I love seeing bags I have made in use and not staged for my benefit.
This was the case with the Cosquilla I made for my SIL#4 for Christmas last year. We visited them for dinner one evening and I saw the bag on a side table when I went to stash my handbag.
This also reminded me that I need to make sure I do a good job when I sew bags. They need to not fall apart as people will actually used them.
I struggled with the curve on this bag and am curious to see how the new machine will handle the curve.
Finishing the Sheffield took longer than I expected. I thought I was done, then I had to make the false bottom, and add a label and…
No problem. I really enjoyed finishing it. REALLY! I realized that I have been anxious to get through the final assembly of recent bags, because that was the time when I fought with my machine. I didn’t even realize I was fighting with my machine until I used the new machine to put this bag together.
Sheffield: open wide design
The Sheffield has been on my list to make for a long time. Since I made Gerre hers, I wanted to make one for myself. The open wide design of this bag is very appealing.
The interior is made from an IKEA lightweight canvas I picked up from the free table. My lining is a little saggy baggy, despite the larger seam allowance. The lining will not fly out since I used my hard won knowledge (thanks, Lynette) of anchoring the lining to the exterior. One issue I had is that the pattern pieces for this bag are not square. They are trapezoids. I think something might have happened, because the pieces are trapezoids, when I was sewing the lining together that made them larger than I would have liked. I don’t know.
Finished: Sheffield back
I finished most of the exterior pieces while visiting MaryM.
I did the final assembly at home after adding a leash and an interior zipper pocket. I wanted to add a slip pocket,but forgot in my excitement.
The handles on this bag are larger than the those indicated in the pattern. Sara has makers position the handles a half inch up from the bottom. This is so the handles clear the seam allowance. Beyond reducing bulk, I am not sure why. I would like to say I will try putting the handles in the bottom seam on my next one, but I am not sure I will make another one.
Finished: Sheffield top
I think I could have put the poppy fabric on the frame casing. I think it would have added a finish or border to the top of the bag.
Cutting for the frame pocket was confusing. I have to look at the directions again to see where the cutting went wrong. I wanted to have the exterior match the exterior and same for the interior. I ended up with extra lining pieces.
For now I am just excited about the bag. I don’t know for sure how I iwll use it. I am thinking about putting all of my metal tools in in: KAMsnaps, Snap Setter, awl, hammer, etc. If there is space, I could add in webbing as well.
The Sheffield is a joy to work on! I can’t tell you how much easier it is to work on a bag when I don’t have to fight with my machine. I didn’t even realize, really, that I was fighting with my machine.
To make this bag, I changed feet and needle plates pretty frequently, but it really helps use different feet.
Top stitching thick layers
I used the Bi-level foot to stitch the top stitching on the frame case and that was a breeze. I never used the Bi-level foot before, but now it is one that seems to be coming out of the box often. I am not sure why I didn’t use one before. Maybe I didn’t have one?
Anyway, I was amazed and pleased with how straight the stitching was using this foot. There are a lot of layers the machine is punching through in the photo above and I got good stitch quality, no broken needles or stuttering. Of course, I wasn’t being the demon speed sewist either. I sewed pretty slowly on this section.
Sheffield internal zipper pocket
I decided to add an internal zipper pocket, which is not part of the pattern.I didn’t have any trouble making it. I learned a bit from the second interior zipper pocket on the Pandora Charisma and that experience helped.
I also wanted to turn the bag through that zipper pocket, which is a technique that Tim taught me. I had to think about it for awhile, because I wasn’t sure if any bag could be turned that way. I didn’t come to any conclusion, so I just went for it. It worked out fine. I like this method, because it means that nobody can see where the bag was turned unless someone digs into the pocket.
I am not sure why I wanted a zipper pocket, but I did. I also added a leash, which I do for all of my bags.
Anchoring the lining
Finally, my next step is anchoring the lining to the exterior. I have started but need to finish.
Making a Sheffield bag for me has been on my list for a long time. Since it is #6 for the BAMUFO challenge, it is time to work on it. In case you are confused #6 was selected for this month’s project on which to work. I needed to get busy.
