Puffy Magic Purse

November is birthday month at my house. My daughters were born exactly 3 years apart minus three days. It is always fun to make them something for their birthdays. My oldest has been using a very sad looking small tote bag as a purse. So I thought she might like a new purse. I got the inspiration from this tutorial. The denim is heavy enough that it doesn't need interfacing.
If you're wondering why it is magic. . . I've used a metal tape measure for the top closure. Very simple actually. You make a casing, leaving an opening to put the tape measure in. Stitch the casing vertically where the side seam is. This keeps each piece of the tape measure on its side of the bag. Cut 2 pieces of the tape measure about 1" less than one side of the casing. You can use regular scissors for this. Though I don't recommend using your good sewing shears. Round the ends and cover with a piece of masking tape. Thread each piece into the casing. Sew opening closed and stitch the other side of the casing vertically on the side seam. If you use a dollar store tape measure, double it.
This is a close up of the hardware. I've used split rings to attach the straps and D rings to make the strap adjustable. If you're wondering why split rings. I have a lot of them. They seem to have magically appeared in my studio, as most of my supplies do.

Reusable Gift Bag

I love making small gift bags. It can add a unique touch to any gift. A cute reusable bag is almost a gift in and of itself. This particular bag is a variation on my Treasure Bag. I've made it slightly bigger, added a separate casing and made it reversible(for those of us who like options). Of course, something special is going in the bag. You'll just have to wait and see.

The Pencil Bag

This is the pencil bag my college age daughter designed to replace the one that died. I did help a bit with the construction. If I thought googlie eyes would survive the book bag I would have glued them on. Of course, I not sure how anything survives being in her book bag without getting smooshed . It's always stuffed full, coffee, water bottle, lunch, snack, extra snack for those with puppy dog eyes, books, notebooks, misc. and of course the pencil bag. Now the pencil bag the last time I saw it being stuffed into the book bag was also stuffed to the max. I asked her "What's in there besides pencils, a bunch of candy?" Oh ya! It's amazing she got it zipped closed. I was told the candy was every bit as or even more important than the pencils. Those kids do have their priorities.

Momiji Doll Birthday Greetings

Momiji dolls were a recent discovery for me. I'm not sure why it took so long to find out about them. They are small and cute. Just the kind of thing I adore. Of course, when I did discover them I just had to make my own version. I'm still tweaking with the pattern a bit. But I did make this one as a birthday present for a close friend who recently discovered zakka. I made a special coordinating gift bag.
And as you can see, she can hold a secret message. A friend of mine commented it would be a great way for little girls to pass notes to one another at school. My oldest daughter, who is a teacher, wasn't so sure about that.

Patchwork Bag Pattern

It's a free pattern for a small patchwork bag. My birthday's coming up and I've decided to share one of my favorite patterns with you as a gift. This pattern was one of a line of patterns I had produced several years ago . It's been updated a bit. Hope you enjoy making it as much as I do. It is one of my favorites to make as a reusable gift bag. I've also made them using just the lining pattern piece and reducing the size a bit as goody bags for birthday parties. They can be reversible. The finished bag is about 4x4 inches.

You can get the free bag pattern here. Please use this pattern for your personal use and enjoyment only.

Three Way Bag

Yes it really is just one bag. One bag, three different looks. How fun is that, one bag for every mood. This is a pattern from a Japanese book. It was one of those you had to draft your own pattern from a diagram. Of course, this makes it easier for design changes. I prefer a shoulder bag, so I made the handles longer. I also wanted a completely reversible bag. The list of possibilities goes on and on. There are a few more changes I'd like to try. Hope I get around to it soon.

Charm Square Purse

This is a bag I see frequently in Japanese books and magazines. It is made from 17 squares. I used a charm square pack (Clementine by Moda). The 5" squares make a nice size bag. Or a least I really like it, not too big, yet big enough. The extra squares from the charm pack can be used to make pockets on the inside and/or the handles. If you don't have a charm pack, you can use leftover pieced squares from a quilt or even make some just for this bag. You can use a different size square to make a different size purse. It is a very versatile pattern. I plan to post a tutorial on how to put it together as soon as I edit the pictures.

