Peony Place

Peony Place was created by Grace and is located in Phoenix, AZ.
Click on any picture for a larger view.

Bid on this bag by leaving your name and a bid in the comments section. Bidding starts at $35 and increases by whole $s please. Highest bidder at 8pm on Tue, July 21 gets the BAG! Postage extra.

This week I called the bag Peony Place which the name of the designer fabric. Peony Place is a rich bag constructed with designer fabric samples averaging over $75 per yd. Thanks to my friend Cheryl being at the right place at the right time when they were offered to anyone who could use them! She thought of me and Bags for Zaza!

It is comprised of neutral colors to wear with many outfits. The flap has an off-white 100% floral embossed cotton fabric and a black and white cotton fabric with gold butterflies and white peony’s. I added gold braid for an elegant touch.

The back has the black floral fabric and a silk and cotton blend material with raised polka dots for the double pocket. I decorated the pocket with a silk striped fabric and a vintage off-white button.

Don't forget to click on each picture to see the fabulous textures up close.

I used the above three fabrics on the under flap making sure I put one of the cute butterflies where it shows. The front of the bag is the black floral, the off-white and I found a striped raised fabric that had the same colors for the center of the pocket. I topped it with gold and off-white silk and a vintage button.

The side or cell pocket is black floral with a gold silk border which I used my new sewing machine embroidery stitch for the delicate leaf pattern.

I also decorated the straps with the same gold silk and leaf pattern and used the sturdy polka dot fabric lined with black for the main part of the strap. It measures 42” and is all one piece.

The inside of the bag has a large double pocket made with a designer chenille polka dot fabric. I topped it with silk and a black ribbon. I love the black vintage button I found to secure the top of the pocket. The back lining is heavy off-white cotton topped with black and I had fun using a decorative stitch to add interest.

The bag measures 12 ½ X 11 X 3 inches.

About the Bags ~ FAQs ~ How to Bid

Do Y'all Get it Now?

Full Circle goes to Alana for $30! Alana, please email BagsforZaza@gmail.com within 1 week to arrange payment and postage/pickup.

In case you haven't noticed yet, we changed the routine. Every 3 or 4 days, we'll post a new bag and you'll have 3 or 4 days to bid on it and then the next bag will go up. Comments, questions, suggestions?

And, of course, I can't say THANK YOU enough. Thank you for buying bags. Thank you for giving us fabric. Thank you for prayers. Thank you for sending kind words of encouragement. Thank you for spreading the word. THANK YOU. (thank you from Zaza, too)

And a special thanks to Nancy B this week. She facilitated the donation of a van load of fabric and yarn!

The Gal Who Saved My Living Room

I don't have a sewing room. I also have 3 kids and a hubby who wouldn't let me hide in a sewing room, anyhow. I sew at the dining room table, in the middle of all the action. But this project requires a lot of fabric to be readily available and I need to see what I have so that I can pull pieces together and make beautiful harmonic works of bagilicious art.

This is what happened to my living room:


Not a pretty site - pretty fabric, but on the whole, not the effect I'm going for in a living room.

After putting up with this for about 8 weeks, I sent a desperate cry out to my friends for shelving that might be lying around unused, unloved, unburdened. AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!




My dear friend, Jayme, saved my living room:


I totally cheated in this picture, the couch is piled with laundry and the kids last-day-of-school junk is also just out of frame, but at least the fabric is dealt with.

But back to Jayme. I keep forgetting to give her credit for sewing - she's assembled 3 bags for me, Perennials: Volume I being the latest. She's helped spread the word about BFZ and solicited fabric donations and just encouraged the heck out of me. Not to mention her role in revolutionizing nutrition in our local school system - OK, now I'm getting off topic.

Love ya Jayme! Thanks for the loan of those fantastic shelves!

P.S. Other than a first name, Jayme has chosen to rename anonymous, as she has seen the damage the paparazzi has done to my life and the lives of my family. *sigh* The trials we celebrities must endure.

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Public Thank Yous

There are so many people to thank and I'm sure there will be more as time goes on. Friends, family, coworkers, and strangers have encouraged me with kind words and advice, generous donations of money and materials, and with help sewing. Here's my attempt at a list (in no particular order):

• My dear husband and children have been so very patient and helpful
• Leah R.
• Linda C.
• Beth N. and her MIL
• Jayme Y.
• Jenn V.
• Susan F.
• Maria E.
• Kathleen D.
• Joyce H. at Darfur Bags
  
• And of course my mother and grandmother -- for hording all that fabric and then giving it to me!

Oh, I hope I haven't missed anyone.

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