Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Auction Open: Word Challenge

I'm hiding my dog in the wonderlands of nature for he always ruins my perfect phantastes of balancing pilates on broomsticks and sitting in my favourite place to scrawl calligraphy letters.

OK, so your challenge (aside from bidding on your favourite bag) is to use all the words from the titles of this week's bags in one sentence with the least number of extra words (I used 19).

For your bidding pleasure:
  • The Hiding Place
  • Phantastes
  • Nature's Wonderlands
  • Pilates for Dogs
  • Letter Perfect
Bid on a bag by leaving a name and a bid in the comments section for the bag you want. Or just comment and say NICE and HAPPY and CHEERFUL things. Bidding starts at $25 and increases by whole $s. The highest bidder at 9pm (PDT) on Saturday, October 4th gets the bag!

Note on bidding: Please leave a name, nickname or handle of some sort. This is an informal and trusting system, but "anonymous" just won't do and "anonymous" bids will be disregarded. :(

The Hiding Place

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There is no better name for this humongous bag than The Hiding Place. You could seriously hide a medium sized dog in this bag..... or three 10 lb. bags of potatoes... or your winter parka, mitts and muff. It is REALLY large.... to be exact, 20" across and 20" deep.

Inspiration for this giant fashion accessory came from Spiegel magazine... BIG is IN! So voila! BFZ is IN! The bag is made of a nubby upholstery fabric in soft tan with a leaf pattern of black (or dark purple?) and purple.

The top of the bag is a rich eggplant purple of polyester that has a suede feel to it. It is reinforced with iron-on fusible interfacing making it have form and some stiffness to it.

The straps are of the same eggplant colored fabric and are 20" long each. The are attached to the bag at their full width of almost 3", but the tops of the straps are sewn folded over, double thick for comfy handles.

Inside this big baby is a deep purple, avocado green and slate blue floral pattern. There are two huge pocket inside trimmed with the purple material. The pockets cross the width of the bag and are just over 10" tall. TV dinners would fit nicely in here. :o)

The bling on this glamour bag is the hand beading on the front following the leaf pattern. These are glass beads in varying shapes of white, tan, brown, lavender and purple. Simply elegant.

Bid on this bag by leaving your name and a bid in the comments section. Bidding starts at $25 and increases by whole $s please. Highest bidder at 9pm (PDT) on Saturday, October 4th gets the BAG! Postage extra (from Phoenix, AZ). This bag was created by Linda.

Phantastes

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"What I saw was this. Everywhere, here and there over the ground, lay little, dark-looking lumps of something more like earth than anything else, and about the size of a chestnut. The beetles hunted in couples for these; and having found one, one of them stayed to watch it, while the other hurried to find a glowworm. By signals, I presume, between them, the latter soon found his companion again: they then took the glowworm and held its luminous tail to the dark earthly pellet; when lo, it shot up into the air like a sky-rocket, seldom, however, reaching the height of the highest tree. Just like a rocket too, it burst in the air, and fell in a shower of the most gorgeously coloured sparks of every variety of hue; golden and red, and purple and green, and blue and rosy fires crossed and inter-crossed each other, beneath the shadowy heads, and between the columnar stems of the forest trees. They never used the same glowworm twice, I observed; but let him go, apparently uninjured by the use they had made of him."
[George MacDonald -
Phantastes].

I'm loathe to say more, but I suppose I must try...

The primary colour in this gloriously rich bag is sage green. But the tapestry used for the body and straps of Phantastes sports hues of purple, plum, teal and gold.

The contrasting upholstery sample on the front flap is a one-of-a-kind swirl of eggplant and gold with little plush dots of texture. The accenting ribbon is burgundy-plum and a strip of sage green velvet finishes the flap off.

The pockets and straps are lined with a fine sage corduroy. One strap features a piece of the same sage green velvet featured on the flap. The double back pockets are decorated with a retro plum button. Hello you happy little plum button.

Phantastes is lined with a gorgeous decorator floral of rust, teal, plum and more. The inside double pockets are also accented with a plum button.

Credit: The eggplant swirl was donated by Melanie G. The sage velvet was from a thrift store. I can't remember where the rest came from. My mom? My mom's friend? Feel free to claim credit in the comments section.

"Thus I, who set out to find my Ideal, came back rejoicing that I had lost my Shadow. "
[George MacDonald - Phantastes].

Bid on this bag by leaving your name and a bid in the comments section. Bidding starts at $25 and increases by whole $s please. Highest bidder at 9pm (PDT) on Saturday, October 4th gets the BAG! Postage extra (from Abbotsford, BC). This bag was created by Jennie.

Nature's Wonderlands

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The fabrics in Nature’s Wonderlands are a textile delight for your fingers with suede, velvet, tweed and linen. They were almost all donated remnants and were chosen to complement each other. We sure appreciate the many generous donors!









