Purse Giveaway!

Contest is now over!  Thank you for being a follower and for entering my contest!  Congratulations to Kristy of Hopeful Threads for being the winner!

In celebration of hitting a milestone of over 200 blog followers and almost 400 Facebook Likes, I've decided to give away a purse I made last year that I've never used.  It's beautiful and deserves to be used by one of my followers!

Read my original post about it here, and enter the contest below.  Contest is open to US Residents only.

I'm also participating in a huge fabric and pattern giveaway along with 17 other bloggers.  Pay careful attention to the bag above, and you should be able to figure out which fabric I've donated to the Fabric Match Up Giveaway.  It's from my favorite fabric designer, Joel Dewberry!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you'll decide to become a follower of my blog and my Facebook page so you can keep up to date on all the latest sewing projects I've finished and contests I am hosting. I can't wait to discover a few new blogs myself!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Madalyn Skirt & Matching Doll Outfit

A couple of weeks ago, I made this skirt out of some larger "scrap" pieces of the Joel Dewberry Heirloom fabric.   I emailed my best friend, Melissa, to get her daughter's measurements to see if it would fit her, and sure enough, it does!  

I'm going to see my friend soon (for like the first time in almost 3 years), and I wanted to take her daughter a little something.  So, we now have The Madalyn Skirt!   I sent Melissa the pictures this morning, and she said her daughter would love it.  

This skirt can be worn with either side in the front, and it was sewVery easy to make.  You can do it, too!  Sorry I don't have step by step pictures, but it is so simple, I know you can do it!  Here's how...

Cut one panel 19" x 19", one 14" x 19", and two strips 2.75" x 19".  Next, sew one of the narrow strips to each side of the smaller panel.  Then sew the pieced panel to the larger panel.  

I decided to zig zag down the seams of the strips to add a little detail.  You can do this, too, but it is not necessary.

Next, make the casing for the elastic waistband.  Turn down 1/4" and press and then another 1" and press it.  Sew your seam about 1/8" from the edge of the casing but remember to leave a 2" opening so you can insert the elastic. Take your child's waist measurement and subtract 1" to 2" and cut a piece of 3/4" elastic this length.  For the Madalyn skirt, I used a 24" piece of elastic. Put a safety pin on one end and work it through the casing.  Now, sew the two ends of the elastic together and then sew the casing opening closed.

Finally, turn down 1/4" and press and then another 1/2" and press for your hem.  Sew your hem seam about 1/8" from the folded under edge and you are done!

Melissa had asked me a while back if I ever sewed doll clothes.  At the time, I had not even considered it, but since I had a few smaller scraps of the fabric left, I thought I would try making a matching doll skirt and bag for Madalyn's American Girl doll.  Each skirt panel is approximately 7" long and 8" wide.  I just sewed those pieces together and then serged the top and bottom, turned them under 1/2", hemmed the bottom and made a casing at the top.  I then used a 10.5" piece of 1/4" elastic for the waistband.  

The purse was very easy to make as well, but it takes some patience sewing such small pieces!  When I have a little more time, I'll draw up the pattern dimensions, along with that for the skirt and post them for download.

Now I need to make her doll a white t-shirt to go with the outfit, and I've got to put together a little something for her son, too.  I'm thinking an Auburn University pillowcase may be just the thing! War Eagle!

Can't wait to see you and your family soon, Melissa!

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 Third Sweet Pea Tote--The Big One!

UPDATE!  

This Sweet Pea Tote was just featured on Shwin & Shwin!  Please check out their blog and their link up party for more crafty inspiration!  

I finally finished my third Sweet Pea Tote today, and it's the Big One!  This bag was made using Simplicity Pattern 0387 or 2396 View C or D.  Again, I can't say enough good things about these Sweet Pea Tote patterns.  They have all been so easy to cut out and put together.  The instructions are super simple.

