New Bag for STITCH Winter 2014

I have been wanting to learn to sew with leather for some time now, and purchased and watched Kenneth King's Leather 101 video from PatternReview.com in anticipation of finding a project. I then proposed a leather bag for the Stitch Winter 2014 issue, and when they accepted my proposal I had to step up and do it. Like how I cornered myself into trying something new?

Here it is in the magazine spread. And if any of you are contemplating sewing with leather, definitely give it a try. There are some specific techniques you will need to learn, but once you know them, the actual sewing isn't hard. Not sewing-with-chiffon hard anyway.

My favorite tips:

• Use a walking foot (this worked better for me than a Teflon foot)
• Tie thread ends instead of back stitching at the beginning/ends of seams
• Long stitch length
• Glue is your friend!!
• Consider overlapping seams instead of sewing RST

I'm still learning how to topstitch over uneven areas - tricky!

I really want to highlight the gorgeous hardware on this bag as it didn't come out very well in the magazine shots. In full disclosure, I got this hardware for free since it would appear in a magazine article. But I plan to purchase some for my next version of this bag (mustard denim & burgundy leather, yeah baby). It's everything I like in bag hardware: beautiful finish, lots of size/shape options, and solid (nothing flimsy about these - they will outlive the bag and get used again, I'm sure!). You can find them at Buckleguy.com. Here's what I used:

1.5" Antique Brass Double Loop Slider

1.5" Antique Brass Swivel Bolt Snap and 3/4" Antique Brass O-Ring

The denim is from Indygo Junction's Crossroads Denim Collection. They have a whole bunch of delicious colors!

Photo source

And it still makes me giddy to see my name in print!

I have a couple more completed leather bag projects that I can't reveal yet. Can you tell I'm now hooked on sewing with leather?

What about you? Have you ever cornered yourself into learning something new? And have you been bitten by the leather bug yet?

Vacation Bag

I'm back from my annual vacation in rural PA and I feel fantastic! And, well, sore, as I did a lot of biking and trail running and my legs haven't seen a hill since about this time last year. But it's a good pain, and my eyes and heart are grateful for the views they found at the top of each hill. Living in a city, I don't often get the chance to see over things - I'm always surrounded by looming objects- and this trip always helps me feel free again.

My good friends are in them midst of a battle with a pipeline, so I had a few hours to sew one day when they were being filmed by a news crew and the girls were out playing with their adopted cousins. I purposefully brought only one item to sew for myself, which was fabric for a new bag. I've needed a new everyday bag for a while now - the old one is seasonally in the wrong (gray corduroy) as well as dingy and in need of a wash. I've been embarrassed to take it anywhere lately.

See? It even looks like it's frowning at me.

But left with personal time in my own sewing room, I'd almost always prefer to sew a dress or a top, so I needed to force myself a little.

And it turns out that a bag is the perfect for a little light vacation sewing: quick, easy, with no fitting issues. The beach novel of the sewing world.

This is the bag pattern from Burdastyle's Sewing Handbook. My only changes this time around were to add an internal zippered pocket, thermolam fleece interfacing to give the bag structure, and faux leather handles.

I bought slightly longer handles this time around (26 inches instead of the 19 inch handles I used for my last Burda bag) because I wanted to be able to wear the bag easily with a coat in the fall. They are maybe a tad too long now, but they hit about right.

I used fabric that I bought about 9 months ago from Ikea and the bag handles are from Etsy shop Merry Sewing N Fabric. The print is a little wild, but as these are all colors I regularly wear (teal/turquoise, purple, green), I figured I could pull it off. And I also don't care that much if it doesn't work - it's summer and I think the fashion police are all drinking Mai Tai's in their Hawaiian shirts.

This wasn't the only vacation sewing I did, as I brought some projects for Malinda and her girls that I'll show off for them later in the week. And I had so much fun with my own light sewing, that I made up a little clutch when I got back home which I'll post once the glue dries (my first metal frame!).

