The Last of the Dog Trial Purses

Since I made two purses for the Dog Trial with the rosettes from the award ribbons, I had the printed ribbons left over. I just couldn't throw these away. My feeling of using and not wasting kept gnawing at me. So, I decided to make this one the last. It has ribbons on the front and the back. I used the same web belting that I had used on the other one. The main trouble that I ran into is that the ribbons are very beautiful and lush when they are awarded, the fabric of the ribbons is very cheap. So I had to be very careful and exact when I sewed the ribbon. If I over sewed and then corrected by pulling out thread, it would show. Darn! But after coping with that and also allowing forgiveness on my part, I finished the purse.
The dog trial is next Saturday, so I will find out how well they are received!
This is the front of the fanny pack. The colors of the ribbons may not be familiar to you but they are

"Roaring Twenties" in Today's View

This is my interpretation of what women in the 1920's would have liked to wear. This is a "Fanny Pack" purse. It goes around the waist, opens freely to retrieve items. There is no fighting with zippers. It is cut Velvet, multi-hued and wonderful to the touch. I have added square cut Malachite beads and African Jade round beads. I so enjoy decorating my purses with jewels. I don't often have a chance but this fabric called out loud and clear for me to decorate it. I had to dye the belt to go with the purse colors. I lined the purse with a matching dark avocado green Silk.
Here is a close up of the many hues of the fabric and a close up of the square cut Malachite.
I have to say how much fun that I had making this purse. It is another one that came to me "whole cloth" in the middle of the night. It took some time to get all the parts I needed but every piece that I imagined arrive in time.

I Find This Funny

I think that if one can understand another's sense of humor, one could go a long way in understanding their psychology.
Now, I am not really fond of rabbits but I am exceptionally fond of cats. When I look at this kitten's face and the surprise on it, I laugh. Here he finds that these creatures are very much like he is but something is different. His little paw is up and it is like he can't figure if he should bolt and run or just plain ol' slap the bunnies face. But I never have the feeling he just will be friends. It capsulizes the enigma of life!
Oh, what to do, what to do?

My Last Offer for the Dog Club

Since I had so many dog ribbons left over I decided to make another bag for the Dog Club Raffle. My darling niece gave me this Chenille fabric sample and the whole idea came to me whole.
I used the same fabric for the lining (the map fabric) that I had used in the first purse. I put elastic on the ends, just to give it a little more of a profile.
Altogether it was made fast and fun. I hope that the people, who come to the trial, will enjoy my efforts.

Dog Raffle Donation

I belong to a dog club. It is an American Kennel Club "recognized club". We have a trial every year. A trial is where people bring their dogs to show off their obedience abilities. It is a challenge to train dogs. And it takes a lot of time to do it right. I did train Frida and when we entered a trial someone set off a fire cracker and that ended our "trial" experience.
However, I like the people and really enjoy the dogs.
One of the ways that we make money at the trial is to have a raffle. We raffle off baskets of dog goodies, tickets to fast food restaurants, dog pillows and for the last two years, Pat Sieler's bag donations.
This is a fanny pack where the trainers can put treats to reward good behavior. The decorations are the rosettes that are from the ribbons that are awarded to the wonderful dogs. When I make the bags for the trial donation, I integrate dog ideas.
This one was fun to make.

Weekend Beach or Shopping Bags

I think that I have re-discovered my love of quilting. I look at Sew Me Something Good frequently and this lady is a master quilter, plus she seems to have fun doing it. Since I started sewing I would save my large scrapes. This was probably a hang over from making doll clothes. But then my Grandmother gave me a roll of batting (batting is used between the pieced top layer and the bottom layer, then one sews or tacks the 3 layers together), which confirmed that one day I would make a quilt. I made my first quilt when I was about 25. It was a baby quilt for a friend. I used my batting. The roll got smaller and smaller. At some point I realized that one does not have to have a batting filler. I have used flannel sheets, lightweight blankets and heavy knit cotton. Now, I know that there are many choices of batting but I always prefer to use what is at hand. But since the roll cotton batting is long gone. my next quilt will probably have to have "store bought" batting.
I was inspired to make these bags because of the Ghana nightgown that I just made. As I said before, I can't throw away usable scraps. I went through my Trader Joe bags (where I store my scraps -very high tech!) and came up with the rest of the pieces.
I lined the bags with fabric that looks like old maps. It is very light and detailed in color. What is intriguing about the print is that it show islands and land masses that do not exist.
I did enjoy this exercise and the re-awakening desire for quilt making.

Weekend Shopping Bags