Remix Pouch Tutorial with Bonus Wristlet Strap

Recently, I was commissioned by the fabric designer, Ann Kelle, to sew up a few little pocket shaped zipper pouches using her new Rainbow Remix fabric collection. What's even better is that she asked me to write a tutorial for these adorable little pouches so that anyone could create their own! While part of this tutorial originally was posted on Kelle's blog, Ann Kelle, I've added a little twist to give you the Remix Pouch Tutorial with Bonus Wristlet Strap!

Sewing to Sell Book Review & Zipped Pouches

Recently, I received a complimentary e-copy of the new book, Sewing to Sell! by Virginia Lindsay of Gingercake Designs. The paper version of the book is releasing today and promises to be a huge success like all of the other wonderful patterns and projects from Virginia!

About the same time that I began to read through the book, I signed up to provide a handmade item or two for a silent auction fundraiser event being held at my daughter's school. I soon realized that one or more of the 16 starter projects included in the book would make the perfect item to donate to the auction. In the end, I sewed up six zipped pouches in varying sizes using the instructions and suggestions from Sewing to Sell! and donated them to the auction.

A Reversible Echino Purse

A couple of days ago, I showed you the beautiful new purse and zipper pouch I made for myself using Japanese Echino Fabrics.  Of course, as soon as I finished my new ensemble, my daughter, Ella, asked if it was for her!  Since I had two more prints from the cute fabric shop, Modes4U, I decided to make her a reversible Echino purse of her own!

Side one was made with Echino canvas fabric Buck Stag with Glasses in Blue.

While Side Two was made using forest hart owl turquoise Echino canvas fabric.  I love the patchwork designs on this fabric!

Snowflakes & Lace with sewVery

Wow!  What an exciting week!  Co-hosting the Snowflakes & Lace Series with my friend, RaeAnna from Sewing Mama RaeAnna, has been such fun.  I've truly enjoyed seeing all the projects our guest bloggers contributed to the series, and I've discovered so many new ways to use lace from those that joined our linky party and pinned to our Pinterest board.  Thank you so much for making the series a success!

As promised, RaeAnna and I are both sharing with you today our ideas for using lace.  For me, I knew immediately what I would make for this series--a Lace & Leather Clutch!

About a year ago, I visited my local Goodwill Outlet Store where you literally rummage through bins to find treasures, and that is where I found this beautiful piece of vintage lace!  The original piece was roughly 18" long, and I found a similar green lace piece that is over a yard long with it.  I assume both pieces are vintage since they were in a pile with several old patterns and other notions from most likely the 1970's. I knew I couldn't let these beautiful pieces end up as trash, so I snagged them for mere pennies!

Months pass and I'm watching Project Runway All-Stars when I see a clutch with a hand strap used with Christopher Palu's Bonnie & Clyde look.  I thought that was such a neat idea, so when I was deciding what to make for our Snowflake & Lace Series, I knew I would sew the same style of clutch.

Since the cream lace I had rescued at Goodwill was wide, it was a natural choice to use it to embellish the hand strap on the clutch.  The clutch itself is just a basic zipper pouch made from wool suiting material I had on hand.  I topstitched leather to the bottom corners of the clutch to add even more texture and color to the bag and then sewed the lace to a strap that is attached across the front of the bag.

The inside is lined with a neutral duck cloth and the wool fabric is fused with Pellon Shape Flex 101 for added structure.

This bag took me about an hour to make, and I just love it!  I have enough of all the materials to make one more identical bag which would make a perfect gift.

Front

Back

Since we started this series, I have had lace on the brain and am beginning to use some of your ideas to incorporate it into my sewing more.  I hope you found some inspiration too!

Please be sure to visit RaeAnna to see the adorable Lace Snowflake Top she made her sweet little girl. Her project makes we want to crank up the embroidery machine again!

Also, you have just a few more hours to enter our giveaway.  We have three awesome prizes up for grabs!  Enter below.  Winners will be selected and announced in our wrap-up post on Sunday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks again to you and all our guests!  Have fun sewing!