The Sheffield is another Sew Sweetness bag. It has an open wide zippered top and is NOT part of the Minikins series. It is a stand-alone pattern. I made one for Gerre (the purple one above) a few years ago.
I put it on my UFO list, because I knew I could finish it within the 30 day window. I was surprised to find I had started to cut pieces for it. They were in my bag fabric bin with the metal frame. That means it truly was a UFO!
After setup at Mary’s house and making a couple of small projects, I got to work on the Sheffield. I was sad not to be using my new machine, but was happy that Mary had a second machine I could use. Not having to haul a machine in our stuffed car was great. She has a Babylock Crescendo, which I have used before. It is a high end machine, which was fine to work on.
Before I could sew the Sheffield, I had to cut the rest of the pieces. As with most bags, there were a lot of pieces, thus a lot of cutting. The handles and the slip pockets were already cut. Apparently, I had already made the choice to make the handles slightly longer than the pattern suggests. Once I finished cutting, I was able to get started with the preparation of the various elements.
One new thing I did was add purse feet. This was my first time. They are listed as optional in the pattern. Since I had some, I decided it was time to use them. The ones I had were Clover Nancy Zieman Bag Feet in Satin Bronze**
BTW, isn’t ‘purse feet’ a funny phrase? All sorts of hilarious images appear in my brain when I say ‘purse feet’!
Installing purse feet
I brought my ProMaster leather punch** (hole maker) along for the trip. I like this tool. It made punching through two layers of canvas and a layer of foam pretty easy. Since I forgot to bring mine, I borrowed some pliers from Mary’s DH, who is a master wood craftsman. The purse feet are installed by shoving two metal flanges through the hole, putting a metal washer over the two and bending the flanges down as flat as possible.
Safety first! SF101 covers purse feet flanges
After I installed them I put a couple of layers of SF101 over the folded flanges to keep them from catching on the lining fabric.
Sheffield bottom with purse feet
There were only four, which surprised me. I always thought purse feet came in sets of five so you could put one in the middle of the bottom to keep the center off of dirty surfaces, but no, the pack I had came with four. I may add some Odicoat** to the bottom. We’ll see.
I had sort of decided not to add the gathered pockets on the outside, then changed my mind and added them at the last minute. I tried out different looks to see how I wanted them to feature.
Sheffield exterior option 1
Sheffield exterior option 2
I finally decided to alternate the fabrics. I didn’t like the look of the all blue gathered pockets. I really wanted to see the Poppy fabric. I had cut the slip pockets out of the Poppy fabric when I thought I wouldn’t use gathered pockets, because I wanted be able to admire that fabric. Using only the blue would cover up too much of it. Using only the Poppy fabric was too jarring and confusing so I eliminated that option right away.
Sheffield – finished exterior mains
The main exterior panels came out well with my choices.
This isn’t a particularly difficult bag, but I felt like I needed to sew slowly and make sure I was doing everything correctly.
After finishing the main exteriors, I was able to put the exterior together.
Poppy Sheffield for me- exterior
I decided after I had made good progress that I wanted to put some pockets on the inside as well as a leash, so I stopped work on it. I didn’t have the hardware with me and we had already been to Green’s, the place to buy hardware near Mary’s house. Since I had hardware at home, I decided to finish it at home.
This is farther along than I have gotten in the 6 years (SIX YEARS – WHAT?!?!?) since I made Gerre’s. I am pleased with how it looks and pleased with my progress.
I am getting quite the collection of tools and might need to make another one of these to store those. Or maybe I will use this one to store tools such as my my ProMaster leather punch**, KAMsnaps, awl, Snap Setter, etc.
**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and 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 website.
One of the first projects I finished on my vacation was an I Spy pouch. I wanted to make one for the Chaos templates. There are a lot of them and I want them to be corralled.
The largest size of the I Spy pouch wasn’t large enough for the templates, so I decided to make a larger one.
I wanted to make the new pouch 12×12 inches-ish. I got confused using Mary’s ruler and the pouch ended up being about 10×12 inches.
