Emlyn the Gremlin

My sister gave me her car recently.  Rather nice of her I'm sure you'll agree!  She had a very old little jade green toyota starlet coming to the end of its life, so she upgraded herself and bought a new one.  I therefore inherited the starlet as I was desperate for a car of my own since hubby nicked our family car for work.

In return she asked that I make her a handbag that was "big enough for work folders and a lunchbox and made out of dark fabric as it will spend a lot time shoved under my desk".  I think actually the true cost of the car will be handmade bespoke bags for the rest of her life...

Anyway, of course I am happy to oblige and here's what I came up with...

It is made from old woolen suit fabric and organic cotton gingham and I am really pleased with how it came out.  I took the picture in a bit of a hurry otherwise I'd have popped something else in the shot for size reference, but trust me it's big enough for work folders and a lunch box, and quite a lot else besides.

Inside the lining is the reverse of the outside and in fact the whole thing can be turned inside out and used either way round...

Mmmm, lots of lovely crisp organic cotton!

My sister lives with her long-term boyfriend though.  So if she is getting a gift in the post this week surely it would be unfair to leave him out, right?  Exactly.  Therefore I had to create Emelyn the Gremlin...

Emelyn, unlike Rosie, is a manly gremlin, grrr grrr.  He is about half Rosie's size and is made from the same suit fabric and organic cotton as the bag, it's important after all that one's gremlin matches one's girlfriend's handbag...

I love these gremlins, I sense more to come!