I have been experimenting with some new stock this week.  Here are my latest range of shopping tote bags.  No, I didn’t make them from scratch but they are lovingly embellished by me with a range of vintage and new fabrics from my stash boxes.

These bags are a huge 35cm x 45cm with a 10cm gusset (that word always makes me giggle) which means that they can fit a load of bulky shopping with ease.  And the handles are the right size to fit comfortably over your shoulder.  The fabric is a hemp / cotton blend so it looks great and is tough enough for everyday use.

I am also planning shopping tote ‘kits’ so that you can embellish your own bag.  Watch this space!

Here are some purses that I finished making this weekend.  I am trying not to buy any more fabric at the moment and to make the most of the great stash that I already have.  The biggest temptation is opp-shops and I have already lapsed once and bought some never-to-be-found-again pieces.  Best to stay away from shops altogether

Purses are the perfect project for small pieces of fabric.  My fabric choices were based on the colour of zippers that I had in my sewing room and I have used both new and vintage fabrics.

I have been working my way through my Un-Finished Object pile this weekend.  Here are some bags that have been sitting in my sewing room for a couple of months.  I have experimented with two new sizes of my satchel bags - large, for grown-ups, and small, for little kids.  I am happy with the sizes and quite proud of myself for adapting my existing pattern.  The bags also have adjustable polypro webbing straps which are a) more user-friendly and b) quicker to construct.

I will have  some of the smaller size satchels on sale at Mathilda’s Market in November.  And, as always, I am happy to take custom orders

I went along to check out the Village Markets at Burleigh Heads today.  The market has been establised as an alternative to the traditional, mainstream Gold Coast markets and describes itself as “an open air specialist market, with a unique Gold Coast vibe”.  It was full of great vintage and second-hand clothing with a sprinkling of lovely jewellery and art.  I bought a pretty cotton slip from Jodie at red vintage.  Have a look at her website for more examples of her work.  The Village Markets has the feel of an urban market which I have been missing up here.  I’ll definitely be back!

Following a recommendation from Nicky at The Australian Etsy Blog, I have just opened a store at zibbet.com.

According to the zibbet website

The idea for Zibbet was initially born out of a desire to create an ‘eBay alternative’ for Artisans.  Jonathan (Zibbet’s founder), saw first-hand how hard it was to sell your ‘creative products’.  From seeing his Grandma stop selling her crocheted handicrafts at the local market, because it was “too cold” and “not worth it”, to seeing his wife’s cousin stop selling her paintings on eBay, because it was too expensive to list and weren’t selling at a worthwhile price.  He knew that there had to be a better way.

Jonathan says, “eBay’s success is largely attributed to it’s attractiveness to buyers as a place to find ‘almost anything’, at bargain prices.  Popular for its ‘bidding’ style, we saw that many beautiful handmade items that would have taken hours and hours to create, sold for next to nothing.  How sad!  We wanted to create a marketplace where Artisans could list their quality, handmade products for a fixed price, rather than an auction style, and sell them for a price that made all the time and love that went into creating that item, worth it.”

At zibbet.com you will find handmade goods, fine art, vintage and crafting supplies.  So come on over and start shopping!