Recessed Zipper How-To

I've had a few questions about how to install a recessed zipper closure on a handbag. This has to be the longest tutorial written in the history of tutorials! I did my best to explain, but please let me know if anything is unclear.



You Will Need:

- (1) 14" zipper
- (2) 15.5" x 2.5" inside upper fabric
- (2) 15.5" x 16" inside lower fabric (I demonstrate using my own pattern, feel free to experiment!)
- (2) 15.5" x 18.25" outer fabric (or your own pattern)

* If you use your own tote pattern, be sure to alter your lining pattern to account for the extra fabric above the zipper - you want your outer and inner pieces to match after you install the zipper. I'll address this a little more later.
* I interface all my fabric for sturdiness and I've found it also keeps the lining fabric from creeping up while you're trying to close the zipper. It's really up to your personal preference, though.

1. Take one 15.5" x 2.5" piece of fabric. Pin the zipper as shown, zipper pull facing down, centered based on the zipper, not the webbing.



2. Sew using your zipper foot and 1/4" seam allowance. When you get close to the zipper pull, leave the needle down and raise the machine foot, pivoting the fabric so you can move the pull to the other side of the needle. Finish sewing.






Lift the presser foot and pull the zipper to the other side of the foot. May take some wiggling.




Back stitch at the beginning and end, by the zipper stops.

3. Take one 15.5" x 16" inside fabric and place the zipper face down on the top edge, sandwiching the zipper between two layers of fabric.





4. Sew as in Step 2, following your first sewn line as close as possible.





5. Repeat with the other pieces of inside fabric (see photos). Be sure the small lining pieces are on the same side of the zipper.


Center the 2nd top strip along the zipper and sew.




Place last bare side of zipper face down on last lining piece and sew.



6. Your lining is finished. Now is a good time to check if the lining and outer pieces are the same size. Trim if needed.



7. Unzip the zipper about halfway. Match one outer piece to the inner piece, right sides together, along the 15.5" edge. This is when you'd insert your straps if you want them at the top of the bag - mine are attached in a lower seam. Sew with 1/2" seam allowance, backstitching at beginning and end to secure.







8. Repeat Step 7 with the other outer piece.




You should be getting an idea of your finished bag!

9. Now it's time to finish the bag. Open the zipper almost all the way (so you'll be able to turn your bag right side out). Match the outer pieces, right sides together, and pin.



10. Match the lining pieces, right sides together, and pin.



11. Starting in the middle of an edge on the outer pieces, sew one direction as close as you can get to the zipper, backstitching to secure.


Fold the zipper towards you to help get the needle closer to the zipper.


You can see I don't always get super close to the zipper - it won't matter!

12. Go back to where you started in Step 11, and sew the other direction, overlapping your first stitches for a few inches. Sew as close as you can get to the zipper, backstitching to secure.



13. Repeat Step 11 with the inner pieces.

14. Repeat Step 12, except leave ~6" open to turn your bag right side out. Back stitch each side of this opening to it won't rip when you're shoving the bag through while turning.



15. Your bag should be sewn completely except for your opening in the lining.

16. Using pinking shears, trim the seams where the outer meets the lining to reduce bulk at these intersections.



17. Pull the bag right side out.







18. Close the opening in the lining, either by hand-stitching or carefully sewing with your machine.





19. Top stitch if desired.





20. Admire your bag!







I hope that made sense! It took a lot of photos and explanation, but it's basically like a glorified zipper pouch. Please let me know if anything is unclear - or if you figure out an easier way to do something!

P.S. This is the bag for the winner of my Relay for Life raffle - it'll go in the mail soon, Megan, I hope you like it!

Labels: bags, how-to's, sewing

posted by Sarah at 10:04 AM | |

Coming Up!

Due to popular demand I'm busy working on a tutorial for a recessed zipper like this and this.



Rather than writing more here I'm going to get back to work on the tutorial! I'll post it tomorrow if all goes well.

52 Nights Update - Night 16 started off well with some sewing and a trip to the gym, made dinner... Then we finished Season 3 of Lost instead of more productivity. Oh well!

Labels: 52 nights, bags, sewing, wip

posted by Sarah at 6:20 PM | |

The Power of the Interweb

The fact that I have a blog, a flickr account, a really long blogroll over there on the side, etc, should be evidence enough that I love the internet. But I am sometimes still surprised by the things that can come about from it!



