Soda Pop Bag

I'm really excited to introduce you to the Soda Pop Bag, a PDF sewing pattern which is now available in my pattern shop. I designed this bag because I wanted to use large grommets in the design; most grommets I have seen in bags are at the top, and handles are sometimes threaded through them, but I wanted to use the grommets at the bottom.

This is an intermediate-level sewing pattern, mostly due to sewing on the curved bottom of the bag. The pattern comes complete with all the templates needed, as well as 10 pages of sewing instructions, accompanied by 18 full-color step-by-step photos.

I used Jay McCarroll fabric to make this bag, from his 'Center City' line for Free Spirit Fabrics. As always, I used Aurifil 40wt thread to sew the bag together, and the grommets were found in the curtain/decorating section at Joann Fabrics. The fabric showing through the grommets is a Yuwa text fabric.

Finished Size:    13” x 15”


Supplies Needed to Make This Bag

1 yard of exterior fabric

1 yard of lining fabric

1/2 yard of grommet fabric (which will show through the grommets)

2 yards of Pellon® SF-101 Shape Flex® fusible woven interfacing (or lightweight fusible interfacing)

1/2 yard of By Annie’s Soft and Stable™, available at local quilt shops or on-line
(Soft and Stable is a 1/8” thick, foam sew-in interfacing; one of my testers also recommends automotive headliner fabric in place of the Soft and Stable; you can also substitute a needled fleece fusible interfacing for the Soft and Stable, such as Pellon #TP971F Thermolam Plus fusible interfacing)

1/6 yard of Pellon #70 Peltex sew-in interfacing (or an extra-heavy sew-in interfacing)

1/2” magnetic snap

1-1/2” grommets – package of 8 (I used Dritz brand plastic grommets, mine were 1-9/16”)
          I found my large grommets in the curtain-making section of my local fabric store
 
Optional: 4 metal purse feet

I'm really excited to show you the bags that my pattern testers made. They continue to surprise and please me with their wonderful work!

DeeAnn made this really awesome version of the bag, and she found red grommets too!! How awesome! I'm totally in love with this one, and I think it will really go with just about any outfit too!

Maria made this super lovely version of the bag in Joel Dewberry fabric. Maria lives overseas, and she didn't think she would be able to get the grommets in time to test the bag, but I said I would love to see a version without grommets, and I think she did a really great job on this one!!

Carrie made this awesome bag in black and white fabric, with a colorful print showing through her grommets. I'm not sure if you can see by the picture, but she's adding bling to her bag (see the lime green trail of dots running down the center of the bag?). Cool idea Carrie!!

 

Carmal made her bag in Tula Pink 'Nightshade' fabrics. She used Vilene H640 in place of the Soft and Stable for the exterior of the bag. Great job Carmal!!

Lisa from Six Munchkin Stitching made her bag in a textured solid, with bright Kate Spain prints peeping out from the grommets and as the lining.  Lisa used Pellon Thermolam for her bag, beautiful work Lisa!

Margaret made her bag in a great sparkly print, with dark grommets. I love the shape of her bag, it is very structured, and the top curve on hers looks awesome!

Emily of Half Square Triangle made her bag with automotive headliner fabric instead of the Soft and Stable, and she recommends trimming the automotive headline smaller on the seam allowance to reduce bulk. I think this bag looks super cute, and love the pastel stripes on the inside too!

Nicki made this gorgeous version in red grommets to match her colorful fabrics! I love that the grommet fabrics appear to be a coordinating print, and you can see those little purse feet peeping out from the bottom! Nicki also used Pellon Thermolam fusible interfacing, and she loved the look that it gave the bag. Great job Nicki! 

Thank you so much to the wonderful testers for working through this pattern! You've done a wonderful job sewing these up!!

If you liked what you saw, this sewing pattern is now available in my pattern shop for immediate download.

