Over the shoulder ruffled bag. No pattern required.

Ok, so I am going to let you know right from the start, I hate zips!

I am not an expert in zips & I will never claim to be! I did somehow fudge my way through it & made a shoulder bag with a zip!

Woo hoo for me!

The thing is, I really don’t know how I did it or even if I did it right but it is in & working fine!

(I apologise now for the out of focus photo’s! I used my phone to take the pics as the batteries were flat for my camera! Lesson learnt!)

Isn’t the fabric just stunning?? It is

Trick or Treat Damask black by Riley Blake

You can buy it from

I only used one fat quarter, some strapping, a zipper & 2 self covered buttons for this bag.

I just cut the fabric in to halves. One half I used for the main bag (cut it into halves again) & the other half was cut into 4 x 5cm wide strips for the ruffles. With the left over scraps, I covered 2 self covered buttons.

I then sewed the zipper to the 2 squares of the main bag.

Then used the rolled hem on the overlocker to edge the ruffles & then gathered them. I sewed them on to one side of the bag, one at a time.

I then turned the bag inside out & sewed up the edges. Make sure to leave the zip half open so you can turn it back in the right way.

I tapered the sides in towards the top just to give it that something special.

I then attached the strapping to either side. I made it quite long so that I can wear it across my body.

I then put 2 covered buttons over the top of the strapping where I attached it to the bag.

This would be the perfect bag to wear to the markets (working or shopping)!

I am going to wear it to a concert on the weekend so I have both of my hands free to dance! LOL!!

I think that now I can put in a zip (cough, giggle!) I might want to make one of these bags in every colour!

Here are some other colour options

 

 

Don’t forget that Wrapped in Fabric, has more than just fabric!

They also stock a wide range of patterns, trims & sewing accessories.

(once again I apoligise for the out of focus photo's but I really wanted to share this project with you all. I guess it just shows that we all have good & bad days!)

Fantastic felt owls Christmas ornaments, free pattern

So what started as a post about a too cute owl Christmas ornament,

quickly turned into a owl bag tag!

Miss Georgia, who is a Daddy’s little girl, manage to sweet talk him into a new Smiggle backpack for school when we went shopping the other day! She just batts her eyelids at him & says, “Puh……leeeeeaaasssse Daddy” & she gets him every time!

So, what to do but make her a new bag tag at 8pm on a Sunday night! This was a bit of a rush job & I am going to make a few more that are a little “neater”.

I had pinned this pic on Sew, cook, laugh & Live Pinterest

It is a simple & easy little felt owl with a downloadable free pattern. This could be a cute little ornament to make for the

Sew, cook, laugh & live 2011 Ornament Chain

You don’t even need a sewing machine for this little owl!

Why not make a whole family of these little fella’s!!

Chalkboard bucket labels

Some of you may remember the Pink ribbon day cake pops that I made.

I want to show you how easy it is to make the chalkboard label for these cute little tins.

I brought the little tin buckets from a cheap dollar store.

Use some masking tape to make the shape that you want for the label

Paint the inside area with blackboard paint & allow to dry.

remove the masking tape.

The uses for these little buckets are endless!

I think they are perfect for holding cake pops. Just put some floral foam in the bottom & stick the cake pop sticks in.

I think that I could find a use for 100's of this little buckets in my house!

Festive Friday! Ornament Chain 2011 and Christmas pintables

Welcome back Festive Friday!

If you are a followers on the Sew, cook, laugh & live Facebook page, you will know that the Ornament Chain 2011 has started! We all know that the gift of giving is just as important as the gift of receiving so in the spirit of gift giving at Christmas, I have started the Sew, cook, laugh & live Christmas Ornament Chain 2011. To participate, all you need to do is craft an ornament by the 23rd of November at the latest. You can sew, paint, glue, embellish, what ever your craft is, you can do it! When your ornament is finished you need to email a photo & brief description to sewcooklaughlive@yahoo.com.au

Your ornament will then be added to the Sew, cook, laugh & live Ornament Chain 2011 album. Once the album is closed you will be given the name of the person that you are to send your ornament to. Someone else in the chain will be given your name to send their ornament to. Your ornament needs to be posted by the 1st of December so that it is received in time for Christmas.

This Ornament chain is only open to Australian residents with an Australian postal address.

This is what I have already made to start the album off.

He is my little Funky Denim gingerbread man who I am sure, will be loved by whoever receives him!

Now, on to the freebies part of todays blog post! I have been searching the internet for some great Free Christmas printable & these are some that I have found.

This fabulous letter head can be found over at

Seven thirty three

This one is a funny one for an adult who doesn’t deserve a present

Santa Pintable's

Here is a letter for your child to fill in

Manic Monday

Enjoy & have a great Friday!

Paint your own polka dot dinner set

Have you ever looked for a new dinner set & not been able to find one that is “you”?

I have!

But I don’t need to look anymore!

This one is “me”

It is exactly what I wanted because I made it!

Well, I painted my old white set!

It is very quick & easy.

This is all you need to make your own polka dot dinner set.

I purchased the porcelain paint from spotlight.

I just used a circle sponge paint applicator to apply the paint.

The sponge applicator gives the paint a unique bubbled appearance. It reminds me of the ocean for some reason.

Try not to be to fussy about where you put the spots as the uniqueness of the pattern is what gives each piece of the dinner set it’s own character.

Check the instructions on the paint. The one I used needs to sit for 24 hours on the plate then the dinner set needs to be cured in the oven for 35 minutes on 150 degrees Celsius.

And there you have it, your “perfect” dinner set!

Laminated fabric Digital camera bag

How cute is this camera bag?

When I received this gorgeous laminated

Hip Happy & pink hearts paisley by Henry Glass

From Wrapped in Fabric,

I knew straight away that it would be perfect for a camera bag.

My camera is just a standard sized digital camera so this bag would suit most standard digital camera’s.

Have made it with a little extra room on the inside so that I can fit a couple of spare batteries in the bag.

So, you will need an outside fabric

(laminated fabric is perfect & easy to sew with)

Some batting for the inside

And a cotton fabric for the inside layer of the bag

(I used Vintage Groove by Carolee McMullin for Adorn It Pink)

The 3 pieces of material need to be 32cm x 14cm

Pin all 3 pieces together with the batting on the bottom, the laminated fabric on top of the batting facing right side up & the inside fabric facing right side down on the top of the others. Sew around all of the sides but make sure to leave an opening at one end so that you can pull the fabric right side out.

(click on the photo’s to enlarge if needed)

Turn the bag right side out so that the batting is now in-between the 2 fabrics.

Pin then sew a 5cm piece of Velcro (the rough side) onto one end of the laminated fabric.

Pin then sew the other piece of Velcro (the fluffy piece) on to the opposite end of the bag & on the inside fabric so that when you fold the bag it will look like the second picture below.

Fold the bag up 11cm (as in the second photo), pin & sew up both sides.

You then should have something that looks like this…

If your camera has a wrist strap, make a button hole opening in the middle so that you can put the camera strap through.

And there you have it! A beautiful yet functional camera bag!

Wrapped in Fabric also have some other great Laminated Fabrics for projects like this.

This would make a perfect Christmas gift!