I got an email towards the end of April from Amy in Kansas - she found my blog while searching for Relay for Life information, and sweetly requested a tote for their Survivor Dinner. They have a dinner to honor cancer survivors, and at the end of the evening they raffle off prizes for the survivors, and she wanted one of the prizes to be a tote of mine!



I was so honored to be asked, and so happy she found me. It's very nice to hope something I made is brightening the evening of someone who has battled cancer! Maybe that's why I chose the sunny colors?



52 Nights Update - Night 14 was back on track! I skipped the gym (busted my toe this weekend in my soccer game so no running, etc) but did everything else on my "to do" list. It was a good night!

Labels: 52 nights, bags, me, sewing

posted by Sarah at 1:25 PM | |

New Tote!

I was supposed to get the batting for my master quilt delivered Friday, but through a (very frustrating) miscommunication with DHL, it's not coming until Tuesday. So instead of nothing but quilting this weekend, I'm finishing up a few other projects.



I'm a little worried that I won't make my May deadline on my master quilt, but I'm staying optimistic. I'm so anxious to see how it comes out that I'm motivated to work "long hours" on it!





This bag is a familiar design, with a few tweaks - hidden zipper rather than right up at top, and a new pocket method.



I love this bag to death, but it's a gift, so I'll have to be sending it on its way. Which enforces my desire to make myself one soon! Thank goodness for three day weekends. I'm going no tech (if I can) the rest of the day and tomorrow, so wish me luck and see you on Tuesday!

Labels: bags, OPAM, sewing

posted by Sarah at 11:06 AM | |

Checking Things Off

Thanks to everyone who signed up for RME with my referral! I reinvested in crafty folks by going on a little etsy spree.

Going with my new motto "finished is better than perfect" I have been trying to check a few things off my list!


Starting a very belated baby gift.


Getting the master quilt and new quilt tops finished.

And can I just share something with you guys? There are limited folks in my life that will appreciate this:





Can you see that? Angled piecing, without cutting off any corners! There's a reason I don't attempt fancy blocks, as much as I would love to try Amanda Jean's star quilt-along - I usually chop the tips off of any points I try to piece. So, yay! I'm excited!!

It feels really good to get to some long-awaited projects! Hopefully I'll actually have some finished projects to share soon rather than all these works in progress...

Labels: bags, OPAM, quilting, sewing

posted by Sarah at 4:41 PM | |

Need Practice

For Mother's Day I made my mom and sister matching pouches for their Christmas totes. Mom needed a larger one and Katy wanted a coin purse sized one.



You can't see it in the photo, but the small one is pretty crummy. I definitely need practice with zippers. Luckily she still likes it! She's so sweet and enthusiastic about receiving all my imperfect prototypes.

Labels: bags, family, sewing

posted by Sarah at 6:56 AM | |

Activity Totes

A coworker of mine heads to Russia soon to pick up his new son. I wanted to make a little gift for the occasion and thought it might be fun for his little guy to have a little bag of goodies for the plane ride home.



I made a simple tote with a fold over closure, and filled it with goodies for the long plane ride.



I made a slightly different version with a flap/magnet closure to send for my cousin's older son when I get my act together and send a gift for her new baby. I'm not 100% thrilled with either of these - I was going for easy construction for me, and easy "operation" for the kids. I need to figure out what to modify before I try a third bag...

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 8:41 PM | |

Very Special Order

A few weeks ago I got a very special call from my grandma - she wanted to buy a purse and necklace from me! I insisted on making them as a gift, she insisted on being a customer, we still need to reach a compromise.



I got everything for this bag cut and almost ready to assemble during a no-tech night, which made me feel quite productive!



Her only request was that everything be colorful! The bag is similar to the last auction bag except it has an outside pocket for her handicap tag and it closes with a magnetic snap instead of a zipper.

It is SO much fun to make projects with a specific person in mind. I still have to finish the necklace, then I'll get everything in the mail soon, Grandma, I promise!

52 Nights Update - Night 8 showed that my productivity is related to how busy I am at work... I had a long day yesterday, and ended up taking a nap after work! I never do that!! But I redeemed myself by helping on the floor project, making dinner, and editing photos from a fun "session" I had on Sunday. I don't count using the computer for "to do" items like that as breaking the rules, since my intent is to get more done. So, overall, yay!

