Evelyn

This is a great pattern for a small bag.  Although the small part may just be my perception.  Until recently I had been carrying larger, slouchier bags. Who knew that I would like the smaller more structured ones so much?

Her description - "The Evelyn handbag is not only practical BUT stylish too! Complete with two zippered pockets (One exterior and one inside) to keep your valuables secure. Two elasticized exterior pockets for your phone or keys, 3 additional inside pockets as well as a pen pocket. With a little patience it is easy to make! Dress it up with some nice shiny rivets & bag feet or keep it simple! The choice is yours! Finished bag size = Approx. 33cm (13")  X 20cm (8") X 10cm ( 4")"

Front

This is a great pattern!  Much like the free pattern I tried by Christine it is well drafted, well-photographed and the instructions are impeccable.

I changed a few things -

• I did not have rectangle or oval rings, so I used the square ones I did have. I think it still worked out and looks nice.
• I used Annie's Soft & Stable instead of the fleece recommended.  It just gives a bag a little more structure.  I may never go back to just fleece.
• The directions tell you when attaching your lining to leave an opening along the top front edge to turn your bag through.  It will be closed by pressing the seam allowance to the inside and edge-stitching and top-stitching. I have never been able to get a neat closing like that, so I left an opening at the bottom of the lining and slip stitched it closed after turning.

Inside - please ignore messy stuff!

Things for me to note for the next make -

• Work on the edge-stitching and top-stitching.  To me it still looks kinda wonky.
• Use a thumb catch or other latch on the flap.  It's strictly a personal preference, not a design flaw, but I'm finding out I don't really care for magnet closures on the outside of my bags.

Back

All in all a great bag! I love all the pockets and the inside zipper pocket is such a neat trick! (wish I'd have gotten a picture of it)  Received several unsolicited compliments on it while out and about, can't beat that!



More handbag bling!

Because of some of the curved pieces and the thickness of layers that builds up in places, it can be kinda tricky to sew. But I definitely recommend this pattern if you have some experience under your belt.

Side pockets

Happy Sewing, Suzanne

Pool Side Tote

So I actually got this finished a couple weeks ago, but remembering to get good batteries for the camera foiled my attempts to get it posted. Sigh...

Anyway, this months pattern is from noodlehead and is a easy quick sew.  That is if you choose to follow the designers advice for fabric choices.  I, of course, did not. I chose to use some quilting cottons (heavy weight linen or home-dec fabric is recommended) that were in my stash, so on the exterior pieces it is layered with a thin, lightweight batting and an old sheet.  I cut all pieces slightly larger that the pattern piece, free-motion quilted (which needs a lot of practice! lots and lots of practice!) and then recut to size.

The lining pieces are also a quilting cotton, which I interfaced with a medium weight non-woven interfacing. As an aside, I remember buying this fabric because I really liked the colors and thought the abstract design was pretty cool.  When the shop owner laid it out on the table to cut it for me, she said "It looks like brains, doesn't it?" Me, laughing-"well, now that you mention it"

 

The handles and trim are made from some heavyweight denim that was leftover from another project.  I think the pattern recommends quilting weight fabric for these pieces, so folding the handles to get that nice rolled look was tough.

The pattern itself is well designed and went together very easily.  The directions and illustrations are also very good.  This thing is huge! I plan on using mine for shopping, since I don't see many pool sides.

Not much more sewing going on here.  Son and DDIL are coming to visit.  I'm so excited! we don't get to see them but twice a year.  After their visit though, I will need plenty of projects to keep me busy and out of trouble. Got them stacked up on the cutting table, ready to go.


Happy Sewing, Suzanne

Midtown Messenger Bag

This pattern is by Betz White and is called the Midtown Messenger Bag. Great well written instructions and illustrations.

I met my completely self-imposed deadline of sewing each Bag-of-the-Month in the same month that I received it.  By the skin of my teeth, but still it was done in April. I probably could've gotten this done sooner if I had quit waffling over all my decisions.


First the pattern recommended waxed canvas - there is no waxed canvas to be found locally.  Didn't even look.  Then there is the issue(s) that when you find it on line it is - a) limited colors, b) hideously expensive (at least to my budget) c) in some cases there was a 5 yard minimum per color to order or d) any combination of the above.  So off I go to Google it - there must be a better way.  I found this easy tutorial that I pretty much followed to the letter, Hah! Except my proportions were closer to 1 part beeswax to 2 parts paraffin, and I waxed a yard of canvas before cutting it out a sewing it.  It was actually pretty fun to do, but time consuming.  I see now why it's so expensive. 

Waxed, waiting to be melted into canvas

OK then, now that's done, it's on to the cutting and sewing.  And another horse change midstream - I had my hardware all lined up, nickel finish.  First I'm debating over the thumb catches that I have, they're heavy, more suitable for leather I think.  Then I decide I don't really like the nickel finish with the material I'm using, so off to Etsy to purchase rectangular loops, sliders, and thumb catches in antique bronze.  There are some great vendors on Etsy and I highly recommend both Sewing Supplies and Michelle Patterns.  Order my parts from both on Thursday morning and received the following Monday afternoon! That's pretty stinking quick.

Since this bag was made with my daughter in mind, I got her to help with the picture taking and modeling.

Front

I think she likes it!

