Summer of Sewing, bag edition part 2

 Let's continue this "crazy bag" ride....

A friend from church requested a bag.

My fabric selections are getting slim but I came up with this combo.

She loves it!

This super sized tote was a gift for the 

AirBNB hosts we stayed with recently.

This bag was made a little differently, the lining was quilted

directly to the exterior, made for a study bag.

However, adding pockets looked a little different.

I appreciated the end project, 

although during the process I sometimes wondered.

After helping my sister finish a beautiful baby quilt she gave me the 

remaining fabric. Immediately I thought of the breast cancer

colors. I found a free ribbon pattern on-line and

created this bag.  It will be sold at a local craft fair.

This black tote and the following make-up bags and mini-wallets

will also be sold at the craft fair.

And now to the future.....

While on vacation we visited a fabric outlet near Harrisonburg VA.

I've been there before, it has lots of upholstery and drapery fabrics.

I did not know they are going out of business.  Everything was

50% off and it was so overwhelming.

I only purchased these 3 fabrics, I'll use the golden one

to make an autumn bag but not sure which brown will

compliment it best. It will sit on my cutting table for a while

till I decide.  Oh what fun!

Thanks for joining in the fun of my "crazy bag lady" summer.

It's time for school to start so the return of babysitting

and less sewing.  Life is all about balance right?

Carolyn

Summer of Sewing - bag edition part 1

 It all started with this.....

I made this bag for myself, simple denim and

decorator weight fabric and posted pictures on social media.

One of the typical designs I use with lots of pockets.

This bag is lined with canvas something new I tried.

Some friends and family asked if I would make some bags to sell.

I have done this in the past but not recently.

With not much better to do I decided to make a few.

With one parameter, use what I had on hand.

First a cousin wanted a bag, so I made these 3 for her to select from.

Each has unique features that I often use.

I ended up keeping this one it has a flat bottom with piping.

My cousin selected this one, the colors are so vibrant and beachy!

It's hard to see but this one has an boxed bottom

with the corners coming up the sides.

This feature also appears in the denim purse above.

I gave this one to a dear friend who has bought many

purses from me over the years.

This bag features a traditional boxed bottom with 

coordinating side panels. This striped fabric is vintage bark cloth.

Another friend asked for a bright cheery bag.

I had this outdoor decorator fabric on hand.

She loved it!

It was really hard to part with this bag.

This bag featured a flat bottom with piping.

A friend's daughter asked for a diaper bag.

I haven't made a diaper bag in about 10 years

but it all came back to me.

This is for a boy mom with a newborn and a toddler

but she didn't want a typical nursery print.

I chose denim for the adjustable straps and a
zippered closure.  So thankful for my hardworking Bernina machine,
at times I was sewing through 8 layers of denim and 
4 layers of interfacing.

Of course there are plenty of pockets inside and out.

I was really pleased with this one too.

It is lined with a pre-quilted cotton fabric.

I'll continue with the other bags I made in the next post.

Told you I was a "crazy bag lady" this summer....

Carolyn

p.s. I typically don't use patterns, these are my own designs.

Christmas Pouches

I have 5 great-nieces on my side of the family.

So for Christmas I made monogrammed pouches for each one.

The sixth one is for our granddaughter.

The pouches are approximately 8 x 10 inches in size.

I was able to complete all these pouches without buying a thing.

Not sure if I should be proud of that or 

embarrassed to have so many scraps.

At least I'm making good use of the scraps, right?

Each pouch is the favorite color or reflects the

personality of each girl.

The exterior cotton includes a light woven iron-on interfacing.

The diamonds and letters were applied with a fusible product

and then machine appliqued in place.

I used a variety of zippers and ribbon for the zipper pulls.

The pouches are lined with a pre-quilted cotton fabric.

I really like using this lining as it adds some structure

without having to mess with small pieces of batting.

I use this same lining in most of the bags I make.

I am so pleased with how these pouches turned out,

and as you can tell, 

I had way too much fun photographing them!

This year Christmas is extra special for our family.

Recently, some of these girlies were added

to our family through adoption. 

What a blessing!

Merry Christmas!

Carolyn

Gift Card Holders

 

Found a great tutorial on Pinterest for these

cute gift card (or cash) holders.

Made these are Christmas gifts for the great-nieces

on my husband's side of the family.

I finally got to use the CAM snaps.

Fun project, I'll be making more of these in the future.

Thanks for stopping by my little blog.

Carolyn

Patchwork Bag

A friend asked me to make a brightly colored bag 

to hold her knitting projects.

The bag is roughly 8 inches tall and 12 inches wide, 

with a 5 inch boxed base.

Fun little project!

Here's a little sneak peak of the project 

that's been keeping me busy.

Thanks for stopping by my little blog.

Carolyn

 

Where have I been?

Welcome to my much neglected blog.  

Many life changes have occurred since my last post, over 17 months ago.

We sold our home, purchased and moved to another. 

First snow in our new home.

Did lots of home repairs to both houses with more to come (bought a fixer, this will take time).

My hubs had a few job transitions but has landed in a really great position where his gifts and talents are being used to glorify our Heavenly Father.  

I spent many months working from home, but our office has moved to a new location so now I'm back working behind a desk.  

So many transitions, it just makes my head spin.

Did a little traveling, thanks to ministry training opportunities and a very generous airbnb ministry.  

Exploring the coast of Maine.

Outer Banks, NC

But you didn't come here to hear all this........I did manage to do a little creating too.

Sneak peak of my latest quilt.

Dusted off my crochet hooks.

Autumn pillow for our new sunroom.

Placemats, some fabric is vintage other's reproduction.

A buffalo check quilt for our living room.

A purse, one of my favorites!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to post again soon.  Stay safe and healthy!

Carolyn

Navy Bag

Found this cute navy floral at Hobby Lobby, even 

though I didn't need fabric, I had to have this piece.

Quilted using Pellon sew-in foam, gives lots of dimension

and added stability.  Although I used interfacing too.

The light gray handles, piping and bottom are

Waverly decorator weight fabric from Walmart.  

I'm hoping it doesn't look too springy, cause it's my new

fall purse.  Navy is for fall right?

Thanks for visiting,

Carolyn

A treat for me....

We are headed out for a little break this week,

so it was time for a new bag.

I tried to buy one, but alas I returned to my sewing room

and thanks to Pinterest inspiration, this was the result.

The bag is 18 inches wide at the top and 12 inches tall,

just perfect for a road trip.

Thanks for visiting,

Carolyn

Our granddaughter turns 6, I made her a Bible cover.

How can she be 6 already?

I bought pre-quilted fabric and designed a cover

for her first Bible.

We also bought Ellie her first golf putter,

she LOVES mini-golf!

As a wrap-up to our December & January, 

here are a few pictures of our family activities....

A few weeks before Christmas we continued the tradition

of making sand tarts, the thin crispy kind.

Pappy read "The Wonky Donkey", it's hilarious!

And we gave Ellie the most impractical gift that is bringing her

so much joy!  His name is Gerald.

And finally Pappy enjoyed a story with his girls,

Gerald just had to listen in too.

Here's to a great new year full of awesome family time!

Carolyn