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.

 

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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).

Home & Decor Idea

I love to read craft blogs and I find that the world is full of people with great talent and certainly, much more leisure time than I.  One of the recurring craft ideas which featured on these blogs is the embroidery hoop frame.

Huh?  Let me show you my experiment.

This is a wall in my home library.  It has always been unadorned because my dear hubby, who isn't exactly Mr Home DIY, has refused to have any nail knocked into the wall.  Well, recently, I bought a whole lot of bamboo embroidery hoops from Spotlight, of different sizes (they were really cheap retailing at $3-$10).  The idea was to wrap my favourite fabric onto these hoops and hang them on the wall, like so.

I double-sided taped the bottom hoop and tucked the excess fabric behind.  I then stuck those 3M hooks (a small one will do as the embroidery hook and fabric are really light) on the wall and hung the hoops on them.  Tada!

While I put together all my favourite fabric to frame, I made do with these patchwork I did two years ago.  This technique is called "kaleidoscope" and making it was as difficult as it was to pronounce and spell this word.  It involved massive precision pinning (I used up a whole box of pins) and fussy cutting with the rotary cutter.  But it was great fun to twist and turn each triangle of fabric, surprising myself with the results.

This is another entirely different-looking pattern from the same fabric (the original fabric featured landscape paintings of stock and flowers).  The permutations are endless and I was hard put to choose my favourite to incorporate into the quilt I made for my parents.  Hence, these two "rejects".  


Back to the framing idea.  I did the maths and concluded that it's much cheaper than buying a regular picture frame or customising your frames.  What's more, it's a clever way of disguising more fabric purchase as home decoration.

Bobo Chacha has been hard at work

While Tinkerbell and I have been fascinating ourselves with bags, BBCC had been secretly hard at work, making lots of keychains!  Be prepared for an onslaught (as we were)....

First up, we have the Heart Flower series.

Here, we have the Cat and yet another Flower series.

 

Don't you like the little touch of humour on the back?

This keychain has intricate beadwork, with lace added for that ultra feminine touch (sounds like an ad for sanitary napkins).

All the above keychains work like the doggy keychain featured here.  Each keychain measures 12cm (H excluding loop at the top) X 9cm.

How do you like a keychain which looks like a House?

This keychain works like the other doggy keychain featured here and measures 11.5cm (H) X 10.5cm (W).

Finally, we have the Mushroom series.  What a riot of colours.

This keychain also works like the House keychain and measures 12.5cm (H) X 12cm (W) or thereabout.  As much as mushrooms come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours, so do these keychains.

Wow!  Aren't you overwhelmed already?  Only BBCC has the patience and skill to undertake such miniscule applique work.  By the way, the keychains are going for S$15 (for Mushroom keychain) and S$25 (for the rest) and you can email us with your order.  They do make practical and unique chirstmas gifts.

But wait, wait... BBCC is not done yet.  Guess what else did she make?

Quilted appliqued flower pouches!  These pouches measure 9cm(H) X 13cm(W) and are handy for stowing knick-knacks.  

Don't you think that after all these, BBCC deserves a rest?  She's done a great jon and we are mighty proud of her handiwork.

P/S:  Please note that some of the items photographed above are not fully completed.  We still need to erase the fabric ink and sew up some sides.  But I was so excited to show you all what BBCC made that I nonetheless grabbed everything to photograph and post, even with BBCC attached to the other ed of the thread trailing from the items.  BBCC disclaims all association with such slip-shod work and the blame of the sub-standard presentation is wholly mine. 

Flea Market Bag

This is our first attempt at creating a Cath Kidston-inspired bag.  It's made from a paper pattern which describes the bag as a flea market bag.  Don't ask me what that means.  All I know is that like the Cath Kidston bag I made, this is one great functional bag and I love it as much too!

This bag can be carried slung over the shoulder, like so.

Or carried Japanes style.

As further punishment for the toothpaste-on-mirror incident, Hubby was FORCED to take photos for me.  This is the 1st time I am photographing a HSH item without having to hold the camera myself, so pardon the awkard clasping of hands.

Unlike the CK bag I made, the flea market bag was a real challenge to make.  It's got like a zillion parts to trace out, cut and sew together.  Of course, this called for the skills of Tinkerbell who, in consultation with Grandmama Felt (an experienced sewer herself), made this.  And she went one up and made this bag reversible (the more observant ones amongst you would already have observed this from the previous photo).  

We figured that as the HSH has become famous for its reversible tote, how could we deny this distinguishing feature to this bag?  In any case, making the bag reversible somehow makes one feel that you are paying the price of one for two bags (easier to justify to the financial controller at home).  We were also careful to choose the fabrics so as to give you two different looks without clashing too much.  
And did you notice the bow-tied handle?  It's not there for mere decoration.  Based on feedback we have received, we noticed that some people like their handles long while other prefer them short (well, I guess that depends on how you carry your bags).  So besides a reversible feature, we now present to you the adjustable handle.  What will we think of next?