More Storage Boxes, and Some Bags

Recently I posted about some cute little storage boxes that I made from bridal dress bags with broken zippers. I have been plodding along deconstructing some more of these bags, and from the pieces cut out another 3 little boxes to add to the one I had already completed, and a total of 12 carry bags.

Bridal dress bag before

Stashbusting Sewalong

I had another post all ready to publish about how I came across some lovely pieces of fabric that are in my fabric stash, patiently waiting to be sewn into something. I've put it on hold for a little while though, as during another one of my trips across the blogosphere this evening, half paying attention to the TV, I came across this stashbusting challenge over at Tumbleweeds in the Wind. This was via another blog that I had just found Handmade by Carolyn. I found that via a comment on another blog that I discovered in the last week... well, I could go on and on, there are a lot of sewing bloggers out there!

Goals For The Year Ahead

I know it's a bit late in January to be talking about New Year's Resolutions, but I'm not a big believer in New Year's Resolutions anyway. Looking through rose coloured glasses at the possibilities of a New Year, you're bound to come up with some impossible list of things you want to do or achieve during the rest of your year. New Year's Resolutions are made to be broken. So I don't do that.

Instead, I wrote myself a wish list, or 'To Do' list of sewing-related-things I'd like to do this year when I have time between doing work for other people. It's a work in progress that I am adding to and crossing off the list as I go. I have things on the list such as:

Macaron Fillings

If you're interested in how I make my macarons, you may remember that the recipe I use is from Not Quite Nigella. I have not found the need to alter this basic recipe for the shells at all.

It's the different flavoured fillings (and sprinkles) that make all my macarons unique.

(With the exception of salted caramel), most of my fillings have been either a chocolate ganache (any type of chocolate you like!), or a buttercream filling. Then I just add things to them!

Various macaron fillings - lemon curd in buttercream, hazelnut praline
in buttercream, milk and dark chocolate ganache, salted caramel, dark
chocolate ganache, peanut butter chocolate ganache

Examples of ganache fillings:

Fabric Storage Boxes

A few months ago I came across this post for making fabric boxes to hold all those little odds and ends that need a home. I bookmarked the post, knowing exactly what I would make some from, and then promptly forgot about it.

Well, the something that I wanted to use, is actually bridal dress bags that have broken zippers. That's a whole story itself, so I'll try to be quick with that explanation. When I first started my sewing business, I bought a box of 50 bridal bags to give to clients who I make wedding dresses for. Of course I anticipated that these 50 bags would be all I would ever need, but (after the warranty ran out of course), the zippers started failing on them. Every now and then I will go through some of the remaining bags and test the zippers, and add more to the pile with broken zips.

The fabric cut out and ready to go

This week I started the process of taking apart the first of these bags.