Playground bag

I used a tote with purse organizer during our playground trips for years. After found a new confidence in sewing, I wanted a new tote that has it all.

Surfing Pinterest for weeks to find the perfect bag, I decided it has to be a messenger. Wanted to carry within my netbook, so final dimensions are 11 x 9.5 x 3 inches. Handle length is 42 inches.

The following tutorials were used:

• messenger bag pattern by Amber, I changed the dimensions but the construction is the same,
• recessed zipper closure by April,
• pocket zipper tutorial by Michelle.

Notes to further improvement:

• I thought that upholstery fabric would be sturdy enough to skip batting. Seen the end result, I was obviously wrong. The shape of the bag is built with the proper interfacing, which is missing in this bag.
• There is no pocket on the top flap. Could have been useful to add, but then again it would change the shape of it. So, this point is a big question mark.
• As per Amber's tutorial, the handle is the same width as the bag depth. I changed the dimensions of her design so my handle got too wide, it is wrinkling all the time.

Unfortunatelly, this post turned into a negative tone, however I use and like this messenger very much. For the first bag fabrication it was not bad, and I will keep learning.
Enough negativity, I let the pictures talk.

 

I used some upholstery fabric as main fabric and some remnant jersey (the black polka dots) as accent inside. Lining was a grey jersey skirt of my mother and parts of an ikea duvet.

Cargo Duffle Bag

It was a really long time since I wrote anything in here. Cannot decide was the last year too busy or too casual.
We were preparing for kindergarden and somehow there was no time to blog. I stitched here and there but noting really special. And then I had to sew special bedding suitable for the little beds in the kindergarden and than it hit me. I sewed it by hand and swore I will learn how to use a sewing machine.
Bought an old but good Brother model second hand. And started to pin tutorials and tips.

I wanted to go big or go home and spotted this beauty of a bag. Yesterday was it's debut, since we managed to spend the weekend at our personal spa, ahem ... at my mother's house.

Studied several bags made by much more experienced bagmakers to narrow down the pattern mix I liked. Also went through that part of my closet that contains the cannot-wear-them-but-I-cannot-part-with-them stuff.

The pattern designer is Anna aka Noodlehead - who has much more pattern I will try. The pattern itself is a free pattern and can be found here. Contains a detailed instruction as well. I also used the SAL entries of Sophie to make the job easier.

  
I used an old Kookai skirt as the main fabric. Luckily found some coordinating brown upholstery fabric and an old torn jeans. 
At the time of the cutting I was not aware of the variety of interfacing that can be used - so I used medium weight fusible interfacing (that I had on hand) for both exterior and interior fabric. The lining is some not stretching jersey (?) I picked up from my mother's stash. 

I have to say, this bag consists of either reused or vintage fabric.

Poppy seed cake with apple sauce

Last year, the cake of the country was poppy seed cake with apple. (Sorry it is in Hungarian, but the original recipe!!!) During the year several bakers work on their recipes and a jury has to decide which is the best. And the winner will be announced formly on the Foundation Day, on 20th August. And it is the best cake ever. I am still collecting the courage to bake it.
But until that, here it is the cheap version of it. The base was just found on Judit's blog, Only Puffin Marmalade ... you know one of the Bud Spencer classics. During the weekend I went through her recepies of 5 years. Huge. I pinned a lot of them.
Definitelly worth the try. See below my version.

POPPY SEED CAKE WITH APPLE SAUCE

For the cake:
Preheat the oven for 180 °C. Stir in a bowl 320 g flour, 5 g baking powder, a little salt, 65 g grinded poppy seed, 75 g candied lemon peel and 75 g candied orange peel. These will be the dry ingredients. For the wet ingredients: stir 4 eggs and 225 g sugar till it get light colored. Give to it 225 g melted butter, 5 tsp yoghurt and 3 tsp lemon juice. Finally, give the dry ingredients to the wets spoon by spoon during stirring. Put it into a buttered, 26 cm diameter cake form and bake it for 45 mins.
For the sauce:
In a saucepan combine 2 peeled, cored and chopped apples with 100 ml apple juice. Cover and cook for 5 mins. Then give it a good sir with food processor and add 125 g yoghurt. Cook for another 5 mins till he sauce start stiffing. And that is it.
I did not add any sugar to the sauce, because he apple juice was very sweet. And of course you can add cinnamon or any other spices. I did not because I thought than it would be too much flavor.
The soft texture of the cake was so delicious with the warm sauce. Even my son ate half a slice, despite of he does not like sweets. That's odd, because I have never thought there is someone who doesn't like sweets. I could eat them all day long ... OK, OK, and I do!
Enjoy!

  
Hugs, 

Fabric roses

Easter flewn away by a tiny snowstorm, and because of my used up battery and the few cheer I could find in the weather ... not much pictures were taken. Also missed to show my new sauce boat in scene ... ayh. Found a new recipe of lemon dream ... will share it next week, because I will throw a dinner party and that will be the dessert.
Due to weather and teething and other spring illnesses, I missed both parties organized by friends. So no Easter presents were made for them. Only for the little girl of my best friend got her little roses. Based on the tutorial of Helen at Scrap a little!.

Love,
      

At a fleah market

Last weekend was mother's day. All the time. On Saturday my husband cooked for the whole family and on Sunday morning I got to Veszprém, to the Fleah Market. I read soo much about it, I had to visit. The trip was absolved with my best friend and afterwards we agreed that this little time without the kids gave us so much, we have to repeat this in a couple of weeks. To reload our batteries.
I felt like a millionaire. I could buy everything I like (because it was so cheap) and everybody was very nice to me (because they wanted me to buy their stuff).
I spent 2250 HUF = almost 10$ for this. I also bought a roller to my son, that is not on the pictures.
2 old sewing books, because I got to sewing again. One is from 1976 and I would wear any of its design. The other one is an old how-to bible. A sauce boat to serve Eastern dips for Monday breakfast ... in white. The small plate is for the spring flower, which was so patient with me (and so can live spring). And the small wooden box for future cross stitch project.

Love,