matching purses and pouches

I decided to try my hand at a couple Noodlehead patterns, the 241 Tote and the Gathered Clutch.


My son's teacher loves pink, so I wanted to give her something she'd like without going over the bubble-gum top!


One of my daughter's teachers loves flowers in her yard, and the color red.


The polka dots on the red are actually kind of a shiny silver.


Her other teacher loves purple - so she got a purple/silver dot & floral mix.


It was fun mixing and matching different fabrics.  I've made a few clutches before, so they came together pretty easily.  The 241 tote has a lot more steps and pieces, but is still pretty easy to put together.  I haven't tried it yet with the inset pocket.  I'm saving that project for another day!

full

This is blog post #500 according to the count on blogger. and I am full.

-I am full of more ideas to hopefully make it another 500!
-I am full of projects I want (and need) to work on.  There are never enough hours in the day!
-I am full (and getting fuller) of baby boy in my belly!
-I am full of chores I have to do and just don't want to.  There are so many more fun things to do.
-I am full (in the garage) of stuff to get rid of at our first garage sale.
-I am full of love for my family and thankfulness for our relative health and happiness.
-I am full of lists.  I am totally one of those people who loves crossing things off her list!
-I am full of music-humming, singing, and listening to sounds all around me all day long.



This is one project I (finally) finished for my mother...her fall purse.  I wonder what she will fill it up with?
What are you full of?

teacher gifts

Conner happily picked out the fabrics and beads for these different projects.
A red scarf and matching clutch for his teacher.
He also made her a red bracelet that he put in the clutch.

Then for the teacher aide he chose these purple fabrics & beads.  I did the sewing, he strung the bracelet.

my new purse

Check out my new purse - guess what?  It's blue!  If it looks familiar, I made a smaller version for my mom here.  It's fully lined with white dotted fabric & the darker blue floral.

It has lots of pockets.  The pattern calls for two large pockets on the inside.  I chose to sew one pocket into three sections and the other pocket into two sections.  They're perfect for pens, chocolate bars, sunglasses, notepads, Matchbox cars and numerous other goodies.

I put two key fobs on one side, and two circular key rings on the other side.  You can never have too many ways to organize!

Because I'm dorky like that, I made myself a little cell phone cozy.  I just wanted to something to keep it from getting scratched in the big cavern.  I suppose I could have just used one of the side pockets, but I wanted to keep those open for something else!

The top has a zipper - it's kind of a pain to attach it to the lining, but I'm glad it's there.  If I get sick of it, I can always rip it out and put in magnetic snaps.

There are two outside pockets as well (one on each side).

One more shot against my bedroom wall.  {Have I mentioned I like blue?}

 

{edited to add.... the original pattern is McCalls 5822}

{entered in Lemon Squeezy Home's Purse Week Contest - go check out all the great entries, get inspired, and vote if you would like!}

pouches and bags

I know I've been missing for a little while here in blog land.  There are lots of reasons, none of them blog-worthy.  So let's just see if I can become more regular again!!!

Here are a couple little things I've been working on....

This little ruffled clutch from a Noodlehead tutorial came together so quickly and easily... even though there was a zipper involved!!!  It's a birthday present for a friend.  I think a few more may be in the works.

I also made a couple more pencil cases from Lier's Sew Mama Sew tutorial.

Do I dare say I'm getting comfortable with zippers?  Yikes!  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this one yet, but Christmas is coming...I'm sure it will find a good home!

My son's already claimed this for some of his treasures, but then he saw some guitar fabric so that may be next in line!

I've got a bunch of fabrics picked out and in the wings waiting to be sewn together.  They'll be making an appearance (hopefully) in the next week or two as clutches or cases.  I've got to stock up on more zippers now!!!

little girl's play purse - tutorial!!!

You remember the Tinkerbell purse? My niece (and her sister and mom!) loved it.
It seems you all loved it too - so here's your tutorial!!!!!

