My Favorite Bag!

This is the only bag you'll need this summer!  The generous size is perfect to use as a purse, but large enough to throw your towel and a book in and head to the beach.

The pattern is My Favorite Bag by Kati Cupcake. I used fabric from Amy Hamberlin from her Marabella line.  The fabric colors are positively scrumptious. 

This tote bag has 6 pockets on the outside and six on the inside.  The inside lining is the same as the outside fabric.  The bag closes with a convenient magnetic snap.  Don't you just love the sash?!  Stop by and visit our Etsy shop - we have lots more where this came from!

Inspiration Workshop ala Gussy Sews!

I find a lot of my inspiration from nature, so this week's Inspiration Workshop from Gussy Sews was a good fit for me.  There are few things I love more than seeing what's new at my local farmer's market.  Doesn't it make your mouth water? 

A New Favorite!

I have to admit- I love this purse more than any other purse I've ever made! I want to keep it for myself, but then that sort of defeats the purpose of having an Etsy store.  Just so you know, it was very hard for me to part with this fabric.

The pattern is Down Town from Kati Cupcake (Love her!). The fabric is by Sanae for Moda in their Oh MY! collection and is absolutely TO.DIE.FOR. The colors are chocolate brown, burnt orange, hot pink, cherry red, olive green, golden yellow, & a hint of white in the outline. The bag is fully lined with a large and small pocket in the interior and a magnetic closure. The handles are dark brown rattan and complement the fabric perfectly. The outside pocket is a generous size as well. The decorative buttons on the pocket give it the ultimate finishing touch! This is the perfect bag for all seasons!

 Here's a view of the back of the purse. I want you to be able to admire all of it's loveliness.

 I think these rattan handles are the perfect accent for this purse.  They go well with the tropical theme of the fabric, don't you agree?

 I know, I love the buttons too... probably even more than you do.

The interior is super fun,not to mention functional. Check out the pocket and magnetic closure. Please feel free to visit our Etsy shop for lots more loveliness!

~Angela

Splish Splash!

Summer is here! Being born and raised in Southern California, my thoughts automatically turn to the beach, the pool, the lake... just about anywhere I'll need a bathing suit!

I've created Splash Bag's in several different patterns that are perfect for carrying your wet bathing suit and towel, without getting everything else in your bag wet! Please see our Etsy shop for a sampling of our gorgeous fabrics.

My 100% cotton drawstring splash (wet) bags are lined with 100% waterproof fabric and close with a double-drawstring cotton cord. They are machine washable and dryable. With my Splash Bag, you will never have a wet beach bag,suitcase or diaper bag again! They are perfect for your wet swim clothes, gym clothes, or soiled items - especially useful in your diaper bag.

This fabric is Woodland Delight by Paula Prass. The background is chocolate brown with vibrant colored flowers in pink, orange, & white.




Splash Bag Measurements:

11.5"(33cm) x 13”(30.5cm)

Most bags are made to order, so pattern placement may vary slightly. Please let me know if you’d like a different size or color combination. I'd be happy to customize a bag just for you!

Get your "green" on!

I am a sucker for a quirky print on fabric.  So when on a recent trip to Ikea, I found this super cute vegetable print fabric I had to buy it. 



I love the cute celery sweating in the sun and the potato with a shovel.  I had no idea what I was going to make with it.  It came on a three yard mini bolt, so I had some options.  I try to be eco-friendly whenever I can, and really didn't like the fact that I had to use plastic bags to get fruit and veggies at the store, so I whipped up some produce bags. 

I cut the fabric to 14" x 17" and then started making my drawstring bag.  I used a french seam for these.  I don't always use a french seam but wanted to make sure there would be no stray fabric threads inside the bag.  If you had a serger, that could probably work instead.  If you are unfamiliar with a french seam, you take your two fabric pieces with the wrong sides together and sew your side/bottoms seams.  My seam allowance for the first seam was about 1/4".

