Closet Flash Waaaaaaaaaaaaaay Back: Hand beaded, Velvet Bag

A very long time ago, probably circa the late 90s, I needed a fancy bag for some event and my sister lovingly made this for me. I just officially finished unpacking a few days ago and found this carefully tucked away.  

 

The outer layer is made from black velvet and the inside is lined with a rich, purple colored satin or taffeta (not 100% sure which).

 

 

 The fringe is all hand beaded with beautiful leaf and butterfly beads mixed with some tear drops, seed beads and tube beads.

 

 

 It has a simple, black, cross body strap and is closed with a loop that goes over a glass butterfly bead.

 

 



The Whale Super Tote

I bought the Super Tote pattern from Noodlehead a couple of months ago with the idea that maybe someday Meg and I would open an Etsy shop. Last week I decided to get to work and make a prototype bag out of a Whale print, 21 wale, corduroy that I had banished to the back of my stash. 

 

I like to vigorously test out the end product myself to see if there are any quirks that need to be smoothed out in future versions. I'm a stickler for stability and I think the original pattern needs it's interfacing requirements to be beefed up significantly. That's really my only qualm though. Other  than that, the bag sewed up beautifully, I love the size and it has endless possibilities. I have at least 25 other versions dancing around in my head that need to be liberated so I better get sewing!

  

 This picture is just for scale purposes. The finished bag is deceptively huge and holds e v e r y t h i n g with space to spare.

The front of the bag has a large pocket trimmed with white piping.

There is a pretty, pleated gusset detail on the side.

I have to say that the recessed zipper is probably my favorite part. 

There are 4 large, internal pockets with elastic to keep everything in order.

I box stitched the handles for extra stability.

Closet Flashback: The Weekender Bag

The Weekender is how my mom taught me to sew and I have some very fond memories attached to this bag. She made one too and walked me through every step of the process. I had only dabbled with sewing before attempting this pattern and afterwards felt pretty much ready to tackle anything. It's a really fun project to make BUT it's a beast.     

I was heading out of town this weekend and dug through my closet to find this trusty bag! It hasn't seen the light of day for a while so it was time to put it to good use. It's the perfect size for a quick getaway and holds up really well over time (at least mine has).  

I have aspirations to make this pattern again someday in really girly fabric...maybe something in pink? 

Here is the original posting for both bags...

Inside Out Bag

A couple of months ago I found this tutorial for the "Inside Out Bag" over at the Purl Bee (click here for their instructions) and loved the simplicity of it. I finally got around to making it and I think it's going to be a perfect summer bag. I used a really nice canvas that I've been hoarding for over a year and some Amy Butler fabric that caught my eye recently. This is an easy project that doesn't take a lot of fabric, webbing or bias tape.

Labor of Love - My Christmas Carpet Bag

My mother makes cool stuff. Unfortunately for her this Christmas, that meant lovingly acquiescing to a handmade bag request that then snowballed into making 3...soon to be 4....of the same bag in quick succession. I chose this home dec fabric with cities from all over the world on it. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. The buttons have a reddish hue which really sets off the antique looking black/tan color of the fabric and because she's so clever and detailed, the zipper tab at the end is my first initial...brilliant! I've been carrying it around now for almost two months and keep forgetting to post about it. It is a bag of awesomeness and makes me think of my momma every time I look at it :)

Dresden Plate Bag

A while ago I stumbled across this tutorial for a Dresden plate bag. Dresden plate is a quilt pattern that forms a circle, or plate. I wanted to make the purse, but it was too small. I was able to craft a larger Dresden plate template and then just winged the pattern for the bag. It is wider at the base, with pleats added for shape. The Dresden plate is made from some of my favorite scraps, and I added a little bit of decorative embroidery for kicks. The bag itself is made from stretch denim. (The stretch is not optimal, but hey...it was in my stash :) The lining is an awesome print I got on fabric.com (Michael Miller I think).

Cheeky Bookbag

Around Christmas time, I saw a bag on Etsy with the quote: 'I like big books and I cannot lie.' I thought it was hilarious and knew that I had to make it. The original song (which is really not classy at all...) was popular in the late 90's and it said 'I like big butts and I cannot lie.' I have a friend who shares my sophisticated sense of humor so this was made for her. The bag is nothing fantastic, just corduroy lined with a feed sack print. The white text is hand embroidered with the chain stitch, and the 'big books' text is iron on letters. You have no idea how hard it is to find matching letters in the same color at Joanns. That's why I used yellow. I left the store feeling slightly hostile after tediously sorting through the poorly organized bins of rubber-banded iron-ons.

Post-Christmas Burnout

After Christmas was over I pretty much just creatively flatlined. Nothing was inspiring me and then the new year started with a surprising series of intense events so nothing was getting sewn, pasted, painted, etched or printed! Slowly but surely though, the itch to work with fabric is coming back. Unsurprisingly, Amy Butler's Cosmo bag from "Style Stitches" is what brought me back :) I've been wanting to make this bag for a while now because it's about the size of a kitchen sink which is perfect for all my yoga stuff or beach stuff or groceries, etc. Right now, it's a work in progress but soon I'll be back to post the finished project!