The flap has a lovely piece of peach ultra suede on one side and a brown tweedy fabric blend on the other. The turquoise velvet is from my stash and it borders two embroidered linen fabric pieces embellished with turquoise mini sequins. I pieced them together with striped turquoise and brown linen-like material which made the diagonal strip down the center of the bag. The three turquoise shell buttons add a nice touch.

The front of the bag is ultra suede and brown tweed with two pockets made from off-white and peach polka dot upholstery fabric. It is trimmed with off-white cording and topped with a two toned peach button. The under flap has a linen embroidered piece surrounded by the other fabrics used in the bag to tie it altogether.

I used the brown tweed and brown and turquoise striped fabric to make the straps and the back. The back and straps are accented with complimenting rick rack. I had fun making the cell pocket by fringing the embroidered piece and sewing it on the peach ultra suede.

The lining is a striped fabric that has been in my cedar chest for years, finally being put to good use! There is a double pocket sewn with the brown striped fabric and velvet and trimmed with just the right button. This would be the perfect bag for traveling with your Mp3 player, cell phone, BlackBerry, head phones, and laptop. I have strengthened the linen fabrics with fusible lining to make the bag sturdier.

Bid on this bag by leaving your name and a bid in the comments section. Bidding starts at $25 and increases by whole $s please. Highest bidder at 9pm (PDT) on Saturday, October 4th gets the BAG! Postage extra (from Phoenix, AZ). This bag was created by Grace.

About the Bags ~ FAQs ~How to Bid

Pilates for Dogs

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Pilates for Dogs is a medium weight bag primarily comprised of cotton and cotton blends. An extra layer of broadcloth between the exterior and lining gives it added strength. The bubble-gum pink fabric is a fine corduroy-like texture. The fushia/orange striped pieces are a lovely seersucker fabric. Yum yum. Or should I say, "Ruff ruff!" There are two back pockets, one side pocket and two inside pockets.

----- Original Message ----
From: Jenn V
To: Jennie C
Sent: September 29, 2008 9:38PM
Subject: Re: bag tonight

Okay, bag is done. However the pictures stink. Without the natural light the flash makes the bag look like crud.

So I have 2 somewhat good ones which I attached. I will take more daylight ones in in the morning and forward them to you.

Good night!

----- Original Message ----
From: Jenn V
To: Jennie C
Sent: September 29, 2008 9:40PM
Subject: Re: bag tonight

I forgot to tell you about the fabric etc...

Most of the fabric is yours, or it came from a thrift shop. The bag was inspired by a funny book my mommy bought me called
Pilates for Dogs. Since I love dogs and pilates, the book was perfect for me, and the colours were so fun that I couldn't resist.

----- Original Message ----
From: Jennie C
To: Jenn V
Sent: September 29, 2008 9:57PM
Subject: Re: bag tonight

It's awesome. Take your camera and have Calvin help you do it at work. He's dying to help.

----- Original Message ----
From: Jenn V
To: Jennie C
Sent: September 30, 2008 8:13AM
Subject: Re: bag tonight

Ha ha! He is dying of some cold...

Here are some more pictures. Have fun at your course!.

Fino got a treat for posing.
:)

----------------------------

[No emails or dogs were harmed in the publishing of this post.]

Bid on this bag by leaving your name and a bid in the comments section. Bidding starts at $25 and increases by whole $s please. Highest bidder at 9pm (PDT) on Saturday, October 4th gets the BAG! Postage extra (from Abbotsford, BC). This bag was created by Jenn V.

Letter Perfect

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Letter Perfect is a dainty shoulder strap bag with pizazz and spunky tassels... and is, well, letter perfect. The rich fabric is a blend of silver, bronze, gold, and tan with a hint of metallic shine. The cinching pockets and the pull ties are made of gold silk from my mother's living room curtains. The double tassels include the same gold, tan and cream colors for the letter perfect match.

Inside is cotton candy pink polyester that feels and looks like silk. There is one pocket of the same pink fabric inside that is 5 1/2" deep and 6 1/2" wide. The bright pink satin ribbon trim on the pocket has a repeating line of dark pink words reading, "smooch hug kiss love," etc.

The bag itself is just over 12" long and 9" wide. The strap is made of the same fabric as the bag, is an inch wide and 52.5" long. The length of the strap is perfect for a gal who likes to wear her bags diagonally from shoulder to hip. The strap can also be knotted for the single shoulder wearer.

Letter Perfect is a handy, light weight purse for any occasion.

