Messenger Bag from Little Things to Sew

At the same time that I was waffling between a few different bag patterns for a new bag I had promised my oldest daughter, the Oliver and S blog featured a new school bag for S.  I was reminded of how much I loved the Messenger Bag pattern when I first bought the Little Things to Sew book by Liesl Gibson.

What a clever pattern this is, with all of the little design details and great curves.  I've made several bags, but never used bias tape to enclose all of the edges like this. Liesl's patterns are so well written and flawless in finishing details.

The main fabric is Mochi Linen Dots by Moda which adds some durability to the outer bag.  Also, since the dots are a natural linen color (vs. white dots), any dirt is nicely hidden! The lining is a fun print I picked up at JoAnn a year or so ago. I love the punch of color the lining adds when the flap is opened! For ease, I used pre-packaged bias tape and love the contrast added by the navy.

As I researched pattern notes and reviews of several bloggers (thank you!), I followed the lead of Bartacks and Single Track blog to slightly enlarge the pocket flaps and am glad I did.  I chose not to apply any closures on the pockets or the messenger flap.  So far, that has not been an issue.  My daughter uses a backpack for school, so this is her weekend bag.  It is perfect for our library trips and I am amazed at how many books she can fit in this bag!  Not having a closure on the messenger flap allows the bag to stay flexible.

I made this bag over several days, so the time and various steps were spaced out. I wish I blogged right after I finished in order to capture some more details and notes.  I followed the pattern as written, other than enlarging the flaps.  I did add some fusible fleece that was not called for in the pattern to add some heft and body to the bag.  The pattern offers both large and small options, and I made the large size for my 10-year old.  The smaller bag would be perfect for my 3-year old!

Supertote in Anna Maria's Ghostwing

The Supertote by Noodlehead is as super as you've heard!!  This is my first time using one of her patterns, and it definitely lived up to the reputation - quite thorough with nice details that make the bag special and functional.  I actually made this bag as part of a class at a local shop - SEWN Studio.  It was nice to have dedicated sewing time, especially for an intricate project like this.  I learned some great tips along the way from our instructor and tried some new skills such as making piping and installing a recessed zipper.  

My main fabric is the gorgeous Ghost Wing print by Anna Maria Horner.  It is a linen-cotton blend and the colors are just amazing.  For the gusset, I used a dark denim from my stash. I have seen some nice versions of the Supertote using Ghost Wing and a natural linen, which i contemplated.  In the end i went with the darker denim so the bag could be a little less fussy (read:  not as prone to picking up dirt).  The dotty lining is from Kaffe Fassett and I found it locally at Silk Road Textiles.

I don't really enjoy making straps and wanted something sturdy, so I picked up some jute webbing.  Because I was only a day or two away from the scheduled class, I found this at Hancock in the upholstery section.  Next time I will shop online where it is much, much less expensive.  

The denim gusset was actually a redo.  Initially, I used a light brown linen-blend and just didn't love it.  I doubted it all along the way, and only decided to start over once the gusset was fully attached.  Of course...  I should have listened to my gut sooner.  I used one of the aforementioned tips learned during my class to rip the seams  - my husband's hair clippers ripped the seam right out.  Have you tried this?  Amazing!  Fast! And he didn't know the difference after I blew away the lint ;-)

I followed the pattern closely, but added just a couple of variations.  I divided the inner pockets - one into two sections (large enough to fit diapers and wipes) and one into three sections (great for smaller items).  I added an additional hidden pocket to the large outside pocket.  It's a small slip pocket near the top to hold my phone.  I'm so glad I did. This bag is so large, I would never find my phone!  I may add a clip for my keys for the same reason. 

Initially, due to its size, I didn't anticipate carrying this bag as my main purse/tote, but I have.  It is large, yes, but not bulky at all.  And it holds everything I need - regular purse stuff, plus my water bottle, toddler supplies, book, mail, etc.  A magazine slips perfectly in the outside pocket.  

I've carried this bag for over a month and have been happy.  I will add a key clip as mentioned.  One thing I will pay closer attention to next time is slightly increasing the size of the lining (top to bottom dimension).  I seemed to have sewn it slightly smaller than the outer bag.  When the bag is loaded up, the top of the bag sort of pulls inward as you can hopefully see in the photo below.   Adding a little length should solve that issue.

Next up, I plan to make a slightly downsized Supertote with a cross-body strap for my 9-year old.  

HUGE Pool Bag

My sister asked me to make a pool/beach bag. Her one request was that the finished bag be huge enough to hold all the neccessities for her family of four's trip to the pool.

