home dec

New Bags, Just For Me

| terriaw

In case you’ve been wondering whether I still sew, the answer is yes, I sew a lot. Most of the stuff I’ve been making lately has been fun goodies for my shop.

I have been carrying around this small clutch for the past few months.

I love this little clutch, but it’s actually better for going out at night, not for carrying all my usual purse stuff and a few extras when traveling. So I decided I needed a new purse.

I wanted something a little bigger to fit a sketchbook. It’s an 11-inch square just like these other purses I made for my shop. It has darts in the bottom corners to expand the inside of the purse just enough to hold my purse goodies.

I also wanted something youthful and a little funky, but still functional. In my true style, I always like to add piping for that extra finished touch. This bag has a zipper pocket inside to hold loose items, and an open pocket on the other side to slip in a notebook.

That’s what I came up with – fun, isn’t it?! I really love it.

I have also been wanting to make a messenger bag to carry art supplies when traveling.

I wanted this bag to be big enough to fit a sketchbook and drawing and painting tools. Since I couldn’t find a pattern I was in love with, I made up my own pattern for this bag, which measures 13 inches wide by 11 inches tall.

Once again, I wanted this bag to be youthful and fun, while still being functional. I like having the long natural webbing strap to sling across my shoulder.

I added a little pocket with velcro closure on the inside of the flap to hold my headphones.

This one is just the ticket! I used a print from the Drawing Room home dec collection by Anna Maria Horner for the outside and a print from her Garden Party collection for the lining. I wish all home dec fabric were this soft and lovely to work with! Hmm, wonder if she has plans to do more home dec fabrics.

Speaking of headphones, I made a tiny little pouch to store my headphones in my purse.

To give you perspective, I used a 4-inch zipper on this one! That is small. But it’s a great way to keep my headphones from getting tangled and tossed about in my purse. It is big enough to fit an ID and credit card, so I could also use this as a wallet.

It’s always fun to have new purses!

A New Bag For a Trip

| terriaw

Why is it that every time I go on a trip, which isn’t that often, I feel like I need to make a new bag for that trip?

I can’t pinpoint where the inspiration for this bag came from. Maybe I dreamed it. I really just wanted to play with some of the home dec fabrics I have in my stash, which seem perfect for bags. I loved this color combination of brown, teal and green, so I kept the outside embellishment simple with random zig-zag quilting lines using teal thread.

I also wanted a tote bag bigger than what I normally make. This prototype came out to measure an 11-inch square, big enough to carry all my purse stuff and fit a paperback inside too.

I wanted a long strap to sling this across my shoulders, but I didn’t have enough strapping for that style. So I made two straps instead, which I think I will like better anyway. It feels more sturdy and I like being able to tuck it underneath my arm. I’m super happy with how this turned out, so I’m hoping to add this one to my repertoire.

Our annual trip to New York City for my birthday bash is upon us, so I hope to see you back here in a few days!