Clip your corners and turn the bag inside out.  It helps to iron your seam to the side before turning inside out.  Iron the bag with your seams at the very edge. 

Your fabric print should now be on the inside of the bag.  Sew around the side and bottom seams once more using a 1/4" or 1/2" seam allowance.  Make sure to include the seam edgings you just created in step 1.  This is the french seam on the inside of the bag!  No stray threads and a nice finished seam! 

No for the top casing.  I folded over the top edge about 1/2" and ironed all the way around. 

Then I folded that over another 1". 

This size would depend on the width of the drawstring you were using.  I bought a bulk lot of ric rac and seam binding on Ebay years ago, and although I have gone through a lot of it, I still had quite a few things I just didn't think I would use.  I had some seam binding tape and thought it would be perfect.  It is very lightweight, and I thought it would hold up just fine.  I also used some single fold bias tape ( I normally use double fold for my projects), that I just sewed a zig zag stitch down the center of to keep the seams together. 

I wanted to make a buttonhole for my drawstring to go through, so I folded up the casing I just ironed a bit and marked where I would need the buttonhole to start, and sewed it up.  Remember to only sew through one layer of fabric, do not sew through the casing you just folded down.  Then I cut the buttonhole open and re-ironed my casing down. 

Once the buttonhole is done and your casing is ironed down, sew along the very bottom edge of the casing to close it up. 

Then feed the drawstring through, tie a knot in the end and you are done! 

While the bags may add a minimal amount of weight to produce at a store that sells by weight, these are actually really light.  I used them at Trader Joe's, which sells by piece and the farmers market and got rave reviews!  People really loved the idea.  I use reusable grocery bags, why not reusable produce bags too?!  :)

This was my very first tutorial, so please let me know if you see this and have any questions! Linking up to...

Quilt shop 'til you drop

I love fabric.  In fact, do you see all of the fabric in our header?  That’s all mine… and it’s just a smidgen of my vast collection. When I say collection, I’m serious. 

If I’m in a new city, the first thing I do is map the nearest quilt shops – much to my husband’s dismay. I think quilt shops are the best place to buy unique, high quality fabrics. My new favorite shop is The Cotton Ball in Morro Bay, CA.  Good thing it’s about 6 hours from my house, or I would be in serious trouble!

 

On a recent trip to Spokane, WA, I discovered a great new shop called SewEZ Too.  There I found beautiful new fabrics by Moda from their “Oh My!” by Sanae line.  

Look for a fancy purse made from these gorgeous fabrics on our Etsy site soon.   
I guess I'd better get sewing!

~Angela

A change for the seasons

I have always wanted a red door on my house, being in a rental I don't really have the option for that right now.  So I came up with a bright red wreath.  It looked wonderful as is at Christmas time, and for Spring I changed it out a bit. 

I love this cherry fabric and the bird from the Spool pattern looked so sweet hanging in the middle.  Now with all of our patriotic holidays coming up I thought I should change it out once again.  This will likely stay up through Labor Day when I switch it out for the fall. 

To do this I sewed up a long strip of navy fabric that is looped through the wreath from.  The wreath is hung on the door with two thumbtacks hidden under the back ribbon.  Tie a big bow at the top and that part is complete.  To add the flag I found a pack of small flags in the dollar section of Target.  I took one of the flags and a small piece of thin red ribbon and tied it to wreath.  When I want to change it out I can just cut off the ribbon and the wreath will still look the same. 

The actual wreath is made up of a 12" circular wreath form that I wrapped first in strips of muslin.  Then I covered it using appoximately 350 three inch squares.  I took the squares and centered them over the eraser end of a pencil, put a dab of hot glue on the end and stuck it to the wreath form.  You repeat that process over and over folding the piece up that you previously laid down.  Eventually it sort of all fills out, with the squares all up and only the small dap of glue touching the form.  My wreath is not covered on the back, because I knew it wouldn't show.  If you had a glass door though I would cover the entire form.  It takes a while, I think I watched a movie or two while making it.


Stephanie