My First Swap

I signed up for the latest Bend the Rules Sewings Swap.
This is my first swap and I love the concept. If you are not familiar with sewing swaps - I was paired with another swapper and received an email describing her likes, dislikes, favorite colors and patterns, etc. I was also able to link to her blog to view her past projects, which gives some great insight to choose her fabrics. Over the next three weeks, I will make her a Charming Handbag. while she does the same for me. Then we swap, mailing the finished handbags to each other! How fun is that?

A creative space...found

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A couple of months ago, I was wishing for some space and I found it! Our small living room is the coziest room in the house, with great natural light, but it was, for the most part, usued space. After multiple (4, 5...I lost count) trips to IKEA, my sewing supplies have vacated the dining room and have a home. My daughter's art supplies and hubby's books are stored along with my sewing supplies in the wall of IKEA bookcases. The storage boxes and baskets cleverly hide all of our goodies and my growing fabric stash and sewing book collection. The sewing machine cover is a repurposed $3 pillow cover found in the IKEA As-Is section. The Amy Butler organizer was a find at the local Michaels store.

The room now feels even cozier and functional and has become a creative space for the whole family. We find ourselves in the room on a daily basis, reading, sewing and coloring together. Last night my 3 year old daughter was my creative assistant, snipping threads for me with her "cutty things."

Pleated Beauty Handbag, finally finished

This project, the Pleated Beauty Hanbag from Bend the Rules Sewing, has been in process for what seems like a couple of months now. I have been busy with life in general and have completed bits and pieces of this bag when I could. This was my first try at embroidery and I like the interest it adds to the bag. I echoed the leaf pattern on the pleating fabric with a basic running stitch.

I altered the straps from the book directions. To make them more sturdy, I added rigid interfacing (Pellon 70) and made them 1.5 wide. I like the outcome.

With each project, I find that I learn a few lessons. The main fabric is a linen suiting which was difficult to work with - stretchy and drapey, not ideal for such a structured bag. I added fusible interfacing which made the bag less floppy but the linen puckered a little after multiple pressings. Toward the end, there was just too much bulk in the finished seams. My little sewing machine struggled sewing the seam around the top due to the bulk from the pleats and handles. There should be an edgestitch around the top, but I can't even get the finished edge under my pressure foot. I'll settle for a good press at the top.

A gift - zipper pouch

Today I made this clutch as a going away gift for a co-worker. She loves tiny purses, so I thought this would work well for her. I started with a basic zip pouch and sewed across the corners to make a flat bottom. I fused some interfacing to the lining to keep the bag sturdy. 

Initially I didn't intend to add the ribbon trim, but I needed to cover a line of stitching that resulted from a moment of craziness when I sewed in the zipper. Then I thought, why not just continue the ribbon into a loop handle and create a wristlet. To give the polka dot design a more modern feel, I added the varied lines of stitching. I hope she likes it!

My first handbag!

Here is my completed Charming Handbook from Bend the Rules Sewing (BTRS). This was my first try at a handbag and I am happy with the outcome. The print is a Robert Kaufman fabric found at the local Hancock Fabric and it is paired with a corduroy. I may redo the handles to make them longer and wider; they don't quite feel right in hand. I added an interior pocket on each side; the one shown is divided to hold my blackberry and ipod. Even though I increased the pattern dimensions by 10%, the bag is fairly small. Sewing the curved seam was harder to sew than expected, thus my new relationship with the seam ripper!

I have another half-yard of the print fabric and am anxious to use it!

Another Simple Tote

Today I made another Simple Tote (from BTRS). This one was made slightly larger - the beginning pieces were 12.5" x 11". The tote was made to compliment the zip pouch and tissue holder from the previous post which were christmas gifts for my mother. I had only two small scraps of the yellow print fabric, so I used it to make an interior pocket and the panel for the front of the bag. I fused the yellow print to the khaki cotton with some Wonder Under interfacing and the fabric puckered a bit, so I probably won't try that again. After the tote was finished I realized I could have easily made the yellow panel an exterior pocket to add some function. The dark brown fabric is a rayon blend I found as a remnant. It made a nice soft finish for the bag but was impossible to use for the straps, as it would not press well before stitching.

Right now I am making my first attempt at making a handbag and can't wait to post the results!

Handmade Holidays

Fortunately, my burst of craftiness coincided with the Holidays, so I was able to make some handmade gifts for my family.

This is my favorite creation so far, probably since it was for my daughter. This follows the Simple Tote design from Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing. I love the dot fabric which I found at the local Hancocks. I will definitely make some more of these, but will adjust the dimensions to "adult" size.

This Vintage Apron (also from Bend the Rules) was for my stepmother, an accomplished sewer. Sewing this was a nice way to refresh my long-ago-learned sewing skills and was my first crack at gathering. The possibilities are endless with this design by adding different shaped/sized pockets, ruffles and embellishments.

I made a few of these sets. The zip pouch is from Bend the Rules. The little tissue cozy, perfect for purse packs of tissues, is made from this tutorial. These were fun to make and are a great way to use fabric scraps. The zip pouch was my first try at sewing in zippers and handsewing in a lining.

For my niece, I made this handmade Memory Game using family photos, favorite characters and familiar symbols, all gifted in a sewn drawstring bag. To make the cards, I set up a template in Powerpoint and inserted the pictures along with overlayed cutting lines. I then printed the Powerpoint slides on matte brochure cardstock. To give the cards some thickness and rigidness before cutting, I fused the printed cardstock along with three other pieces of colored cardstock together with mounting spray. Then I cut out the cards with a cutting mat and craft knife. Next time, I might just use two pieces of cardstock to make the cards easier to cut.