The only reason this one took me so long to finish is that I could not find the 1 1/2" O-rings called for to attach the handles!  I tried Michael's and Wal-mart first, only because they are very near my house, and then I had to go to two different Joann's to finally find them!  If I decide to make more of these, I will definitely order the rings online.  I've already found a shop on Etsy that sells them for a fraction of what I paid!

I'm glad I waited to get the O-rings to finish it instead of improvising with something else.  I think they really add a professional touch to the overall appearance of the bag.

Again, I used Joel Dewberry's Heirloom collection of fabrics for the construction of this bag.  I knew the coordinating fabrics would be perfect for the six panels on the front and back.  The Joel Dewberry fabrics I used are as follows:  Rose Bouquet in Sky, Tile Flourish in Garnet, Rose Bouquet in Sky, Opal in Fuchsia, Paisley in Amethyst, and Opal in Fuchsia.  The handles are made with more of the Tile Flourish in Garnet.

I used some solid fuchsia cotton to make the lining and the bias tape trimming.

The inside has a very large pocket and a magnetic closure to keep it shut. The overall measurements of this tote are 12" high x 15" wide at the top and almost 20" wide at the bottom.  Like I said, it's the Big One! 

Now I just need to figure out what to do with all these bags!  I guess I'll try to sell them.  While I love the fabric and the overall bags themselves, I prefer to use basic black or brown purses myself.  I'm just boring that way.  Maybe I'll change my mind and decide to keep at least one of these pretty Sweet Pea Totes.

Here's the trio!  I think I like the one in the middle best.  A lot of other people must really like it, too.  It's been pinned like 27 times already!

I know.  I really need to find a better place to take pictures!

Don't forget to enter my contest for the Cute Little Wallet I made.

Enter the contest here if you haven't already!

Autumn's Peasant Romper Pattern Review

As some of you may remember, last month I scored big with four contest wins!  Woo-hoo!  My winnings from Project Run & Play contest included three patterns of my choice from Create Kids Couture.  I had been looking around for a really cute romper pattern for Ella for a while, but I couldn't find anything I liked until I won this contest.  I had never heard of Create Kids Couture, but their patterns are for the most adorable boutique style clothing for girls.  And they had two romper patterns!  I picked these three:

Autumn's Peasant Romper    

Anika's Ruffle Capri Romper

Caroline's Princess Top

In my last post, I left you with a little teaser of what I would blog about next.  Here's the pic again. Have you figured it out yet?!

You guessed it!  It's a romper--Autumn's Peasant Romper Pattern to be exact. This was my favorite pattern of the three I won from Create Kids Couture, so I tried making it first.  The pattern was in pdf format and was accompanied by very detailed instructions with color photos.  The thing I loved about this pattern was that all the pieces are just rectangles (they specify the dimensions of each rectangle according to size) and the only pattern pieces are for parts of fabric you cut out of the rectangles. Does that make sense?

I used more of Joel Dewberry's Heirloom collection fabric from my stash, so this definitely should look familiar if you've read any of my other posts lately.  You'll see even more of it again soon!

Plus, the patterns created by Create Kids Couture cover a wide range of sizes (18 months to size 6), so you can use the same pattern over and over again as your child grows!  To make sure I used the correct size for Ella, I measured a pair of pants that fit her well in length and then compared that measurement to the pattern sizing chart.  I decided to go with a 3T although I have been making most things in 4T for her when I use store bought patterns.

This outfit looks like it might be complicated to sew, but it was actually sewVery easy!  The most challenging part was the shirring on the bodice and sleeves, and that was only challenging to me because I had never shirred anything before!  I checked out a quick YouTube video and along with the settings suggested by the pattern, I had it figured out in no time!  Then, I tested it on a scrap piece of fabric to make sure the elastic thread would draw up correctly when spritzed with water and then hit with a hot iron. Worked perfectly!

See the shirring at the waist in this picture?

And see the shirring on the sleeves in this picture?

Doesn't this outfit just make you want to smile?  Not to mention the cute little girl wearing it. She just loves beautiful flowers, and we happened to find one lonely daffodil blooming in the yard.

