Christmas gift sewing

I always do some Christmas gift sewing for the grands and I normally make the same thing for everyone.  For example, last year it was fleece blankets; year before that flannel pj pants; before that it was pillowcases - you get the idea.  But this year, I decided to get creative and have a little variety.



For my 2 granddaughters (ages 12 and 13) I made cross over handbags.  I also made them infinity scarves, using a light-weight knit:

The 15 year old boy requested flannel pj pants, so that's what he got; plus a fleece hat.

For my 14 year old grandson, by request I made a water proof gun case using marine vinyl and a fleece hat.

A cape and mask and fleece hat for my 9 yr old grandson

A cinch sac and fleece hat for another 9 year old boy

Fleece hats for the boys

For 7 year old granddaughter, a flannel nightgown and a fleece hat.

Another 7 year old girl gets doll clothes for her 18 inch doll and a fleece hat.

Fleece hats for the girls:

And the baby (5 yr old grandson) gets a utility belt and bath time paints.

For my 2 daughter-in-laws, I made simple scarves using a black and blue checked flannel:

My sons & husband get reversible fleece hats:

 I made an apron for my sister in law.

For my niece, I made an infinity scarf.

Summer Handbag

Since the weather has warmed up, I've been planning to make a summer handbag.  I love polka dots, so when I saw this blue and white dots fabric at Joann Fabrics on the red tag table for 50% off, I had to grab it.  When I got ready to start on my purse, I went diving thru my stash for some coordinating fabric and I came up with this blue tropical print.  It looks so summery and beachy.   This print is also a home décor from Joann Fabrics.  I used a solid blue from the stash for the lining.

There's a large zippered pocket on one side and an open pocket on the other.  Inside there's a cell phone pocket and a small zippered pocket. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 


I used white plastic drapery rings on the straps.

I used plastic canvas to stiffen the bottom.

Another Handbag

I like the blue bag I made recently, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted.  So while I was in the bag making mood, I got to work on another one.  And I'm very happy with how this one turned out.  It's the right size and shape, and I love the colors and all the pockets.






































As with the blue one, I used upholstery samples that were given to me by my niece. I used cream colored suede, brown leather and brown tweed.  For the lining,  I used a piece of medium weight brown cotton that was left over from another project.


I started with this pattern, but changed it quite a bit. 






































I've used this pattern a lot as I like the general shape and size.   My finished bag is 10-1/2" tall and 12" wide.  The bottom panel is 4-3/4" wide and the side narrows down to 2" wide at the top.  I put a zippered pocket on each size on the outside (1 small and 1 large) and 1 small one on the inside.







































I used a plastic jacket zipper for the opening.  I find these work great as they're strong enough, but light-weight and easy to open.  I use split rings as pulls on all the zippers.  These are inexpensive, come in different sizes, easy to grab hold of and they never fall off.




















 
 
 
 
 
 


This was one of those rare projects that goes together quick and easy and turns out as great as you hoped.

Fall/Winter Handbag

I made a bag for the Pattern Review "Handbag" contest.

This was my inspiration:

 

I used this pattern.  It's a free PDF download.

I wanted a  zippered pocket on the back like this:



























I started with the free Kennedy bag pattern from Sew Sweetness. This is a great pattern.  It prints out good and the instructions are very through.   Her bag's finished size is 11 x 14  with a 5 inch bottom.  That was little bigger than I wanted plus I wanted mine to be more of a square shape, so I made mine 10.5 x 12.5 with a 4.5 inch bottom.  Even though I like a fairly large handbag, this is still a little bigger than I like.

I used 7 different upholstery samples.  These came from a local fabric store and were given to me by my niece that works there. When they replace them and toss the old ones, she passes some of them on to me.

For the lining, I used a medium weight brown cotton piece that was left over from another project.

I added feet to the bottom;  used split rings for the zipper pulls; and a magnetic snap for the closure.

 


I added a large outside zippered pocket on the back
















 
 


Underneath the flap, I added a 5 x 8 inch lined pocket that I use for my cell phone



























There's also an inside zippered pocket.






















Feet on the bottom

Side panel

Last Project for 2013 - Handbag

I finally made myself a new bag.  I started with simplicity 3828 (view D).  This is an old pattern and is now OOP.  I used the pattern as my starting point to get the size and shape that I like. 



















My finished bag is 2 inches shorter than the pattern. I installed a zipper at the top instead of a magnetic snap. 

I used home decor fabric from Joann's.  I used fusible fleece as the interfacing and machine quilted the black side.  I used a solid blue for the lining.  The handles are made from the black fabric with nylon webbing inside. I like using the webbing better than interfacing as it's not so bulky, but very strong, and adds just the right amount of stiffness.




































I like pockets on my purses - so I added 3 of them.  There's a small inside pocket; a large outside pocket on one side and a small one on the other side.  All of the pockets have zipper closures.  I used key charms as zipper pulls.


Here's a close up to show the pulls.

I like the fabric, it's the right size & has the pockets I need - I think I got it right.

Quilt Blocks Tote Bag

I've been working on quilts recently and had made 2 blocks that I knew I wouldn't use in a quilt.  So, I decided to use them to make a tote bag.  I found a 1/2 yard piece of cream colored fabric in my stash that was just right for the lining.

I love this block.  The pattern is called swoon.  I found a picture of it on-line and drew my own pattern.

Since this block was only 12",  I added a border using the same blue from the other block.

I hand quilted the blocks and used 2 inch wide nylon webbing from Joann Fabrics for the straps.  Finished size is approximately 16" x 18". It's a great size to carry my medium size rotary mat and ruler.

New Handbag

   

As is usual when I make a bag, I didn't go by a pattern.  I had an idea of what I wanted and just started with a basic shape of a front and back with a 4 inch gusset.  I made 2 inside zipper pockets and 2 outside zipper pockets. The finished size is 10 inches high and 12 inches wide.  The strap is 2 inches wide and 24" long.

I used 2 upholstery fabrics that I got at Joann Fabrics on the “red tag” table when it was 50% off, so I paid probably $5.00 for the fabric.   When I saw this fabric, I knew it would be great for a handbag.  For the lining I used a black twill and the printed fabric for the pockets.  I made one side of the bag  the black print fabric with a gold pocket and the other side is the gold  fabric with a black print pocket.  I did this just to add a little extra something. 

For the strap I used a 2 inch wide black webbing and then sewed a piece of the purse fabric on top of it.  The reason I made the strap this way is the webbing gives it strength without the layers and bulk of interfacing.   But by itself, it’s kind of plain, so I added the fabric layer.  The 2 inch webbing is kind of hard to find, but I wanted it that wide since there’s only 1 strap.

I really enjoy making handbags.  I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out, although I do wish I'd made it just a little bit bigger.