Kangaroo Pocket Purse

The pockets on this bag remind me of a kangaroo pouch. I love pockets in purses and bags. It helps separate out those important items or the really small ones that tend to get lost. So, I designed this completely reversible bag. Because of the way it is made it has four pockets. I love making new designs. I'm seriously considering publishing patterns for sale again. This bag pattern may be one of the first.

May Giveaway Day

It's May Giveaway Day at Chimera Threads. Thank you Sew Mama Sew!Blog for coordinating this event. It sounded like to much fun to miss out on. Sew here are the details for participating on this blog. I am going to give away a treasure bag. It will, of course, have a treasure or two or more in it. To qualify for the treasure please either comment on ways I can improve my tutorial (previous post) or what is your favorite thing about craft type blogs. By this, I mean do you like seeing what others are making, or are you looking for good ideas or inspiration, etc. You get the idea. I am trying to improve my blogging skills. Only meaningful comments, please. I will randomly pick an appropriate comment the morning of June 1st. I am willing to ship internationally as I love getting international mail. I will accept comments from this post and the previous post (treasure bag tutorial).

Treasure Bag Tutorial

This is a tutorial for a small gift bag. I've been making them for my family to hold chocolates and small gifts for the various holidays. I like to use theme fabrics when making them for the different holidays, hearts for Valentine's, shamrocks for St. Pat's, bunnies for Easter, etc. The finished size is about 4 1/2" tall x 3" wide. This is my first attempt at a tutorial. I would appreciate comments that would help my tutorial writing skills improve. So here goes:

Materials needed:

1. 2-5"x6" pieces of fabric for the sides
2. 1-3 1/2" circle of fabric for the bottom
3. 7/8-1yd 1/8" ribbon or cord for the drawstring
   

Due to the small size of the bag the casings get pressed before sewing the side seams.
Press down 1/4", then 1" from that fold. Unfold and sew the side seams (1/4" seam allowance), leaving a 1/4" opening 1 7/8" down from the top edge. (See above picture).Press the seams open.

I usually stay stitch just a bit less than the seam allowance on the bottom edge. This will allow you to clip to the stitching to help it lie flat when sewing to the bottom.

Now fold down the casing, 1/4" and then 1", edge stitch from the bottom fold and stitch again 1/4" away from the edge stitching. Make sure the side seams are flat or you will not be able to get the drawstring threaded through.

Next pin and sew the bottom to the sides,1/4" seam allowance. I divide the bottom and sides by quarters, match these up, pin on these marks and then sew. You may need to clip the bottom edge of the sides to make it fit and lie flat enough to sew. Just be sure not to clip through the stay stitching.

Turn the bag right side out. Cut the ribbon or cord in half and thread it through the casing as follows: start on one side and completely go around and come out where you started, then start on the opposite side and completely go around and come out where you started. Knot the ends together. TIP: Because the casing is so narrow I use a large blunt needle to thread the ribbon through. Thread the ribbon into the eye of the needle and push through the the casing with the eye end of the needle.


Your bag is now ready to be filled with treasures for that special someone.

Eco-friendly Lunch Bag

After shopping for quite some time for the perfect lunch bag/box, my daughter found a picture of one she really liked in a Japanese magazine. Unfortunately the directions were almost undecipherable. So we found a bag of the size and shape she wanted and I drafted a pattern using the design elements from the magazine picture. It worked perfectly as you can see. And has the added bonus of being machine washable. By-the-way sushi is one of her favorite lunches.

Old Top-New Bag

Out with the old- in with the new, spring has sprung around here. We've been out in the yard taming weeds and laying out new planters. This means I haven't been sewing quite as much as I would like to. My daughter on the other hand is on spring break and has time to sew. She made this very cute bag out of a halter top. She has a whole bag of clothes just waiting to be re-purposed. I can hardly wait to see what she comes up with.