The Sofia Coppola Collection - Lost in Translation

Yep, that's right. My week of sewing has been arranged into themese based on Sofia Coppola films. I don't actually love her films that much (Badly Coloured Boy does), but things did kind of fall neatly in categories.

Using Japanese (Echino) fabrics to make homewares, the Lost in Translation collection.

I really, really like this cushion. The colours look awesome against the couch. Obviously, it also uses my Kristen Doran fabric too. The back has two panels (lined in cream cotton) that overlap, through which the cushion insert can be stuffed/ removed. No sewn in insert for me!


Placemats out of Echino too, and backed with the olive floral sateen I made a dress out of a while ago. I only made two because eventually a table runner will take the place of these two placemats, and the placemats will sit on the other two edges of the table. I'm so-so with these. They were based on the Amy Butler In Stitches placemat pattern, and damn they are huge! Look at them! I would suggest shaving an inch or two off the finished measurements should anyone else want to try out this pattern.

Here is where I had to handsew part closed, because my dodgy topstitching didn't catch the backing.
To think they failed my ability to slipstitch in compulsory Year 8 Home Ec! (I also nearly failed cooking, because I burnt a beef burger which my vego cooking partner/ best friend refused to touch, and we both had tantrums about having to make devilled eggs (neither of us eat eggs and spent the class gagging over the whole ordeal. I have never cooked an egg before or since). Honestly, who eats devilled eggs these days? It's like the course wasn't revised since 1953. My friend did fail outright, because in the written exam she labelled a colander a 'lettuce drainer' and a ladle a 'soup sharer'). I wonder what Mrs Feathers would think of me now.


And, um, last up, here's my mushroom kit. It's such instant gratification compared to gardening. I've had this thing maybe two or three weeks. Look at all those edible funghi! The largest is about the size of a 10c/ 10p piece.

bad girl! *slaps wrist*

i used to be so good with money. now that i'm living below the poverty line (no, no joke) as soon as the stuff is in my grasp it's out again. i cleaned out my drawers on the weekend, and found christmas money i'd stashed with my smalls, then forgotton about.
so today i bought a kit with a quilting ruler, quilting mat and rotary cutter; and some fabric. the kit was because i was driven to distraction making that second needle roll. the fabrics had been cut very unevenly, and i had little to assist me in the creation of straight lines and right angles. and ive bought a copy of In Stitches (see, the money again... *sigh*) and you can make very little out of that book without some things that help you rule straight lines.

then, since i was in the area, i decided to just take a peek in calico & ivy for some inspiration. while i've been wanting some fresh, cool fabric the idea of picking some out online was a bit too much. i wanted someone to just hand me a set of things that looked good together. and C&I have bucketloads of sets of fat quarters. now, for the Crafty Action girls accustomed to C&I service, here's the surprise: they had no fat quarter sets i liked, but i really liked the echino range. so they OFFERED to make me up a set, with AS MANY or AS FEW fat quarters as i liked (i picked four, to be a good girl), and they HELPED me pick a nice set of coordinating pretties. i was very, very impressed. maybe they just prefer quilters to knitters.


so, here's the sixty-four dollar question: what do i make with my fat quarters? they're interior decorating weight cotton. they'd make pretty cushion covers, and the colours are perfect for the living room, but i'm a little tempted by this bag, but then i'm worried the bag is too little for my needs, and the print's too large for the patchwork.

i guess in a perfect world i'd have a pattern for a roomy bag with a soft-ish shape, the potential for a little bit of patch work action, a base, and a zip closure. i guess like this, or this, or maybe this, or even this.
(can you guess who made the last handbag i bought?)