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.

The Teardrop Bag

After days of sewing and multiple roadblocks, I have finally finished my Teardrop Bag!

I bought this pattern months ago from my friend, Janelle, at Emmaline Bags and Patterns.  I have really enjoyed using her patterns, and I can now say I have completed the Emmaline Bags and Patterns trifecta--The Emmaline Bag, The Steph in the City Bag, and now The Teardrop Bag!  I feel like I deserve a really big prize, especially after conquering this last one.

As you know, not all projects go smoothly from start to finish.  In fact, most of mine rarely (if ever) are done without some sort of issue (whether it's human error or machine error), but my Teardrop Bag endeavor had more than its fair share of challenges.

First, I printed out the pattern months ago when I purchased it.  I read through the instructions on my computer then, too, but opted to not print them out.  No big deal.  I do that all the time to save paper, ink, and space. However, I can only guess that I failed to check the scale of the pieces I had printed out and taped together.  I discovered this error only after I had cut out all the lining pieces and the rectangle pieces of fabric used to cut out the outer bag.  My pattern pieces were 3/4" shorter in width than the fabric!

What I then learned is that when printing out pdf patterns on my HP Deskjet 1050 printer, I have to use an A4 paper size instead of Letter and make sure that I check the actual size option.  I've been having issues with pattern printing for a while now in the form of some lines being cropped from the print area (but the pieces are normally to scale).  I have no idea why I suddenly thought to try printing them out on A4 paper, but it seems to have solved all those printing problems!  Yay!

Ok.  So back to the issue at hand.  Since I had already cut out several pieces using the scaled down pattern version, I had to run with it, which ended up being just fine because this bag is huge!

Now I've finished cutting out all my pieces, and I go to the ironing board to starting fusing the fusible fleece to the outer bag when I discover that my fabric has faded spots all over it on one panel.  I then inspect the left over fabric more carefully and realize that roughly 1 1/4 yards out of the 2 yards of the Joel Dewberry Aviary 2 Bloom Granite fabric I ordered online was flawed! Luckily, there was enough undamaged fabric to cut out duplicate pieces of the ones that I had to replace.  Ugh!

Next hurdle was deciphering the pattern instructions.  You see, I opted to make my Teardrop Bag with both the optional gusseted zipper opening and the o-ring handle mounts--both of which were additions to the original pattern instructions.  Because of this, you have to skip some of the original steps and jump to a different page here and there.  With two children constantly running around and interrupting me, it's a wonder I got this bag finished at all!

I'm glad I made a gusseted zipper opening since I never have, and Janelle's written instructions and photographs made understanding each step of the process very clear.

However, I'm not sure I really like the gusseted zipper opening on this bag after all.  I thought it would be nice to have since the opening of the bag is so large, but I find it somewhat awkward to zip and unzip.  It actually requires both hands which sometimes can be a bother.

At first, I goofed up and sewed the zipper in wrong for the inner pocket.  I was distracted by my children, (so they get the blame for this, too!) but I picked it out and fixed it.  I learned how to sew a zipper pocket from Janelle's tutorial that is included with all her patterns. It's really a great tutorial!

I also added a slip pocket to store my phone and tin of mints.  No problems with this step!  Whew! But I wish I had sewn it in a little lower.  The gusset zipper gets in the way of the top of the slip pocket.

I used a lot of pins to secure the outer bag to the lining before sewing them together.  Because I used canvas fabric for the lining, the overall bag was rather stiff and at times a challenge to maneuver under my sewing foot.  I have never been poked by pins as much as when I was sewing the outer bag to the lining!

All was going well on the third and final day of bag construction when I had to use the seam ripper to remove one stray stitch where I had sewn on the o-rings.  I guess I don't know my own strength, because I pushed the seam ripper so hard that it slipped and sliced open the top of my left hand index finger.  It began to bleed immediately, and I thought I would faint!  I can't stand the sight of my own blood.

I'm not so sure I agree with Janelle's difficulty rating for the Teardrop Bag. She has it listed as Easy -- For Advanced Beginners.  Now, like I said earlier, I've made all three of her bags, and the other two were listed as Intermediate to Advanced which I agree with her on that.  But with the gusset zipper and o-ring handle options that I chose to tackle, I believe that the Teardrop Bag rating is most definitely an Intermediate to Advanced bag.  Without those options, then I would agree with her rating.  Would that distinction on her pattern have deterred me from tackling the exact same bag I made?  Most definitely not!

Overall, I'm very excited about this bag and have really enjoyed using it the past several days.  The exterior fabric is gorgeous, and I really love how nice the bag looks with the way I pieced the coordinating fabrics together.

This is the first time I have ever used canvas as the lining of a bag, and although it was a little challenging at times to sew, I'll use it again.  I like how it makes the bag have more structure without using interfacing.  In fact, the only other thing I used was some fusible fleece on the back side of the outer fabric in order to give it a little more strength.

