Bella Dia

Second Time Around

My second go-around on this handbag went much better. I made some adjustments so the lining fits snug and I made two pockets on the interior, one sized for my cell phone. I also changed the angle on the ends so it's not as dramatic. I'll have to dig through my vintage brooches to see if I can find a pretty one to pin on it or... I could go snooping around on eBay ;)

Here's a close-up
of the interior pocket
and tab closure. This fabric reminds me of carpet bags so that's
what I've named it.

Uptown Handbag

I really love this new fabric I got. It has
such a vintagey feel to it and the colors and design make it work all year round. I've had the pattern for Amy Butler's Madison Bags for awhile now but kept putting off using it because I dread using her patterns. I find them way too tedious but from what I've read they are great for people that are brand new to sewing and learning to follow a pattern. I made the Uptown Handbag and the only change I made was to add a pocket on the inside - all of my bags have to have pockets!

Here's a detail pic
of the closure and pocket. The closure is two tabs with velcro that I like better than I thought I would.
I'm not a big fan of velcro on purses - I hate that scratchy sound ;)

Shop Updated

I've added some fabric flower pins, a purse organizer, and two crocheted bags to the shop. All pretty things to celebrate an early spring, even if it is just in your dreams!

Fuzzy Felted Bag

I've felted some thrift store sweaters but this is the first time I've felted something that I've made. I crocheted this buttonhole bag from Lion Brand Landscapes yarn that says on the label that it felts when you put it in the washer and dryer so I thought I would try it out. You can see in this picture what the original size was in comparison to how much it shrunk. It's been through the wash twice and I suppose it might shrink down more but I'm pretty happy with how it is now so I won't send it through anymore.

I'll be adding a couple of crocheted buttonhole bags to my shop a little bit later. I love them because they are so cozy to carry around!

I had to share this picture of my littlest, Joe, with our cockatiels, Sugar and Pepper, tickling him with their toes!

My Shop is Open!

I'm finally feeling better and we're getting back to our normal schedule :) I'm happy to announce that I got my shop together and hope everyone will take a look at it. It's in the photo albums in the right hand column and it's called Bella Dia Designs. I'll run it from my blog for awhile and see how it goes. I have some more things to add but I wanted to go ahead and get it going, otherwise I'd tweak it to death! Thanks for taking a look :)

We've been sick...

Sorry for the lack of posts lately!
The kids have all had the flu and just as they recovered I was slammed by this terrible head cold. There's been so much coughing around here that one of the birds has learned how to cough:) I've also been working on getting a little shop together which I'll probably have up sometime over the weekend. So far there will be an assortment of pincushions that can also be used as paperweights and purse organizers. I've been loving my organizer so I thought I would make them available for anyone who doesn't want to sew their own.

Here's a little pincushion I made from
an old vintage dishtowel. I finally got rid of my old tomato one!

I also crocheted another buttonhole bag
that I am currently felting but I think it needs one more washing...