Commissioned Bags (Part 2)

Last week I shared about how fun it was for us to make our bags out of fabric provided by customers.  We kept being surprised by how different a bag can look just with a change of fabric. 

 Do you remember this?

Yup!  It's Petit Bucket, a very dainty bag, well-suited for CNY visitation.  Really!  I managed to put 4 oranges, a stack of ang-pows and my personal effects in it.  All in this petit-looking (key word being "looking") bag.   Don't you think the print is reminscent of the coming of spring?

Anyway, we got commissioned to make Petit Bucket with another fabric and this is the result.

 

Very different look, right?  Although the main motif are still flowers, this bag has a rather antique look.  It's more suited to a woman of sophistication.  See?  even the fabric inside is more muted.

Same bag pattern, different fabric, different look but same fine workmanship, courtesy of Tinkerbelle.  Next week, we'll show you yet another Petit Bucket, with an entirely different fabric. You'll be surprised!

Doing commissioned bags isn't always about using different fabric.  Sometimes, our classic bag patterns get a whole revamp.  Remember our reversible totes (the very 1st bag made for sale here)?  This was recently re-made with a special girl in mind.

Remember her?

 She's Anne of Green Gables.  HSH made a lap quilt based on her motif last year (link).  This quirky and optimistic orphan had inspired many with her adventures.  So, we got an order to make a Anne of Green Gables tote.  It was a tall order as I wanted to do justice to such a charming girl.  It would not be an ordinary tote.  It would have to be one-of-a-kind, as unique as the girl who's featured on it and the girl who'll be carrying it.

We managed to find complementary print fabric to match it.  The boy on the top right corner is Gilbert (Anne's childhood nemisis-turned-teenage-good-friend).  I wish he and Anne will just get together - I'm reading the 3rd Anne book now and she's still fighting shy.  I heard that they eventually do end up together.

Hey, did you notice the lace I've added?  I think it's detail like this that gives a nice touch.  See?  even the floral trimming at the top gives this bag a rather boho look.  I decided to use denim as the main material so that this bag doesn't end up too girly. 

I know the picture is a bit crooked and the trimming is not even in width, but that adds to the charm of this handmade bag.  If you want a perfect bag, go buy it from the many pushcarts selling cheap bags factory-made en masse in China.

Besides making bags based on our classic designs, a customer challenged us to make a bag based on a famous design.  This, is the Sanibel bag, a design by the famous Amy Butler (I love her fabric designs too!).

 

It's a huge tote, with many, many pockets.  The last we counted, there were 16 pockets in this bag, 3 on the outside front, 3 on the outside back, 2 on each side of the bag, 3 on the inside front and 3 on the inside back.  While we always relished a challenge, we were rather intimidated by this bag.

Luckily, this customer referred us to several crafters who managed to make this bag.

 

Armed with their instructions, we attempted to make a prototype of the Sanibel bag.  And this is the result...

Hmm, I think we did quite a good job, if I may say so myself.

You've got the pockets on the inside.  Besides this one pocket featured, we've got 3 more pockets on the other inside. Then, there were all the pockets on the outside and the sides.  Really, we were quite overwhlemed with pockets by the time we were done.  I would be losing all my stuff in so many pockets!

Pockets are not the only distinguishing feature of this bag.  It is also expandable.

All in all, we think it's a very cool bag.  Something I'll be proud to carry around.

Hey, maybe it'll become HSH's nex "IT" (as in "popular/trendy" and not "information technology", duh) bag!  You say? 

Commissioned Bags (Part 1)

We've been busy making some commissioned pieces for new and old customers.  I especially like doing commissioned pieces where the customer provides the fabric.  We get a lof of interesting fabric we otherwise would not have seen because these people tend to order from overseas.  After fondling and drooling over them for a bit, here's what I have made

Don't you love the cute Russian dolls?  These figurines are very popular designs for fabric and I've certainly seen my share of them.  But I've not seen the dolls in such huge sizes.

These are some of my favourite dolls.

 

Here's a non-traditional interpretation.

