Have a Blessed Christmas and a Wonderful New Year

The Home Stitch Home team would like to wish one and all a blessed christmas and a wonderful new year!

Photo courtesy of the talented KHK who knitted this to perfection for her beloved husband.

The Felt team would like to chip in their chirstmas wishes too.  May all our readers and supporters have a healthy and meaningful new year!

The HSH and Felt teams will be taking a break this holiday season to recharge and spend time with family and loved ones.  When we come back, we hope to be able to give you more beautiful and inspired creations.

See you in the new year!

My Favourite Things

Do you remember this scene from "The Sound of Music" where Maria comforted the children one stormy night by singing this song "My Favourite Things"?  It was when I was much older that I realised what this song was all about.  So nowadays, when faced with a scary moment (eg. in the dentist chair or undergoing a painful medical procedure or even woken in the middle of night by a terrifying thunderstorm), I think of my favourite things.

So, what are your favourite things?  For me, that would be lounging in a hammock on a sea-fronting porch with a good book in hand and dog by my side, lying in a meadow preferably with a sparkly Edward Cullen next to me or even finishing my housework (you never know the deep satisfaction that comes from achieving a clean house by your own hand).  Whatever happened to the simple pleasures of life such as raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens? (do you remember the other lyrics to the song? No cheating)?

Anyway, the print fabric on this bag which I made a while back (before being overtaken by work) reminds me of this simple and yet effective comforting trick.

Don't you love the contrast of fabric?  The denim and polka dot blue make the print fabric stands out and gives the bag a right amount of natural stiffness.  I know, this is a departure from our usual floral, feminine bags but hey, I like to live life dangerously.  

Look!  I even included a giant pocket inside - if nothing else, to remind myself to always think of my favourite things in unpleasant circumstances and the storm would soon blow over.  


The bag is A4 size (what?  I like this size because it is not too big or small, and can fit most things) and sells for S$30.

Petit Bucket

Tinkerbell, who has been swept up by the romance of our "Not Laura Ashley" bags, continued to make these beauties.  But she forbade me from giving such unimaginative names to her bags - hence, the new name "Petit Bucket".

This is my personal favourite, of all the bags we have made so far.  Firstly, I love the very fresh and bright fabric.  Then, this is a design that is both functional and feminine.  And I do have a weakness for red check.

Look at the small flower print on the inside.  A bag by Tinkerbell is never short of detailing.  She said she might make one which is slightly bigger.

I don't know about you but I find this size perfect for a weekend outing - so long as it can fit my paperback, wallet, handphone, blackberry and Nintendo DS, I'm good for some time off (which I desperately need).


This bag is selling for S$32.

p/s:  I figured that you all must be sick and bored of my home decor, hence this change of scenery.  As you can see, Tinkerbell's apartment is more chic and upmarket.

The Felt Team to the Rescue

Seeing how hard it has been for us to continue making bags, given the pressures of work, the Felt Team has decided to step in and make some bags themselves.  And what a success it proved to be!  The bags were sold out before they are previewed.  But the Felt Team will make some more if there are orders.  Just email us and give your support to the Felt Team.

Look at the intricate beading.

This is the back of the pink bag.  Don't you love how elegant the ballerina looks?

The purple bag is no less pretty.  The beading really adds a touch of glamour to the bag.

This is the back of the purple bag.  The insides of the bags are all lined with purple fabric, with a functional pocket included.

All my niece's ballet classmates have gotten one for themselves and these bags proved useful in holding their change of clothing, ballet shoes and drinks.  And what's more, the Felt Team have decided to make this affordable for little tykes.  The bags are selling for S$16 each, a steal considering that the fabric is imported. 

We're Back!

Hi!  Did you miss us?  Sorry for the lack of posts last week but we've been busy with office work "no day no night".  Why doesn't the government declare the whole of December a public holiday?  If they want Singaporeans to procreate more and build strong family ties, they should just give us the whole month off. That's what they do in Europe.  Maybe I should move to Bhutan where the government has their priorities right because they measure the country's progress by its happiness quotient instead of GDP.  However, I read with dismay that recently they have succumbed to world pressures and have included GDP as an indicated of the country's growth. 


