Sweetie-Day Bags

I sewed some new bags for Mary's Marvellous Market last weekend, which sold almost straight-away, so I'm really pleased I remembered to take some pictures.

The bags are made from a beautiful soft, off-white linen-cotton blend, lined with lovely stripy fabric and trimmed with vintage lace.

Heidi LaLarge: The Original Flapper

This one features a print of Heidi LaLarge – an elephant who has exquisite panache on the high-wire (with a little help from Bumblewick Beesting's Weightlessness Tonic). Heidi was a star performer of the 1930s, and always dressed to perfection in the era's latest styles. Indeed, some say that the motion of her beautiful elephant ears lifting and falling with the rise of fall of her tricycle on the tightrope, was the origin behind the term "flapper". 

Underneath Heidi  is a panel of fabric I printed with the Butterscotch & Beesting circus pattern. This is then sewn into vertical sections so that you can slip in your lollipops.

Inside, the bag is lined with lovely red stripy fabric, and has lots of space for candy: confectionery: sweeties. Yum!

Betty Butterscotch Sweetie-Day Bag

The other bag has a print of the delightful Betty herself, and also has a little purse at the front for keeping your sweetie-day coins safe. 

The purse pocket is closed by a gorgeous turquoise button from my (naughty and ever-growing) stash of vintage buttons. This one is from the 1950s (I think) and almost looks like it's made from sugar. It's one of my favourites.

The top of the Betty Bag is trimmed with vintage Japanese lace from the 1960s. The lace has a gorgeous natural colour and delicate, slightly squared-off design, which I think complements the linen fabric really well.

I am thrilled, but also a bit sad, that they've both gone. I hope they will make the Sweetie Days of their new owners, Sophie and Anna, even more special. (Although I happen to know Sophie and Anna spend their sweetie days in the wonderland of Cocoa, so what could be more special than that?)