What exactly is the story behind these dolls?  Tinkerbelle shared a funny story about the dolls.  She bought a set of 8 of these dolls from Turkey, which she proudly displayed in decreasing sizes in her bathroom.  One day, she noticed that there were only 6 of them left.  She continued to monitor and true enough, one by one went missing with each passing day.  She asked her husband whether he's seen them and he sheepishly admitted that he had been putting them back into the largest doll and hoping she didn't notice.  After all, they all looked the same, so there is no need to display all of them them, he reasoned.  Sigh, you can't argue with that logic.

Another bag which had been made from fabric from my colleague was this.

Where do they get these fabric?  I enjoyed making this bag because this bag is so symbolic of KO.  As I sewed, I remembered all the lovely cupcakes (amongst many other yummies) she has so generously made for me and the rest of my colleagues over the past few years.

Don't they already make you hungry?

These customers had a great suggestion and this may become a feature of HSH's service.  They both asked if I could make a small bag for their daughters from the leftover fabric.   That made sense - after all, what else can they do with the leftover fabric since they don't sew.  Also, it seems that everytime these mommies bring home their bags, it would be "kapoked" by their daughters who want to be like mommy.  So, it also makes sense to make one just for the little girls.

So, here goes.

Oh, these bags are cute!  Especially the cupcakes one because it is quite small.  But wait, why is there another baby bag snuck in?  Ah, you just wait.  It's made from the leftovers of another commissioned bag in the making.  Yup!  Another very unique Russian doll fabric.

Now, if only I can persuade these mommies to take a photo with their daughters each carrying matching bags, wouldn't that be lovely?

P/S:  Check out my update on my post "My very own Cath Kidston bag (a proper real one)" Link  I've been spending again :) Hey, what's with these emoticons?  I seem rather fond of them today.

Our Christmas Orders

In my last post, I mentioned that Tinkerbelle single-handedly held the fort while I slogged at the office.  Would you believe what a mean sewing machine she was?  Here are some of the things she made.

Our eco-bags proved to be popular in this increasingly environmentally-friendly climate.  She added a nice touch by adding red silk ribbons for the trimming.

I think she, like, made a gadzillion of these.  Maybe I'll start seeing people carrying these in the streets of Singapore :)

Another popular gift item for Christmas was our mushroom keychains.  

 

Oh, how I hated making those because it involves a lot of hand-sewing.  But Tinkerbelle was not deterred and she made them all by herself.  Here are some and counting...

 

Don't you love the riot of colours?

And for very special someones, she even found the time to make these very limited editions containers.

I was not that special someone :(  Just kidding.  I was really grateful to all the hard work she put in to keep HSH going.  

We would also like to thank all of you for your support and orders.  Believe me, there were many times when, overwhelmed by our other commitments, we felt like giving up.  But your enthusiasm for what we do and constant encouragement persuaded us otherwise.  So, we're back and let's hope 2010 will bring with it more fun creations!

P/S:  I know it is rather late in the month to still be talking about christmas and new year hopes, but I was otherwise pre-occupied with work. So, what's new?

Flower Brooch

I don't know whether you noticed but I decorated the Hippie Bag with a flower brooch (my miserable token of a contribution).  Anyway, I've recently learnt to make these 3D flower brooches and think that they are very pretty.  Not just for decorating bags but also for wearing.

Here is my collection so far...

(minus one.  Tinkerbelle loved the brooch so much, she kapoked one for herself)

I'm thinking of making more in brighter colours.  What colour would you like?

The brooch sells for $10 (without leaves) and $15 (with leaves).

The Hippie Bag

I confess that since my work project last month, I haven't been very inspired to make any bag.  Oh, the needles have not been neglected.  I have been busy with my personal projects (which I will share with you one day).  But I just can't find it in me to drag out the cutting mat and sewing machine to start making bags.

So thank goodness for the ever-diligent Tinkerbelle, who single-handedly held the fort.  Not only did she fulfill lots of Christmas orders (we're rich again!), she found time to make this bag.

