Winter bag for a friend

In August I posted about my friend Cyane and the bag I had created for her using fabric of her own design.  The fabric was printed at Spoonflower, a very cool business that will take your original artwork and turn it into yardage.  Cyane asked if I would make her a bag for the winter with some more of her fabric and this is the result.

My starting point was a fat quarter of quilting weight cotton so I knew I would have to use some ingenuity to create this bag.  My pattern stash turned up Vogue 8099, View B which I used with a couple of modifications.  The first thing I realized was that the fabric would need more body so I began by fusing it to some fusible fleece and channel stitching with topstitching thread between the motifs on the fabric. 

Adding a home dec fabric for the lining (along with some inner pockets) gave the bag plenty of structure.  I also combined the cotton fabric with a pewter gray linen which formed the bottom of the bag and the flap.  The Vogue pattern had only the flap and button as a closure.  Now, I happen to know that my friend Cyane has trouble with the contents of her purse spontaneously leaping out at unplanned moments so I felt that I should add a more secure closure.  I inserted a zipper into the top edge of the purse; the flap is purely decorative and folds over the zipper closure.  I added her monogram to the flap and bound the edge with some of the lining fabric.  The strap is made from the gray linen. 

This was a fun bag to make, and I hear the recipient loves it.  It arrived at her house on her birthday, an unplanned little lagniappe for a creative friend.  You can see other examples of Cyane's creativity at Snazzy Frogs and more of her fabric designs at Spoonflower.

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 40

Gettin’ Hitched

Did you know that this weekend in October is the most popular wedding weekend of the year?  More people get married on the Columbus Day weekend than any other in the year, or so I am told by my wedding industry friends.  The weather is often ideal and the three-day weekend makes a Sunday wedding more feasible since guests can return home the following day.  This year will be no exception, and perhaps will be even more popular, as Sunday’s date of 10-10-10 is sure to be memorable enough for even the most forgetful groom (or bride) to remember.

A number of years ago I was asked to create a purse for a bride-to-be.  Her friends wanted her to have something memorable as a gift and I think they got their wish.  The bride was a big fan of dachshunds, owning several as pets, and her friends wanted her to have a bridal purse that honored that passion.  I began by looking for a pattern for a stuffed dachshund but there were none in the current pattern catalogs.  This was in the very early days of Ebay so I ventured on there and found a vintage pattern for several stuffed animals including the dog I was looking for.  (This elated me at the time.  I had no idea how easy it was to become to find obscure items with the touch of a key).

I sewed the pattern according to the instructions, using bridal satin for the body and inserted an invisible zipper in the seam that ran along the dog’s backbone.  I attached a pocket-like lining along this zipper so the purse contents could be contained inside the dog’s body.  I used light pink silk for the inner ears.  The nose and eyes were purchased from a craft store along with the fake eyelashes.  I created a pouffy veil from tulle and fastened it to the top of the head with a vintage pin as well as a "pearl" necklace with rhinestone dogtag.  The purse's strap mimicked a dog’s chain leash. 

This project was different for me; I had never created anything so whimsical before but I found that I was inspired to create something unique for this bride.  The project taught me how to think outside of the box and come up with a solution to a puzzle.  I understand the bride thought it was perfect.

Enjoy your holiday weekend.

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.

Bag of the Week 33

Cyane’s Spoonflower Bag

I am very excited about today’s project.  This is a recently completed bag and it has a story to go along with it.

My friend Cyane and I went to college together and I recall being amazed at her extensive pink and green wardrobe (my public school upbringing had never exposed me to this degree of preppiness before).  She was, frankly, one of the preppiest women I knew in school.  She was also very artistic and creative.  This is a purse that I made for her though that is not the end of the story.  You see, Cyane created the fabric for this bag (with a little help from the people over at Spoonflower).

Cyane has a business called Snazzy Frogs where she sells her whimsical drawings and creations.  You can find her at the Charlottesville City market most Saturday mornings and also online.  Not too long ago she discovered Spoonflower, a business based in NC that turned her artwork into printed fabric (just like they can do for you).  One day while we were having lunch she showed me swatches of her fabrics and I loved the one with martini glasses.  I ordered a yard of the print in linen/cotton canvas and set out to make her a bag.  (You can see all of Cyane’s fabrics here or by searching for snazzy frogs on the Spoonflower site).

I debated and debated which pattern to use and finally settled on Simplicity 5606 (OOP).  I fused fleece to the outer bag pieces and added curved, piped pockets to the ends.  I used a white jacket zipper for the closure.  The handles came from All Craft Supplies. 

The lining fabric (a soft, light weight woven plaid) is fused with Décor Bond and features two sets of pockets (two along one side, three along the other).  I sewed in two labels, my Juliet Originals label (which I stitch out on my embroidery machine) and a Spoonflower label that was included with my order.

I have to tell you that this pattern was one of the most difficult bags I have ever sewn.  Setting in the end pieces was extremely difficult and it had to be done four times (two outer and two lining pieces).  In the end it all came together but I spit and fussed my way through it.

You will be seeing this fabric again, hopefully in a few weeks, as I plan to make myself a bag from it as well (thought rest assured I will be using a different pattern!)  I know Cyane is enjoying using her new bag and I hope you enjoyed reading about how it came to be.