Extra Special Custom Order

I was approached a few weeks ago by a previous customer who asked if I was willing to donate a bag to a cancer charity dinner she was helping to organise.  Of course I leapt at the chance.  My mum had breast cancer and was a survivor so the support the charities give to families and suffers is very important to me.

We talked about colours and decided that since the event was going along the theme of green and bright pink, the bag should reflect these colours.  I approached one of my favourite fabric suppliers, Saints and Pinners, who very kindly offered to donate the fabric to make the bag.  So following another discuss on style, this is the bag that will be raffled at the dinner on Friday evening:

I love the Amy Butler ‘Love’ Range!

The co-ordinated bright pink lining finishes the bag off beautifully!

I hope the lucky winner enjoys using their fabulous new bag!

Pretty in Pink

Last week I received an order all the way from Australia! Way back in March I made a little tote and matching purse for a customer in Australia, but it needed to be delivered to a special birthday girl here in the UK.

Now the same wonderful customer wants a bag and purse for her little girl.  So I worked hard this weekend so I can get the present to Australia in time for her birthday in just under 2 weeks. 

The lovely Amy Butler Mint fabric goes so well with the pale pink lining.

I added a felt flower to the bag and purse to finish them off.

I hope she likes them! 

They will start their long  journey this morning – fingers crossed she will like them!

If you would like a similar set for the little girl in your life feel free to email me using the address on my contact page!

Bags of Diaper Fun!

When my youngest monster’s key worker at nursery said she was pregnant I was really pleased for her, but also a little bit sad for us – well actually very sad!  The monster adores her and talks about her at home all the time!  I wanted to make her something to say thank-you for the wonderful job she has done with my youngest and middle monsters, so when she said she hadn’t found a diaper bag she liked I jumped right in there and said I would make one for her!

She picked the new Amy Butler Love Range for the bag, which is such a lovely bright and summery range.  After 3 weeks of thinking and jotting down ideas I finally started work on it this week.  Here are some pics of the bag that I dropped off for her today:

It is a big bag with a waterproof  lined pouch that she put used baby wipes into.

Years of experience as a mother and childminder has taught me that there is never a bin nearby when the monster spills half a ton of gunk over themselves!

The inside has 2 pockets for baby wipes and nappies, as well as a zippered pocket to keep her keys and purse safe. I also included a pouch for  a bottle and key fob for attaching the pouch or dummy:

There is plenty of room for a change of clothes and even Wilson the dog!

I had put on shoulder straps but she also wanted a longer strap as well.

I have to wait for the swivel clips to arrive, but I also wanted to try buggy straps with elstic so she can suspend the bag from her buggy without a longer strap dangling everywhere.  I also added a base from U-Handbag to give the bag some stability:

I am really pleased with how the bag turned out and I hope she loves using it as much as I loved making it!

Even had a few people asking if I will make them one without the baby additions so watch the space for some new bags!

If you would like to a diaper bag please contact me:

anna@funkydivadesigns.com

On with the next adventure!

Ready to go Dancing!

Last week I posted about a custom order for a big bag for a trainee dance teacher.  She needed room for her dance kit as well as folders and personal things like a purse.

She loved the Navy cotton twill which is hard wearing and lovely to sew with, but it took a while to decide which fabric she wanted for the rest of the bag.  She had a look through my stash and settled on the Flower Child Sorbet in Purple from Fabric Rehab.  She loves purple so this was the perfect choice for her! 

So in the last 2 days the stash of fabric has gone from this:

To this:

It is the first bag I have made that has a zipper closure, which has been really exciting to do.

It also has a zippered pocket on the inside and a flap pocket with a magentic snap on the front so she can keep things like a purse secure, but easy to access.

Because the bag is so big, I have added a swivel hook and a matching zippered pouch:

So the 2 bags together look like this:

I hope she likes it when she comes to collect it later this evening!

