This is Enigma #5. I do like this pattern! I like the way it looks and how functional it is.
You don’t get to see the all the steps, because I have so much to write about and so much to sew that I am just posting the completed bag now.
Paris Enigma Bag – bottom
Lil Sissy was admiring my Peony Enigma bag when she visited us in Portland. She didn’t ask for one, but I decided to make her one any way. Her birthday was July 26, so I had about a week to make it when I returned. I had a week or so in between everything else – niece’s wedding, YM visiting, etc.
I had to quilt the bottom and I am never happy about quilting, but I am pleased with how this quilting came out.
I made two of these at the same time. You will see the other one later. Making the same bag multiple times makes them go together faster, but also means I can pay attention to the details. I was able to select which side panel would work for the top and which would be better for the front without a lot of drama. Since I knew what to expect, I could think about the finer details.
Paris Enigma Bag – zipper end
I also found a good place for my label and was able to add it in the course of making the inside pocket.
The zipper end was a pain, but ending up coming out well.
I cut out the Hildegarde Notions Trunk at the MARCH Sew Day, then I didn’t touch it again. I still haven’t, but I wanted to look at it so I took a photo.
Obviously, the project bag is not a picture of the pieces, but I am really thrilled that I am using the project bag even though I think the large size (according to the pattern) is more of a medium size. I need a larger project bag for the Hildegarde, but it is working for the moment.
Hildegarde Trunk pieces
I used some Tula Pink Pink Neon Dots for the lining, which I love even more now that I see them again. I am definitely in pink mode right now and I am embracing that. I also used a Heather Bailey pink called Aflutter that I didn’t have quite enough of to be really comfortable. I asked Amy if she had some, but she didn’t so I just thought I would have to make do, but I found some online. I don’t need more fabric, but I like the idea of making this a really great bag. I might want some of this fabric to do that or make another one.
I am still seeking the perfect bag in which to take my tools to sew days and retreats. I’ll give this one away if it doesn’t work for me.
In case you can’t tell this is a Sew Sweetness pattern. It is part of Minikins Season 4 bundle. You can see the various projects I have made from the Minikins patterns on the Minikins page.
I forgot to post this I Spy back in March. As I have said before, I love making these I Spy pouches. I like both the fabrics I used, but together they are a bit much. ;-).
It is still useful and is now keeping acrylic pattern templates together.
I finally took some time on Mother’s Day to finish this pouch. It has been laying around for a few weeks. It was the perfect project for Mother’s Day. I got to sew AND I finished something.
Palomino Pouch – end
This is the second one of this pattern I have made. It is a fairly easy project, though the turns on the curved end are tight. Again, I did some fussy cutting, which I think looks nice.
I know this isn’t exactly pink; it’s more peachy, but it does show the range of pinks. I am definitely in the “give me bright pink” like the Bluestem Pouch camp. Still, this is a nice soft look
I was also pleased that the gluing together part worked for me this time. I had a better idea of how to do it and I am sure that helped.
The other thing I did was to sew down the quarter marking areas. I did a few steps over the quarter marking to tack the various pieces in place, then I went around the whole pieces. That worked pretty well, though those curves are tight for my machine.
Palomino Pouch interior
The inside looks like an inside.
I used a leftover zipper and one of the zipper pulls from Sew Hungry Hippie. I also forgot to put a label inside. Oh well.
I started another Palomino Pouch as part of the Pink Project. I wanted to try and succeed at the gluing step that closes up the sides.
I have everything cut out, but have to find a zipper that matches. The fabric is definitely pink, but more of a peachy pink than the Pink Dot Bluestem or the Pink Piebald and I am not sure I have one that will match. I might have to use white or some other contrasting color. I do like it when the zippers look like they belong on the pouch.
The Palomino is finished! I am going to make another one right away. This pouch has only a few pieces and with the way the side panels and zipper are inserted, it is very easy to put together.
This is a gift for a friend and the fussy cutting is important.
Palomino Pouch-lining Finished
It really went together pretty well, in general. I had some trouble inserting the lining. It does have the same glue closure as the Piebald. Not so great as I missed the instruction to stop at the 1/4 inch mark when sewing the lining together, so the edges shredded a bit (Moda fabric) when I ripped out some of the stitching. It would be really helpful to have a free arm when making this pouch. Now I know, so I’ll do better next time.
No drop-in lining or binding: perfect.