Labels: 52 nights, bags, family, sewing

posted by Sarah at 6:54 PM | |

Natural Combination

I can't believe it's already April - it's almost time for the church auction! I agreed to donate two bags this year, this one and this one:





After all the zipper totes I've been making, and the pleated bags, it was only natural I'd combine the two! Amazingly enough, there are only a few tweaks I'd make if I did this style again.

Relay for Life Drawing - I reached my goal!! Thanks so much to everyone who contributed. I passed my fundraising goal, and as a team we raised over $11,000 for cancer research and as an event, we raised over $800,000! I'll do the drawing tonight and notify the winner. Thanks again!



52 Nights Update - Night 7 was fantastic! The weather here is amazing, blue skies, sunny, bright so late, and in the 60's in the evening. I got out last night and washed my new car (!!!), went for a run, then cooked peanut chicken with pineapple salsa before working on a very special project... I can't recommend strongly enough stepping away from technology for a night! I love it!

Labels: 52 nights, bags, me, sewing

posted by Sarah at 9:23 AM | |

Night 2 and The Mommy Bag

So I kind of cheated for my 2nd unplugged night - I slept through it, since I was still recovering from the flu. I got home from work, took a three hour nap, got up for a tiny dinner, and was back in bed around 9:30. Maybe I'll have to have a secondary unplugged night to make up for it...

Now I just have to share my latest project - I finished this a week or so ago but had to wait for daylight to take some pictures. Jeanine, one of my best friends from high school, is due with her first baby in just a few weeks - official due date is March 20. In honor of her impending bundle of joy, I put together a Mommy Bag for her!



I'd call it a diaper bag, but I figure she has one of those already, and my sister insists she uses about five bags to get all her things everywhere now that she has Charlie... So it's a mommy bag!



On the outside there's a small front pocket lined with ribbon, and a large back pocket with a magnetic snap.



On the inside there's a large divided pocket, an elastic-edged bottle pocket, a key clip, and a pacifier holder.



The whole thing closes with a zipper and is very large. Here, I'll model -



I didn't quilt it like my other totes this style because this one is so big, it would have taken forever. I did interface the outer fabric and lining, so it holds its shape very well. I filled it with usefull goodies like wipes and diapers and made a little matching pouch for small things.



Although the length of this post kind of exhausts me, the project came together in a weekend, a lot faster than I thought it would! Now it's all wrapped and in the post, I hope she likes it!

P.S. - If anyone's interested, Michelle is hosting an embroidered button swap! It's animal-themed and should be a lot of fun, I joined and can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

Labels: 52 nights, bags, sewing, swaps

posted by Sarah at 9:50 AM | |

Night 1 - and Purse 2!

Last night was my first "unplugged" night and it was fantastic. P and I worked on the floors, then I made some dinner, and spent the rest of the evening taking care of things that have been on my list for ages. The coolest side effect was that P got into it, too, and I hadn't even told him what I was doing. Since I was being productive, he decided to give the dog a haircut and take care of a couple other things. I consider Night 1 a success!

I also wanted to share auction purse #2. I changed up the design a little bit and am so pleased:



The pleats are slightly different and the overall bag feels softer. I continued the same color fabric over to the inside, too, and I think this makes it look more finished.



The patch pocket might be my favorite yet! I always have trouble attaching them well, and this came out very neat. I also did a lot of top-stitching, which helps the overall look, I think.



And of course I have a pile of fabrics waiting to be more bags... It's fun to be back into bags, but the grass is always greener and I'm getting the quilt bug again!

Labels: 52 nights, bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 8:20 AM | |

One of Many

It's auction time again! It seems like it comes so fast... There's one at work early next month and one in April at church. I love being able to make something to donate, in fact I went a little overboard this year! I started out with a new purse design:



It's not quite what I pictured and I've already worked out some improvements. This one has two pleats in the outside, a solid interior with a patch pocket. I used the blanket stitch on my machine to attach the pocket...



It also has a flap on the outside to close it with a magnetic snap.



These smaller handbags come together so much faster than those big quilted totes, the last bags I made. I feel so productive! I highly recommend tackling some big, time-consuming projects if you want a project like this to seem super quick.

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 5:48 PM | |

Last Quilted Tote

Here is the last of the Christmas quilted totes... This one was for my mother-in-law, and might be my favorite! I had lots of practice by the time I did hers - I did hers last since she was out of town for Christmas. I stocked up on a few varieties of the vintage trim so I was able to use it on hers. The lining is light teal - I think I like using solid colored lining, it makes it look a little more professional.