Fairytale I Spy with templates
When I got home I found that the templates all fit, but the I Spy pouches are pretty flat, at least this one is, so the zipper doesn’t quite close. If I had made it with SF101 instead of the Sewfisive foam from Sewfisticated, it probably would have worked perfectly. I love that foam so much, though!
That fairytale fabric was in my pile of backing fabric. I have a few pieces of novelty fabric that have been hanging around for awhile. I thought about donating it, but decided to use it here. It’s fun and provides a good name for yet another I Spy!
As it is, it will do for now. I’ll make another larger one soon and use this one for something else.
I finished and sent off this latest Enigma to friend who helped me with a project. It matches the Multi-Pocket Organizer that I gave to her last year.
Nykky’s Rose Enigma-top, open
Like the Green Enigma, I struggled with this Enigma. Many things went wrong and I felt like this project took longer than it should have. Still, I think it turned out well and I am pleased I was able to send it off.
The Tula Pink dots look so great on the inside. This line had some challenging colorways, but the pinky-purple is a favorite of mine.
It also lightens up the inside so it easy to find things.
Nykky’s Rose Enigma-back
I fussy cut various parts a little bit so the roses would be highlighted on the back.
The rose pink of the background looks very cheerful. The shapes and shading of the flowers are nice as well.
Nykky’s Enigma-riveted
This is one of the bags that I riveted. Riveting the handles adds to the strength of the bag.
My friend sent me a picture of her closet, which she recently had redone. In it I can see the bags I have made her on the shelf.
Nykky’s closet
The next Enigmas will be finished on the Elna, so hopefully, I won’t have as many problems.
I am pretty excited about how well I matched the horizontal zipper tabs on this one. I also feel like this pouch has a delicate look to it.
Pink Echinacea I Spy – small
This pouch will house Purse Tab templates. Mary and I talked about these when we were riveting the other day. They could be used on the Oxbow Tote to reinforce the side, which was an area we decided would be detrimental to rivet, because it would cut the thread on the side seam.
Pink Echinacea I Spy – small – back
I also top stitched this one since I used the stick-on interfacing, like the other two.
I mentioned making multiple I Spy pouches when I talked about the Poppy I Spy the other day.
I made all three in assembly-line fashion, so they all got done at once and I made the same mistakes with all, which was forgetting the interfacing! 😉
Rose I Spy – medium
The lining fabric on this pouch is a Heather Bailey print. I only had a fat quarter, or only had a fat quarter left, and fussy cut it so the rose would show up when the bag was empty. The motif would also be a nice surprise when I take out the templates out of the bag.
Somehow the Echinacea print doesn’t clash too badly with the roses. At least I don’t think so. I like using different prints for the lining as it helps me associate a certain template with a certain pouch.
Rose I Spy – medium for the Newfoundland templates
This pouch will be used for the Newfoundland pouch templates. The Newfoundland is a little like the Sew Together Bag as it has an accordion section in the middle creating some organization. It has a similar feel.
I haven’t made the Newfoundland before. Now that I have been reminded that I have the templates, I will put it on my list to try.
I finally finished the green Enigma. I shouldn’t say ‘finally’, though it did take longer than expected. I felt like everything that could go wrong did go wrong and I am not sure why. Still, it looks great and I am not embarrassed to give it as a gift.
I still want to rivet the handles, but that requires a little coordination with my “rivet press dealer”. LOL! And I can give it without the rivets if necessary.
Tim’s Enigma – open
I am still planning on making a few more of these this year. I want to get over the drama I felt making this one and the pink rose one that I still need to finish.
The lining fabric is one I have kind of been saving. I had it in a pink/orange colorway, but think I used it for something. I really like the blue/green colorway and was looking for a special project on which to use it. I didn’t really try to match up the squares, but they sort of ended up that way, which was nice.
Tim’s Enigma – back, closed
Sara of Sew Sweetness’ quarterly challenge has just been announced. The challenge is to use some aspect of quiltmaking in your bag or pouch. This bag requires quilting on the bottom, so it qualifies. I may enter it as my entry. I don’t expect to win, but it is fun to participate.
