Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
I went out to lunch with Sue and Carrie before the guild meeting last week and came home with a great pouch that now keeps a lot of random things in my handbag organized.
One of the things I love about Carrie’s adventures in bagmaking is the discussions we have about the process. This time we discussed installing the zipper for a long time. Carrie brought a Dollar Store pouch to show as an example of how she would like to do the zipper in the future and we were able to compare the two pouches.
I sent off the Butterfly set to its new home. One of my fabulous readers made a very generous donation to an organization of women helping women. I sent the check straight to them. This happened after I mentioned the organization for whom I originally made the set declined to include it in their auction. Their loss.
I don’t normally make bags to sell. The organization to whom I gave the money is very dear to my heart. They help women with scholarships for academic degrees. I received a scholarship for my undergraduate and graduate degrees from them. The organization made a huge difference in my life. I hope that this small effort on my part makes a difference in another woman’s life.
I finished the latest two Dogwood pouches the other evening. I really like the way they came out.
I was much more careful this time about fussy cutting, so the butterflies are whole. I did a good job on the Hindsight Dogwoods, but the print was much larger, so it was harder to select a part of the print.
The lining is the same as the Butterfly Superbloom, which makes these part of a set.
I like the way the zipper is handled in this pouch. I might have to talk about that in the future.
These are the same sizes I made before. I wanted to make them again to cement the process in my mind. My printer is also acting like a jerk, so printing is iffy at best.
When I make pouches I always think about how I would use them. Pouch F is the larger one and would be great for chargers and other small electronics. I have several pouches in my work bag so I can keep things organized and think I would use this pouch for cords and chargers.
Pouch J is the small pouch and would be great for hand sanitizer and lip balm. I didn’t make these with vinyl on the inside so I have to think about keeping them clean. However, the pouches are washable, so that is a bonus.
I wash the pouch and bags I make in a lingerie bag to keep the handles and other pieces from getting into the workings of the washer. I have already washed all the fabric in hot water, so any temperature is ok. I recommend cold, but you can also wash them in hot.
I cut out some more Dogwood pouches the other day. I am using the same sizes (F & J), mostly because I didn’t want to take the time to print more templates. The organization to whom I wanted to donate the set is having their luncheon soon and I wanted to make as many bags as possible. I have only the Superbloom and the Cotton Candy so far.
I need to get busy sewing.
I finished the two Dogwood pouches at the Retreat. This is a worthwhile pattern as there are multiple sizes, but also a couple of new techniques to use in making your pouches.
Pouch F is the larger one and would be great for chargers and other small electronics. It went together very quickly.
The zipper instructions were a little tricky, but I watched the video (glad I brought my tablet to the Retreat!) and it was clear. I was actually kind of excited about the zipper instructions. They make a very cool finish to the zipper ends.
Pouch J is the smaller one. It would be good to corral small items in your handbag.
I found that the boxing of the corners was a different technique as well. I had to watch the video (Yay tablet, again!), which made the technique clear.
These are already off to their new home. I haven’t had a clear answer as to whether the Angel Mama likes her set of bags, but I feel good having made an effort to thank her somehow.
The Dogwood Pouch is another Sew Sweetness pattern. The pattern has multiple sizes, so it is a good one to buy (no affiliation), if you want to try out making pouches.
I haven’t made any of the sizes yet, but cut a couple of sizes (F & J) over the weekend. These will be more gifts for the angel taking care of my stepdad.
The pieces are mixed up to fit my photo setup. I used the same fabrics for both and I am interested to see how they turn out. If these are easy to make, I might make more.
I measured the leftover zipper pieces from previous projects and have some that will fit and match the color scheme. I just have to find some zipper tabs.
I was very pleased to make this Emmaline Retreat Pouch for Carrie for her birthday.
I decided to make one when I ran out of time to make her a Classmate Bag. The other thing that helped me decide was the several Retreat Bag frames I have stashed in Quilts Illustrated Tool Tote, where I keep my bagmaking hardware.
I used the Color Theory fabric by Carrie Bloomston, which is the fabric I have been using for her gifts.I have some random pieces that are cut from yardage, but still good sized that I was able to use.
