Thursday 30 May 2013

Say it with Flowers

Welcome to my stop on the

Say It With Flowers Schedule


I am delighted to be taking part in another of Madame Samm's inspiring Blog Hops. This time round our super-efficient cheerleader is Carol of Just Let Me Quilt, now that is a sentiment I can relate to :)

If you are new here, please feel free to take a look around and explore my little corner of Blogland.

When I signed up for this Blog Hop I thought that I hadn't actually completed many projects that were flower-related, but it turns out that I am more of a floral girl than I realised. I hope my DH is taking note of that as it is our wedding anniversary today, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I am not the only member of the family "saying it with flowers" today :)


So here are some of the flower-themed projects I had forgotten about

Curved Seams summer quilt back

The flower back of the summer quilt made for the Curved Seams Challenge blogged  here


Origami fabric flowers


Origami fabric flowers from a tutorial and kit by Knotted Cotton






Lots of floral bags! 




Bee blocks and brooches.

My favourite flower projects though have been the Dresden plate Sunflowers that started as cushions 

 


Dresden Sunflower Cushion



Sunflower Cushion

Then progressed to a quilt


And now as my project for the Say it with Flowers Blog Hop have been incorporated into a bag :)

Dresden Flower Bag

I know it is not yellow, so technically not a sunflower, but you get my drift. The fabric for the body of this bag came from this pair of my son's shorts!



Regular readers know by now that my sons and husband's wardrobes are frequently raided for my projects :) The ripped shorts were no use to him, but the cotton/linen mix fabric was ideal for my bag body. 

I used the Scalloped Dresden Bag pattern available free at During Quiet Time for the bag, and was delighted with how easily it all went together. The fabric for the scallops was part of a package I received from the lovely Jan in a Friendship Bag Swap, so it was a very economical bag to make.





My version of the bag is slightly different from the original pattern as I wanted to have interchangeable bag straps, rather than the cross-body fabric straps of the original. So, instead of adding straps I added a strap loop with a split ring to each side of the bag. The heavier strap above is actually a necklace that had a broken catch, whilst the lighter chain in the first photo was an extra chain that came with a clutch bag bought in a sale. Very little goes to waste in our household :)

Now that I have my flower bag all I need is the opportunity to go out somewhere smart with it. Fingers crossed that as well as saying it with flowers, DH takes the hint and will be whisking us off somewhere nice to celebrate this evening!

Don't forget to check out all the inspiring posts from fellow Blog Hoppers today at

May 30th


There will be loads of amazing projects for you to drool over I am sure!

If you have used a Dresden ruler or made a bag for the first time this month, or tried anything new to you this month there is still time to link up to 

The link up will close at 12.00 p.m. GMT on May 31st so you can still sneak a link in to tell us what you have tried out in May.

Linking up to


Bag Brag Tuesday 125 x 125 pixels

75 comments:

  1. Happy anniversary, hope himself says it with flowers!

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  2. What a striking bag, Fiona!!! Love the scallops for the flap. Does the Dresden plate finish at the top or does it continue over the back? Happy Anniversary and enjoy dinner out tonight if it eventuates!!!

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  3. Great group of flowers!! the bag is so very cute!!

    Happy Anniversary

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  4. Great bag, Fiona! You are certainly creative, as I already know! Happy Anniversary too!

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  5. Very nice bag, dresdens make wonderful flowers.

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  6. You have created a beautiful flower garden of projects. I love the Dresden sunflower cushions and quilt. The new bag is lovely! What a wonderful use of found and gift materials. The interchangeable strap is a very good idea. May you and your hubby have a happy anniversary! ... :) Pat

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  7. Wonderful projects! I hope you and your new bag were treated to a lovely night out - Happy Anniversary! Isn't it amazing? I didn't think I was much of a flower girl either...until I started looking over my past projects...LOL

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  8. Oh I love the origami flowers - so pretty

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  9. Lovely bag! Great to see your earlier flowers creations too!

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  10. Happy Anniversary and hope you and your lovely bag have a great day! Thank you for sharing all of you flower projects.

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  11. very cute bag, and happy anniversary :-)

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  12. Wonderful projekts, I like the sunflowers !
    Greatings from Germany!

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  13. I am sitting here at my breakfast table, drooling over your origami flowers. Love them.
    Happy Anniversary.
    Cheers!

    Jeanneke.

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  14. Happy Anniversary! Your bag is really lovely - what a great idea to have interchangeable straps and use a necklace for one. Hope you and your bag go off on a lovely date!

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  15. Love those origami fabric flowers! Your dresdan flower bag is wonderful!!

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  16. Love the bag! Great way to "upcycle" the shorts. :)

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  17. Firstly happy anniversary to you both - I hope your flowers have arrived!!!
    I love your flowery projects - my favourites are the dresden cushion and your bag!
    Thanks for sharing!

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  18. Thanks for sharing all your lovely projects. I love your bag

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  19. Happy Anniversary! Love the dresden bag! Great idea for upcycling!

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  20. Now that`s a great bag! Super fabric choices.

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  21. Your projects are all great, but I really love that bag!

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  22. Gorgeous projects on display here.