I call this the hippie bag because I recall in the 70s (yes, I'm that old), such bags were very trendy.  I even have such a bag myself!  Now, with retro being all the rage, this bag is suddenly very fashionable.  Of course, we've infused our own style by replacing the psychedelic print with floral print and decorated it with antique lace.  Don't you think it's pretty?  I love the round wooden handles.  It makes the bag very unique.


As usual, the inside of the bag is just as pretty as the outside.

Hehe, I've stuffed my toy elephants inside.  Long story behind those elephants - I got them free from a Bangkok hotel I stayed in during one intensive work project many years ago.  I had been in negotiations from 8am one day to 8am the next day and had to rush off to catch a 12noon flight.  But I was really tired, so I called the operator and asked for a morning call at 10am.  The poor operator was very confused because it was already 8am.  Anyway, to cut a long story short, these elephants serve to remind me of a very memorable life experience for me.


The Hippie bag measures 12" (H) X 14" (W) X 2.5" (D).  It sells for $40 (brooch not included).  It's the most expensive bag we are selling so far but the handles cost us a fortune.  I don't think we'll be making another of this bag, so this is truly one of a kind.

My very own Cath Kidston bag (a proper real one!)

Update as at 24 January 2010
I'm so excited and just had to share this with you.  I found and bought a storage box which has the same theme of colours that I like so much.

Don't you think it looks like something Cath Kidston would design?  But it's not or else I wouldn't have been able to afford it.  I just love the rose fabric and the matching polka dot cover.  Let me know if you see any similarly patterned item, yah?  I may just start a collection.

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

 


In my past posts, you've read about my quest to own a Cath Kidston bag (I Love Cath Kidston and This is not a Cath Kidston bag).  Well, this Christmas, I decided to treat myself to a much-deserved christmas gift.


See what came in the post on Christmas Day?

My cousin came back from England for the holidays and kindly lugged my online orders back for me.  Don't you love the beautiful and very festive packaging?

Ok, ok, I know you're impatient to see the contents.  So, without further ado...

This is a bucket bag - the real bucket bag.  Don't you love it?  I especially like the pockets on the sides - which came in very handy for handphone and housekeys.

This is what CK calls a handbag.  But I think it is so much more.  It's really sturdy, well-constructed and capacious.  Ideal for traveling.  You can put your passport and other documentation in the front pocket.

This is a knitting bag.  It's really long and can fit all my knitting needles.  Currently, I have three knitting projects stowed in it - ready for me to bring on the go.

All the bags come in oilskin - a waterproof material which further makes the bags very functional.  I don't have to worry about them getting wet. You know what I like best about CK bags - it's the vintage print.  And I so, so love the combination of pale blue with red roses.  See?  It permeates my life.

 

My bag collection

My bedlinen 

(ok, so it's crumpled.  But at least I made my bed)

My Wallpaper

(ok, so the blue isn't obvious.  

I live in the West and the strong afternoon fades everything)

You should be seeing a lot more of such influences in future HSH creations, so remember to check in often!

Happy 2010!

Happy 2010! May 2010 be filled with happiness, new challenges and good health.

Moo! Happy New Year!

This is the first entry from the Felt Team as HSH Team is still on holiday. We thought we should just keep this blog updated in case you all forget us.

Pardon my fabby arms, Mommy Felt must work out

in the gym again after all those feasting!

After all the traveling, bustling, shopping, wrapping gifts, partying and gatherings, the Felt Team have settled down and started on a few projects. Grandma Felt made a navy blue flowery bag as a Christmas gift. It really look good with dark-coloured clothes and jeans. Yet it still maintained a feminine look.

On the other hand, Mommy Felt made some handphone, iPhone and external harddisk pouches as gifts for friends. The strawberries really look nice on the red felt. You can also request for your friend’s name to be sewn on the pouches. It’s definitely more personal and unique. Don’t you want to order one for yourself or your friends now?

Note : Hello Kitty doll not included.

The dimension for the phone pouch is 12.5cm(H) x 7.5 cm(W) and 15cm(H) x 9cm(W) for the iPhone pouch. Retailing at $7 and $10 respectively.