Gather your supplies:
-2 fabrics (fat quarters or even smaller)
-trims - ric rac, eyelet, lace, twill tape, ribbon
-thread
-rotary cutter & mat
-ruler
-iron
-pins

Cut your 2 fabrics (outside & lining) into rectangles 18" x 10".
Cut your main fabric into 4 rectangles size 12" x 2.5".

Lay them out and make sure you still like them. Fold the lining piece and lay it on top -- looks so pretty, eh?

Take two strap pieces, lay them right sides together, and sew three sides (two long, one short) using a 1/2" seam allowance. Trim the corners, flip the straps right side out, and press.

Then topstitch & add trims to the strap if you so desire.

Take your outside fabric and fold it in half, right sides together. Sew up both sides using a 1/2" seam allowance.
Do the same with the lining fabric.

Pick up your outside fabric, and fold the side seam up to meet the bottom fold. Right side of the fabric is on the inside.

Measure down 1-1/2" and stitch straight across. (The pins are at the 2" mark, but I decided that was a bit too big for me.) Do that again on the opposite end. After you've stitched the ends, flip it open, make sure you like how it looks. Flip it inside out again and trim the extra fabric triangle.
Then repeat on the lining fabric.
Open up the outer fabric right side out, and open the lining fabric up with the wrong side out. Stuff the lining fabric inside the outer fabric. Pin & baste the top edge.

Fold over the top of the lining fabric about 1-1/2" and iron. Stitch it into place.
Then line up the straps about 1-1/2" from each side. Pin in place, and stitch along the bottom edge of the lining.
Add your trims along the edge of the lining. Layer, topstitch, decorate as desired!

Now give it to your favorite toddler & enjoy them toting it everywhere!

The greatest part is that there are so many great trims out there and tons of cute fabrics. You can widen or lengthen the straps & change the size of the purse to fit your needs (or the size of the scrap fabric you have).
If you have any questions, just let me know...and if you make one, I'd love to see it - please send a picture!

tinkerbell ... PLUS!

I've been a little absent from blog-land this week - working on a bunch of hair clips, some mending & some monogrammed towels. (Interested in the hair clips? Check them out on Facebook & let me know if there's any you'd like! I haven't listed them on ArtFire yet.) Anyway - I haven't been working on anything really magical or picture-worthy. (Let alone laundry, packing for our big trip, and other boring house stuff.) But there's a birthday party on Saturday - and I need a little more magic I think. So I made time for some fun stuff, too! Just giving her a Tinkerbell dress wasn't going to be enough. It's all about the accessories, right?


I started off by making a couple glittery clippies - pink polka dot ribbon & green leaf buttons - then a heaping pile of light pink glitter!Next - a diaper cover to match the dress.
Lastly - a little Tinkerbell purse. It is fully lined with the pink polka dot fabric. I made it with boxed corners on the bottom. I used pink polka dot fabric for the straps, and used some turquoise twill tape for embellishment. At the seam where the pieces together - a little bit of white eyelet trim and more twill tape. Voila! An adorable little purse for an adorable little girl.

{anyone interested in a tutorial on the purse? let me know!}

christmas present - purse

I had to wait until after Christmas to show you this one - it was for my mom, and I know she reads my blog! It is my first official, fancy purse I've made. I use a backpack for the kids stuff, and rarely carry a purse. I've been wanting to try making one though, and this seemed like the perfect time. The pattern comes in 3 sizes - I picked a smaller one to start with.
It wasn't easy - between the lining, zipper, and crazy stiff insides it will be a while before I make another attempt for myself!

It is Heidi Grace fabric - blue floral - and a muslin lining & pockets. (I get my love for blue from her. I come by it naturally!)
One side pocket has a floral design machine embroidered along with her initial.
The other side pocket has her name in Braille. She is Hadley School for the Blind's Braille Student of the Year - I figured it was only appropriate! (here she is if you'd like to hear it from her.)
There are also pockets inside, but I didn't take a picture of those. All in all, I'm happy with how it turned out and hopefully she's able to get a lot of use out of it!