Anyway, I digress.  We at Home Stitch Home refused to let work get the better of us.  In between demanding work deadlines, we managed to snatch some time to finish up our christmas orders of knitted dolls.

 

Yup!  Our Ballerina dolls are really popular.  We had fun mixing and matching the colours and adding initials, so that each doll is special to the little girl they are meant for.

Here's a quiz - something is missing from one of the dolls.  Those who have tried their hand at making this doll should be able to spot it right away. 

 
P/S:  Boy dolls are coming up.  Stay tuned...

A Princess and Her Bags

When we started Home Stitch Home, it was for the love of handmade items.  We wanted to share this love with everyone and to nurture an interest in making things with your hands.  Well, almost 3 months on, I believe we have succeeded in our aim.  There was a revolution in my office.  Not only were colleagues appreciating what we made, they have started making bags and dolls themselves!

Well, one great benefactor of HSH is Fifyjo.  She has been a great supporter of our products and has even commissioned projects for us (here).  Sometime back, she gave me this very pretty Little Twin Stars fabric she ordered online and wanted us to make something for her daughter.  This is the result.

The love of reversible totes starts young.  I was so relieved that the little girl loves the bag and hope that she will be able to fill the bag with her dreams.


Fifyjo then gave us a bigger challenge.  She had a great fabric collection and a beautiful applique pattern of muffins.  When all these got put together, we get this.

Don't you think she makes a great model?  Quick!  Someone give her a modelling contract.  I am so impressed by the way she makes the bags look so good that I am tempted to make a whole series of children's bags just so that I can have her pose for us again.  Ah, the exuberance and lack of inhibitions of the young.  Life would be so much more spontaneous and fun if we can all be like her.


Anyway, enough of swooning.  Here are the obligatory close-up shots of the applique bag.

Do you accessorise your bag?

I don't (heck!  I don't even accessorise my person).  I was posted with this challenge recently when I made this huge-a** bag.  See this canvas?

And this...

When you have a fabric with a design so intricate and whimsical, it only means one thing for the bag design.  BIG and simple.

So, I made this.

Simon says, Simon does.  This big and simple bag caused great excitement in my household.  It was the biggest bag I have ever made and I am amazed that it didn't come out all floppy (in both senses of the word).  See the red fabric sticking out at the top?  It's a cushion.  I could fit a whole cushion in this bag and there's still room to spare.  I am so bringing this for my overseas shopping holidays.

Anyway, I digress.  The point here is, when a bag is so big, it starts to look plain, however nice the fabric design.  So, I tried to spice things up a bit.  I'm not very imaginative, so I'll need your help here.


I started with brooches.

Been there, done that.  How about a scarf?  It seems to be a recent trend.

Too disco-era?

Actually, the scarf serves multi-purposes.  I tied it around the handles and this secures the bag.  And when I'll feeling cold, I'll use it on myself.


I know, how about this?

This pretty handmade owl brooch, kindly lent to me by EH, seems to be the perfect adornment for this bag.

 

I know some of you may also be wondering about those lovely appliques which we had for our Mushroom and Purple Bear reversible totes (here). Can consider.

Actually, maybe I shouldn't fuss so much about accessorising this bag.  At the end of the day, this is how most Singapore women "decorate" their bags.

 

This bag measures 15"(H) X 20"(W) X 5"(D) and sells for S$35.

Can you call this a bucket bag?

I recently ordered a real Cath Kidston bag online, called the Bucket Bag.  My aunty's UK-based son who had kindly agreed to bring it back for me in December was understandably concerned.  I think he's worried that the bag is actually a bucket and would be bulky to carry back.

So, what is the bucket bag?  Your guess is as good as mine and I'll show you when I finally get it.  But from the website, the bag certainly doesn't look like a bucket.

However, I think that this bag which I just made reminds me of a bucket.

Obsessed with trying to make a bag with a bigger base, I chose a pattern which has a huge oval for the base.  I then did what I do best - I made it reversible.  Here's the inside, out.

