I love handmade items.

Knitted, sewn, quilted, you name it, I love it. Most of them I cannot do and would never ever attempt.

I can create the prettiest cross-stitch designs yet I can’t sew a button on without messing it completely up. Therefore I am always in awe when I see hand crafted creations.

Alice Browns Cupboard – Multiway Turban

In the past I have purchased knitted bags, velvet turbans, handcrafted hats and even hair rollers. All of these items have been brilliant and I have had a lot of pleasure and wear from them.

Rosie Curl Rollers

As you all know, I love vintage designs and I have been collaborating with the amazing Karen Harvey on a dress that I have wanted made for a very long time.

Handmade Skirt and Head Wrap by Devil and Desire

Karen had the pattern and the design know-how to create the garment for me, I just needed to let her know what material I wanted the item in.

Pake Muu Style

Therein lay the problem.

I just couldn’t decide quite what I wanted. I deliberated for weeks and months and still didn’t know just what I was going to do.

Floral Options

After several months, I was on Facebook when Karen posted that she had been to the fabric shops and had shown some photographs of the material she had purchased.

One of the Options

And there it was.

The material that would become the dress of my dreams.

Brown with green, chartreuse and teal accents, it wasn’t a colour palette that I would have normally chosen. However I absolutely loved it and contacted Karen to ask if she was able to create my dress out of this fabric.

The Perfect Colour Combination

Thankfully she came back to me and said it would an absolutely great fabric to use.

Anyway, that was the start of the process and during this I randomly asked Karen if she actually made bags as you know I love to match my accessories.

Karen was very kind to tell me she did have a couple of patterns however it wasn’t her forte BUT she could recommend someone who would do me a much better service.

It was then that I was given the contact details for Doodlebug bags.

Doodlebagging

I sent an email to the lovely Lisa asking if she could help in my quest for a bag to go with my beautiful dress. Lisa told me that she had patterns for numerous vintage bags and it depended just what I was looking for.

Explaining that I was having a dress made and wanted to incorporate some of the left over fabric into bag, Lisa advised that this was something she had done in the past to great success.

Matching Interior

Lisa made contact with Karen and arranged for the surplus material to be sent. I chose the colour of the bag and the design that I wanted from her patterns and away she went.

I also arranged to have a matching snood made in a very delicate Solomon’s Knot pattern.

Solomons Knot

A couple of weeks later I was amazed to get a parcel through the door. Now, given that I do tend to have a lot of deliveries, I can sometimes forget what I am expecting. However, I literally wasn’t expecting anything so didn’t know what was in the package.

You can imagine my surprise when opening the package to find not only the bag but the snood too. All fully complete and absolutely amazing.

A Beautiful Creation

The depth of colour to the crochet thread was just sublime. It was so vivid yet matched the inner material perfectly, just as I hope it would do.

The Solomon’s knot snood was even prettier in real life. So intricate, yet strong and flexible. The snood was finished off with a little bow to tighten or loosen the snood, as necessary.

A Perfect Match

Moving onto the bag, I was absolutely blown away by the quality and intricacy of the design.

A half moon bag with bamboo style handles, the bag is made to look like a series of squares joined together with a ridged seam, giving body and shape.

Marvellous Moon-Shape

The design is made to be quite flat; this means I can’t shove all my belongings inside as it would alter the shape and create bulges which would ruin the look.

I think my phone, sunglasses and some cash would be all that I shall put inside as I want to showcase this bag to its greatest potential.

My perfect Pake Muu

So I have the shoes, bangles, earrings, gloves, fan, bag, snood and even a parasol. Thankfully Karen finished the dress and it was absolutely perfect!

The Pake Muu of my dreams.

Till then,

SPSG xxx