Tag: handbags

Ideas & Inspirations No6 – Crayon Garden

Perhaps you can remember back to when you were young & the excitement you felt on receiving a lovely box of  new crayons & crisp sheets of butcher’s paper… the joy, when stroking the rich waxy colours over the page & creating those vibrant treasures that your family plastered all over the fridge because they were so proud of their little artist?

Well, that’s exactly how I felt when I came across these shamelessly, super brilliant yarns… I just had to have them, even though at the time, I had no idea how I would use them…

And, I have to say, they did linger in my stash for quite a while (though never forgotten) before I decided to have a play & create this vibrant handbag – I think it tuned out to be a real happiness piece… I hope you like it..

Crayon Garden is available for sale in my Etsy Shop

Ideas & Inspiration No4. Scribbler

Scribbly Gum: gets its name from insect larvae “Scribblers” that live on the trunk & under the bark, leaving these interesting marks when the bark peals & falls off.

Nature’s graffiti artists I call these busy little critters –

My Freeform Handbag ‘Scribbler’ is the result (available for sale in my Etsy shop)

Ideas & Inspirations No3. Acacia

Acacia (Wattle): is another beautiful Australian native that comes in a variety of shapes & sizes & is a particular favourite of mine.

The cheerful yellow flowers are easily recognisable, but it’s the foliage that I find most fascinating – ranging from round, soft, silvery greys… to sparse, spiky olive green branches… to bright green fern-like stems.

My Freeform Handbag ‘Acacia’ came into being one winter when these lovely shrubs were in full bloom….

Ideas & Inspirations… No 2. Banksia

Banksia: it is so easy to be inspired by the interesting textures & unusual colours of this uniquely Australian woody tree/shrub – the leaves are waxy, serrated & vary in colour from olive greens to bright ochre – the flower spikes are sculptural & vibrant & age into bizarre, gnarled seed pods which alone are a great source of inspiration.

My Freeform Crochet Handbag ‘Banksia No3’ (is available for sale in my Etsy shop) was influenced by a beautiful Banksia growing in my garden & I took it for granted for the longest time in my garden – fortunately I managed to take a photo of it before it died.

2 new crochet patterns to play with…

Hello & welcome to 2011….

I thought it might be appropriate to begin the year with 2 new crochet patterns & trust they will be useful additions to your crochet repertoire – The crochet bag purse pattern is for sale & a basic foundation for embellishments – let your imagination go wild by adding your own ideas to make this your very own creation… The button pattern is a free download & a handy little item when that special button is required but is often so difficult to find – enjoy!

(1) Easy Basic Crochet Bag/Purse Pattern

This basic crochet bag/purse pattern is worked on size not number of stitches & can be used as a foundation for embellishments by adding crochet/knit flowers/motifs ~ beading ~ lace overlays ~ freeform scrumples ~ or anything your imagination & heart desires ~ your choice of yarn & hook size will determine the look & feel of your purse/bag – experiment with yarns, hooks & width/depth of your bag/purse & have fun creating your own individual design

Pattern includes:

  • basic purse/bag pattern instructions
  • simple crochet button & button loop instructions
  • US & UK terminology
  • stitch diagrams (charts) & stitch drawings
  • clear colour photos

Requirements: to create the purse in the photo I used:

Yarn Bee (Down to Earth) 70% Bamboo, 30% Cotton – 150 grms ~ hook size 4.50 (US: G) ~ satin lining ~ shade cloth for bag base ~ simple crochet button

* Please note: flower embellishments are not included in this pattern

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(2) Simple Crochet Button pattern – free Download

This simple button pattern will come in handy when nothing else suits or is available – experiment with yarns, threads & hook sizes – work pattern in back loops of stitch only – play with multi colours by changing colour on every round or use variegated yarn/thread – thread beads onto your yarn/thread & bring them into your work as desired – stuff with wadding for a firm button or cover old buttons Pattern includes:

  • simple crochet button & button loop instructions
  • US & UK terminology
  • stitch diagrams (charts) & stitch drawings
  • clear colour photos