Checkers

What I believe is the last piece of this glorious retro fabric that I found in St Pierre. But you know how that goes.... (she says, swimming her way through remnants....)
This bag is such fun to make because of the different colour combos that are possible to draw out out.


Jane is missing part of her pants again.... Oh, darnit. They got sewn into a bag! (not the leopard print, silly. That's probably from my fortieth birthday party.)

Whaddya say?
6 pm, cst; blah, blah, blah.

Feeling Groovey

Slow down, you move too fast.... Got to make the good times last....
Her innards are so pretty, you'll wish it was backwards/inside-out day every day.
And they say modern women have abandoned the kitchen apron..... Pffffffft. Chenille:
From the French word for 'caterpillar,' a fancy special-effect yarn of soft, hairy texture. In the past it was made from silk, but it is now usually made from cotton.
This bedspread was unceremoniously ripped down the middle, then dyed deep blue and fuschia/red. It goes perfectly with the strap, which is a gorgeous fabric from Trinidad. Almost as if it was planned.....

Feeling groovey?

Leave your mark in the comments. At 6 pm cst, I'll be back to see who put down the highest number. Remember that this is not about the bags so much as it is about feeding and sheltering. The bags just add joy to the mix.

The Budget Ecoist

Recently, the Bags 4 Darfur project got a shout-out over at the The Budget Ecoist, where we help you go green on a budget. Check out our tips for recycling and reusing everyday items, our reviews of eco-friendly products, and share your tips in our green chat.

The Budget Ecoist:

http://www.thebudgetecoist.com/archive/bags-for-a-cause-green-fashion
www.thebudgetecoist.com

Check it out!

"Ken's Vest"

My daughter really likes this bag; so does my husband. I love the way it turned out, but it hurts my heart to look at it. June 27 is my brother's birthday. He would be 45 today, but he died of cancer two years ago.

My brother was a lawyer, known for his work with the First Nations people.

I bought this vest after his death, as it reminded me of the way he liked to dress. He looked really great in a vest. He looked great in anything, actually.... When he was in high school he used to wear ratty grey sweaters that he would mend with old necklace chains. And he was really popular with everyone. When he tired of his clothes, I would fight his girlfriend for them. I loved his old levis, and old jackets with fifty million pockets on them.

I wore this vest a few times.



I bought it because it made me think of Ken.

The details: This bag has two side panel pockets, one on each side. All the pockets on the vest front are also functional. I don't know how well they'd hold your change though, since you'd be flipping them over every time you opened the bag....

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There are two more pockets on the inside. The strap is adjustable, as always.
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Don't bid on this bag because it has a sad story. Bid on it if you like the way it looks, and you want something sad to land up being for some good for someone, somewhere. The bidding will end at 6:00 pm CST, as usual. I will be away for Saturday and Sunday, but on Monday I hope to have another bag to post.

Thanks for your support.

"Contour Plowing"

This fabric has shown up before; in "camp without a camper", and just a few days ago in "Boler". I still think of an old camper every time I look at those brown and green angular lines, but let's keep in mind that my labels from the 1961 Children's Illustrated Dictionary; letters Bu to Di; can be somewhat limiting.....!Hence, this bag is called "Contour Plowing". It has a lot of contours.

This plower got paired up with some fresh flowers. You can see the cell phone/ key pocket hidden in the side panel there.
And today, she fail-eth not to show the inner workings of the bag's contours. You'll see Jane's pants there, conveniently adding not one, but three pockets for your stuff. Opposite the pant pockets is another large pocket in bright green.


Now, Carla, I know you are waiting over there on your end! I hope you are not crushed when you see this near duplicate of your Boler. But its no fun camping on your own, so let's see who else feels nostalgic about camping in the 70's. (Not that we did, much. But those fabrics still have a grip on me....)

It goes without saying that your name and numerical number starts us off for the day, and that the auction will wind up this evening. I will be "away from the desk" at 6:00 CST, but that's when the auction will close, nonetheless. I will be unable to respond until later this evening to indicate who the bag goes home with, but the bag will be awarded to the highest number according to blogger time of 6:00 pm.

I'd just like to take a second to say "thank you". Again.

"Container"

Are they pepper mills? Or coffee bean grinders? Or something entirely else-ish? Only the people who used to have these beauties hanging in their kitchen window will ever really know. But one thing is for sure. Now that they've been whipped up into a Darfur bag; the are part of a marvelous container- a bag that will contain all the stuff you need to walk out into your world, shoulders squared, and make a difference.

I must confess that this red bit with the grindy things on it is a real favourite of mine. I love the green branch accents, the red, green, and gold, and the "old-ness" of the print. I keep thinking that I've used up the last bit of these curtains, and then another piece will surface from the bottom of an XXL ziploc bag and I'm happy all over again. The same goes for the burgandy fabric with the plaid strips sewn on. I keep bumping into more remnants of it, and I never do tire of it.

Toned down and paired up with deep red and bold black, this bag is a happy eye-catcher.
From 6:00-ish to exactly 6:00, central standard time, I will be checking to see who would like to hang this beaut from their very own shoulder.

"The Cedar"

Nothing outrageous about this bag. She's just steady like a rock. Or a cedar.
Can't get enough of that reliable brown.

If you are weighted down with the cares of the world (or just a lot of heavy books), this bag is going to see you through. Every inch of her exterior is made up of a durable variety.

As for me? I'll be having a splashing good time at the water slides with my school kids today. It's the annual field trip, and nobody wants to miss the oppurtunity to catch a glimpse of my physique unveiled in the bright lights of a hot sun.

But I'll be back to see this Cedar through to six oclock, central standard time.

You know the drill. Leave your name with a dollar amount and the highest supporter will see the bag on their very own shoulder.

"The Boler"

My friend Lory has an old camper that is round and little, and is referred to as a boler. When our kids were little and tied to our ankles like burrs, we used to gaze across our yards to the parking spot where her boler was parked and we would plan to get into that boler one night with amaretto and a pack of cards. I don't like cards, but I love Lory, and amaretto, and the concept of hanging out in a boler.
I think I'll retire in a boler. Or maybe I'll purchase one at a yard sale, paint bright daisies on it, put it in the back yard and turn it into a hangout.

For me. And my bernina.It will have curtains and throw cushions in outrageous colours and patterns. The prairie winds will blow through it and wave those curtains about recklessly.

But in the meantime... we've got this boler. The psychodelic green and yellow is rescued from a camper, I imagine. It was purchased at a yard sale. One of those really bad yard sales where everything smells like dumaurier and has boxes and boxes of really rotten movies and romance novels. (I washed it, silly.) The greens and yellows got paired up with a grand old hand stitched quilt, and some bright, happy green from Brian's sister; who incidentally loves to camp with her crew. This bag has a bonus pocket under the flap, as well as the side panel pocket, and two inside pockets. Summer blew into our town just this past Monday. We've had seven days of summer now, after a painfully cold winter, and equally painfully slow spring. A hard-earned 27 degrees calls for some uninhibited celebration in splashy tones. This bag just screams beach.

For $25.00, we can start the games. At six oclock, central standard time, the bag will go to the highest donater. Remember, that in North America, we have the privelege of dreaming of camping. There are people who wish for a tarp to keep them dryer in the rain, and who never quite get used to the feeling of starving to death. As much as I would love to drive down the trans-Canada and throw bags out the window with great abandon, this project is about the people of Darfur.

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And I for one, am blown away by your goodness.

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Welcome to Monday. Meet me in the boler; we can start out with coffee if you like.