Pillow Pop Review & Giveaway

Today, I'm reviewing 'Pillow Pop' by Heather Bostic. Let me start this post off by saying that before I even got this book into my sweaty-with-anticipation hands, I already knew which pillow I would be making from it. I've had this pillow on my bucket list for, oh, two years (I could be wrong because my concept of time is really wacked out). I'm talking about Ryan Walsh's contribution to the book.

This pillow is made with applique circles, which are overlapped and trimmed. I had a really hard time choosing fabrics for my pillow. Of course my first instinct was to buy something new (because isn't that what the point of a new project is? Why would we use something we already own in our stash?? haha), but I reminded myself that I've been recently complaining that I have all these quilt cuts stashed when I mostly make bags (which obviously take bigger cuts). So I pulled out some Good Folks. I had a charm pack that I cut for myself last year (for what reason, I don't even know), so I used my Accuquilt Go! Baby circle die to cut the circles out. I used the two smallest (adjacent) circles on the die, so the charms worked nicely since I could get one circle of each size from each piece of fabric. I pre-trimmed the circles in what I felt was a good overlapping circle. I used a text fabric for my background.

The pattern in the book calls for the circles to be topstitched on, which would give a great raw edge effect. I just have a personal preference regarding raw edges (or maybe it's because I have children who throw the pillows around and use them to practice boxing training), so I assembled my circles using a blanket stitch using my trusty Aurifil 40wt thread. I admit this takes a lot longer, but I was pleased with how it turned out.  All-in-all, the pillow took me 4 hours to make. I made it for my husband, and he picked out another Anna Maria Horner fabric for the backing of the pillow, this one from her 'Field Study' line.

I love this pattern because there is so much room for error. I wasn't terribly worried about my fabric placement, I just added the circles one at a time (oh, and also the fact that I was using a glue stick to temporarily adhere each circle before I appliqued it - my own idea, because I'm lazy). The overlapping trims also don't need to be perfect either. Because this is such a busy design, your eye will travel all over the pillow and catch all of the beautiful fabrics.

Now that I've excitedly shown you my completed project, I would like to talk some more about this lovely book! There are 25 projects inside, all from different designers, who you may already know from reading their blogs. Each project comes with concise instructions, and in the back of the book are also directions for assembling your pillow after the top of it has been pieced; there are several different techniques (envelope, zipper, etc.). Some of the projects also require templates (such as the pillow that I worked on), and those are in the back of the book, no enlargement necessary, which is always a plus.

There are several pillows that would be able to be sewn by a complete quilting newbie (pieced rectangles, etc.), and there are others that require a bit more skill, but I think the book showcases a nice range of projects using many different sewing and quilting techniques.

Image courtesy of Fat Quarter Shop, where you can also buy this book!

Some of the pillows are based off of traditional quilting (such as the Dresden Plate and Cathedral Window), but there were also other designs that were contemporary. Another of my favorites from the book was Brioni's pillow, pictured above. I loved the outward-reaching design, and I think it was seriously perfect with the fussy cutting to accentuate the flower shapes, not to mention the wonderful quilting on this!

Another great pillow from the book is this one by Little Miss Shabby. The pillow is called 'Garden District', and it combines patchwork with a curved edge. I think the hand stitching on this version also makes it super-lovely.

All of the pillows feature modern fabrics, which I liked very much. I could see myself making any of these pillows really, and I think this is a wonderful book for ideas for making presents or Flickr swap gifts for other people. Pillow Pop would be a useful thing to have right before the holidays, especially when you need a last-minute gift to whip up in an evening. The great thing about making pillows as opposed to quilts is that they have a low level of commitment...chances are, if you start making a pillow, that you'll finish it (instead of having to add it to the UFO pile...guys, I know you know what I'm talking about).

So, would you like to win a copy of the book?? One lucky winner will receive 'Pillow Pop' by Heather Bostic, courtesy of C&T (international winner will be an eBook). Please click the link below to take you to the entry page, and you have until April 1st at 11pm CT to enter! Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is #25 Deborah.

