June has been spent making new Buttoned Purses. A selection shown here. For sale at various shops, for details see the stockists page.

Janine is busy beavering away at the sewing machine in the afternoons and evenings after the day job. Summer Bags and Purses are being made in a variety of fabrics. Flowery cotton William Morris, Laura Ashley linens, Vanessa Arbouthnott linens,  Vintage French cottons and American vintage feedsack fabrics. All with leather flaps and new and vintage button fastenings. They will then go for sale at my stockists (see stockist page). Also new from this month is the new online shop at Focus Gallery, Nottingham, which currently features one of my linen bags, more will be added as it develops. ( see the textile page in the shop page and look for Janine McShane handbag).

Normally the beginning of the year is a little quiet on the making front. 2016 has so far been hectic, lots of commissions and a busy time making  Bags, Purses and Tweed Flower Brooches for one of the stockists who sold out of Xmas stock in Nov! Bags flew off the shelves at the other two stockists before Xmas too. Here are a few photos of newly made Tweed Bags which are ready for delivery to one of my stockists this weekend. A few pics of newly made Leather flap purses are now on the photo gallery of  Purses page. Spring Bag makes will follow over the next few months. Photos to follow as they are made.

Leather flap bag, made from British Abraham Moon tweed fabric, with vintage French button detail

Leather flap Bag made from British Tweed fabric, with vintage button detail

Leather flap Tweed fabric Bag, with vintage button detail

Leather flap Tweed fabric Bag, with vintage button detail

Vintage Tweed fabric Leather flap Bag, with vintage button detail

“No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.” ~ “A Room of One’s Own”

2016 was another blur  of making. The beginning of this year i will be busy finishing off a few commissions. Making New Tweed, Floral and antique  Velvet Bags and Tweed Brooches for the stockists. Then its knitting to finish  for the Easter Charity Selling Bonanza to organise and do! Plus a busy Day job and homelife to juggle. Sometime in Spring /Summer the sewing machine zipper foot will be dug out to experiment and develop a new Make, in my signature style,  hopefully to launch Summer/Autumn. Although plans don’t always work out, so its all a vague plan and then i let it develop organically. Its worked so far! Sewing was always supposed to be a hobby to help me recover from Cancer treatment and all its side effects. It meant i met lots of interesting new people who are all gentle souls. Along the way people with retail outlets approached me to stock my makes and suddenly i had to register as a business and be slightly more organised. Although i am keeping it all at a gentle pace and sew in the afternoons in the Dining Room when the mood takes me. Lots of ideas are always buzzing around in my head, but life means they will never all happen. Photos of new makes to follow soon.

A busy Summer of ‘Treasure Hunting’ around the country for vintage fabrics and buttons and New Irish Tweeds, means i am now stocked up for the next year or more! Think i over purchased! A New product has now got underway and i am  currently making,  after several requests,  purses to go with my Bags. They are  now in production being made at the Dining Room table. They are all in various sizes and fabrics, no two the same. All with a leather flap and a vintage button fastener and lined in cottons and Liberty Tana lawn fabrics.  I will be busily making them and Bags for the next few months for my stockists as xmas orders for items have been placed! Having  just about made the Tweed Flower Brooch stock i will now be focusing on Purses and Bags. Here are a few preview photos. Also a New Stockist in Staffordshire from Friday, is The Suki  Craft Gallery, 14 High St, Tutbury, Staffordshire. The pics of Purses below are now in stock at this lovely shop.

A few photos of a selection of newly made bags for various commissions and for sale at ‘Focus Gallery’ and ‘Emily found a Thing’, ( shop  location details on my Stockist page). I will be spending the rest of June, July and August working on various Commissions and New Shop Stock for Autumn/Winter. Plus a New Stockist to make for (in Staffordshire) for my Bags and accessories later in the Summer, details to follow, when the Bags are made and delivered.

Commission Bag made from William Morris ‘Golden Lily’ fabric, navy leather flap and vintage button.

Commission Bag made form Welsh Tweed and a navy leather flap with vintage button detail.

Bag made from William Morris ‘Compton’ fabric, distressed dark green leather flap and vintage button detail.

Bag made from William Morris ‘Compton’ fabric, distressed dark green leather flap and vintage button detail.

After a delivery of new Spring shades of Irish Donegal Tweed fabric. The last few weeks I have been been busy stitching a selection of Flower Brooches, which are now  for sale  at ‘Focus Gallery’ Nottingham and ‘Emily found a Thing’, (location details in my ‘stockist’ page). New Spring/Summer Bags to follow over the next few months. Then its back to design and development, working on a new Make for Autumn to compliment my ever popular Bag range. .

Commission Bag made from William Morris ‘Strawberry Thief’ linen fabric with Red Leather flap and vintage button detail.

Bag made from Cashmere/Wool fabric, Red Leather flap and vintage button detail.

Commission Bag made from vintage Wool Fabric, Olive Grenn Leather flap and button detail.

A few photos of Bag commissions for 2015. The next couple of months I  will be busy making new Bags in William Morris design fabrics for Spring/Summer and Flower Brooches in  six newly purchased pieces of beautiful Irish Tweed in Spring colours (lavender, yellow, soft greens and pinks in Plaids and Herringbone)  for ‘Focus Gallery’ Nottingham and ‘Emily Found A Thing’. Photos to follow.

William Morris ‘Blackthorn’ Fabric, Green Leather Flap finished with a 1960’s Vintage Coat Button.

Welsh Tweed Fabric Bag with Antique Peat coloured flap and finished with a Vintage button (Commission Bag)

William Morris ‘Blackthorn’ Fabric, Green Leather Flap finished with a 1960’s Vintage Coat Button.

2015 has started with making a few Bags for various Commissions, still more to make in February, but thought i would post a few photos of ones now completed.

Happy New Year to everyone.

2014 went in a blur of making. I had December off sewing, as the day job was busy and to have a  five day Birthday Break/Bash, which included a weekend jaunt to a beautiful Landmark Trust property, Tixall Gatehouse in Staffordshire, we were supposed to be staying in Derbyshire but for those that know how my birthdays are jinxed, the cottage had a gas leak and we were redirected on route to The Gatehouse. Top marks to The Landmark for the speedy relocation, which was fun finding in the dark with a few scribbled instructions. Now its back to making again. Lots of orders for bags came along in Nov and i have now started making them, pics to follow when made over the next two months. To ease myself in i have made a small selection of Tweed Flower Brooches using Irish Donegal Tweed fabric, and finished off with vintage buttons. This batch  are stocked exclusively in Nottingham at Focus Gallery, Derby Road, Nottingham.