I knew that IKEA fabrics were the way to go, since my sister wanted a fun print and sturdy bag. Constanca inspired me with her beach bag made with the same Fredrika fabric. I drafted a pattern in a similar shape. For the interior, I used IKEA's striped Sofia canvas and included a large pocket (12"x16") and key fob. I added some interfacing to beef up the handles but did not add any to the body of the bag since I used the heavier fabrics.

The finished size is nearly 24" x 36"! Yes, large enough for four towels, dry clothes, diapers, snacks, purse....or a couple of toddlers!

Secret Santa Shoulder Bag

I was commissioned to make a bag for a secret santa exchange. Green is the recipient's favorite color, so I paired this green Robert Kaufman print with a chocolate corduroy. The bag is a simple shape and will be a good size for everyday use.

For the closure, I made a corduroy loop and used a large button.

Brown Rose Tote, take two

Stephanie asked me to make another of the brown rose tote that I took to the craft fair. Making the bag a second time allowed me to tweak a few things. Megan, the recipient of the first brown rose tote, gave me some feedback that the straps would be a bit short, especially when wearing a heavier coat. So, for this second version the straps are about an inch and a half longer. I added some additional pockets inside and a key fob.The tote design is fairly simple. I tend to like simple shapes and lines with a combination of solids and prints on the exterior. The outer print is Frippery Birds and Roses in brown. The solid is a home dec cotton and the lining is a quilting cotton from the wall at JoAnn.I'm still trying new interfacings. Here, I used a woven fusible interfacing to add some body to the Frippery print. I then interfaced the lining bag with fusible fleece. It is still a trial and error process. I picked up some cotton batting to try in a future bag. We'll see how that goes.

After all these recent bags, I am anxious to sew something different. Next up is the soccer apron. I also picked up a new book Chic and Simple Sewing by Christine Haynes. I am anxious to sew some more clothing and work on my garment construction skills!

Stitch Spring Tote in Ginseng

Here is my second version of the Spring Tote from the Spring 2009 Stitch Magazine. This pattern is by Rashida Coleman-Hale of i heart linen. The exterior prints are Joel Dewberry's Ginseng collection and the lining is his Blackeyed Susan. I love the rich colors and cotton sateen finish of the Ginseng home dec fabrics. The solid outer fabric is a woven home dec fabric that may be a cotton/poly blend.

The first time I made this bag in August, I worked up a sweat, pounding away at the eight grommets in a closed garage in 80+ degree heat. This time it was a cool 50 or 60 degree garage in November...much better! I love this mild weather we are having in Ohio. Look at that green grass, just a few days before Thanksgiving!

Chocolate Buttercup

I was commissioned to make another Buttercup Bag. This is the larger size that comes with the commercial license available on Rae's blog. Since I was charging for this one (well sort of...I'll get to that in another post!), I purchased the license. This makes a nice size bag, good for everyday use. I wish I took a picture of myself holding the bag to show the scale.
Megan purchased her outer fabric, a silky chocolate brown. She chose the lining fabric, lime and brown Robert Kaufman jacquard, from my stash. I love the punch of color the lime adds. I finished this one with a magnetic closure and two inner pockets. When constructing the bag, I used fusible interfacing with the lining and handle, but no interfacing with the outer fabric. This method seemed to worked fine.

The outer color reads so differently in this last picture because of the flash, but I like how the sheen and sharp pleats are highlighted. The Buttercup was a good first project with the new machine. So far, so good!

Craft Fair

I participated in a small craft fair today, which I'll call a marketing test. It was a small show at my local YMCA, with a booth fee of just $25. Foot traffic was minimal as there was not a great deal of advertising. The best part of attending, I found, was meeting other crafters and talking about our creativity. There were many other first-timers there, so the camaraderie was nice.

I traded this brown rose bag with a fellow crafter for a beautiful beaded silver necklace and earrings. You can see an example of my hangtag on the bag. I opted to use simple handwritten cardstock tags. At Target, I picked up a two-pack of punches that included both the circle and butterfly punches. It turned out to be an easy and inexpensive way to make tags.



My product inventory was not quite as planned because my machine kept failing in the weeks before the show, with major tension issues and loopy stitches on the underside of the fabric. After trying everything - new needle, rethreading, adjusting tension, rethreading bobbin, etc.-I gave up (last night at 2 AM...arghhhh) It may be time to browse for a new machine :)



I was really discouraged to have such a small product offering (and a lot of unfinished items at home), but felt better after I saw the foot traffic at the fair. It is all a learning experience. I took a few of my larger totes and shoulder bags, kid-sized pocket totes, zipper pouches and two pennant banners. The larger totes got attention and compliments, but most people were not looking to spend much. Next time, I might make a less labor-intensive tote still using the bright, designer fabrics, that I can offer at a reasonable price. I took notes of items that people requested.