Last Minute Teacher Gift

My son finished up third grade last week, and in normal fashion, I waited to the last minute to make his teacher a gift!  I had decided earlier in the week that I would make her an embroidered zipper pouch, but with all the extra activities at school and Ella's dance class during the week, I just didn't make the time to get it done before the last day of school!

So, on the morning of my son's last half day, I cut out a piece of duck cloth and set up my embroidery machine to stitch out this cute bird in a nest of leaves design.  The design is from Hang to Dry.  I purchased it a few weeks ago when they had a sale.  I'm finding that I enjoy embroidery designs much better than applique designs.  I get a little frustrated with all the stopping and starting and removing the hoop from my machine for applique work.

Anyway, I had not tested out this design before, so it was a make it work no matter what kind of moment!  The design stitched out pretty good, but because it jumps from leaf to leaf so quickly, I didn't stop each time to trim the threads and instead waited until it was finished to do all the trimming.  Well, as you can see, that made it difficult in some spots to get a close snip, and some of the threads frayed or fuzzed up on the ends as a result.  Also, some of the outline stitching was off from the fill.  All in all I really like the design and will use it again.

I then used a piece of Amy Butler's Lark Floral Couture in Berry for the lining paired with a pink zipper and a matching zipper pull.  Project complete!

Ella and I were able to leave the house with enough time to run by the store and purchase a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory to go inside the pouch.  When we got to the school, Connor was already outside waiting, so we ran back in to find his teacher.  He gave her the gift and she loved it!  Whew!  Next year, I hope I don't wait to the very last minute to make the teacher gift, but I'm glad I finished this one in the nick of time.  Mrs. Fields was a wonderful teacher and my son loved her class!

Now it's on to the fourth grade--already!  Hope you have a great summer!

Zipper Pouches for She's Worth It

A few weeks ago, I read about the She's Worth It Campaign over at The Train to Crazy.  Andrea was asking her readers to contribute to this cause in an effort to fight human trafficking and slavery, specifically girls and women trapped in sexual slavery/sex trafficking/and forced prostitution.

You can read all about the campaign and how you, too, can help over at The Train to Crazy.

While I can't contribute as much as I'd like monetarily, I was able to sew together four zipper pouches which will be handed out to women and girls who are recovering from enslavement.    These pouches will help show these women that other women care about them and pray for their healing.

I cannot imagine what these women and children have endured, and it is my hope that they will continue to know a better, loving life that is free of abuse.

There's still time to contribute to the cause!  If you'd like to make a monetary donation, you can do so here.  Every little bit helps fund a safe house in Cambodia for at risk children and a sewing project in India for rehabilitating mothers and children.

If you'd like to make a zipper pouch to donate instead, there are tons of free tutorials on the web, or you can use a commercial pattern like I did.  Read more about the pattern and fabric I used here.    Be sure to sign up by following Andrea's instructions.

Teardrop Bag Zipper Pouch & Tissue Holder

Sorry I haven't shared my matching Teardrop Bag Zipper Pouch and Tissue Holder with you until now. I've been very busy these last few days preparing items for a consignment sale, taking care of a sick little boy, cleaning house, and working on my new blog design.  Whew!

But I'm here today to show you the zipper pouch and tissue holder I made to go with my Teardrop Bag.

These two items were very simple to make. I used Simplicity 9949 Bag E to make both; however, I chose to line the zipper pouch (which the pattern does not do).

Nothing fancy here.  Just pretty plan and simple.  I like the size of this zipper pouch--the finished size is 5" x 8"--and I opted to add a loop and button closure to the tissue holder just for fun.

Again, I used Joel Dewberry's Aviary 2 Bloom in Granite and Ironwork in Granite for the exterior and canvas duck cloth for the lining.  Love these fabrics!

Love them so much that I think I'll make another pouch or two out of it for the Make Because She's Worth It Campaign.

If you haven't heard about this already, it's an effort among the sewing/crafting community to help stop human trafficking and slavery of women and girls.  Other bloggers and readers are combining forces to Make zipper pouches and bracelets to give to those women and girls who are rehabilitating from sexual slavery.

I hope you'll consider joining this worthy effort.  If so, please visit The Train to Crazy or the She's Worth It websites for more information.