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I made these bags twice. At first they were too fussy. What I really wanted was something simple, humble, pretty. The bags work. They hang well, are strong, and feel good, with a bit of body and a bit of slouch. And I love the cotton upholstery florals, I hunted for them for a while… Mint with tiny roses. Big luminous flowers on midnight black, like flowers in moonlight. A muted circle of dusty roses on tan. My favourite lilac floral fabric. And lemon-lemon yellow with big pale pink climbing roses too. That one just glows. The interior is lined in light grey with a single big pocket.

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I was obsessed with the handles being florals that encircled you and not the regular flat handles. So I made these rounded cotton filled handles, very easy on the shoulder. I love the idea of tubes of flowers. I found matching embroidery thread and hand whipstitched them together from end to end, and hand embroidered the swan logo.

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The wood swan charms were made for me by The Wood Garden. They work with “wood from sustainably farmed hardwood trees”. I think the swans are beautiful. They feel great, and the more they are handled the better they will look. They’re tied on with a little fabric loop. Something about threading the flowers through the wood swan, I love that too. I guess I am a little bit in love with these bags.

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So yes, finally a tote from me for summer!

Find them in my SWANclothing store.

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1 of many colours. more coming later today. see big here.

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Remember this? Still in Toronto, the Floral Lasso totes were only a few stitches in. Now back on the west coast, I finally made time to finish them. I love the fabrics so much, it took me a while to source them out. I love the wooden swan charms I had made for them too. More on those later.

The last work in progress shots taken at my second cousin’s place while I waited for my new apartment, mixed in with some really pretty photos of her growing up …

My cousin in amazing mary janes. I’ll post this big on Flickr.

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Thank you very much for pics…
White Lightning – Topshop . Stay Fancy Free . Blog Full of Jelly . Curves To Kill – Teer Wayde . Porkchop Rules . A Fluffy Blog . annaliviaplurabelle . Mia Regine …sock garters and thigh high garters definitely have range.

And a few interviews, bloggings, press…
The Globe and Mail – Lingerie too pretty to cover up . Mischief My Dear . Fashion Daydreams . inaccessory . tfs – Trend: Sock Garters by Sarah Joynt …thanks for the pixels people. That last kindly article talks about me like I am a sock garter instigator. Maybe I am?

More press gatherings- 1, 2, 3, 4 {just keep scrolling through this last one}.

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i guess i am still in a big city so i will keep posting these tiny, maybe inane, sometimes helpful sewing tips…

there are times when my sewing is getting the better of me. like i worry i can’t nail the topstitching i need to do on a finicky piece of leather. i get really tense, sort of shy away from the work as i sew, and feel a separation from it. but then i realized i had to do the opposite. the classic “tell it who’s boss” approach was the way to go. and i relax into my sewing, remember feeling confidant and sew. that’s the attack part. try it, it works. and at the very least it helps.

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Cream lace & pink lace, the newest SWANclothing floral lace sock garters in the store now. And here’s another link to my tutorial about how to make your nylons any height you need. Xo from me. {P.S. that tennis girl looks kind of like a tennis playing villain doesn’t she? Found her in a thrift store, and really liked her.}

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I made a The Wind in the Willows etsy treasury… you can see it here.

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More photo love for SWANclothing summer lace sock garters! Pics from Rebecca’s “Lace For A Lady, Letters For A Spy“ blog entry on The Clothes Horse. I tweeted oh so happily about these yesterday. Something about them making my Monday, but I have to change that, they make my week and more, more, more. Thank you Rebecca. And what a beautiful title too. I need a program to randomly generate fabulous blog entry titles for me. Will someone build that please?

There are more great close-up photos of the summer lace sock garters from Rebecca too, I will post them soon.

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{I’ve just moved this entry up so it stays on the front page. Here’s the original “intro to SWANclothing sock garters…“ And La Meow, Jaana of The door in my wardrobe, and Sabocracy wearing theirs perfectly. More colours here, including Latté. And some mentions.}

Hello pretty leg candy… Are your brogues lonely? Your futuristic wedgie platforms and stilettos need a friend or two? SWANclothing sock garters save the day! Not just for socks. Not just for girls.

Made from thrifted recycled leather and stretchy elastic. Anchored flatteringly with leather at the front & back. Topped off with a silver metal swan bead. And a clip for your socks in front. Keep those socks up!

The SWANclothing sock garters come in black, white, satin cream, white lace, latté, baby blue, and ballerina pink. And are available in all sizes, please include your calf measurement when you place your order. If you want a thigh high version, just include your thigh measurement instead.

Find them in my SWANclothing store.

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don’t ask to explain! though i probably will. but i am now back on the west coast. my life is emphatically and unexpectedly about sock garters these days and i had to do whatever i could to take care of SWANclothing as best i could. so here i am. there are some other rather annoying reasons why i am back on the west coast but at the moment all i see is blue sky and sushi!

my temporary view… suburbs you say? not quite but almost!

some random nearby niceties…

soon i’ll have a new yet old victorian pad. i look forward to that. i sort of feel like a sewing hobo. my situation is so mobile that sometimes i wonder if i should just keep going. hmmm.

i also wanted to say a huge thank you to the clients who waited extra time for their orders while i moved back here. the sweetness of you all out there continues to blow me away. and if i don’t answer all your kind notes that come in with your orders {i try to!} i just wanted to say thank you amazing people you make me so very happy!!!

i have some new designs coming and as promised totes….. orders always do come first but i really want to share these new designs with you.

ok, much {big!} xo to you all. sorry for lack of blogging, apart from endless sock garterizms, i’ll be around a bit more now.

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