Made for Dancing

A very good friend of mine is currently doing her PGCE to be a secondary dance teacher. In the ten years since I met her, dance has been her true calling and she is going to be a superb teacher.  She approached me to make her a bag big enough to carry her dance stuff as well as some A4 folders – oh and it it needs to be funky!

I love people asking me to make them a bag, especially when they have a basic idea that we can build on. She settled on using the lovely blue twill and is matching it with this great fabric:

This is Flower Child Sorbet from one of my fav shops, Fabric Rehab.  The webshop is fantastic. Fabric orders 3pm Wednesday and on my doorstep Thursday morning!  Means I can get the bag before my friend heads back to the big smoke on Tuesday evening.

She needs loads of pockets to keep things safe as well as enough room for all her things so this project is going to be loads of fun designing.

Keep checking back for progress updates over the next 2 days.

Linen Hearts

In January I made a pencil case using linen and Amy Butlers’ lovely Cherry spotted fabric:

I sold 2 of these lovely pouches, one overseas and one to just down the road in Stroud. The customer from Stroud emailed to say she was so pleased with the pouch that she had decided to use it as clutch. 

Last week she got in touch again to order a custom made bag to match the clutch.  She had settled on my Victoria design and wanted the exterior in linen with the lovely spotty lining.

I finished the bag and sent it yesterday, so she should be getting a lovely parcel this morning – fingers crossed!

The heart ‘balloon’ matchs the one on the clutch and the lining is in matching spots with a zippered pocket:

I hope she likes her new custom bag.

Spa Bags – Can I come too?

Last week I had an custom order through my Etsy shop for 7 bags to go on a hen weekend (bachelorette in the States) in America.  So after the frantic week of story sacks I have spent the weekend completing the order so I can get the order sent out in time.

These are the lovely ladies lined up waiting for the above felt flowers to be put on.

I just love this Amy Butler fabric from the last collection and it has proved really popular in make-up pouches and pencil cases.  This little tote is also very cute.  It is getting harder to source, but I know her new ‘Love’ spots are going to be just as popular!

Here are the finished totes that will be leaving for America in the morning:

I wonder if I could personally deliver them……

Rainbow Adventures Part 2

Starting with the Monday Mosaic this week has turned into Rainbow Week! 

On Wednesday I blogged about the lovely bright fabrics I had sourced for my wholesale order for Cathy Dean, The Colourful Coach.  All I had to do was wait for a couple more fabrics from Fabric Rehab which arrived yesterday:

Here is the spread of the patterned fabrics that will form the top part of the totes and the handles.

I then had to decide which plain brights to put with which patterned fabric.  The design brief was bright and clashing (but not too clashing) colour combinations! This was quite a long process and I am still not sure about the combinations, so they may well change before I finish all of the bags.

I managed to finish 4 bags today, but you won’t be seeing them until all 12 are finished!

Custom Order

On Sunday I had a lovely message on Etsy asking if could possibly make a birthday present for a little girl in London.  The message was from Australia! 

So I have made a lovely little bag and purse which I have then wrapped.  I have put a card in with a lovely message from her friends in Australia.

A pretty little bag and matching purse.  I have added a felt flower because the bag is for a 4 year old.

I picked some girlie wrapping paper for the little girl. 

I hope the birthday girl enjoys using her new bag and purse!

If you life outside the UK and would like a similar service please get in touch!

Sunday Sewing!

Yesterday afternoon I suddenly realised that my eldest son had a birthday party to go to.  There is a limited number of shops in Tetbury, and I think I might have a reputation for giving book vouchers as presents!  Fortunately the party was for a little girl so I dug out the sewing machine this morning and went through my stash.  Not what I had in mind for my Sunday morning at 7.30am!

This is the little bag that I made, which I hope she likes for carrying round her favourite things:

Pretty pink flower tote for a lovely little girl!

Close up of the flower with a pretty vintage pink button.

I went for a very bright lining to brighten up her day.

I hope very much that the birthday girl enjoys using her cute tote.