How about you? Have you done any beach sewing lately?

Leather Straps and Bias Bindings

Did I hook you in with that title?  I hope you won't be too disappointed when you discover that this post is actually about handbags and wallets instead of something more sexy and illicit (although I suppose that depends on how you feel about accessories).

These are bags and wallets that I made in December and January for skirt party clients.  It's fun sometimes to make something that doesn't require a fitting!

Yoked Bag

For: Carrie
Fabric: Alexander Henry Dandy Lion in Black, faux suede from my stash
Straps: Black Imitation Leather Bag Handles from YeahShop

Messenger Bags

For: Liz
Fabric: Home dec fabric from JoAnn's (leftover from another bag)

For: Leah
Fabric: Upholstery swatch, brown corduroy from The Economy Shop, olive JoAnn's home dec fabric leftover from another project

Upholstered Wallets

For: Carrie
Fabric: upholstery scraps & swatches, bias tape from Sewing Designs

For: Leah
Fabric: upholstery scraps & swatches

BurdaStyle bag - Variation

For: Zerrin
Fabric: thrifted from various places

What's Up: Accessories

Hey!  I must say, I have been having the time of my life the past couple of weeks.  My little business is doing well and with Belly in kindergarten and Mooper in daycare two days a week, I can really crank out some work.  I feel much more even-keeled having work days again.  And I love being able to give my sole employee a paycheck every week now!  She really deserves it . . .

I've got tons to show so I thought I'd break it down into categories.  I had a small swirl of business in my Etsy shop, selling two of my upholstery swatch/scrap custom wallets and one pre-made wallet in the same week!  I think the wallet is improved with the zipper closure and I'm excited that I got to have some practice with the new design.  It definitely helps to get into a rhythm when handstitching the zippers in place.

These wallets really bring out the obsessive side of my personality.  I could play around with the placement of the internal fabric pieces for hours!

Jill, of Custom Cookies by Jill, ordered a handbag a few months ago and I only just cleared out the orders in front of her to get it made.  It's based on the bag pattern in the BurdaStyle book, with some (I think) improvements: shorter leather straps/handles, thermolam fleece interfacing to give it more structure, a cell phone pocket and a zippered pocket.  I'm thinking about ways I can further play around with the design, because the bag is a great size for an everyday handbag.

And because I wanted to figure out the right combination of interfacing for the bag, I made one for myself to test it out.  The fabric I used on my bag is from one of my Economy Shop hauls, so it probably cost me about $1.50.  New fall budget bag for the boss!

And yes, that is a Hancock Fabric's sale pamphlet peeking out from under my wallet.  Got to be prepared.

What's Up: Finished Bag, Lots of Pattern Drafting & Cutting, Oodles of Packages

The most exciting part of this week was receiving box after box of beautiful fabric as all the orders I made for clients rolled into my house.  I so love fabric, and it doesn't even matter that it's not for me personally.  I'm just so happy to get to work with it!

In the mix: dark wash denims, heathered grey denim, Michael Miller Pretty Bird Ground Cover, Joel Dewberry Heirloom, some stretch knits from GorgeousFabrics.com (so that I can try my hand at some fancy tops for the spring/summer and add those to my repertoire), and the aptly named Happy Mochi Yum Yum India in Lemon (what a name!).


I also received a bunch of upholstery fabric swatches from a lady named Molly.  I posted an ad on a local online resource for moms, and Molly responded with an offer of free fabric!  She's an interior designer and had some spares, so eventually these will become clutch wallets and bags:

Here are my favorites:

Another lady responded with a lead for more, so I may soon have more fabric swatches than I know what to do with!

