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!

A Beautiful Flower Party for Ella

My baby just turned 3!  Yay!  Boo!  I'm so happy to see her getting bigger and smarter everyday, but at the same time, I'm sad that I no longer have a baby.  Three is a fun age though, and she's already potty trained, so I think I'll keep her!

Anyway, my lovely daughter requested that she have A Beautiful Flower Party. What can I say?  She loves flowers and finds them all to be beautiful.  So, what could I do to make her happy--make a garden of beautiful felt fabric flowers!

If you read my blog, then you already know that I recently posted a quick tutorial on how to make felt fabric flowers.  They are super fun and easy to make.  Just be careful with the hot glue gun!

We decided to travel "back home" where my husband and I grew up to visit family and to have Ella's 3rd birthday party.  Lots of people came to celebrate the big day for Ella and to enjoy the delicious BBQ and fixins we supplied for lunch.  After the meal, my sister-in-law helped me put together the "cake" so the birthday girl could get to the important stuff--opening presents!

Ella is not a big cake eater, so she really didn't care what kind she had (I thought).  Since she wanted a flower party, I decided to make some yummy Mississippi Mud Cake (my mom's famous recipe) which sort of looks like dirt, hence the name Mud Cake.  At the last minute, out of no where, Ella asks for pink cake!  Well, dirt is not pink, but I decided to throw some in the mix just the same.  I attempted to make some individual bunt size strawberry cakes, but they stuck to the pan and just crumbled.

My original idea had been to use the small green flower pots to put all the cake in, but after washing them several times, they still had a plastic odor. So, we put some crumbled strawberry cake in the bottom of the birthday cups instead, then added a dollop of cool whip, threw in a few gummy worms, and placed a piece of Mississippi Mud Cake on top!  And to finish it off, I decorated each pot with one of the beautiful flowers I made of felt.  I simply left a small opening in the felt circle that covers the back and then slid a new pencil (eraser side) into that little pocket it created.  The pencils worked out great since some of the flowers were a little heavy.  The flowers make great little take home gifts for the guests, too.

And there you have it!  A crazy dirt cake flower garden!

Ella loved everyone singing Happy Birthday to her and then getting to blow out the candle.  She even asked my sister-in-law to "make fire" at least three times, and once she insisted we sing to her again! So sweet!

Does anyone recognize the dress?  Well, Ella finally was allowed to wear it!  I made it a couple of months ago from a pattern I won.  You can read all about it here.  The fit was perfect, but since it was still a little chilly, she wore under the dress this white shirt with flouncy sleeve cuffs.  Oh, and I almost forgot, I turned one of the felt flowers into a barrette for Ella's hair.  It perfectly matches the flowers on her dress!  Two other small flowers were turned into pins.  I wore one.

This is the best picture of me taken at the party--seriously.  See my adorable son in the background shoveling gummy worms into his mouth?  He found the ones we didn't use in the cake and ate them all before I knew it!  I love him!

He was a very good big brother and helped Ella open her presents.  I think he was as excited about her surprises as she was!

I didn't do much with decorating for this party except hang up a few flower themed items that I bought at Dollar Tree.  I guess party decorating is just not my forte.  But the most important thing is that Ella loved it, and I know she did!  Happy birthday to my big girl!

Oh, and this is what happens when you play and party hard all day and night!

Vintage Patterns and an Antique Thread Case

This past weekend, we traveled out of town to visit with family "back home" where my husband and I grew up.  While there, I found an old box of sewing patterns that once belonged to my mom (and some to my grandmother). Most were for things she had made me.  I picked out some of my favorites and brought them back to my current home in case I want to make Ella a vintage outfit.

Here's what I found...

I'm pretty sure I have a pink skirt with suspenders made from the Simplicity pattern at the top right.  It's stored somewhere deep in Ella's closet right now or else I'd get it out to make a picture.  It has some condition issues, so I never made Ella wear it.

My favorite find is Simplicity 6124--the top with the peplum.  Ella just wears a size 3/4 now, so I guess I'll have to wait to try that one out unless I decide to do some pattern resizing.  After the sewing day I've had today, I think that won't happen any time soon.

The top two patterns here are a couple more of my favorites.  The maxi dress is so cute, so that is going on the to do list as well, and I just love the dress/top from the Simplicity 5483 pattern. My mom used to sew for other people, and I think that is where all three of these patterns came from.  

Ok, these three patterns were definitely my moms.  I had the wrap around skirt, the long skirt with big pockets, and the dress with the ties at the shoulder.  Skirts with fitted waists were always hard to fit on me because my natural waist is not much smaller than my hips.  Still have that same problem today.

This group of patterns brings back the most memories, probably because they were things my mom made me in high school and the first year or two of college.  We loved the Laura Ashley patterns (there's another one that I didn't find) and made them all numerous times.  For some reason, we called the romper a bubble romper.  I'm not sure if that is what everyone else called them back then or if that was just something my mom and I made up!

These dresses/jumpers were so large and loose fitting that I wore them years later when I was pregnant with Connor!  They worked great until the last month or two of my pregnancy when I outgrew the bust!  They are all now neatly packed away in my attic.  

Whew!  What a stroll down memory lane!  I love the memories though, and am so thankful to have them!

Just before we left "back home", my mother-in-law told me her sister had left me an antique thread display case if I wanted it.  I didn't hesitate to answer "yes!", and we managed to fit it safely into the trunk of my car for the 6 hour return drive.  It was already wrapped up for travel, so I didn't even see it until the day after we were home and unpacked.  It's made of all metal except for the front glass.  I've searched for an exact one online to try and determine its approximate age and value, but I haven't found one like it yet.  I know it's not a one-of-a-kind because my mother-in-law has one exactly like it!  