Don't you love the botanical print?  It's still flowers but in a more subtle form (I know not everyone likes pink flowers).  Hey, we are all about giving you variety.

As this bag is very different from those we've made so far (where the bags either cater for use in the office aka A4-size or use as weekend bags aka flea market and country bags), I had fun putting it to various more novel use.

See how roomy the bag is?  I managed to fit my knitting project and assorted wool.  It's so handy to carry around.

Tinkerbell had an even greater idea.

She said that with the christmas season approaching (not to mention new year and chinese new year), many of us would be attending home pot-luck parties.  What better way to bring your food but in this stylish bag?  It is big enough to fit a 9-inch pot, which is about all I can cook (I'm not an army cook after all).  Now, why didn't I think about that?  


This bag measures 11.5"(W) X 5.5"(H) X 8"(D) and sells for S$30.  For a small fee, the height of the bag can be increased if you prefer something which stores deeper. 


Hey, maybe you can come up with better uses for this bag!

 

This is not a Laura Ashley bag

Obviously, you can see that I am heavily influenced by the English country style.  So, after catering to the masses by making cute-cute Jap cartoon bags (eg. purple bear/rabbit, mushroom), the HSH team decided to let all hell break loose and bombard you with spring flowers galore.  Yes, I am referring to the Laura Ashley effect. 

You have already seen the flea market and the NCK (not Cath Kidston) bags.  Now, we present to you the Not-Laura-Ashley bag.

By the way, that is indeed a Laura Ashley lamp.  I'm not too sure about the story of the toy bear - you must ask Tinkerbell about that.  She took the photos in her house.  But I think the bear is just too adorable.

Made by the highly-skilled Tinkerbell, this bag caters to many of your requests.  It has a really broad base (and yet is femininely curved in shape), it has adjustable straps and a magnetic button to keep your stuff secure.  There is also an inner pocket and the inside is lined with the prettiest tiny flower print.

This bag measures 15"(W) X9"(H) X 5.5"(D) and will sell for S$32.

Now, a real Laura Ashley bag will probably sell for 10 times more.  So, aren't you glad that we offer you much cheaper alternatives?  And our bags are all individually handmade, so you can be assured of the attention and care that your possessions truly deserves (eeks!  I sound like a 2nd-hand car salesman but you know what I mean right?).

P/S: check out the updates to the post on the NCK bag here.

Doggy Keychains (Felt)

It seems that everybody can't resist a doggy keychain.  So far, our two versions of the doggy keychain have proved popular.  So, the Felt Team decided to jump onto the bandwagon and they now bring to you....

Three very cute doggy keychains made from felt and decorated with a small crystalline flower on the collar.  Here's a closer look, with my gnarled fingers included for that perspective shot.

You know what?  I realised that besides serving as a keychain, this item can serve as a lure to irritate your pet dog.

Here, doggy, doggy.... (makes disgusting PCK kissing sound as you dangle the toy (oops!  I mean keychain), before docile dog).

Oh no!!!  I guess we now only have two doggy keychains for sale.  Bad dog!

Keychains are going for $7 each (real dog not included).

This is not a Cath Kidston bag

Update:  This bag is proving so popular that we've decided to make several versions.  Here's a green one, with red checks inside.

 

************

This is NOT a Cath Kidston bag.

But don't you think that it is quite lovely?  We were so excited when we found this fabric, which looks so like the fabric I used for the Cath Kidston bag.  

 

We did even better than CK by lining the inside with the softest sweetest cotton fabric.  And I also added a sizeable pocket.  You'll find all the hallmarks of HSH workmanship in this bag, including, yes, you guessed right, the reversible feature.

And yes, as per your request, this bag is made in A4 landscape size.  And it can be carried like below or hooked from the forearm (Japanes style).

The bag measures 24cm(H) X 36cm(W) and packs in quite a lot of A4 papers, files and books.  And because the material of this fabric is sturdier, it holds everything stronger.  This bag is selling for $30 (lace ribbon included).