I don't have a picture of it, but I actually figured out the blanket stitch on my sewing machine to sew in the interior pocket. I might have to make this standard practice, I love how it looks.

I do have some pieces cut and waiting to make one of these for myself, but the fast-approaching church auction might take precedence, we'll see!

Don't forget to sign up for the Tea Towel Tote Giveaway! I'll do the drawing on Monday....

Labels: bags, quilting, sewing

posted by Sarah at 8:48 AM | |

Tea Towel Tote Tutorial - And a Giveaway!

I geeked out a little with alliteration in the title - in truth it's a stretch to call this a tutorial... Anyway, I made up a few more tea towel totes this weekend and remembered to take pictures along the way, in case anyone is interested in a quick project to make a great, useful bag.

Tea Towel Tote Tutorial
You will need:
- tea towel
- (2) 5"x22" strap fabric
- (2) 5"x22" interfacing



1. Make the straps...
Iron the interfacing to the wrong side of the strap fabric. Press in 1/4" on each end. Press in half and then press each side to the middle line. Iron in half again. Top stitch the length of the strap on both sides. (Basically this is the same as in these directions.) Set aside.







2. Make the bag...
Fold the tea towel in half, right sides together. Sew up each side. Box the corners but don't cut off the excess. Fold up the sewn corners and stitch several times across the tip to hold in place.









3. Attach the strap...
Apparently diagonal lines are the strongest!





It seems like I could have made the directions a little simpler because this is such an easy project, but I do have a problem with overexplaining!

Also! Since this happens to be my 400th post, leave a comment and I'll do a drawing for one of these bags, and fill it with some fun goodies! I know there are some lurkers out there, now's the time to introduce yourself! I'll do the drawing on Monday... Just a way to say thanks for those of you that make this crafty community such a fun place!

Labels: bags, how-to's, sewing

posted by Sarah at 6:51 PM | |

More Bags - Mom & Sis

Don't worry, I'll get through all the Christmas presents I made eventually! I almost forgot to take pictures of these totes for my mom and sister, because I was finishing them so close to the deadline. I practically wrapped my sister's as we walked out the door to go to her house on Christmas day...

For my mom, a rich, pretty Asian print with cranes, one of her favorite birds. I didn't think I had any ribbon that would match but I liked this stripe with it so well!





For my sister, lime green (her favorite color) with pretty willow trees and turquoise spots. I thought to put on a little zipper pull when I got to making hers.





A funny story about my sister's bag - I had the fabric cuts for this tote all planned to minimize waste, and when I got to her fabric I realized the planned cuts made the pattern go the wrong way. So I re-figured the best way to fit in the pieces, made the cuts, only to realize I'd envisioned it wrong and the fabric would have been fine originally. So now I had a bunch of sideways trees ready to become a bag. I finally accepted that it would bother me too much, chopped up the pieces, added in some of the leftovers, and sewed it all back up with right-side-up trees. Kind of proves my tendency to overthink things, maybe!

Labels: bags, quilting, sewing

posted by Sarah at 10:48 PM | |

Biggest Bag Project Yet...

Happy 2008 everyone! I'm skipping the "2007 in review" post and jumping feet first into the new year. I always start the new year with so much energy and this year is no different... Let's hope I can hang on to it for at least a few months!

So the advantage of an extended blogging break, especially as I geared up for Christmas, is a lot of Christmas gift-making to share! This year I decided to make my female family members Vera Bradley inspired quilted totes. I really LOVE how they came out but since I had to have exactly the right fabric for each person, that meant quilting it all myself. Which took a long time for each bag!



This is the first one I made, for my sister-in-law. I loved it enough to know it was worth the time to make the next three. There's a zipper across the top:



And a small outside pocket edged with coordinating ribbon:



It's very roomy, about 14" across, 16" tall, and 4" deep at the bottom, with a divided pocket on the inside.

I have fabric on hand for a bag like this for myself but I think I need a little sewing break before I get started on it - and I think my machine deserves a tune up after all that quilting!

Labels: bags, quilting, sewing

posted by Sarah at 7:28 PM | |

Etsy Birthday Spree

My sister's birthday was way back in June, but since we had a few other things going on at the time, a gift for her managed to slip by me. I couldn't leave it that way! So I did something very fun - went on a little Etsy shopping spree!