Palomino Pouch-top Finished
The zipper I used is one of the set I bought from Sew Hungry Hippie. I wonder if Natalie of SHH collaborates with Tula on the colors? The green matched the butterfly fabric exactly.
I thought it might be a little big, but the pattern called for a handbag zipper. I tried two zipper pulls, but it didn’t work with this pouch design so I took one off.
Palomino Pouch-side Finished
Palomino Pouch-side Finished
I took the opportunity to fussy cut the side panels as well. I can’t help that these motifs run into the partial motifs on the main panels, but I still think the side panels look good.
This is another pattern from Minikins Season 3. For some reason, it struck my fancy and I decided to make it.
One of the things I already like about the pattern is that you sew the zipper to the side panel as one of the first steps. That means that when I sew the zipper to the main panels, I will sew the side pieces as well.
I did some fussy cutting of the Tula butterfly fabric, as you can see.
I had some trouble cutting this out with a rotary cutter, because the side panels have an interior 90 degree angle, which doesn’t work withe a rotary cutter. I ended up drawing lines around the template and cutting it out with scissors. I used WonderClips** to keep the fold in place while I cut the pieces out.
Palomino pouch inside
This picture (right) shows getting ready to sew the zipper and the side panels to the main panels. I used some Frankenfoam and hope that works out. I used some quite small pieces. Apparently, I can’t throw anything out! Pouches are a good use for Frankenfoam, however.
Palomino pouch in process
This is the same picture as above, but from the top. Stay tuned for the finishing.
**N. B. : 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 blog.
I still don’t really have a plan for 2024 in terms of sewing. I am just not sure what type of projects I want to focus on. I am starting to think that finishing a lot of UFOs was a bad idea. It left me sort of feeling like I don’t want to generate more UFOs.
Create * Make * Dream I Spy
I still want to sew, so I fell back on my potato chip project: the I Spy pouches. I have some templates coming from Sew Sweetness so I thought I would get ahead of the game and make the pouches in advance. The first one I finished was the Mermaid pouch AKA the Create * Make * Dream I Spy.
Create * Make * Dream I Spy – back
I used a different coneflower colorway than I did in the last I Spy. Surprisingly, I didn’t have as much of it as I thought, so the three pouches I made are sort of scrappy. This one looks relatively normal from the front, but I used a mermaid print for the back.
I bought this fabric on a whim at Cool Cottons in Portland last year, possibly for a bag for my sister. This is the first time I have used it, however. It is a fun fabric and I am glad I will have a little piece of it for myself. I still have enough left to make something for Lil Sissy.
I haven’t put any templates in yet, but it will be used for acrylic bag templates.
Yes, the Cal Piebald is finished. I think it came out really well. The fussy cutting, as mentioned, looks great!
In this image you can see the long loop I talked about when I started it. I used my own hand to figure out the length and I think it is ok. We’ll see what SIL #4 says.
Cal Piebald – bottom
I also fussy cut the bottom even though it won’t be seen very often.
One of these days, I’ll have to try adding Odicoat to a finished bag to see what happens. I am thinking a lot about what happens when people actually use the bags I give them. I want them to use the bags, so I should prepare them better to be used.
Cal Piebald – back
This pattern has an interesting stitching pattern for the loop/handle. The directions say to stitch the the part of the loop not attached to the bag with 4 lines before attaching it to the bag. This meant that I had to calculate exactly where the loop hit the bag, thus there was a bit of pfaffing around with my hand in the loop and trying to mark where I thought the loop would end.
Note: if you make the loop the size indicated in the pattern, there is no pfaffing around.
The rest of the loop is stitched to the bag using the four lines again. I think it is pretty secure.
Cal Piebald – interior
I think the lining matches really well. It is a little bit baggy, which is weird, but it isn’t terrible, so I am not going to stress about it. I sewed the lining with a fatter seam allowance, so it shouldn’t be baggy. Who knows? Another mystery to try and solve while I make other bags.
So, this is done. I am pleased. I am not sure when I will give it to SIL #4. I’ll see about giving it to her when I see her on the weekend.
I started and finished another I Spy pouch very quickly last week. I needed another one for the Falabella templates, which I found when I was rummaging for the Piebald templates.
I went out of my way to use the zebra fabric and I had just enough left for the various lining pieces.
Zebra I Spy – back
As I have with all of the other I Spy pouches, I used the Anna Maria coneflower fabric again. I had some leftover from a previous project and was able to use it up. Some wrong cuts aren’t always useless even if they aren’t useful at the moment. 😉
Zebra I Spy – front, full
The templates fit nicely inside this medium version.
