chocolate lollipop

Wanna Play Catch?

| terriaw

I am excited to show you my new and cute fabric beach ball I made using these fabrics, which are some of my all-time favorites. The pattern was designed by Tanya Whelan of Grand Revival Designs, and was featured in this magazine (another of my favorites).

I liked the fact that the magazine included the template in the issue, rather than instructing readers to go to the website to download the pattern. Sometimes my toner is out on my printer, and I just can’t wait to print the pattern! The instructions were super simple to follow, and this went together with ease. I never know when to stop stuffing, but I think this one turned out pretty good. I am going to enlarge the template and make a bigger beach ball next time. For now, this ball is a good size for Dave and I to play catch with in my sewing room while he’s helping me brainstorm my next project.

Isn’t it sweet?! This was so simple, it could be another addicting project. OR, maybe I’ll make another one for a future giveaway when I reach my 100th post (hint hint). Stay tuned…

My New Lunch Bag

| terriaw

I finished making an adorable new lunch bag, which is based on the Simple Tote pattern from the Bend-the-Rules-Sewing book, using the Chocolate Lollipop fabrics designed by Anna Maria Horner.

I have made several other projects from this book, and now this lunch bag completes the set. This was another classic case of having this fabric sit on my sewing table for awhile, not wanting to cut into it because it’s so pretty to look at.

One of my favorite parts about this lunch bag is the lining, which is iron-on vinyl, ironed over the lining fabric.

Yes, iron-on vinyl! Isn’t that cool?! It was much easier to use than I anticipated. I was afraid of melting the vinyl and ruining my iron (which isn’t that great anyway so it would have been a good way to get a new one!). The directions that came with the vinyl were very clear and easy. I bought a yard of this vinyl from JoAnns, not knowing how much I would need, or how much I would like it.

The verdict is I like the vinyl very much and would definitely make more projects with it. I also love this pattern, with the clever idea of making one handle very short to wrap over the longer one, keeping the bag closed.

Thanks for these cool ideas, all you designers and inventors out there! I just wish someone at work would ask me about this awesome bag (so I could show it off in person a little more).

More Pillows

| terriaw

Okay, so a girl can never have enough bags. But she can never have enough pillows either, right?!

I haven’t been very motivated the past couple weeks to do much sewing (gasp!), probably because of our gardening projects, a conference in Chicago for work, and an upcoming vacation to the beach that is many years overdue. So I had a free day to work on some crafty projects, and this is what I came up with.

This pillow looks similar to the pillow I made last month out of the pink icing and azalea dot fabric from the Chocolate Lollipop collection designed by Anna Maria Horner, but this a better pillow form at 16 inches, I used the char brown icing and chartreuse sprinkle fabrics, and I added a ruffle edge, although the ruffle is not gathered. (I had some trouble figuring out how to attach the gathered ruffle to the fabric front, so I ungathered the ruffle and attached it. I have since figured out what I was doing wrong.)

I had another nice pillow form, so I made this one too:

Again, I used a different colorway of the Chocolate Lollipop fabrics in the banana icing and holly cool flower fabrics, and I added a ball fringe to the seams. I so very happy with how the fringe turned out. I was going to be lazy and just made a plain old vanilla (chocolate) pillow cover, but my husband insisted I challenge myself with more difficult sewing projects.

Thanks for the encouragement, Dave. I love the results!

Purse Set

| terriaw

Besides the curtains rods and pictures we hung last weekend, I finished several small projects, so I’m feeling a big sense of accomplishment these days.

First came the Artsy Clutch made from Chocolate Lollipop fabrics. I love this pattern from Amy Karol’s Bend-the-Rules Sewing. It’s an easy-to-follow pattern yet the simple design allows you room to create your own unique project. Or, you can let colorful creative fabric like this do the talking for you.

artsy clutch

inside of artsy clutch

Then came the No-Cash Wallet, also made from Chocolate Lollipop fabrics, using a modified version of the pattern from the same sewing book. After enlarging the pattern 140% as instructed, I still had to make the template wider to fit an ID or plastic card, which I just hand-sketched. It turned out great; I would make many more of these to match other handbags.

No-Cash Wallet

inside of No-Cash Wallet

Third came the zip bag, which I experimented with by adding a handle to make this one into a wrislet.

Zip purse with handle

I was not crazy about having to hand-stitch the lining to the zipper, so I would change that part of the pattern by machine sewing the exterior and interior fabrics to the zipper. I don’t mind hand sewing, but hand sewing a lining to a zipper is difficult, especially at the ends of the zipper.

inside of Zip bag

Finally, and best of all – The Purse, which I adore! This was loosely based on a pattern from a Sew Simple issue, which I changed for my own taste. The purse measures about 11 inches wide by 9 inches tall by 2 inches deep. I still have to sew on a button on each side where the snap closure is hidden, but I have to shop for more of those cute pink flower buttons shown above.

The Purse

inside lining and pocket

I’m so happy with how the handles turned out – pretty cool. Instead of using ribbon, I made small fabric tabs that measure about 1-1/2″ in length, attached them to 3/4″ D-rings, and sewed the tab ends in between the lining and purse fabrics. Then I made fabric strips and attached them to a D-ring on the same side to complete the handle.

the handles

I just love how this one turned out. I want to make more of this size purse, but I also want to cherish this one for now and show it off for a few more days. Hope you like my new handmade purse set as much as I do!

Pillow Project

| terriaw

I love love love the chocolate lollipop fabrics by Anna Maria Horner! Since I can’t get enough of these fabrics, I have been stockpiling them before the stores and online shops run out, and before Anna Maria’s next line of fabrics – Drawing Room – comes out (any day now). I have big plans for that line of fabric too! While trying to find space on my sewing chair… (silly cat!)

silly cat!

… I made this cute pillow for my sewing room. I used the pink icing fabric for the front side of a 16″ pillow form.

front of pillow

Here is the back of the pillow, using the azalea dotta polk fabric, which shows the envelope opening I made so I can change the cover as the mood strikes me. I sewed two tabs of Fabric Fusion evenly spaced on the under side of the edges to keep the back closed and neat.

back of pillow

Here is a close-up shot of the rick-rack trim I added around edge of the pillow, which I think turned out sooo cute! I had some extra wide hot pink rick-rack in my stash, and this seemed like the perfect way to use it. I struggled to sew it around the corners but after pinning, sewing, and turning, it turned out quite nice, if I do say so.

close-up of the rick-rack

With the fabric scraps, I made these coasters, which are so bright and cheerful to me. (I used the pattern from Amy Karol’s Bend-the-Rules-Sewing book.)

coasters

Can you tell I’m having a blast with these fabrics?! I have two more completed projects to photograph for another post, and three more projects in progress on my sewing table.