Earrings from pleasebloom


Necklace from littleput


Cards from Satsuma Press

And of course I had to contribute something of my own, so I finally got around to doing her tea towel tote!



I use mine so much - I took it to England and used it to take snacks and my book to the park, or swing by the market, and if I have a lot of extra things to take to work it is the perfect size. Hopefully she'll enjoy all the little gifts!

Labels: bags, jewelry, sewing

posted by Sarah at 4:37 PM | |

Ruffles and Pleats and Pink!

Growing up, I don't remember being a very girly girl. I intentionally avoided anything pink and frilly, didn't care much about clothes or makeup. These days I feel like I'm making up for lost time - I love pink, and all things girly, like getting my hair done and shopping and wearing skirts. All this is really just to say the younger me wouldn't be caught dead with the bag I just finished, but the (somewhat) grown up me loves it!



As soon as I got the body of the bag done I knew I wanted to make a couple design changes, but since I used some of my hoarded Amy Butler fabric I made myself finish it the right way anyway. And I'm glad I did, I think it's adorable!



I do want to try out a couple changes to the pattern though, so I guess it's back to the sewing machine!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 9:20 PM | |

Old Favorites

Wow, it feels like it's been a long time since I've made one of my totes! I had finally gotten my tote just the way I like it when I stopped making them for a long time. Well, my first "customer" Jane has used hers so much she wants another one, so who was I to pass that up?



Her only request was that I use blues, and I had a lot of fun finding fabrics in my stash that worked together!



The striped fabric on the outside and the pockets is Amy Butler, and I loved how the floral looked with it.



I sent Jane the "proof" photos, half hoping she wouldn't like it so I could keep it for myself! That seems to be a theme around here lately... Luckily she gave it a thumbs up.

It's going to be pretty quiet around here for a little while, but don't worry. I found out yesterday I'm heading out on a business trip for two weeks, leaving tomorrow! Nothing like short notice!! I'm taking my camera and USB cable, so hopefully I'll be able to pop in with some pictures, but I won't be back for good until mid-April... Don't forget about me while I'm gone!

Labels: bags, sewing, travel

posted by Sarah at 12:49 AM | |

Quick Fix Wednesday

Wednesday is the night during the week I am most likely to be free after work, other than a few errands... It is so nice when I get all my chores done and complete a project, start to finish, all in one night. So I've dubbed these Quick Fix Wednesdays! Just to give myself a little inspiration and that boost to get me through to the weekend.

For the first official installment, here is a project that's been on my list for a very long time.



I've had this great Crate & Barrel dishtowel since last summer, and using some orange canvas from my stash for handles, it only took a few minutes to sew this up! I think it turned out quite cute!



It's pretty big, and unlined, perfect for a trip to the library or a quick stop at the grocery.

I don't know how "theme days" get started in the blogging world - Corners on Thursday, Self Portraits on Tuesday, etc - so I'm not trying to spread this one, but feel free to join in if you want a quick fix!

Labels: bags, quick fix, sewing

posted by Sarah at 10:08 PM | |

Auction Purses

Our annual church auction is fast approaching, and I can't believe it, but I am already finished with my donations! Last year I made a baby blanket and a quilted purse. The purse was very popular, so instead of a blanket I made an extra purse.

One of them is just like the bag for the Relay for Life auction. The other one is the WIP from Sunday's post:



I really love the fabric - whenever I have an excuse like this I can't resist buying extra yardage, so luckily I have some leftover for other projects! I quilted it to some leftover fleece so it wouldn't be too bulky, and it has an interior pocket and magnetic snap. I am in love with magnetic snaps, I bought a big package of them on eBay and hopefully they'll last me a while!

I also had to make another one of Beki's awesome flowers since it really just adds that extra something.



These both will be in a silent auction... Hopefully I'll be able to keep myself from obsessively checking how well they're doing!

Labels: bags, quilting, sewing

posted by Sarah at 6:56 AM | |

Relay for Life

I realized Friday that donations were due in three days for our work team's Relay for Life auction... Oops! I had picked up some fabric to make a handbag for our church's annual auction, so I made up two instead, that look like this:



I really like it - it has a lot of room, but isn't too big, and the pleats make it a little more interesting than my standard tote. And thanks to Beki's great tutorial , I was able to make a cute flower pin to dress it up a little.