I cleared out a box of acrylic templates that had been in my fabric closet for awhile. I wanted to be reminded what was in there. I was surprised to find some smaller templates as well the large ones I knew were in there. I am sure I had a plan when I put the small templates in the box, but I didn’t remember the plan when I found them.
I still want to make a bag for large templates, but that is a project for another day. On that day, I decided to make 3 more I Spy pouches, one for each of the template sets.
I like to highlight a special fabric on the lining. I had very little of the Anna Maria Poppy (Bright Eyes??) left, so I decided to use one of them for this pouch. The last time I used this fabric was for the Andalusian pouch.
This large I Spy will be used for the Mustang Purse Organizer templates. I made a set of these for my Mom in 2021. I have a vivid memory of making them in my machine’s old location, which was before I redid the whole room.
Poppy I Spy – large, back
For some reason, I forgot to interface the pieces so I added a bit of the Sewfisticated 2mm stick on interfacing right before I closed the turning pocket. It was a little tricky to get the paper off the stick-on side of the interfacing, but I managed it in the end. This interfacing is much thicker than the SF101 called for in the pattern, but it worked.
The interfacing made the pouch very stiff. I top stitched around the whole edge. It made the pouch very structured and I kind of like the feel.
Poppy I Spy – large for Mustang templates
I am also using some tags I bought for another purpose to label the pouches. Thus far, I have been relying on post-it notes, which are unreliable in this context. All of the templates are engraved, but the words are hard to see sometimes.
I did make an I Spy pouch with the poppy print before. I would say ‘great minds think alike’, but I don’t think one can say that when it is yourself! LOL!
After looking at all of the Enigmas, I decided to make more this year. I have been slowly working on two new Enigmas in between working on other projects. These are gifts, one of which will be sent off soon and the other is for later this year. I am ahead of the game to a certain extent. I think I plan to make 8 total this year, of which these are number 3 and 4.
When I sewed the Bone Enigma I followed the directions exactly with regard to rivets. The directions say to add rivets before assembly. The rivets can go anywhere, but I wanted to put them on the ends of the handle, just to reinforce it. It is at the stage of assembly shown in the photo where the directions say to add rivets.
Peony Enigma with rivets – full
This is great except for Enigma bags already completed. I decided I wanted rivets on my Enigma bag. The bag is already complete, so I consulted with Mary and we decided it could be done. We had to squish the top a little, but the overall procedure worked and my bag now has rivets on the handle.
Peony Enigma with rivets – detail
I wanted silver, but Mary thought a gunmetal finish would look better. I am pleased not to worry about ripping out the handle.
Megan’s Bone Enigma has been on my list for awhile. It doesn’t show up on any of my 26 Projects lists, because I hadn’t started cutting or sewing. It only shows up on my UFO Challenge list, because I have been wanting to make it for awhile and hadn’t quite gotten to it.
I could have waited to write the “All the Enigmas” post, but I will have to write another one as I am already cutting others out.
Megan’s Bone Enigma-interior
This bag goes with Megan’s Hand Bone Hackney. She said she liked this fabric and I hope that is true. I bought it for another purpose for which the fabric will not be used. I did make several projects from it, but still have at least 1.5 yards left.
One thing I did on the bottom, which are pieces that need to be quilted, was fuse the fabric, both lining and exterior, to the foam using MistyFuse**. I had forgotten to cut the lining and exterior larger before quilting and wanted to try and mitigate shrinkage. I think I could have left the bottom unquilted, because the MistyFuse really adhered well to the fabric. I was kind of surprised since the MistyFuse has been laying around my workroom for years.
I am pleased with how the center looks. I just feel like it came out really well. The fabric, a Birch Organic, looks really great.
Megan’s Bone Enigma-bottom
I tried really hard to line up the fabric so that the motifs were oriented in the right way.
In the photo of the bottom you can see how the motifs are oriented towards the top. See the handle? When the bag is closed the part of the bottom with the skull forms the back of the bag and that skull as well as the other motifs are right side up.
Megan’s Bone Enigma-bottom-> back – closed
Cool, huh? Sadly, I did not match up the motifs on the top piece with the back piece. I was pretty proud of myself for doing this much, though I don’t think anyone will notice. *I* notice and that is what is important!
