Two Bags: On the Auction Block!

Click over to this post to bid on the rosey posey that you see above, on yours truly.

Or how about wearing a piece of art across your bod? Click here to bid.

Rosie

A few of my favourite things: mossy green fuzzy fabric; some deep red burgandy; and a gorgeous rose covered tapestry. Top that all off with some fabulous vintage buttons.

The shoulder strap contains bits of cushion cover, quilting pieces, plaid shirt, and a pretty piece of burgandy, pink, and green floral from Lettuce. (who is kind. And loverly. They have boot sales and tag sales where she's from. And lots of truly old buildings. *sigh*)

A velcro closure keeps your keys, phone, and bags of money safe.

And hey- you can fit like.....FIVE cd's in that space!

Rosie is 7" across; 9" tall, and 4.5 " on the side.

She looks great all year round, but she is particularly lovely with the onset of colder weather upon us.

Like her? Want her?

Bids on Rosie begin at $25.00 Cdn. Leave your bid in the box. Leave your comment there too, and don't be shy.

I'm going to leave this auction open all week, and finish it off on Sunday, October 31 2010 at 10:00 AM, cst.

Cheese and Trees

So a couple of years ago, my husband was experimenting with some art form or other. He used cheese cloth and different colours of die. The result was exquisate, and I asked to keep that piece of coloured cheese cloth. It sat in my myriad piles of ideas until recently, when I turned it into the face of a messenger bag.

I started out by arranging some thicker, ropier thread in the shape of an unruly tree. Then I placed the cheese cloth over top and ran along the tree outline with the sewing machine.

The blend of colours and the places for your eye to wander is sort of delightful.

The buttons add a dimension of texture that compliments the thread picture, the cheese cloth, and the array of subtlety in colour.

A piece of swirly, mustard and purple, yellow and green fabric from Trinidad goes absolutely perfectly with this piece.

(for you, janice- a little cameo by Floey)

Turned inside out, we've got three pockets. A small one made from the edge of an old table cloth. A large one with party reindeer, fashioned from the bottoms of my daughter Jane's jammy pants. And on the other side, a button up shirt that I bought at the thrift shop that looks way better here than it did draped on the likes of me.

One of Loretta's scarfs brighten up the shoulder strap, and goes really well with the fabric from Trinidad, some corduroy, and a strap of patchwork that needed a home.

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This bag measures roughly 12" x 12.5" with a side measurement of ~4 ".

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The auction will conclude at 10:00 am cst on Sunday, October 31, 2010.

Bag News

Last night I dreamed that my wall was covered in bags 4 Darfur.

There were bags in my basement, and bags in the hall.

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The cat woke me early, and my thoughts soon drifted pleasantly to time on the computer with no children vying for their place in the queue. Coffee in hand, I opened my first e-mail:

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"....glad you're enjoying the lack of pressure, joyce. change is good, take your time!"

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And I am- dreams and nagging thoughts aside, I am.

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For the past few years, I'd gotten up early, worked the sewing machine and camera for some time, then put in a day of child care and a day and an evening of parenting. I sewed and photographed and posted and sold. I had a enough energy; afternoon naps with the children notwithstanding.

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I wish I could keep going at top speed indefinitely. But I firmly believe in rest as necessary and restorative. I impatiently wait for something new and wonderful to be birthed of it. Meanwhile, I applied for some craft sales in my area, and agreed to participate in an event at Providence College.

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When I learned that the craft sale was closed to participants, I felt strangely relieved. I'm not through with resting.

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Meanwhile, there is a sense of urgency for our people in the Sudan who have no choices. No rest.

And I miss the camaraderie of the bag blog.

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Having said all that, I've decided to post two bags for the upcoming week.

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I'll return to the bidding format, and leave the bags "on the block" for a number of days.

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In other news, if you're in the area, the social concerns committee at Providence College (Otterburne, Manitoba) is hosting an event to promote social justice in Africa. I'll be presenting a short speech on the evening of November the 3 at 8:00 pm and providing some bags for sale.

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Stay tuned, and thanks for caring!

bits and pieces

Floey has become most addled at the lack of media attention as of late.

Her human, on the other hand, has been enjoying the liberty of finishing nothing.
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No race to move from the creative joy of design into the necessary finishing touches of shoulder strap assembly and thread clipping. Simply a wild abandon of flitting from design to idea, and back again. Both berninas are happily whirring along and continue to insist on running out of bobbin thread at the most inoppurtune of times.

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And, I have yet to discover a practical way to actually operate two berninas simultaneously. Imagine the production potential!

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Thank you all for your patience as I bumble my way along this journey of supporting sisters in the Darfur region of Sudan. How priveleged are we that so many options and choices are available? They, meanwhile, suffer continued violence and rape, lack of basic supplies, and inadequate housing in a camp far away from home.

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In my place of priveleged freedom, I am enjoying the creative freedom to just sew. No 6:00 am photo shoots for now. No daily deadlines.

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As for you, if you're curious as to what I've been up to, you can double click on any image and it will enlarge itself. There are a couple of pieces that I'm working on that I'm planning to talk about in greater detail, as time allows. (and when my &%^$#@ laptop gets repaired and returned to me once again)

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If you're in the area, go to the thrift shop this morning. I rode by there last night on my basket bearing Hiawatha and noted women scurrying about with every manner of Christmas loot. I'm being pretty darned generous telling you this, since I won't be able to make it there myself. Try not to get all the good stuff, ok? I'll be hunkered down here with Floey the cat, a bernina on each side, and minions of preschoolers.

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peace.