I did do some actual sewing, too, although I did more drafting and cutting than I had planned due to a delay in one of my fabric orders.  Here's my one finished project for the week, the Penguin bag that Melissa C ordered at the skirt party:

Cutting patterns and fabric is my least favorite part of the process so while I'm disappointed I didn't get more done last week in terms of tangible finished projects, it is satisfying to know that all that drafting and cutting is done.  I'm now poised to finish three skirts in the next three days!

My other main sewing activity this week was reading Make Your Own Dress Patterns by Adele P. Margolis.  I received a copy of the book for my birthday (my 42nd!  Holy Cow, how did that happen??).  It is wonderful.  I read about darts this week and how to move them as a design feature or to enhance the fabric being used.  Everything I read is super handy for what I do in designing/altering patterns for my clients.  It inspired me to shift the darts on Diane's corsetted skirt so that they match the curve in the front/back seams.  I'm so excited to unveil this skirt it in next week's What's Up post!

In my Fabric Focus post this week I plan to focus on linen, so keep an eye out for that (Tuesday or Wednesday).  Cheerio!

Sewing Tutorial: Easy Zippered Lining Pocket

I spend a fair amount of time researching sewing techniques online, particularly when I am trying to do something new.  I love this about the sewing community - people are so generous with their knowledge!  I'm adding a page to my blog with sewing resources so that if you are so inclined, you can have easy access to helpful tutorials.

I'm sewing some bags this week and I'm putting zippered pockets in all of them.  I want them to be attractive, because they will be on the outside of my new clutch, and on the reversible side of my MaiseyBelle bag.  I really like this zippered pocket tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew, because it allows the pocket fabric to peek out and become a design element.

From Sew, Mama, Sew tutorial

There are a couple of adjustments that I make to her directions:

1) Instead of drawing a rectangle for the zipper window (.5 inch x 7 in), I put a strip of 1/2 inch wide clear tape where I want the zipper window to go. I then sew around the tape and simply peel it off when I'm done. This saves time with drawing and I don't have to clean off the ink afterwards. And if I don't quite get it centered correctly, I just pick it up and move it.

2) I like to reinforce the pocket in some way so that it doesn't pull apart from the weight of keys, change, etc. You can reinforce the pocket fabric with interfacing and add an extra strip of interfacing where the zipper will go. If the fabric is quite strong (home dec or upholstery weight) I sometimes simply stitch around the pocket 2-3 times and then zig-zag or serge the edge. Reinforcing the pocket satisfies the same gene in me that makes me put more tape than is needed on a package before putting it in the mail (that little voice that says, "just in case . . ."). And it is a genetic trait, I'm sure. I used to curse (but only a little) my dad when he sent me packages when I lived abroad. It was impossible to open the d**n things without the use of several sharp tools.

Once you get the hang of it you can add a zippered pocket to a bag lining or exterior in 20 minutes.  And you can have it complement the bag, too!

A Twist of Tangerine Tango

Pantone Color Institute

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/12/09/tangerine-tango-the-bright-encouraging-color-of-2012/#ixzz1kb8KAfZs


So as you may already know, Pantone's color of the year is Tangerine Tango, a reddish-orange that certainly has a lot of pop.  I love it in combination with neutrals and other colors, and it's got enough red in it to compliment most complexions (me and orangey-orange are not such great friends).  Tangerine Tango plus any shade of purple is my current favorite combo, like this flower pin I made (free tutorial here). 

I just finished this pencil skirt for Diane, one of my best clients:

The fabric is a super-soft, stretch corduroy that I found on Fabric.com.  I love the retro print!  I'm trying to convince Diane that the perfect top for this is a tangerine tango blouse, like this one that I found in an Australian vintage shop:

I think that this top has sold but the same shop has a gorgeous tangerine jacket. 

Here it is paired with one of my bags (in my Etsy shop).  See?  The tangerine color works!

And then who wouldn't want these shoes to go with it???

I just bought this beautiful tangerine fabric to make myself a blouse and I'm now on the hunt for a pattern (preferably something with a cowl neck).  Any suggestions??