Yep - still alive, AND I've been sewing!!!

It's been a while since I've posted and need to do some catch up posts about our New Zealand trip, my cute swap clothes that Jack got from my swap partner and my birthday FQs from the swap I'm in (that one will have to wait till Monday because I'm not allowed to open them until then). We've all been sick and I had Jack home all week with a chest infection so there has been very little time-out over the last month.

Last weekend I forced myself to get everything done so I could sit down and sew for a few hours and I've finally got my first little bags finished. These were started as part of the EB March sewing challenge. I'd already made the big version of the bag and wanted to try some samller evening bag styles. With the help of the lovely Kate (here: http://ernstfamilylife.blogspot.com/ ) who drafted a small pattern and sent me a copy, I've made these two little bags.

I call them my Maggie-Kate bags.

Hard to get good pics of the fabric, and please excuse the background. The blue fabric was bought before Christmas to make a bag for a friend and as it never got made she may get this one. I love the button - the blues sparkle and catch the light. It was hiding down the bottom of my button stash and looked better than a covered button.

The brown is made from a fabric a saw and just had to have. it isn't quite a paisley but that's the easiest way to describe it and has a green and ochre pattern on a lovely brown background. It doesn't have shiny gold print but sort of gives the impression that it does. I've got this fabric with a burgandy toning too and can't wait to use it. It worked so well in the bag. All the girls at work loved this one - I'm tossing up about giving it away or keeping it. This one has a button covered in the same fabric.

And here's the tricky bit. Turn both bags inside out and you get a totally diferent one. The brown is on the left and the blue on the right. Both have special vintage buttons from my stash.

I've got some altered versions of these on the go. I'm trying them with heavy weight interfacing on one fabric as well as the light pellon I used on the other fabric. I'm narrowing the handle slightly. I'm going to make one without pellon and one without the pleat.

I'm also wanting to make another version of my Margaret Bag (in my January post) but add some zippered pockets to make it a bit more user-friendly. It went all around New Zealand with us and I got some lovely compliments and handed the pattern on to quite a few people. I'd also like to make a mid-size version for when I don't need to cart nappies and toys with me!