Here is my little display. This fair was small, so no one had large constructed booths, just tables. I spent a minimal amount, purchasing only the tablecloth and rack for the small totes. The other items are from my home. The larger totes are resting against two basket cubes from IKEA that I use in my sewing room bookcase. I turned them on the side, so the front side could prop the bags and the backside could hold my supplies (bags, blackberry, pens) out of sight. You'll never guess what I used to hang the kid totes....a free-standing toilet paper rack (Target again...and used specifically for this purchase...never placed in my bathroom!!). It worked great!


My super-crafty cousin purchased this tote along with a small zipper pouch for my first sale. Unfortunately in the stress of trying to finish product and fiddling with the machine, I didn't take any proper pictures once my new bags were finished. This is the first more complex bag that I have designed start to finish. The side panels and bottom exterior pockets with binding trim wrap around the sides of the bag. Inside I added a panel of pockets on each side and a key fob. I will definitely make more of these.

All in all, attending the fair was a good (learning) experience. Truthfully, I am relieved it is over and am ready to catch up on my sleep!! Talking with the other crafters has me energized to keep sewing and being creative.

Bags, Bags, Bags!

I am on a bag kick, designing my own. The bag above is the first finished product I have to show; a few others are pictured in-process below. This one is made from an olive linen blend with the pop of Orange Leaf Dot (from Park Slope by Erin McMorris). It is a good sized shoulder bag - not too big, not too small. I am enjoying designing the bags from start to finish experimenting with different fabrics and shapes.

Anyone else have a love/hate relationship with interfacings?? For the bag above, I used fusible fleece, but think that the linen was just too thin for it. After turning the bag out several times due to ripped-out seams and redos, the fabric has that weird dimply look. Fusible fleece did work perfectly for the straps. I hate wimpy straps and need them to have some body. I purchased some decor weight fusible interfacing and am trying flannel layers and sew-in rigid interfacing...we'll see what works best.

Here are some others in progress. I picked up this dark denim and like the way it contrasts with the prints (yes, more orange...i heart orange). I love prints, but I'm not really an all-over print-bag kind of girl. I like to break it up with solids and keep simple lines.

Spring Tote from Stitch

I pounded away at the grommets and finished this bag today. It is the Spring Tote from Stitch Magazine (Spring 2009 issue). The two blue fabrics are from Good Folks by Anna Maria Horner. The orange dot is a quilting cotton and the main fabric is 100% linen. The tote is a nice size and is sturdy from a layer of fusible fleece.

The pattern and instructions were easy to follow. I slightly reshaped the pattern pieces to make the bottom of the bag more rounded and added an extra interior pocket. The handles are a little short, but I will not rework them. Handles are my least favorite part of making bags!

The grommets did take alot of pounding! The kit that I purchased at the fabric store included everything needed (minus the hammer) for installation.

For Stitch fans, I noticed today that the website includes a preview of the Fall 2009 issue (available in early October) including a cover shot, table of contents and a pre-order option.

A Kidlet for the Kid Stuff

Today, I made this Kidlet, from Jennifer's tutorial. It's a handy little bag to hang on a doorhandle or wall hook to collect the little kiddy stuff that ends up all over the room. For the main fabric, I used a heavyweight cotton with a subtle stripe effect (yep, it's an IKEA curtain panel). The lining and patchwork fabrics were in my stash. This was my first go at patchwork.

This one will hang in the hallway adjacent to our family room. I will probably make another for

upstairs. These would be handy to have during the baby days for bibs, burb cloths, pacifiers, nursing pads/cream, etc. Note to my two expecting sisters...pretend you did not read this and act surprised, okay :)

Dressed-up Buttercup

My latest project is a Buttercup Bag from made by rae's free pattern. (how awesome of rae to provide such a great pattern??) I decided to dress-up the handbag by using a piece of dupioni silk I had on-hand. I initially bought the silk to make a clutch to carry to a wedding. (I didn't get around to making a clutch, and instead finished the edges of the piece with a narrow rolled-hem to make a scarf to cover my shoulders during the chilly outdoor wedding.) The lining is a mustard, gray and white paisley quilting cotton found at the local Hancock. I saw the fabric, loved it and bought 3 yards (at $1.99 per yard, why not?) not knowing what I would make with it. I was pleasantly surprised to see how well it coordinated with the gold silk. The silk made for nice sharp pleats and was not too difficult to work with, although it frays quickly.

The handbag was a gift for my mother-in-law who generally carries much larger bags. I hope that the small size and silk fabric will make it a nice option as a special occasion bag for a dinner or church outing. Since I wanted it to be almost clutch-like, I kept the handle very short, so it can be held daintily (not sure that's a word, but you get my vision, right?) during a night out!