The whole project went really quickly. I made the whole pouch in about 3 hours while I cooked dinner during part of the making. I did finish the pouch later in the evening. It requires a frame so I had to prepare and insert the frame, then sew up the hole.
The frame means that this is an Open Wide or Wide Mouth style pouch. It is great for seeing everything you have stashed in the bag.
I am super pleased with the technique they use to veer the zipper. It made that process SO easy and it looks great. I have to remember it and try to use is on other bags. The only other pouch I can think of offhand that veers a zipper is the Cotton Candy pouch and that is a different sort of technique.
I thought it would take me longer, but am glad I was able to get it done quickly. Her birthday was a week after I made it and I had to fill and mail it as well. Carrie is super generous and I could never match her generosity, but I can make pouches and bags.
This is a free pattern, so go and take a look. Make one and tell me what you think.
Today is International Women’s Day and I am celebrating by sending the bag to Gerre for her celebrations.
This is the smaller version than I made for Gerre before. They are a matched set now, which I always like.
I like the way all parts of this came out. The zipper ends came out especially well. I left a little space between the end of the zipper and the end of the fabric, which made it easier to sew.
I am still thinking about how to incorporate the technique used for veering the zipper in other patterns like the Cotton Candy pouch.
I chose a text print for the interior. I haven’t been using this particular print for Old Town, because the text is in pink. I love it as a fabric, though, and am really glad I can use it for this pouch.
This one came out really well and I am pleased, but this is a great project. I still want to try enlarging it and using a border print, as discussed a few months ago. I haven’t had the chance as I am caught up in making gifts.
The other day I was thinking about a hand sewing pouch for my mom. In the course of that thought process, I looked up all the Cotton Candy pouches I have made.
WOW!
I have made a lot.
I think I have only made more Hackneys (14) than Cotton Candy pouches, but not many more. Clearly, I play favorites.
I had a tough time deciding what to make for Carrie and Sue for Christmas. I don’t want to just make them anything. I want what I make to be useful. Eventually, after considering several Minikins patterns I hadn’t tried, I decided on I Spy pouches.
Is this a cop out?
No.
As I have said before, these pouches are like eating potato chips for me. I can make one quickly. I also really enjoy making them. Because they are fast? Maybe. Mostly because they are useful.
Sue gets a color wheel on the back to help her pick out fabric. I also remembered to put a label on the pouch.
Some time ago I made Carrie and Sue Kit Supply Totes. The Hackney pouches I made for them fit nicely into the Kit Supply Totes. I thought the I Spy would fit nicely in it as well.
I know it’s been a week or so since I posted about gifts, but we are back to it.
I posted last week about Sue’s I Spy pouch. One of the differences I made is that Carrie got a whole color wheel in the front while Sue’s was on the back. One of the reasons I like this fabric is because it means they always have a color wheel with them.
I found some nice zipper pulls in my hardware bag that I added. They are apples, which have nothing to do with color wheels, Carrie or Sue, but here we are. Zipper pulls, aside from being cute really help to pull zippers open.
I finished the Atlas Zipper Case right before Thanksgiving. Of course, I couldn’t talk about it before now because I wanted to be a surprise. Even this is a little early!
I am super pleased with the way it came out. I hope my Lil Sissy likes it, too. She shared the original IG video about the pouch (portfolio) with me.
I didn’t find the project to be very difficult even though I struggled to get started. Cutting is always a hassle. I always want to get straight to sewing.
For this piece, I used a piece of the Paris fabric I have been using to make gifts for my sister. The fussy cutting, after I quilted it, came out really well. I used my 20.5 inch x 20.5 inch Creative Grids ruler**. That ruler is really big and a bit unwieldy on my small cutting table, but I wanted to be able to see the whole piece and trim exactly. It worked really well except for pushing my entire scrap bin onto the floor in the process! LOL! The Eiffel Tower is perfectly placed on the front.
The bicycle on the back looks good, too. I haven’t ever asked my sister if she likes this fabric. I hope so as I just bought more of that yardage. I feel like I was lucky to find some as is isn’t new.