Megan’s Bone Enigma-top closed
I am on the fence about the striped handle and pull tabs. I didn’t have any solid black at the time I cut those. The design works pretty well, but I think a solid black would have been better. Or maybe a black and grey stripe? Not sure, but I’ll have to think about it. I did use this same strip on the handle of Hand Bone Hackney, so that is something.
An unintended effect looking at the top is that the handle is enclosed by two hand bone motifs! It looks kind of cool.
I also used MaryC’s rivet press at Sew Day to put rivets on the handle. I am super excited about that!!
Megan’s Bone Enigma -side
Megan’s Bone Enigma -side
I still love the diagonal zipper. I thought the zipper tape I chose would be too large, but it worked out ok.
Well, even though that number hasn’t been picked in the UFO Challenge, I have finished it. I am giving it to Megan today, so needs must.
**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and 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 website.
I finished the Tadpole I made for Gerre’s International Women’s Day celebration. This is another Sew Sweetness pattern I bought and hadn’t yet made. I made this one at the same time I made Carrie’s.
Gerres’ Scissor Sheath
The fabric I used was the same used for another of Gerre’s bags, the Enigma Pouch. I am not a huge fan of this fabric as it looks a little too creepy for me. However, first, I am almost out, and second Gerre said she really likes it. I decided to use it up and then I can get back to the Alexander Henry Dia de los Muertos fabric I also use for her gifts. Yes, I have used a few different fabrics for her gifts. She was the first one, I think, for whom I started making sets of bags. It took me awhile to settle into the process.
This fabric does provide some good fussy cutting opportunities. Since I don’t have much of it left, I am using all the bits.
Gerre’s Tadpole other front
This pouch is more 2 sided than Carries, because of the fussy cutting opportunities. It is interesting how different the two sides are. However, all the figures are skeleton mermaids or mermen. I mostly cut off the tail of them. I suppose I could have turned the fabric 90 degrees and included the tail. Considering the design of the pouch, that might be a better way to orient the fabric. I guess I’ll have to make another one to see. 😉
Gerre’s Tadpole interior
As mentioned, I followed the pattern exactly, which I might not do if I make this again.
I also put an interior zipper pocket on one side of the pouch. I think this pocket could be used for extra rotary cutter blades. They might not be obvious, but a reminder could be using this same side for a rotary cutter.
Gerre’s Tadpole – interior
I am paying closer attention to making sure the linings are not saggy baggy. I am pleased with the way the pockets came out.
Two Tadpoles – front
Two Tadpoles – other front
Both Tadpoles look good, I think. I need some practice to make them better, but this is a useful pouch.
The Tadpole is a pouch that I bought as part of a 4-pack with the Cosquilla pattern last June. I am glad to say that this isn’t the first time I have made a bag from this 4-pack.
Carrie’s Tadpole front
The Tadpole (weird name, I know) is a useful pouch with two pockets that can secure scissors, rotary cutters and other similar types of tools.
Tadpole with interior zipper
One pocket is on the top and the other is on the bottom so you have to kind of flip it around to get at both zippers.
One of the pockets includes a small internal zipper pocket. This pocket could be added to both of the larger zipper pockets. I am not sure what I would put in that interior zipper pocket, but I do think that, generally, the more pockets the better. In this case, that might not be true if I were to put something in there and then lose it or forget about it. I look forward to seeing what Carrie says.
Tadpole open with sheath (Carrie)
The pattern includes a scissor sheath. I bought Carrie a nice pair of scissors to go with the pouch and the sheath can be customized to fit the scissors. I wanted to do that, but I didn’t want to open a new pair of scissors. I am not 100% sure the sheath is very useful with sharp scissors. It is definitely cool to have a matching scissor adornment, but I am concerned that sharp scissors will cut through quilting cotton. I might make the scissor sheath out of cork or pleather scraps in the future. It wouldn’t match, but it might be useful.
I made this first one in the fabric I use for Carrie, the Carrie Bloomston Color Theory fabric. I was able to use some smaller pieces, which was nice.
