Bag of the Week 52

Placemat Bag

This is my last Bag of the Week post.  I made it all the way to week #52 before I depleted my supply of bags and said, “what am I going to post for my last bag?”  Well, since it looked like I needed to come up with something at the last minute I decided to use that as a theme for a bag.  With New Years Eve arriving tomorrow you might be looking for a quick bag to sew for the festivities.  This little clutch began its life as a placemat (you can see a picture of it in my last post).  I simply seamed the two sides together, boxed the bottom just a wee bit, and it was done; it took me less than 20 minutes.   I think a frog closure would look great on this but you could also add a large snap to the inside.  Placemats are a great starting point because they already have some body to them and they are fully finished and lined.

I will continue to post pictures of bags as I create them but this is the last of my year-long feature.  I have enjoyed posting a recurring theme each week and I have some ideas for more of these in 2011 (but probably not a year-long venture).  Happy New Year to one and all.  I’ll see you next year!

Bag of the Week 51

Santa Pail

Here is the last of three fabric pail designs I have made, all from Farmhouse Creations (the other two being the Snowman Pail and the Angel Pail).  The outer pail fabric was layered onto batting and the fused appliqué stitched with a machine blanket stitch.  French knots were added for the eyes and the cheeks were blushed with powder blusher.   A jingle bell was added to the tip of his hat.  These patterns are out of print but you can often find them on Ebay.  This pail makes a great container for home baked goodies at Christmas.

Bag of the Week 50

Folded Quilted Tote Bag

Many years ago (before I had kids) I used to attend a sewing retreat with the Richmond Chapter of the American Sewing Guild at Holiday Lake 4H Camp in Appomattox, VA.  Our sewing space was a lovely lakeside cabin with beautiful views.  I met so many nice people at those retreats, and one year I watched as a number of the ladies made this fantastic tote bag.  I went home and made one for my mom out of fabrics I had in my stash.

This bag is terribly difficult to photograph – it has lots of nooks and crannies that are just impossible to show properly.  In the photo above there is a pocket underneath the triangular flap and an identical one on the opposite side of the bag.  In addition, in the center of the bag (between the top folded edges is another pocket.  PLUS I added a zippered pocket on one inside wall.  This bag starts out as a flat square, 31” in this case, which is then folded and stitched into the tote you see.  It is a fun and easy project.  Below are instructions for folding your finished square into the bag.  You can make your square in any method you choose.  My sample is strip-pieced onto a solid fabric foundation (with a thin layer of batting between) and the edges bound.  You can also use whole cloth for both sides and either bind the edges or stitch right sides together and turn. 

1.        Fold square diagonally with right sides together to form a triangle.

2.       Measure along the folded edge, divide this length into thirds and mark.  Beginning at the folded edge, draw a perpendicular line at these points stopping 1 inch from the top of the triangle.  Stitch along these lines, backtacking well at the top.

3.       Turn the side points to the outside of the bag along the stitching line – they will overlap and form a pocket on each side.  Stitch the two layers together where they overlap.

4.       Add a strap by stitching the ends to the inside of the bag, centered over the side seams.  Customize your bag by adding pockets to the inside of the bag before assembling.

Bag of the Week 49

Angel Pail

Back in February of this year I featured a Snowman Pail by Farmyard Creations.  This Angel Pail is another one of their patterns, though I took a lot of liberty with the details.  The outer pail fabric is layered onto batting and the fused appliqué is then stitched with a machine blanket stitch.  French knots are added for the eyes and the cheeks are blushed with powder blusher.   The pattern calls for loops of ribbon for the hair but I chose to wrap jute onto knitting needles (wet with spray starch first) and use the resulting ringlets as the hair, topped with a ribbon bow.  The wings are 3-dimensional and the sign around the angel’s neck was machine embroidered with a favorite saying of mine (the pattern suggests hand embroidering “an angel is someone like you”).   The quilted handle is attached with buttons.

I recently dressed up one of these pails with a paper-wrapped can nestled in some glittery tissue paper designed to hold some holiday goodies.  I also think this would make a great way to corral all of the greeting cards I receive during the holidays.  You can occasionally find these out of print patterns on Ebay.

Bag of the Week 48

Santa Tote Bag with Tutorial

Kick off the holiday season right with a bag that will make you the envy of all of the other elves in town.  I designed this bag last year as a teacher gift, and made one for myself, too.  It is such a fun bag to carry while I do my Christmas shopping.  I used coat weight wool for the outer fabric but this would be fantastic in a quilted red satin. The belt is grossgrain ribbon, the buckle appliqued lame and the trim a hand knit I-cord.

I've written a tutorial that outlines all of the steps in constructing this bag so you can whip one up for yourself or someone special on your gift list. 

Sharing this project on Get Your Craft On! over at Today's Creative Blog.  Check out the inspiration!

Update on Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at 10:23PM by Julie Bowersett

Love it!  This post was picked up by craftgossip.com as one of their featured projects for today.  What a nice early Christmas present for me!  Check them out.

Update on Monday, December 6, 2010 at 2:36PM by Julie Bowersett

Also featured on Sassy Sites' Christmas with Fabric.  Make sure you take a look at her other "Christams with" features.  There are some darling projects on this site.