Wristlet Zipper Purse: AKA the present that came 3 months late

Posted on September 6, 2012 by oliver's fancy

Got another project crossed off my list this week! My little cousin (who is not so little anymore at 14!) had a birthday back in June and I have been meaning to make her a present all summer. Oops, time just kinda slipped by! I decided that better late than never was a good philosophy to adopt and determined to finish her present this week. Remember this book I talked about when I finished my chevron purse?

Part of the reason I bought this book was that I thought it would be great to have for gift ideas. And I was right! It has tons of different purse/wallet style options. My cousin has a little wristlet purse already so I knew she would like that style, and it seemed an easy pattern. It was, indeed, a fairly quick sew.

My thoughts on this book. I love this book for the pattern ideas and sizing help, but I find the directions a bit confusing or unclear at times. Having made quite a few zippered pouches already, I changed the directions around a bit to do it my own way because their way did not work well for me. However, not having to figure out math in my head when I go to make a project makes this book well worth it for me! I also love the little fun details they provide- like the pleats on this wristlet.

I used a chevron fabric (picked up at Jo-Ann’s a while back) and Kona cotton for the outer fabric. The lining is from Anna Maria Horner’s Innocent Crush line. All materials were from my stash so in my mind this was a “free” project. 🙂 Love it when that happens! I also like the little fun pop the lining gives when you open the bag. I gave the bag to my cousin last night and she was thrilled! Turns out she was needing a new purse. See, I waited to make it until I knew she needed it. 😉

Now onto the next item on my WIP list: the guestbook quilt for my sister-in-law= from the wedding in May. Hmmn, procrastination problem, anyone?

New Purse!

Posted on July 10, 2012 by oliver's fancy

I have been wanting to make myself a new purse for ages! I picked up some chevron fabric and knew exactly what I wanted but couldn’t find the right pattern. A few months ago, I spent some time at Barnes and Noble looking to see if they had any good books with a pattern I liked. I found this great purse book called Bags: the Modern Classics that had just what I wanted along with tons of other cool patterns. So I headed over to the amazing Amazon that night and picked up a copy for myself.

Fast forward several weeks and I have yet to make my purse! This past weekend I decided the time had come to finish my purse. I was able to finish most of it during the boys’ Sunday afternoon naps and got the rest of it finished Monday morning during Oliver’s nap. Very happy with how it turned out! Pretty must exactly as I had pictured- don’t you love it when that happens! I made the Floral Bag- small sized. The pattern was very simple and straightforward- basically just a few rectangles with curved bottoms and corner darts. I will definitely keep this pattern handy and use it again. Oh and the small turned out quite large so I definitely would not recommend a large unless you want super-size. I am looking forward to using some of the other patterns in this book as presents for family and friends. It is a great resource if you want a variety of styles of bags and purses.

Changes I made to the original pattern:

interfaced the lining instead of outer fabric
used mid-weight interfacing instead of light weight
added phone pocket inside
used two different fabrics on purse outer

Things to do differently next time:

Add more pockets!
Interface the straps so they are sturdier
It called for a magnetic snap and I decided to cut one out of an old purse and reuse that one. It didn’t turn out very pretty looking so next time, I will cover the old snap with new fabric.

This Weekend

Posted on July 9, 2012 by oliver's fancy

I always enjoy seeing a summary of other’s weekends and the random assortment of craftiness they have accomplished so I thought I would begin a series of weekend posts updating on the miscellaneous crafts/fun times that aren’t enough for a blog post in themselves.

Most of the pics will be instagram because that is how I roll these days…are you loving this app as much as I am?

First off, I worked on my quilt top some more this weekend. I really wanted to get more of it finished but began having some bobbin issues late Saturday evening and that was my cue to put it down for a bit. Right now I have almost 5 of the 9 blocks quilted! I am doing each block a different style of quilting to further the sampler quilt idea and give me more practice with free motion quilting. I was practicing with loops Saturday.

I worked on some more hoops for the etsy shop…having fun coming up with different ideas! It is teaching me tons about photography, marketing, and creativity and I really enjoy it. I am determined to keep this etsy experience fun and not drudgery so I am moving somewhat slowly but enjoying every minute of it! I have had some good views and favorites this past week and hoping they will move into some more sales soon!

I have had a purse planned out for several weeks now that I haven’t had time to get to and I decided this afternoon that I would work during the boys’ naps. I really wanted to finish it today, and I didn’t quite make it but I don’t think it will take me too much longer. Here’s a pic of my progress so far. I will blog about the purse and pattern I used when I finish. So far it is shaping up exactly how I envisioned which is super exciting for me!

And finally, not at all sewing related, we picked up my little brother from the airport today after his summer at a camp in California and I can’t resist sharing the super cute pic of the little man giving Uncle Alex a big hug!