New lining for a shoulder bag

The lining is more like interfacing than proper fabric

A few years ago, my parents got me a bag which they'd got embroidered with my name while they were on holiday.

The embroidery is really nice and the bag is a useful size, but the manufacturing quality of the bag isn't great - I had to reattach the strap as it frayed and detached within a week of getting it, and after a few years use the lining was all ripped so I kept losing things inside the bag.
So I decided to re line it with a bit of fabric I had (it was a fat quarter from a bundle I got a while ago)
Step one - remove the existing lining, detach the strap and prepare two rectangles of fabric for the new lining

 Step two - hem the top edge of the lining fabric which will be attached to the opening of the bag
Step three - sew on the fabric wrongly to the bag so that there are raw edges inside the bag

Oh no! 

Step four - spend an evening unpicking all the seams from step three (you can skip steps three and four! I'm bad at this)
Step five - pin and sew together the two rectangles of lining fabric right sides together
Step six - pin lining to the opening of the bag front and back so you can sew around it in a circle and carefully sew it.

Step seven - reattach the straps

And it's done! Looks much better than it did before, I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Clothkits peekaboo birdie dress

When we were children, my mum used to make clothes for me and my sisters from Clothkits and when I found out that the company had been re-started, I asked for a kit for my birthday present so I could make something for my daughter.
I then put off making it for ages but I finally got around to it over Christmas and it was easier than I expected!

Main fabric pieces cut out

Cutting out the lining fabric

The instructions were clear and easy to follow, though as I was making a bigger size I did have to re-sew the arm hole seams as the lines for the smallest size were still showing (clothkits have the pattern printed on the fabric so you don't need to trace from the paper pattern - of course this also means you can't re use the pattern unless you traced it from the fabric before you start (which I didn't).

Ready for sewing

The small one was very interested in my sewing machine so she helped wind the handle!

My little helper

I did have a bit of trouble with my buttonhole attachment but once I sorted that out the buttonholes came out really neat. I had several practices on some fabric offcuts to make sure they would be the correct size.

Buttonholes and buttons added

I also have a kit to make a hat and bag to match the dress so if she wants those too, I'll let her help a bit more with those!

In her new dress! 

This was the "peekaboo birdie dress" which I made in age 3 size. Here's the link if you want to make it yourself : Clothkits

UFO review post

Back in April, I posted about some of my unfinished projects. Most of these are still unfinished but I've done three:
Crochet shawl (which my friend no longer needed, but my daughter has claimed as her "green blanket")

The quilted square (still not quite sure what to do with this to be honest)

My mending pile 

Not done yet:
Dress - started May 2016. 75% complete

Fabric baby book - started 2007. 5% complete. I know a few people having babies in 2020 so I might get around to doing this eventually

Camp blanket - started 2000 ish. I might get around to this at some point as I could do with another blanket.

Kingfisher cross stitch - started 2003. 60% complete. I've just got back into cross stitch over Christmas so the next cross stitching I do will be this.

New UFOs:
Crochet hat - I was going to make my friends some hats, and I found a pattern, but somehow I gave up halfway through so I will probably just unravel it and use the wool for something else.
Bag - I was going to make a laptop bag for work but then I got a backpack for it instead so not sure what I'm going to do about this. 25% complete.

Next up is a dress that my mum got me from Clothkits which I need to make up before my daughter gets too big for it!