Classics I - Portuguese "chita"

This is the first post entitled "Classics", which I'll dedicated to more traditional or classic fabric. Today I dedicate it to the traditional Portuguese fabric called "chita".

A sample.

I bought this fabric in one of my favourite towns in Portugal, Caldas da Rainha. Known for its ceramics, for the old spa, the fruit and vegetable market and for the beautiful park.
There are still some little traditional shops like the little old haberdashers with wooden floors and wooden counters and shelves. And lovely reproductions of old portuguese fabrics, like these I bought.

My plan is to make some girlie dresses and skirts (I love skirts!).
The fabric with the red stripes is much thicker than the others, so I made a school bag for Pauline, a little friend, who has just started school.

Contrasting fabrics are great to combine. Blue flowers and red stripes with green gingham lining. And outer fabric for an inside pocket.

I wanted to make a shoulder bag to wear across, my favourite way of carrying a bag.
Here modelled by my son:
I also wanted a slightly different way of attaching the strap to the bag, so I sewed it to the outside of the bag, leaving a small loose flap at the end of the strap on each side. A small detail, but which is quite effective. I think.

If there's any fabric you can think of to include in this series of posts please come with suggestions!
It would be fun to have a wide selection of fabric shown here!