Bid on this bag by leaving your name and a bid in the comments section. Bidding starts at $25 and increases by whole $s please. Highest bidder at 9pm (PDT) on Saturday, October 4th gets the BAG! Postage extra (from Phoenix, AZ). This bag was created by Linda.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Mother Lode

Hi All, I just feel like chatting about my great finds at the Sally Ann yesterday. My daughters and I had fun chatting over belts and shoes. The 15 year old loaded up on jeans. The 10 year old gazed longingly at the purses. When I told her she couldn't buy one unless she got rid of one, a lengthy discussion followed about the merits of this and that purse and it was eventually necessary for me to define the term ambivalent for her.

I browsed through the boys things and came up with some cozy fleece pants and some shocking orange shorts.

I wandered towards the furniture and curiously lifted the lid on an ottoman, just to see if it would lift, when what to my wandering eyes should appear? My heart leapt into my throat at the site of a plethora of sewing notions! I glanced furtively around to make sure no one else was eyeing my treasure. I poked at it. It was too overwhelming to take in all at once. I tentatively opened a tin and it was full of BUTTONS! I took a deep breath and opened another tin full of THREAD! I frantically searched for a price ... to no avail. I had to have this treasure.

I glanced around for a staff person and was dismayed to see no one within reach. I beckoned to my 10 year old daughter and ordered her to stand guard while I sought out a staff person. A couple of lovely staff ladies came to my aid. I explained that I couldn't find a price and that I was merely interested in the contents of the ottoman. I held my breath. They poked at the treasure and did some mysterious calculations in their heads. The more authoritative staff lady apologetically offered, "three fifty?" I coyly replied, "Well, I guess that will be ok." I held my happy dance inside and helpfully held the lid of the ottoman while the treasure was loaded into a bag.

The loot: 25 spools of thread, about 3 cups of buttons (including the kind you can cover with fabric), knitting needles, crochet hook, seam ripper, needles, zippers, grosgrain ribbon, seam binding, snaps, velcro, thimbles, etc, etc, etc.

Oh happy day! I rejoiced and sorted buttons for hours.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Auction Closed: Flurries

OK, there aren't any flurries in the sky (at least not in my neck of the woods - thank goodness), but there was certainly a flurry of last minute bidding here at BFZ. Thank you all so much. The comments and bidding certainly give us an idea of what's popular, although we never recreate the exact same bag again. But we aim to please!

This week's Bag Biddies are:
Please email BagsforZaza@gmail.com to arrange payment and postage/pickup.

Thank you again and please come back Tuesday (or if you're lucky - Monday night) for more bags!

I've recently created that How to Bid post I promised awhile back, so if you're stumped - please check it out.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Washing Donations

Rest assured, "washing donations" isn't the same as "laundering money". With all the fabric donations that come in, I have to do a lot of loads of washing these days. This week's bags feature donations from friends, family, co-workers, and strangers. The generosity out there is truly touching.

For your bidding pleasure:
  • Like Abigail
  • Ulysses
  • Lacey Jane Eyre
  • Lazy Sunday
Please note, the closing time for bidding has changed. Taking into consideration all of the feedback and my own desire to sleep in on Saturdays, I have come up with a time that will make everyone happy ... in my dreams!

Bid on a bag by leaving a name and a bid in the comments section for the bag you want. Or just comment and tell us our bags our pretty and that you're friends with so-and-so and they'll be featuring our bag on such-and-such episode of their talk-show.

Bidding starts at $25 and increases by whole $s. The highest bidder at 9pm (PDT) on Saturday, September 27th gets the bag!

Like Abigail

Click on any picture for a larger view.
** Additional photos added Tue, Sep-23. **

Like Abigail is an apt title for this girlie bag. It is constructed of mainly denim, made sturdy by fusible lining. It is made from pieces of my most favorite denim and blue velour-trimmed dress.

The flap is made from a remnant embroidered border print with pink and green polka dot and lime green fabric trim.

The lime green fringed fabric is from a jacket from which I cut out the front pocket and sewed it on the front of the bag. It makes two usable pockets and I topped it off with a cute pink button.


I used pieces from two vintage tablecloths on the under flap, lining and straps. The gorgeous lacy piece under the flap is machine embroidered and bordered in pink ribbon.

The double pocket in the lining is a hand embroidered piece from our Grandma Nikander and is topped in green print fabric with a lime green flower button.



The back of the bag has a pocket made from my dress, decorated with coordinating shell buttons.

I had fun making the straps using bits and pieces of all the fabrics.





[Editor's note: This bag would be fabulous on women and girls of all ages - my 10 year old daughter carries a BFZ bag back and forth to school and the size is great on her; we just tied the straps shorter. See this post for photos.]

Bid on this bag by leaving your name and a bid in the comments section. Bidding starts at $25 and increases by whole $s please. Highest bidder at 9pm (PDT) on Saturday, September 27th gets the BAG! Postage extra (from Phoenix, AZ). This bag was created by Grace.

About the Bags ~ FAQs