So, there you have it!  That all said, this is one whopper of a bag!  I'd say it's the biggest I've ever made.  Even bigger than this Sweet Pea Tote I made last year!  Although I made my bag slightly smaller than the regular sized version (due to my printing error), Janelle's pattern offers you an option to make it even bigger!  I think she refers to it as the XL size!

It's so much larger than what I would normally carry that I made up a matching zipper pouch to keep small items neat and tidy inside the larger Teardrop Bag.  I also threw together a matching tissue holder.   Since this post is now way too long, I'll share more about them another day.

Oh, and the bag matches the Commuter Cowl I made, too.  Ella took this picture of me--not bad considering she's not even 4 yet!

Linking up at these parties as well as others shown here.

This bag has been featured at these fun parties!  Thank you!

My Emmaline Bag

Several weeks ago, I was fortunate to win a purse pattern from Janelle over at Emmaline Bags & Patterns blog.  The pattern I won was her Emmaline Bag pattern found for sale here on her website.  I was absolutely excited to get the chance to make this purse!  I had had every intention of making it right away, but I couldn't make up my mind about the fabric I wanted to use.  And quite honestly, I was feeling a little intimidated by the interior zipper pocket!

Fast forward to this past week, and I decided I was up for a challenge.  I picked out my fabrics, finally choosing to go with Amy Butler's Lark collection. I used Floral Couture in Berry for the exterior shell, Souvenir in Persimmon for the lining, and River Shine in Charcoal for the straps.  I just love these bold colors for summer!  Don't you?

Janelle advertises the pattern for the intermediate to advanced sewer, and I would definitely agree!  Compared to all the other purses/bags I've made, this one has more features that are reminiscent of a store-bought bag which make it appear very professional looking.  For instance, it has a gusseted bottom, pleated sides at the bottom, lots of curves, metal hardware, and an interior zipper pocket!

I don't consider myself an advanced sewer, and although the bag is full of details making it a more challenging project, I really didn't find it difficult to make.  But it did take me a lot of time, especially since this was my first attempt at making it!  I worked on the Emmaline Bag over the course of at least three days for a total of 8 to 10 hours in all.  That may seem like a lot of time, and it is, but I worked slowly and carefully because I really wanted this bag to turn out well, and I think it did.

And to think that I was afraid of attempting that zipper pocket!  Ha!  Janelle's pattern has so many pictures and such well written descriptions of each and every step that I had absolutely no problem making it!  The zipper pocket is perfect if I must say so myself!  In fact, the pocket was so easy to make following her instructions that I actually had fun making it!  Janelle even offers on her website two tutorials on how to make a zipper pocket.  Plus, she has several other useful tutorials for making other bag components.  You can find her tutorials here.

If you look at the bags Janelle has made on her blog, you'll see she used some lovely rectangular rings and O-rings to add a more decorative touch to the straps.  I searched everywhere locally for these to use on my bag and couldn't find any large enough.  The largest rectangular rings I could find were only 1" and the largest O-rings were only 1.25".  I finally decided to use some 1.5" D-rings that I came across at one store, but honestly, they just aren't thick enough to stand out like they should.  I've seen a couple of Etsy stores that sell purse supplies, so I suppose I'll have to just order them online if they have them!  If anyone knows of a good source for such things, please let me know!

Janelle recommended using template plastic for the bottom support.  I found it in the quilting supplies at Joann's.  I guess I expected it to be something more rigid like a thin plexiglass, but it's not.  I doubled the template plastic, so I'll see how well that works for now.

And finally, to me the most difficult part of sewing this bag was top stitching the two rows around the top of the finished bag.  I didn't use my seam ripper until this part--the next to last step in making the bag--because I just had a hard time getting the rows evenly spaced around those curves!  If I knew how to use a double needle, maybe that wouldn't have been an issue!  Anyway, after a couple of attempts, I did get it right!

In all, I am so happy with how the Emmaline Bag turned out.  It is so spacious and modern looking!  I can't wait to start using it.  And I'm already thinking about making another one in a solid color.  I'm pretty sure the second bag will be even easier to make than the first!

If you like this bag, I hope you'll visit Janelle at Emmaline Bags and Patterns and consider purchasing the Emmaline Bag pattern or perhaps the Teardrop Bag pattern.  Oh, and she is working on a new bag pattern, called the Steph in the City Bag, that is to be released very soon (update:  it's available for sale).  Thanks again for the pattern, Janelle!  It's one of the best detailed patterns I've ever seen!  (Update:  For a limited time, you can use coupon code Palooza on her website to get 20% pattern orders!  I just purchased the Teardrop Bag and Steph in the City Bag patterns, too!)

A Patchwork Purse and Coin Pouch

I've been sewing. I promise! I just haven't had much time to put together blog posts, pictures, etc. But I did make a few, quick pics of the latest purse I've made, plus this really cute little coin pouch.

