Otherwise occupied...

I've been keeping busy these last few months. I haven't been doing much sewing. 

Instead, I've been being inspired by other people's creative juices. 

These two pieces are from an exhibition that's currently on at the GOMA part of QAGOMA.

The 99 animals drinking from the waterhole is called Heritage,

and the 99 wolves is Head-On.

Words can't do it justice. If you get a chance you really should go.

Creativity of a different kind (mother nature's. lol.) has also featured in my distracted few months.  

I took a few days out for some hiking and R&R in Lamington National Park and stayed at Binna Burra.

I felt all Famous Five-ish, spotting mushrooms on my adventure

My final creative bent tapped into an previous-BrisStyler's wares. I bought a gorgeous Pretapawte collar for Bella bin Laden's 13th birthday present. 

She seemed a little camera shy - or is that teenage angst?

A holiday's worth of creating...

These past holidays gave me plenty of time to potter around the garden catching up on much neglected re-potting. This included my baby succulents - cutie patooties!

My other pottering over the holidays included sewing. I've already introduced my purses and iPad sleeves, and today I'd like to share my drawstring bags.

A lot of my fabric for these are a delicate silk that was given to me by a friend. She had some dresses made in Honkers and I was lucky enough to score her leftovers. 

Perfect for keeping special things safe - for around the house or when travelling.

Shoes, lingerie, jewellery and other keep-sakes. I've got some here, in my etsy shop and some in my made-it store.

Other things I did over the holidays was think about the year ahead. Cliches abound when it comes to 'seizing the day' and 'life not being a dress rehearsal', especially in milestone years. Having a significant birthday one has a great opportunity to reflect on celebrations passed as well as those to come -  I love this picture/these pictures of mini-moi at a party at my nana's place in days gone by.  In some ways I feel this reflects my life - the two sides of shelleyberelli - and I'm hoping (and planning) that 2014 has some of column A, but a lot more of column B than 2013!

iSpy some iPad cases

Creating can sometimes get very common place. I tend to sew the same 5 to 6 things. Sure, there are different colours, textures and combinations and that's where a lot of the fun comes from, but every now and again I happen across a new design.

I might have cut the fabric a little differently, only have a swatch of something that I am dying to use by doesn't fit the usual pattern, or I re-invigorate an older design.

This Christmas iDecided iWanted to make new iPad sleeves.

When fashioning my pattern I had to be mindful that most people have a case or cover for their iPad already. Often it's more functional and fairly plain, but adds bulk to the dimensions of a bag that needs to be made. Most of these covers do not have handles, so pop that on the design list, too. Easy access, but a small amount of security is the third requirement.

Et voila, my new creation!

Along with the thrill of colours, textures and styles.

Purses a-plenty...

My coin purses are always a side-dish to the main course of what I'm sewing.

I'm a stickler for preventing waste - 

mini off-cuts can end up as detail on bags and wristlets, mini-mini off-cuts are used to create shelleyberelli tags 

- and the 'left-overs' that are a little larger become coin purses.

That's not to say that they are an after-thought.

After all, they are all made from loved fabrics that I've had stashed away for ever, not daring to cut....

or have been carefully selected on a recent shopping trip for their colours, patterns, or textures.

Each one is a unique creation..

that I'm always a little sad to farewell, 

but I always know it's going to a good home.

And just every once in a while I keep one for myself x

Hello, 2014!

I *have* been a busy bee over the Christmas period - sewing, tidying, cleaning, resting, socialising. Everything but blogging. But all that's about to change! Here's my first post of the year. 

I want to share a bit of what I got up to, craft-wise, over the silly season. 

In upcoming posts I will reflect on my 2013 - I usually trawl through my year's worth of photos over the Christmas break, deciding what to print and what to cull. This is also a nice chance to re-live some of the events of the year and get my head into the upcoming year. I plan to do that in the next week or so - putting off getting my teeth into 2014 just yet. I think I'm still getting over last year. It wasn't a bad year, just a busy year. 

Sewing has been very therapeutic in that regard. Creating. Short term gratification. Pretty-ness.

But before you can sew, you need to be able to access your fabric. I had some feline-roadblocks in that regard. 

More than once.

But I soon got into the swing of things and sewed many coin purses and tote bags in fun and new combinations, as well as a new creation - an iPad sleeve.

 More will be revealed in my next post.

Happy 2014 x

One trick pony..

Totes are the flavour of more than the month with shelleyberelli. 

I'd say they are the flavour of the year. So enjoyable to sew and so handy to use. 

I've had customers tell me they use them as book bags and market bags - no surprise there - but others find they are a perfect fit for their laptop (and they love the handles for ease of carrying) and others use them for their sheet music when they go to lessons. 

How would you use a shelleyberelli tote?