Gifts

For Mother's Day, I made this tote for my Mom. The pattern is "Amanda's Bag" from Marlous Designs. Marlous happens to be a special family member of ours, so I think that made the gift even better for Mom. The main fabric is a home dec weight I thought she would like. The lining and contrast are quilting fabrics. All were found at my local Hancock Fabric. The pattern calls for the bag to be quilting with a layer of batting. Since I am not a quilter, I just added a layer of fusible fleece. Now that it is finished, I don't know if that was a good move, as the bag is a little floppy. I may have to revamp the bag and add some rigid interfacing (...or just learn to quilt). The pattern is great and gave me a nice challenge adding a zippered pocket. The zipper pocket is hidden behind the front pocket panel. It should have been visible on the outside of the front panel, BUT I had a mishap with a very hot iron and reversed the outer pocket panels to hide a lovely scorch mark. I like the contrast that the green floral fabric adds. Behind all of those diagonal trim pieces lies a pocket, so in total there are five outer pockets and also a row of inner pockets in the lining bag. The bag is quite roomy. All in all, a success.

My sister-in-law's birthday is approaching and she visited us over the weekend from Toronto. Since she is working on her vegetable garden again this year, I thought a gardening apron might be needed. I just made up this design as I went, knowing that I wanted the apron to have lots of pockets, with some expandable ones for garden gloves, clippings, etc. The floral pocket panel is made from a thrifted kitchen towel sewn in half lengthwise. I then made some inverted pleats to make the two center pockets gusseted. The main fabric is a home dec weight gingham. I used pre-packaged bias tape to finish the top seams and make the ties. Although the colors of the gingham aren't exactly dirt friendly, I like the cheery combination!

Everything Tote in Orla Kiely

My second finished project from Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing is the Everything Tote. I wanted to make a tote perfect for summer trips to the park and farmer's market, so the pear print seemed perfect. Some may recognize the pear fabric - it is the Orla Kiely dishtowel everyone scooped up at Target a month ago. I used the solid green towel for the handles, bindings and pockets. The lining is an unfinished cotton I had on-hand. To give the bag more body, I added a cotton flannel layer inside. I decided not to add gathers to the bag; it was just too difficult with the extra flannel layer and I just wanted to move ahead with the project!

Because the towels were a bit small to fit the pattern, I redrew the main pattern piece to reduce slightly. Even with the pattern reduction, the bag is still huge! I should mention that I ripped out all the seams on the pear print towel (yes, it took forever) to add about 3-4 inches of width and length. Also, since the pear pattern is directional, I had to cut the main body panels as two separate pieces.

As many have commented in the flickr group discussion, the instructions for the binding and handles are a bit curious. I will say that to achieve the look shown in the book photo, with inch wide bindings, you cannot follow the book instructions. The instructions call for the bindings and handles to be attached similar to bias tape. If you do that, your finished binding will only appear about half an inch wide. For my binding and handles, I just pressed the pieces in half and sewed on. It was tricky sewing, but I like the outcome, where you can see a little of the lining along the edge of the binding. As you can hopefully see in the picture, I sewed the handles in half only just past the body of the bag and left the rest open, so the lining fabric will show and so the wide handles will be comfortable on my shoulder.

For the interior, I added two large pockets, one divided. I also added a loop of fabric with some elastic sewn down the middle. It is hard to see in the picture, but the fabric loop is just sewn perpendicular into the side seam of the lining bag. What is the purpose, you ask? I want to carry a refillable water bottle or coffee tumbler upright in the bag. Let's hope it works.

My daughter thinks it makes a great messenger bag!

Frenchy Bag

This weekend, I had the house to myself, so I took advantage of the time and made a bag. This is the shoulder bag version of the Frenchy Bag pattern by Amy Butler. The fabric is from IKEA. I love the bold pattern in the main fabric. It is home decor fabric, so the heavy weight gave nice body to the bag, made for sharp pleats and did not require interfacing. I did add fusible fleece interfacing to the top portion to ensure sturdiness.

The black contrast fabric is part of a larger bird print. I decided to keep the outside clean with solid black pieces. For the inside of the top portion, though, I cut from the printed areas. I like that it is unexpected and fun.

The pattern was easy to follow. I completed the steps out of order and constructed the lining bag first. I am so glad I did, because it allowed me some "warm-up" time to practice sewing the curved seams and connecting the bottom and top pieces just right. Again, with this project, I learned some helpful tips. This pattern uses an easy folding method for squaring up the fabric...much easier than cutting. And I finally learned how to make good straps!