Click Here to Enter the Giveaway!

Bag and Pattern Giveaways!

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is #77 Nicole.

Want to win a bag and some patterns??

First off, visit Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle to win a full set of my PDF sewing patterns. She is holding a giveaway on her blog, and you can enter right there!

 

Also, I just have to interject that Pink Castle Fabrics is having an awesome 20% off sale going on right now, use code SPRING20 for 20% off your total order (get some new Liberty!!)

 

And secondly, the beautiful Samantha (I call her Fiona) of At Home with Mrs. H is giving away this paper-pieced clutch that she made from one of my sewing patterns. Isn't she generous?!

But wait, it doesn't stop there...Samantha is also a talented bag designer! And in addition to the clutch, she is giving away a copy of all of her bag patterns...aren't they awesome?? You can find these sewing patterns in her Etsy shop; she also sells the purse hardware that she uses to make the bags.

  

So, you want to win the clutch and a set of sewing patterns from At Home with Mrs. H? Please click the link below to take you to the entry page. One lucky winner will be chosen on Friday, March 29th at 11pm CT.

Click Here to Enter the Giveaway! 

 

Talkin Tuesday...be there TOMORROW!

I just wanted to share with you that I'm sponsoring Talkin Tuesday tomorrow on Twitter. It's a live Twitter chat, and there are fun topics every week (my favorite was 2 weeks ago when we talked all about sewing/quilting books). The discussions are usually lively, and centered on questions asked by the host, Cara, and then everyone answers and conversions sometimes veer off in other (always interesting!) directions.

If you are not on Twitter, it's free to sign up. I know, I know. Last summer I wasn't even on Twitter, and I thought, 'How ridiculous, I'm not doing this...it's just the next online fad, like Facebook." Well, I caved. I said the same thing about Instagram, and guess what, I got on there 2 weeks ago too. Ha!

Anyway, the host on Twitter is Cara Quilts, and you will want to follow her (there's a button that says 'Follow' at the top of her page), as she is the one who asks all the questions. You can also find more detailed Talkin Tuesday User Instructions right here.

So I'm the sponsor tomorrow (notice that there are two different chat times, one in the afternoon and one in the evening), which means I'll be giving away tons of bag PDF sewing patterns from my shop. Also, I may or may not be bringing along a secret sponsor (cough, cough Pellon). This is my Twitter handle, friend me and I will friend you back so I can see all the great answers you are giving in the chat. ;-)

So will I see you at the chat tomorrow?! I hope so!!!

 

New Sponsor: Southern Fabric

Happy Monday morning! I hope you had a restful and sew-filled weekend! I have a lot of bloggy things to share with you this week, but to start off, I wanted to introduce my new sponsor, Southern Fabric! Southern Fabric is your stop for bundles and yardage!

Here is one of my favorite new bundles to the shop, this is PB&J by Basic Grey. This fabric line combines some of my favorite things...chevrons, textured fabric, and text fabric! Oh, and there's also come beautiful florals thrown in. :) Besides being grade as a line, it also looks to be a great stash builder too!

Another good one is Mind Your P's and Q's by Keiki. I like Keiki's fabrics for their whimsy, and I think this line pairs some bright and bold primary colors with these great prints too.


There's also a 30% off sale going on right now at Southern Fabric, through today, where you can snag some great fabrics and bundles! There's some great sew alongs starting this spring (cough cough, Tula Pink 'City Sampler'), so what a great idea to have something on hand for whatever sew along you decide to join!

These Freshcut by Heather Bailey fabrics are really great, and my eye always goes to them immediately whenever I see them on-line. There are so many great prints available, and they would make a great spring dress for a child too!

Serenade by Kate Spain is also part of the sale!! Love that print in the top-right corner in particular! These are very pretty, especially the warm fabrics!