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  23. I like sunflowers, or dresden plates. <:-)
    Just beautiful in your new bag. ( used jeans are wonderful to make bags from, don't you agree? )

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  24. All your bags are great ! You have done a lot of flowery things. Happy anniversary, I hope you get flowers and dinner and a movie, or better yet diamonds !!!!

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  25. Have a great celebration! Looks like you really are a 'bag lady' at heart. Love the sunflower quilt too!

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  26. Your bags are adorable. I like how your used your son's shorts, cute touch. All your projects are wonderful.

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  27. First--Happy Anniversary and I hope you get flowers, and go somewhere to show of your pretty bag. I love all your flowers.

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  28. First of all, Happy Anniversary, Fiona! I loved seeing all your flowering creations but especially your most recent one. Dresdens and bags plus repurposing clothing? What a clever girl you are! Glad you could join in the hop again.

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  29. Happy Anniversary...I hope there are some flowers arriving at your house today. All your flower projects are amazing! I love the origami flowers and that bag is just too cute. What a great way to recycle things! Thanks for hopping with us today. :O)

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  30. How I love that pillow and happy anniversary my dear....you chose such bright colours..so reflective of your lovely heart

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  31. I love Dresdan Plate pattern and your are beautiful projects..

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  32. I love those origami flowers! Your flowers are all delightful. Thanks for sharing them with us.

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  33. I love dresden sunflowers! great job.

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  34. What a great bag and using the shorts was great too.

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  35. Great bag..... I love how you repurposed the shorts and the necklace!

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  36. You have been very busy. Love all your projects. What a great idea using this Dresden fir the bag
    Thanks for sharing
    Frederika

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  37. Love the shorts for the body of the bag. They are probably just the right weight to make a great bag. You did have a lot of floral projects. Very nice projects.

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  38. I love sunflowers and your Dresden plates are very nice, indeed!
    Beautiful projects .-9

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  39. love your Origami fabric flowers the purse is cute too. nice projects wonderful job

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  40. I love your flowers, the Dresden plate bag is gorgeous! all the other projects shown are super too! Thanks for sharing!

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  41. So many fun projects. I love your new bag. I love that you upcycled man pants with such a girly bag.

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  42. So many great projects. Thanks for sharing and for showing us your new purse. Clever use of the dresden plate, which still remains one of my favorite patterns.

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  43. What a wonderful bag, and so creative...recycling! I love the origami flowers, and will have to give them a try! Thanks for sharing all the info!

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  44. Beautiful quilt and bag! :D

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  45. I admire all of your Dresden Plate projects! And very clever to add that one to the bag.

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  46. Love your Projects- thanks for sharing them. vickise at gmail dot com

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  47. All of your flower projects are so pretty!
    I also love the idea of reusing worn clothing and other fabric items when possible. Good for you!!!

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  48. Really thrifty ideas with brilliant results!

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  49. Love all your flower projects. The Dresden plate bag is lovely and I'm going to pop over and get the pattern as it's just what I'm looking for.

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  50. Love your Dresden purse. Great job. Thank you for sharing.

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  51. Beautiful bag! I hope you did get taken out somewhere wonderful to show it off! :-)

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  52. Love your Dresden Plates. Beautiful work.

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  53. I really love the Dresden purse! Thanks for the link. I'll be making it for sure. I enjoyed seeing all your flower projects.

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  54. I really liked that Dresden purse. Good job!

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  55. All of your pass flower creations are lovely and I really love the Dresden bag. Very excellent work on all.

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  56. Happy Anniversary to you and your DH! You know,not all Sunflowers are yellow,some of mine are a dark burgundy shade. Love,love,love,your new bag and have pinned it so I can make one of my own :) Thank you for sharing the link.

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  57. hehe, hope some anniversary flowers found there way to you today :) I love how you say you are more of a flower girl than you realized, I think I am that way with the color pink. I tell everyone I don't like pink very much, but it keeps working it's way into my sewing :) You have so many great floral projects, but my favorites are the sunflower projects. you found a fantastic way to reuse the fabric from those old shorts!

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  58. Love that dresden bag! Just lovely.
    cheers
    maggie
    maggiemine42@gmail.com

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  59. Oh I love sunflowers. Your quilt is marvelous. I like the bag too. Happy Anniversary!

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  60. Love the sunflowers and the bag is fabulous- what a great idea!

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  61. Love the dresdens, they make very pretty sunflowers. Love how the bag turned out, very nice.

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  62. What a lovely unique idea to have interchangable straps on your purse! It's a cutey and cute in pink as well as your go-to yellow!!

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  63. Amazing projects. I've never tried dresden,but after seeing your bag, that might just be the inspiration I need! It is terrific. Thanks for the link and for sharing your pretty projects.

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  64. you've made some gorgeous floral projects, some of them I hadn't seen before. Love the bag,what a great idea

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  65. So many flower projects - and all wonderful! I think I like that dresden bag best of all :)

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  66. Your bag is so cute and every one of your flower projects so beautiful.
    thanks for sharing.
    Bente

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  67. Love the bag. I always feel good when I find a second use for something. Your straps make it very unique too.

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  68. Lots of inspiration in this post, and I love the bag and the strap changing idea, very clever.

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  69. Lots of pretty projects with flowers Fiona. Awesome bag, I just love how you upcycle clothes to find the perfect fabric for your projects.
    Happy belated anniversary. I hope you had a great day.

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