I like that the auction winner can take off the pin and put it on a jacket or something, instead. Thanks for the idea, Beki!!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 10:33 PM | |

Left Out

I finished up the bags for my nieces and realized I was getting books for my nephew, too. I couldn't have him feeling left out, so I made up a simple pattern for a lined drawstring bag with his initial. I found some awesome flame fabric, and lined it with soccer ball fabric, which I think he'll love. Voila, boy purse!



I found the neat 3D puzzle at my favorite store - I somehow didn't think he'd like pink hot chocolate!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 8:20 PM | |

Checking My List

Checking things off my list, is more like it! For a while I thought there was no way I'd get all the things done before Christmas that I wanted to, but it's starting to feel a little more manageable. I still have two really big projects I haven't even started, but I won't panic until I see how much I get done on them this weekend.

For Peter's nieces, my sister-in-law sent me a lot of book ideas, and I love giving books. Of course, I couldn't send books without a little something handmade to go with them!





These are a lot like the bag I made a few months ago, except I added an inside pocket and magnetic snap closure. I also appliquéd a monogram on each one to make them a little more personal.



I also threw in some fun pink Strawberry Shortcake hot chocolate I found a little while ago. Hopefully this is a gift to make a little girl happy!



Thanks again to tiny happy for the tutorial!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 8:27 PM | |

Put on your Shades

Because this bag is bright!!



I just had to try the tutorial over at tiny happy for a wonderful floppy tote. I only had half a yard of the bright floral so I made due, and the strap came out a little shorter than really works.



I still love it, it's all my favorite colors. I'll have to get a lot of use out of it before I run out of summer. Of course, with my zillion JoAnn's coupons I had somehow this month, I picked up some fabric in great fall colors to try again, with slightly better proportions.

I finally got pictures of my tags from Dacia's tag swap, I am such a lucky girl. I can't wait to share!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 10:14 PM | |

Favorite Bag

It takes me entirely too long to make things like this (it's all I worked on pretty much all day one Saturday), but at least I am incredibly happy with how this came out. I actually made it a while ago, but it was in the mail to my sister and I wanted her to get it before I posted this. Doesn't she get all the good stuff?



One of the coolest things about this bag is I managed to put in a zipper closure!! So if she wants to use this as a carry-on, things won't fall out under the seat or going along the XRay machine. Since she's going to be traveling a lot with her new job I thought that might be a good feature.



I lined the inside with fabric to match the outside, plus one side of Amy Butler for a little color. There are two inside pockets to hold small stuff, and plenty of room for carry-on necessities.



Since it would be easy to lose a cell phone in that big bag, I made this little cell phone holder that can be looped around the strap of the bag and hung inside the bag, or just used to find your cell phone faster. The picture is a little over-exposed, but that button is one of the beautiful mother-of-pearl buttons Hillary sent with our fabric swap a while back.



Finally, to show the size, here I am modeling. The bag is plenty big for books and knitting projects, and I sized the outside pocket to hold a magazine for quick access.



Overall, I am so pleased with this bag. And since his past comments about things have been less than enthusiastic, I wanted to mention that Peter saw this and said "wow, that's awesome!" Since he's my only human critic in the house, that was fun to hear!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 8:44 AM | |

Thimble Pouch

For some non-jewelry action, I whipped up this little pouch based on Thimble's awesome tutorial.



The top little section is Amy Butler. I used some green striped fabric for the back:



And some cute lavendar paisley for the lining:



I still think this needs a little something, so I might embellish the outside somehow, with embroidery or ribbon. Wish I'd realized that before sewing it up!

EDIT: I added some simple circles to the outside of the pouch. This would have been so much easier if I'd thought to do it before sewing! Oh well, a lesson for next time.

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 7:52 AM | |

Amy Butler Pouch

I finally used some more of my Amy Butler fabric! I made another little zipper pouch for the swap I'm doing with Jenn.



The inside is just simple pink:



I hope she likes it, along with the other goodies I'm sending along!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 5:59 PM | |

Peaches and Mustard

I had an urge to sew something frivolous (the valances are still not hemmed, and I'm tired of sewing straight lines!) so I made this quick zipper pouch:



I made it a little roomier than other ones I've made, and my sewing has improved a lot on this type of thing. I also did a little machine applique on it with one of the scraps just to see how it worked. Here's the inside:



I've already loaded it up with all the small stuff from my purse... Now when I have my big purse, I can just toss in the pouch, but when I have a small purse, I can toss the pouch in the car and still have all that stuff along. Yay!