If you like what you see, go check out Southern Fabric! You can also follow them on Facebook for coupons and news of new fabric arrivals!! Happy shopping. :)

 

Book Review: Sew Serendipity

I wasn't intentionally meaning to blog another book review so soon, but I was working on a project that happened to be out of a book, so I figured...what the heck. :) This is 'Sew Serendipity' by Kay Whitt of Serendipity Studio. This book is a couple of years old, and I can't believe that I didn't already have it in my sewing library; I love Kay's patterns, and if you have followed my blog for awhile, you know that I've made quite a bit of clothing from her sewing patterns.

I'm traveling to Seattle in a couple of weeks for a photoshoot for my (!!!) bag book, and I thought that I would sew the 'Classic Tailored Jacket' (see photo below) to wear over some of my dresses (which are quite loud). I chose a more neutral fabric than I am used to using, so that it would not clash with the fabric in my bags. I used a gray and white print from Michael Miller Fabrics from the 'Bekko' line. This is a cotton sateen (decor-weight) line of decent-sized graphic prints.

This is the first time I've ever made a jacket, and I was a little wary about halfway through construction. Usually when I make a dress, I am familiar with checking the fit many times during sewing, and I know which areas I usually need to pay attention to, how to adjust the darts, and how to take it in a little bit on the sides if I need to. I will be the first to admit that I don't make a muslin (although I should, and I would probably recommend that to anyone making clothing, but I am just frankly too lazy for that). The thing about the jacket is that there is no zippered closure, and the front of the jacket obviously overlaps since it has a front button closure, so that was where I was unsure. But I trust Kay's pattern-writing, and once I was sure the darts were to my liking, I just followed the pattern exactly and put my trust in it.

I finally finished the jacket last night (before the weekend I was almost done, except for the sleeve cuffs and the buttons on it), and I am super-ecstatic! I think it came out even better than I imagined! Of course there are little things here or there that are not perfect, but I am not a perfect sewist. I am happy that I gave it a try and super happy with how it turned out!

The details I like the best about this jacket are the wide collar, the detailed topstitching about 2" around the outer edge of the jacket, and I also like that it has a facing instead of a lining. I think the facing actually looks really beautiful on the inner edge of the coat! With the fabric I chose, it's definitely not a 'warm' jacket, but then, sometimes clothing is more for looks than for warmth. I'm okay with that, and the jacket has just the right amount of extra room so that I can wear a sweater underneath and it wouldn't be too bulky.

 

So, let me talk about the book in case you're curious about the rest of it! The back of the book contains tissue pattern pieces for 3 separate items of clothing (a skirt, a top or tunic, and a jacket), but I think that it's pretty deceiving that you're only getting 3 patterns, because you're really getting a lot more than that. Each garment type actually has 6 separate patterns in the book (so really 18 patterns in total). The beauty of it are that each are completely different. I mean, if you look at the photo of the two jackets below (the blue jacket and the yellow jacket), I think you would agree that these are completely different jackets. However, they are taken from the same pattern pieces, and the bulk of the assembly is the same. The change is in the details! The front tabs, perhaps some ruffled fabric, they are all different and all just as great!

All of the instructions are accompanied by a hand-drawn illustration for just about every step, so they are all easy to navigate through. Normally before I start a pattern, I read through it a few times to make sure I understand all the steps and can imagine the construction in my head. When I read through these instructions, I just thought 'wow, this is going to be fun'. Of course, the sewing takes time, and I did rip a couple of seams, but the pattern was not mentally taxing, and I think that is a credit to Kay Whitt and how she writes patterns. She is just extremely talented at what she does. I'm trying to write a balanced review, but I don't think there's anything bad I can say about this book!

So, that's my review! If you are new or not new to sewing clothing, I think this is a great book to have in your sewing library. I would definitely make the jacket from the book again, and it would be great in a thicker fabric like wool or boucle. If you don't already have this book, you can actually get a signed copy here!