Thanks, Jeannie, for this wonderful treasure.  I promise to use it and take good care of it!  

What goodies have you found or been given lately?  I love making old things new again.

Felt Fabric Flower Tutorial

Now say that three times fast!  Whew!

I've got a quick tutorial for your today on how to make fabric flowers from felt.  You know, the cheap craft felt sheets you buy.  These are super simple and so fun to make.

I know you've seen these a lot out there in cyberspace, but I haven't seen any quite like mine.  My quick tutorial will show you how to make a large felt fabric flower that looks a lot like a zinnia or maybe a dahlia. I've got some you can see in the final pictures that look like daisies, too. Ok, so here we go!

Step 1:  Cut the strips for your Flower Center and Flower Petals out of the craft felt fabric sheets or if you want to go a more expensive route, use wool felt.

The dimensions shown above are for making a large flower, but you can vary the width of each piece however you want to make up all kinds and sizes of flowers.  I also used a 1" to 1.5" wide piece for the Flower Center and 1.5" to 2.5" for the Flower Petals on a lot of small or medium flowers.  Just play around with it and see what you come up with, too!

Step 2:  Glue the strips.

Step 3:  Cut the petals into the strips.

Step 4:  Cut the Flower Center.

Step 5:  Roll and glue the Flower Center.

Step 6:  Add the Flower Petals and keep rolling and gluing.  We're almost done!

Step 7:  Glue a felt circle to the back to cover up any glue that oozed out from the rolling (this part is optional but makes the overall flower look much neater).  Also at this point, you can glue a barrette or pin to the back in you want to wear it.

Voila!  A Felt Fabric Flower! 

I'll show you very soon why I made all these Beautiful Flowers (hint, hint)! Aren't they sewVery pretty!?

See how you can vary the center of the flower?  You can use different colors or you can omit the step where you cut the center and simply just roll and glue it up.

Have fun making flowers and have a great day!

This tutorial was featured on March 30th, 2012 at Sew Can She.  Please check out their blog and sign up for their daily tutorial emails!


UPDATE: This tutorial and all photos are property of sewVery and are NOT to be reproduced, rephrased, or copied and reposted on your blog!  As with all other content and photos on my blog, it belongs to me (Veronica) and you may not use it on any other blog or social media without my express written consent!  If you wish to share my idea, please contact me at sewvery(at)gmail(dot)com for permission.  

One of My Favorite Patterns

A few months back, I picked up this Chelsea Andersen pattern (M6062) put out by McCall's.  I had just started sewing again and wanted an easy peasant style shirt/dress pattern to make my daughter something cute. First of all, the two little girls on the cover are adorable, and the fabrics I thought were so cute in pink and green.

And although it doesn't have Easy written on the front of the pattern, it really is easy to make.  As you can image, there are no complicated steps required to put together a peasant top or dress, but for someone new to sewing, this pattern clearly outlines what you need to do.  Very simple instructions to follow.  Love it!

Since it was approaching fall, I decided to make my dear daughter top A in cotton quilting fabric I had picked up at Joann's. I had a remnant in the perfect teal green corduroy to match the top, so I whipped up some pants, too.  I think I didn't have quite enough of the corduroy to do two rows of ruffles on the pants, so I just opted for one.  I also extended the sleeve length a few inches to be a 3/4 length.

And I had been wanting to learn how to make a fabric flower, so I searched online for some tutorials.  Of course I came across a ton, and now I don't even remember which ones I used, but I made a couple of fabric flowers--one I turned into a big barrette and the other a pin to attach to the top or a purse.

Here is the fabric flower pin.  Sometimes she wears it on the waistband on the side or the middle, but most often she doesn't wear it.  I still think it is cute.  I had thought she could also pin it to this cute brown corduroy purse I made her, but she hasn't let me do that yet.

 

To date, of all the outfits I have made for Ella, this is the one that I favor most.  Apparently, so does everyone else!  Whenever she wears this, people go out of their way to stop us and tell us how pretty she looks or how cute her outfit is.  That is such a good feeling.  I can't believe I haven't made any pictures of her wearing it though!  Ugh!

Because this first attempt at McCall's Pattern M6062 was such a success, I decided to make Ella's Christmas nightgown from the same top but with some modifications. First of all, I went with a full length sleeve, then I left of the elastic waistband, and I made the overall top longer so it would be more like a dress.  This is the best picture of her in it that I could find.  She had just woken up Christmas morning!

Again, this pattern produced a winner!  She loved the gown, which I made using some vintage holiday themed fabric from my mom's stash.  I even had enough to make Ella a matching pillowcase.

Even though it is way past Christmas, she still likes wearing the gown and using the pillowcase!

Around the same time I made the Christmas gown, I purchased some designer fabrics from a local store.  I thought they were so cute.  Owls seem to be so popular right now, and the light blue color was a nice departure from the mostly pink/purple wardrobe Ella has.  I made another outfit--top and pants--just like the first very popular outfit, but to my disappointment, Ella is not as fond of the fabric as I am.  She has worn it maybe three times since I made it, and it always takes some coaxing on my part to get her into it.  Oh, well.

I even matched up the plaids!   I can't understand why she doesn't like it! Aren't owls cute?

And finally, I made her another nightgown like the Christmas one.  In fact, it was the very first thing I ever blogged about here.  The Valentine gown.  The fabric is so fun and playful, and of course, pink!  She loves this gown and wears it often.  

So, if you are in the market for a great peasant top/gown/dress pattern, I highly recommend the McCall's M6062 by Chelsea Andersen.  I've yet to make Dress B on the pattern, but that is on my to do list for this spring.  I have a feeling Ella is going to love it, too.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

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!