kind you use on hoodies. It has a end stopper so it's suitable for bags. I bought this YKK zipper from a new shop selling everything from zippers, to beads and ric rac. The shop is really tiny and the owner decided the best place to put all the zippers is at the bottom shelf. It is also the most disorganized shop I've ever come across. When I saw this delightful zipper, I asked for a whole bunch. Guess what? The staff asked me to go thru' the PILE of assorted zippers on my own! So I squatted in a most unladylike manner and went thru' the PILE of zippers. The problem was everytime a customer entered the shop I had to get up to make way. Anyhoo, I squatted, made way, squatted, made way and eventually managed to get like 5 of these zippers - all in different sizes. The things I do to get attractive zippers!!!

Take a look at those gorgeous teeth!

Yep, it sure was worth all that squatting and making way.

It's December already? My, my. Time certainly FLIES when you aren't waiting for someone. And yes, MAAD is on this weekend and as usual, I'll be selling my bags on the red floor. If you live in Singapore, do drop by otherwise I'll be "killing time". Heh heh. See ya.

December MAAD 2010
4 & 5 Dec (Sat & Sun)
11am-7pm
red dot design museum
28, Maxwell Rd
(MRT: Tanjong Pagar station)
tel:6534 7209
email:ask@maad.sg