Pasha Pleated Clutch

You are going to love my latest project as part of the Betz White Sewing Collective Team as much as I do--the Pasha Pleated Clutch! This beautifully detailed gem is one of the amazing projects from Betz's book Present Perfect: 25 Gifts to Sew and Bestew.  

If you don't already own this book, you should buy it! You'll be able to use it to make most of the people on your holiday shopping list a terrific gift.

Road Tripper Duffle Bag

Are vacation and holiday travel in your plans for the next couple of months? Then it's time for you to sew yourself a new piece of luggage! Recently, my family and I visited the white sand beaches of south Alabama, and instead of traveling with my normal large, hard sided suitcase, my things were packed in style in my new Road Tripper Duffle Bag.

Don't let the Road Tripper Duffle Bag pattern by Betz White intimidate you because of the bag's large 20" x 11" x 9" size. Although this is a big duffle, the sewing techniques used to construct the Road Tripper are typical to every basic to intermediate level bag I've ever sewn. If you can sew a zipper and a metal buckle on, then you are good to go!

Field Study Tote Bag by Betz White

Today I'm sharing with you the Field Study Tote bag by Betz White. I recently made this lovely bag for my first contributor post on the Betz White blog. It was my first time sewing one of her bag patterns, and I can't say enough good things about it! Keep reading for more details on the Field Study Tote and to see more photos of this awesome bag!

The Field Study Tote bag is versatile and can be worn as both a large or an extra large bag. There are times when I am on a school field trip with my children or spending a day out at a local fair where I need to carry more items than usual, and the Field Study Tote gives me the flexibility to do just that!

Sewing Blogger Secret Gift Swap

Recently, I participated in a secret gift swap with a group of sewing blogger friends. We've done this once or twice before, but this year, we decided to wait a few weeks after the holidays to exchange our gifts.

Here's how the secret gift swap works. Those who want to participate sign up and provide information on their favorite colors, fabric shops, or other useful information (like favorite chocolate). Then a designated organizer (that was me this time) uses a random method to assign each person someone from the list to make a gift for (the recipient).  Everyone gets a couple of months to decide what to make or buy and then ship it off to their recipient, but not before sharing a few little sneak peeks of the gift first! The recipient doesn't discover who sent the gift until it arrives.

We all love getting gifts in the mail, so it's a fun, fairly inexpensive way to brighten the day of a friend or even a stranger. My friends and I have gotten to know each other pretty well over the last few years, and the gifts we all exchanged with each other really showed that this time!

The Totes Ma Tote Bag

My favorite bag designer, Janelle from Emmaline Bags, has just released her newest pattern:  The Totes Ma Tote Bag!  I was thrilled when Janelle asked me to test out the pattern for her.  I already had the perfect Echino fabrics on hand to make up this bee lovers version for my husband's aunt, Jeannie, who is an apiarist (aka beekeeper).  

That's right folks!  I'm giving away this beautiful bag as a gift! I hope Jeannie will love it as much as I do, but don't worry, I already have plans to make myself my own Totes Ma Tote bag as soon as I can make time!  Now I just need to come up with something just as good to make her husband, Terry!  They are both so good to us and our children and give us all the free honey we can eat!  They sell their honey here, at Queen Bee Gifts.

Now, back to the Totes Ma Tote bag.

Tips for Upcycling Purse Hardware

Today I'm bringing home my Tips for Upcycling Purse Hardware guest post I did for Melly Sews last month.

When Melissa of Melly Sews asked me to consider writing a guest post around the topic of upcycling purse hardware, I had a "why didn't I think of that first" moment!  Ever have one of those?  Well, it is a great topic, and one that I was excited to write about and share what I discovered with you all.  I hope you'll discover a new thing or two by reading my Tips for Upcycling Purse Hardware.

If you enjoy sewing your own bags and purses, then you know all too well how expensive and sometimes difficult it is to find good, quality purse hardware, especially at local stores.  This dilemma is what prompted me to begin salvaging good, quality hardware from used purses to upcycle on new bags that I sew.

Purse Hardware Upcycling Guest Post

Today at Melly Sews I'm sharing my tips and tricks on upcycling purse hardware. If you like to make bags and purses, then you'll definitely want to see this post!

 

Have fun sewing!