Ok, first things first.  The Patchwork Purse was made using Simplicity 2617 View B.

I first saw this pattern/purse over at Sam's blog, Cup of Tea and Slice of Cake, where she made the same purse, View B, using Joel Dewberry's Heirloom fabrics, too.  I loved her version of this purse, so I immediately knew I wanted to try it as well.  So, the next time Simplicity patterns were on sale for $1, I grabbed it!

Here's my version of this Patchwork Purse.

Yes, I used the same Joel Dewberry Heirloom fabrics as some of the other purses I've made so far. It's amazing how much you can make out of just a yard of each fabric!  Anyway, I hope you like this one too.

I think the size of this bag is just right.  It is roughly 13.5" W x 9" H and has a large pocket on the inside and a magnetic closure.

The original pattern calls for a zippered interior pocket, but I wasn't up to that challenge last week when I made this.  However, I have found a couple of great tutorials over at Emmaline Bags here and here for installing an interior zipper pocket if you want to go ahead and give it a try!

It may be difficult to see in these pictures, but I did add the decorative zig zag stitch at the seams of the patchwork pieces.  I had some trouble getting my sewing machine to zig zag properly at first (you would only see the correct zig zag stitch on the bottom of what you were sewing), but I made a call to my local Bernina service center and found out all I needed to do was turn the screw on my bobbin casing a 1/4 turn.  Fixed the problem instantly!

So, if you are looking for a great purse that's attractive and easy to make, check out Simplicity pattern 2617.  It has patterns for three purses in all in addition to a zippered pouch, tissue holder, and key fob.  And if you don't like patchwork, then simply cut out the front and back from a solid piece of fabric! I plan on trying out one or both of the other purses in the near future plus all of the accessories.  This is just a great pattern, especially when you can buy it for $1!

Now, onto the little round pouch I made, too.  I was checking out all the link up parties a few days ago when I came across someone's post about these little round pouches they made as quick gifts. They were so cute and looked pretty simple, and since I wanted more practice with installing zippers, I decided to make one.

I didn't bookmark the link up post where I found this originally, but I did save the link to the tutorial that it referenced.  If you want to make one of these sewVery cute little round pouches to store your pocket change, earbuds, or even to keep jewelry in when you travel, here's where you can learn how! 

Now I'm wanting to make a lot more of these cuties, but I need zippers!  I'm already planning an order from Zipit on Etsy.

This little round pouch takes very little fabric, so scraps are perfect!  Add a zipper and a little batting and a key ring and you are good to go!  I used three different scrap pieces of my Joel Dewberry Heirloom fabric to make this one, so it matches the purse I just made perfectly!

One thing I did omit from the original tutorial is the topstitching around the entire circle.  I didn't like the way that looked, and I'm very pleased with the finished product without it!  

It reminds me of of those tacky little plastic coin pouches that my grandfather used to carry in his pocket.  I fondly remember him giving me a dime or a quarter from it when I was a little girl.  My dad used to sell them at his pharmacy years ago, too.  Here's an example.  I guess they still make them!

 

Anyway, hope you have a great weekend and find something fun to make!  I'll be back with a couple of other projects soon!

UPDATE:

My Little Round Pouch has been featured over at Pam's blog, Threading My Way!  Please check out her site and all the fun link up parties that she hosts! Thanks again, Pam!

And my Patchwork Purse was featured on Sew Country Chick!  Check out this great site and link up party, too!

My First Zippered Pouch

I woke up early this morning to help my husband pack for a business trip, and since it was Saturday, the kids were sleeping late.  Once we finished the packing, I had no reason not to tackle the zippered pouch and tissue holder that I already had cut out.

As you can imagine, the tissue holder was a breeze and took no more than 5 minutes to finish.

The zippered pouch took me a little longer.  Maybe an hour.  You see, I have never sewn a zipper into anything before.  The whole idea just scared me, that is, until I actually tried it.

I had used a Simplicity pattern I purchased recently for a $1 at Hobby Lobby, but it was not until I got home and read the instructions that I realized the pouch was not lined.  I couldn't believe it!  Why would someone need a pouch that wasn't lined?  Just seemed really weird to me, so I decided to make mine lined and figure out how to put it all together with a zipper as I went along.

It ended up being much easier than I thought it might be.  You see, the instructions for the unlined pouch called for hemming the top of the pouch and then just sewing the zipper to the inside.  So that is what I did.  I just sewed the outer pouch and lining together first, then hemmed it, then sewed the zipper in.

But the first time, I somehow didn't get the ends of the zipper lined up with the end seams of the pouch, so I had to pick it out and try again.  The second time, I was much more careful to notice where everything lined up, and it went in with no problems!  What a relief!

Now I have this adorable ensemble to use with my matching Pam's Purse! I've already organized my coupons and loaded them up in the pouch.  The inside of my purse is so neat and tidy!  Yeah!

And now I am no longer scared of zippers!  Mission accomplished!