The only thing I added to this outfit were some removable belt loops.  After giving the outfit a test run and play around the house for a couple of hours, we discovered that the sash just would not stay up--at all!  I made the belt loops out of some fuschia bias tape that I had made for another project.  I wanted to be able to remove them if she wears the romper without the sash, so I put buttonholes on the belt loop pieces and sewed buttons on the sides of the romper.  This addition definitely helped to keep the sash up better, but I think the bow is just a little heavy in front and just wants to droop. When I tied the bow in back instead, it stayed up just fine in front.

All total, it probably took me a couple of hours (maybe three) to print the pattern, cut out the pattern pieces, cut out the fabric, and sew it all together. I imagine next time will go even faster since I've figured out how to sew with elastic thread.

Ella got so many compliments the day she wore this outfit, especially from men!  One dad at my son's basketball practice even proclaimed that was the cutest outfit he had ever seen!

I definitely will make this outfit again, and I highly recommend that you check out Create Kids Couture's blog and pattern shop; and if you have a precious little girl who loves to dress up, then I hope you'll purchase one (or two or three) of their patterns, too!

Here are a few of the places where I am linking up this post this week. Please check them out!

      

Simplicity 0386 or 2205 Sweet Pea Tote

UPDATE!
This bag has just been featured by KoJo Designs.  If you are visiting here by way of Kirstin and Jordan's blog, then thanks for stopping by.  I hope you'll come back again and follow along on my sewing adventures!

I finished up another great Sweet Pea Tote bag last weekend, but I hadn't taken any pictures of it until today.  There were several things I needed to photograph, including Ella in a new outfit, and although it was a beautiful day here, my photos just didn't turn out as well as I had hoped.

Hopefully, you can look past all the flaws of my photography and see this wonderful bag!  It really is quite nice, and I am again very impressed with the bag design and pattern by Sweet Pea Totes sold by Simplicity as Pattern 0386 or 2205.  Like the last Sweet Pea Tote I made, I picked up this pattern at Joann's on sale for just $1.  (BTW, Joann's is having another sale on Simplicity patterns starting on Feb. 17th).

I used some of my Heirloom by Joel Dewberry fabrics (Rose Bouquet in Sky and Tile Flourish in Garnet) that I picked up for a great deal just before Christmas at Modern Fabric Studio .  I love, love, love this fabric and just ordered some more with a gift certificate I won there.  I hope you all like this fabric as much as I do, because you will definitely see it again in the coming days as I post about some other items I've made.

This bag went together pretty easily; however, I made a mistake (the pattern shows it correctly and I didn't follow them as I should have) and sewed a couple of the pleats in the wrong direction.  At first, I thought it was no big deal, but after I attached the top band, I realized that the pleats on the edge were meant to be folded toward the outside.  So, I grabbed my handy dandy seam ripper and picked out just enough of the seam to flip the pleats.  Now I will always (hopefully) check my pleat direction before basting and attaching other pieces!

Unlike the first Sweet Pea Tote I made, this bag has a flap that completely covers the bag opening.  It is secured with a magnetic closure.  Sorry I didn't get a picture of the inside of the bag, but the lining is made from a coordinating solid pink cotton fabric with a large pocket.

The strap was a little more difficult to make than on the other bag because the interfacing made it so stiff that it was hard to turn inside out after sewing it together.  I struggled with it for probably 15 minutes and even had to use some small pliers to help pull the ends out!

All in all, I think this is a great, medium sized purse.  It's definitely one that I plan on making again!

Now, I've got one more Sweet Pea Tote that is almost finished.  I just need to run to Joann's to pick up the hardware called for on the pattern and sew the handles on it.  Both Michael's and Walmart (stores closer to my house than Joann's) don't carry purse making supplies anymore.  What a bummer!

And here is a sneak peak at an upcoming post!  The fabric is familiar, but can you guess what it is?

Also, I've got a contest going on right now.  You can enter here for a chance to win this cute Little Wallet I made using more of the Joel Dewberry fabric.