And yes, I am posting before 7am on Saturday - Peter and I are heading out to go golfing!! I've never really golfed before, but one of the people we're going with hasn't either, so we can learn together. Wish me luck!!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 6:49 AM | |

My New Favorite

I decided on a project for a little bit of my vintage fabric from the swap with Hillary. Since I love it so much, I took a lot of pictures.

Here is the outside of the bag:



It's about 5.5" by 9" so that it will fit my calendar - that's one of my purse dimension requirements! Also, you can't see in the picture, but the sides are khaki and the back is the vintage fabric. I put a strip of chocolate brown grosgrain ribbon along the edge of the flap. Here is the inside:



I lined it with simple pink because I didn't want to take away from the outside. I put a little detail on the strap:



And because I love the length (very long strap!) I took a slightly artistic window reflection photo of myself with my new favorite purse!!



Yay!!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 8:49 PM | |

Last Tote

This is my last tote for a while! And I'm not even going to post pictures of it!! Because that's all I've been posting lately. So I'm just going to post the fabric.



The purple is for the stripes and the pockets, and the polka dots line the inside and the straps. It really does match in real life but I can't get it to look right on the computer. I'm filling it with some fun office supplies, to prove to my friend Lauren the just because she's a lawyer she doesn't have to have a bunch of serious stuff on her desk.

After Survivor tonight I think I'm going to fix those pink earrings I tried a while ago - I'm not sure if I mentioned them or not. We'll see!

Labels: bags, fabric

posted by Sarah at 10:32 PM | |

#3

The last tote is done! I really love the fabric on this one. Since I've posted a lot of totes lately, I'll just post the pictures.



And the inside:

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 10:01 PM | |

Second Tote

Jane's tote is finished! I need to get her mailing address so I can get it in the mail to her!! I'm really happy with how it came out. As always I had a learning experience or two - like what happens when your needle gets bent! The sewing machine doesn't work too well after that, no matter how hard you try. So here are pictures - pretty similar to the ones from yesterday, but there is a zipper pocket.



And the inside:



The tote for Katy's aunt will have to wait for Sunday since we have a lot to do for our BBQ tomorrow. I might have a little time tomorrow night, to help wind down from the party!!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 10:49 PM | |

One Down...

Jenn's bag is done! I am so happy with the way it turned out. There is a minor mess-up on one of the straps, but other than that it came out perfectly! I've got a lot more to do tonight, so I'm just going to get right to the pictures:



And the lining:



The lining is a little darker than it shows up in the pictures (it looks better in this picture). Now I just have to put together Jane's and Katy's and we'll be all set!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 11:19 PM | |

Planned Totes

So I got three sets of fabric for some new totes. One will hopefully be the purse that Katy sold for me, and one will be for Katy to give to her aunt-in-law, and the other I just got because I like it.

This is for Jane, I hope - I'm going to check to see if she likes it first:



This is for Katy's aunt, if she approves:



And this is just because I liked it:



Although I like this alternate:



Decisions, decisions!!

Labels: bags, fabric

posted by Sarah at 4:10 PM | |

From my Brain to my Sewing Machine

I've had an idea in my head for a purse for a while now. Back in October when my mom took me craft shopping for my birthday, I got some cool faux bamboo purse handles. I also got the beautiful Amy Bliss fabric from my sister for my birthday, and I've totally been hoarding it, saving it for "worthy" projects. I was able to combine the two, and I'm very happy with the results! Here is my new summer bag:



It's pretty small, but it will be a lot of fun to brighten up an outfit when I'm going out somewhere. It's also *kind of* reversible. At least you can see what the lining looks like.



My sewing skills could definitely use some improvement. I'm not yet to the point where I'd feel comfortable selling any of these things, or even giving them away. Well, maybe giving them away. It's just fun to take an idea in my head and turn it into something real!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 12:53 AM | |

Roomy Purse

I finally finished the purse I started on Sunday. Though things were a little shaky at first, I really like how it came out. The outer material is from the same pair of pants I used to make this zipper pouch, and the lining is some of the fabric I bought on my recent shopping spree. The basic tutorial is from the Craftster.org Forum. Okay, here are some pictures.