Inside

Back

A couple of points about this bag -

1. I would call it and intermediate to advanced pattern.  Mostly because of the layers involved in several places, waxed canvas is heavy and stiff.  There was seam matching across the gusset, front and back.  Fitting a waxed canvas gusset around a curved piece is no picnic. Did I mention it's heavy and stiff?
2. I highly recommend using a jeans or topstitching needle - refer to 1st point.
3. I used Annie's Soft and Stable in the flap instead of the batting called for.  It just made it look nicer to me.  The rest of bag was made with batting as the pattern called for.
4. Take your time with your topstitching, there is a lot of very visible stitching on this bag.
5. I left ends on both sides of the zipper, giving my daughter a place to pull open and closed.

Overall a really great, challenging pattern and pretty much the perfect size.

Silly out-take

The face I got, when I told her she would have to wait
to actually get the bag

Happy Sewing, Suzanne

A bag for Easter

I made a bag to go with my Easter dress.  An easy, quick make with a pattern from Sew Sweetness'  Accordion Bag. 

Just a couple Several quick points about this bag -

1. It's super easy to sew.  I had the thought that it would a great pattern for teaching someone to sew.
2. I would call it a medium sized bag (although sizing can be subjective). Personally I like my bags a little deeper, so next time I make this I will adjust my pattern.
3. All fabrics were from my stash and I don't remember where most of them came from.  A good many were just pieces I couldn't seem to let go of.
4. Instructions for the braided piecing was found at Studio Kat Designs. Also pretty easy to do.
5. I added some additional pockets inside.  Next time I may add a zipper pocket on the back exterior.
6. The bag bling came from Emmaline Bags.



 

 

 

with dress and goofy expression

Happy Sewing, Suzanne

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date

Sang the Mad Hatter. I've been feeling sorta like that lately, but that's probably beside the point.  Which is my Easter dress.  I love Easter, it's just full of new beginnings and possibilities.  Which is why you need a new dress for the holiday! or maybe that's just me.

Anyway, this dress is made from a Lutterloh pattern.  If you are not familiar with the Lutterloh system, you basically take two measurements, bust and hips, and enlarge the model using a special tape measure.  Lots more information can be found at Come Sew Lutterloh With Me and www.dressmaking.co.nz.

I have made this pattern before so I knew that it fit pretty well.  Except I have gained some weight since the pattern was drafted, so I just added an extra wide seam allowance at the sides to give me a little extra room to play with. I think it worked pretty well.

See what you think -

eyes closed



eyes squinty

trying to twirl

OK, so the dress is not so twirly, otherwise it's pretty great.  Several things I forgot to mention -

1. I made this longer so was going to add a kick pleat to the back, but must have been in a brain fog when I cut it out.  So a godet was added for some walking room.
2. Although I love the look of the boat necklines, I don't think they are for me.  Trying to keep this one in place all day while wearing was a pain!
3. The print fabric came from best online fabrics again.  The navy has been in the stash so long, I'm really not sure where it came from.

Happy Sewing, Suzanne


Ribbon Skirts

I got some more sewing done, got some help with the pictures, and then didn't have time to post.  Go figure. This is the Ribbon Skirt by J Sterns Designs, I went ahead and purchased this pattern when I bought the Fit the Tee class and pattern from PatternReview.com.

This pattern is super easy and quick to sew.  I made this one in a knit that has floating around my stash for a few years.  I think I got it from Best Online Fabrics.

There are no instructions with the pattern, but there are several instructive blog posts here.

The only alteration I made was to add some length.  I'm 5'10" and I like for my skirts to come just below my knees (the knees need some coverage!).  I added 2' above the hip line, the pattern is drafted to sit at your low waist, but it was going to crawl up to my natural waist so might as well add some length there and let it be.  And I added 3" below the hip line at the shorten/lengthen point drafted into the pattern.  A total of 5".  Everything else sewed up as is.

This is version 1 completed back at the first of March.

 



 

This is version 2, completed several weeks later with the exact same alterations as before.  This fabric also came from Best Online Fabrics.

 

I really like this skirt, and have plans to sew up at least 2 more. I am currently searching the stash for stripes.  I have also received several unsolicited compliments on both of them! Win all around!!

 

And because my photographer threatened to quit on me if I didn't include some of the outtakes, have some fun at my expense ;)

 

Happy Dance

Trying to twirl

 

 

Happy Sewing, Suzanne

The Convertible Bag

It's the March pattern from the Bag of the Month Club.  The pattern designer blogged about it here. 

Mine is made from a left-over linen blend, pieces of an old skirt that was in the mending pile (I hate mending so it was pretty easy to donate to this cause), and some quilting fabric hiding in the stash. 

 

 

I followed the directions and made this pattern as written, mostly.  I did add another interior slip pocket.  But when I make again, and I will, it will be made a little wider and deeper, and leave off the convertible parts of the pattern. 

Overall this is a great pattern, well written and clear pictures.  The zipper pockets were probably the hardest part.  I would rate this as a beginner-to-intermediate pattern.  If you left off the zipper pockets, I would say a beginner could do it with no problems at all. 

It does have the neatest little pleat forming the bottom of the bag.  It's such a great trick and one that I had not seen before.

I also managed to get done some pj's for my son's birthday and get them in the mail in time for him to receive them on his birthday.  Don't look now, I think pigs may be flying with little pink wings! These are pretty straightforward, I just want to record them here so I remember what I did later.  It is a New Look pattern that is long out of print and I don't have the number in front of me, but just basic pj's in the large size.

Happy sewing, Suzanne