I am making good progress on the Cal Piebald despite not sewing much in the last few weeks. Making a few in a row really helps the subsequent versions.
As you can see the exterior is finished. My next step is to assemble the lining and insert it. Then I have to do that crazy step with the front, which was a challenge, but I shall persevere.
Piebald exterior, in process
I think the outside looks pretty good. I am so pleased with how the fussy cutting came out.
In this photo, you can’t see the loop, which is long enough to slip a slim hand through and carry along. I am starting to wonder if a longer strap, like the one for the Sweetbay Crossbody would turn this into a purse? I suppose it would, but the question is whether it would be a good purse? There are no outside pockets for a phone or anything, so it might be a little awkward to use. Something to think about. If you have any opinions, let me know.
After making the Piebald #2 and Piebald #3, I decided to try a project that had been on my mind for awhile. Some time ago, my SIL#4 asked me to make her a bag she could use to take her knitting along. I designed and made the Knitting Box, but it wasn’t quite right and I wasn’t happy with it. We had made a trade and I wanted to keep up my end of the bargain.
Cal Piebald start
Years go by and I made the two Piebalds, which gave me an idea for the Knitting Box replacement: a Piebald with a double zip. I showed her one of the pink Piebalds and she thought it would work. Her birthday is coming, so I am trying the project again. I have only made a small start, but I have high hopes.
I was so pleased with that zipper even though it was way too long. It is the perfect color to go with the Cal fabric.
How do you like my fussy cutting? I am pretty pleased with it.
I finished this Lavender Dot Bluestem several days ago, but am super busy and haven’t had time to post about it. This was actually the second one I cut out; I just sewed the Chrysanthemum Bluestem together first.
The foam really makes this small pouch. There is something fun about this small very stiff pouch.
Bluestem with moon pull
Bluestem with star pull
In this version I used some of the new zipper pulls I received and they are really great. They are not a set. I combined them myself.
Lavender Dot Bluestem – open
The inside is a lighter version of the outside, I think. It is another cool fabric that I have been hoarding.
I remembered to put my label on. I did it before the piece was completely sewn together. I should make a note in the pattern as to when to add it.
I had to use dark purple doublefold elastic as the colors of that supply are limited.
I am super pleased with this pouch and will probably make others.
I am keeping up with the Sew Sweetness Sew-a-long for the Sweetbay (that’s a lot of Ss and Ws!!) crossbody bag. This bag has a lot of prep and it started with week 1 and continued to this week.
Some of this week’s work was adding interfacing to all of the pieces that were not interfaced last week.
Sweetbay credit card sleeve
I also had to make the credit card sleeve, which didn’t turn out quite as expected. The written directions were a little confusing, but I walked away and came back and was able to figure out what to do.
Sweetbay credit card pieces
In order to make the compartments, we were supposed to use a template made from the pattern pieces on the back. I was super pleased that I figured out how to make slots that I could mark through. I know this seems really dumb, but it felt very convenient and like an excellent solution.
This pattern does not have a acrylic templates and I am not sure why. I think the credit card sleeve would have been a good candidate for templates.
Using the hot ruler
I also made good use of the hot ruler from Cyndi for this project. This was a Christmas gift I received and the more I use it the more useful I find it. It makes the folds a little thick, so if I need precise measurements, I need to be very careful. Other than that, I am finding it to be very useful.
Sweetbay back zipper pocket
I added to the prep work by adding a vertical pocket in the back flap. Vertical pockets look really cool. I also thought that back flap was the perfect location for additional storage, so I created an internal zipper pocket.
I had to remember how to do it, so I looked it up in a couple of books. First was Lisa Lam’s The Bag Making Bible**, which got me started, but left out (or I couldn’t find) some crucial information, so I switched to The Complete Bagmaking Masterclass** and got the info I needed.
Sweetbay zipper pocket in progress
One problem I had, which wasn’t critical was that I didn’t leave enough fabric on the short ends of the zipper pocket. See how there is barely half an inch on each small end? It worked, but it isn’t really enough and I had to be super careful to make sure the foam and exterior fabric got caught in the seam when I sewed the zipper in. It worked, but I sweated! Hopefully, I’ll remember next time.
Once I had all that done I was kind of exhausted. I am very pleased that I am making progress and keeping up with the Sew-a-long.
**N. B. : 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 blog.