The outside of the bag:



The button closure I made:



And the inside, already filled with my stuff so you can get a sense of the size of the bag:



In knitting news, I have 10 rows left on the green baby blanket! I'm going to do a few more before bed, so I should finish tomorrow night! Yay!!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 8:56 PM | |

Plaid Disaster

Sometimes ideas I have in my head don't come out exactly the way I plan. I got some cute fabric a while back that I thought I might make into a skirt for Thanksgiving... well, that didn't happen, so I decided to make a cute purse with an asymmetrical flap. I even pulled out the magnetic snap I got for my birthday. So here is the result:



The flap just totally didn't work out - it's not big enough at all. I still do like the idea, though, and might try it again with different fabric and a slight redesign. I ended up just throwing this away. After saving the snap, of course!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 10:06 PM | |

Silver Clutch

Yes, yes, an update! I have been knitting like a fool - the yellow baby blanket is temporarily on hold and I am 12 rows into the same blanket in green... I want to finish it for a baby shower on March 5th, which is only three weeks away. I will need a break from knitting for a while if I actually am able to finish it!

In the meantime, I made this little clutch for my sister.



She's in a wedding next weekend and wanted a little purse for the reception. Little is probably the key word here - it came out a little smaller than I planned, but should still hold her cell phone and digital camera. The essentials! Here it is with my cell phone in it for size perspective:



And see how cute it is hanging on my wrist?

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 6:05 PM | |

Zippers

Quite a dry spell I'm coming out of here... I have been working on the baby blanket and making good progress (I need to update my status bar!), and I tried a new purse design that came out so horribly I think I might actually throw it away. So to get out of my sewing rut, I made another zipper clutch because I thought I could do a better job than on the black one in my last post. That one looks good in the picture, but the zipper is actually kind of crooked and I don't like the wide ribbon. So here is the new and improved version:



And here is the inside:



I made this one from an old pair of pants that don't fit anymore, and a very small amount of my Ginger Bliss fabric - I'm totally hoarding that stuff. I love this! The thinner ribbon in a bow for a wrist strap makes a big difference too. Now back to knitting for a while!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 9:34 PM | |

New Flower

Remember that corduroy purse I made back in October?

Well, as much as I loved the beaded flower pin I put on it, I had to make a change... The pin kept getting caught on things, and getting smashed, and it was just a pain. So I used the same idea as from the tea towels and put on a felt flower instead:



And here is a closeup:

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 10:16 AM | |

Sewing Projects

I just had to try out my new sewing machine, so I did two projects...

The first is just a zippered clutch made from the black velvety upholstery sample I got the other day.



I used the basic tutorial found here. Here is the fun fabric I used for the inside - it's a bandana I saw at WalMart for $0.50.



I added a ribbon so that you can wear it on your wrist while holding a drink:




I also made a skirt out of the scrap fabric I posted earlier. I used another skirt I had as a pattern, and even added a zipper!



I used the zigzag stitch for the hem, and I think it looks really good!

Labels: bags, clothes

posted by Sarah at 6:28 PM | |

Mini Tote

My sister sent pictures of the bag I made her for Christmas, since I forgot to take them myself before wrapping it up. I'm pretty happy with how it came out, but as always I have ideas for future improvements.

The dimensions are about 8.5"x11" so she should be able to put a magazine in it - although it looked a little undersized and I didn't test it out. Here's the outside:



And the inside, complete with a zipper pocket (only my second ever, and it came out better than the first):



And in other news, I ordered my new sewing machine yesterday! I am so excited. I got the Janome RX-18, which is a discontinued model, so I got it really cheap and it does everything I could want! It's supposed to ship via UPS today, so hopefully I'll get it early next week. A sewing machine of my very own! That's brand new!!

Labels: bags, sewing

posted by Sarah at 8:56 AM | |

Ginger Bliss

I finally got some half decent pictures of the bags I made this weekend using the Ginger Bliss fabric Katy got me for my birthday. The tote is probably my favorite bag I've made so far! I'll bring it to Virginia so you can see it in person, Katy.

First, a little tote bag I made:

   

I used to keep my knitting projects in small paper handle bags, but the cats liked to dive into the bag and I was worried about my projects. So I made this bag, and I'll probably make one more since I usually have two projects going at the same time.

Now for the tote bag... I made this out of an old pair of khaki pants I don't wear anymore, and two fat quarters of ginger bliss.

Here is the outside of the tote where you can see the stripe I put on the outside (there's a matching one on the other side):



Here you can see the straps. The outside is khaki, but the underside is lined with matching fabric:



Finally, here is the inside of the bag. There are two pockets on one side and one on the end. Right now I'm using this bag as a purse, since I love it so much!