I forgot to sew the label on before I added the inside pockets, so I hand stitched it later.
The portfolio has a zipper that goes all the way around, so the bag is completely closed when it is zipped.
It has smallish, but useful pockets to keep some of your tools, or, possibly, project pieces organized.
There is also space for flat items, like a 6.5 x 6.5 ruler** under the pockets.
I am on the fence about the fabric pocket on the lower right. All of the other pockets are vinyl. I like seeing what I have available, but I guess you could use that pocket for things you didn’t want everyone to see. Credit cards or your driver’s license? I don’t know. I keep those things in one place so I always know where they are. If I make this again, I might make it into another vinyl pocket.
The left side has a larger pocket completely made from vinyl. This is a really useful pocket.
I really like this project and am looking for ways to make more.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and support small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
Yesterday was the guild’s Holiday Extravaganza. SIL#2 organized a pouch swap. I didn’t participate in the last swap, which featured potholders. I am not a fan of potholders, so I didn’t want to bother. There were plenty without me. However, I want to encourage people to make bags, and I like making pouches, so I planned from the beginning to participate in this latest swap.
After seeing the Center Street Quilts video on IG showing the making of a half vinyl pouch, I decided to try and make one for the swap. I thought I could probably make the pouch after watching the video, but decided to buy the pattern, the Stella Pouch from Center Street Quilts just to make the process a bit easier.
I looked for more specific directions on the Flying Geese and the vinyl, but didn’t find any. Even with the pattern, I still had plenty of figuring out to do. It wasn’t a problem. I knew I could figure it all out. That is one reason I enjoy making bags. There is always something to figure out.
I think I forgot to trim the height, so the pouch is bigger than the pattern states. Still, I think it will be useful. Small project bag?
I am pretty happy with the way the pouch came out. I am getting more practice with binding the inside edges and I was thrilled to get more practice on the zipper tab technique I talked about a week or so ago. I have big plans to make a bunch of these, but we will see.
I finished the Holland Pouch while I was in Portland in October. It was a pretty quick sew – ~6 hours from start to finish. I wasn’t feeling my best, so I knew I could make it faster.
I bought this pattern at Stitch during the July trip home from Portland. The fabric was also purchased during that trip at Sewlarium. It was a great choice for this bag.
The directions show how to position fabric if it is directional, which is the first time I have seen such a feature in a pattern, that I can remember. I’d love to see this type of chart in all bag patterns. I know most say something like “all cutting directions are width x height”, but having the visual makes a huge difference for me. Even before I saw this chart, I drew little pictures of how directional fabric should be cut in my various patterns.
I used some hippo fabric and hope he remembers visiting the hippo at the zoo when he was young.
This is the first bag I have made for the YM. I hope it is one he likes and will use it. I sent it off to him for his birthday, which was on the 30th.
We are thanking Laura, a longarmer in Half Moon Bay who has been longarming donation quilts for us for a year or more. Carrie is gathering gifts to make a nice basket for her.
After seeing the Center Street Quilts video on IG showing the making of a half vinyl pouch, I decided to try and make one. I actually made two. One will be for a guild swap. I thought I could probably make the pouch after watching the video, but decided to buy the pattern, the Stella Pouch from Center Street Quilts just to make the process a bit easier.
I looked for more specific directions on the Flying Geese and the vinyl, but didn’t find any. Even with the pattern, I still had plenty of figuring out to do. I knew I could do it. That is one reason I enjoy making bags. There is always something to figure out.
I think I forgot to trim the height, so the pouch is taller than the pattern states. Still, I think it will be useful. Small project bag?
One of the good things about using vinyl for this bag is I was able to use a very pretty lining fabric. Having a good fabric show through the vinyl is an added bonus.
I made a pattern in EQ8 for the Flying Geese portion. This pattern is for the large sized pouch. Make sure you print it on thin paper, or special foundation paper piecing paper**. If you don’t know how to foundation paper piece, check my tutorial. You can find all 5 parts on the Quilt Class page.
I think I might have a few more of these pouches in my future.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and support small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.