Bag of the Week 41

Asian Coin Purse

The other night I went out to a workshop.  I wanted to take a smaller purse than my usual big, clunky one so I transfered some necessities from the latter to the former.  Each time I do this I think:  I sure wish I had a little coin purse to put these things in.  It seems very haphazard to stick a credit card, drivers license and some bills randomly into a bag.  So, needing a bag to post this week, I headed to my studio to make myself something that would suit the bill. 

I recently took a class where I started a beautiful Asian style portfolio (hopefully I will finish it this year and post it as a BOTW) and I had some scraps left from the piecing I did for that project.  I added some extra strips, cut the resulting piece into two rectangles (about 6" x 5.25") and free-motion quilted them onto a foundation of muslin.  I have always admitted I am a pretty lousy free-motion stitcher but I persevere, believing that the only way I will get better is with some practice (I'm not there yet).  The coin purse has a zipper at the top and is lined with more cotton fabric.

Now I have the perfect little coin purse to keep my loose items neatly organized in my purse.  This took very little time (certainly less than an hour) and I used up some leftovers in the meantime -- bonus!

Bag of the Week 34

Girly Girl

I love this little purse.  Hope Yoder never fails to create beautifully elegant patterns with a touch of whimsy and the Girly Girl is no exception.  The 9 ½” tall by 8” wide purse is created using three coordinating prints -- the fabrics I chose come from Sandy Gervais’ collection called Flirtations by Moda.  Details on the purse include an outer pocket with a bias raw edge ruffle and three yoyo hearts, another ruffle at the top opening of the bag, an inner pocket, directions for installing a magnetic snap closure and self-fabric strap with hardware.  The pattern also includes instructions for creating a matching headband. 

Hope’s instructions are always thorough, easy to follow and full of excellent photographs.  She notes that this purse was designed to allow custom embellishments on the many “blank” areas.  I had forgotten how much I love this little bag (this one was sent off as a gift a while back).  I think this would be the perfect purse to carry at an upcoming sewing show I plan to attend.  I think I’ll have to get busy on Version 2.