chimesblog

I’ve decided to make bags. Not just any bags, but super easy peasy awesomely fast bags. I won’t have them in time for this month’s Market Day, but I will have them for next month’s (assuming July doesn’t just breeze past me and slap me in the ass on the way out like June did).  The idea is to have a super cheap but adorable bag available for customers so they can have somewhere to store their goods (whether they be from me or from another vendor).  I’ve heard a lot of complaints about not having bags, but the advertisements do say to bring bags. So … yeah.

Anyway, I adapted Purl Bee’s 20-Minute Tote by making my own handles and ignoring the weight of the fabric as a factor. I’m just using whatever I’ve got. This one is a prototype — I’ll probably be using super ugly fabric for the rest of them to keep the cost down (I don’t want to use my pretty fabric on low-end jobs!).  I gave this one away with the baby shower gifts that I made last weekend.  Also, it does just take 20 minutes. Maybe less. I guess I’m kind of speedy, but whatever. I read somebody complaining about how it doesn’t take 20 minutes somewhere on their blog, but I’d like to state that it totally does. So there. Or something.

Ta da! It’s made from the gobs and gobs of Michael Miller Lava Flowers fabric I have leftover from last year’s binge.  I’m soooo sick of this print! It made an adorable bag though.

In honor of the 3-day weekend and of our forefathers… I’m having an Etsy sale! As always, shipping to Des Moines and Ames is free, just contact me beforehand to arrange a pickup/dropoff.

Feel free to share this around!

Here are items that are on sale:
Wonderland Quilt

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27132485

Lotsa Hearts Bag

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26505809

Flowers and Music White Fiestaware Cup/Saucer

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25808834

Birdies and Coffee Cup

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25807559

Flower Fiesta Bowls

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25796749

Tea Time with Gram Cup and Saucer

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25796541

Birdies and Coffee Cup and Saucer

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25796407

Custom Etsy Banner/Avatar

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22289621

That’s right!  I’m doing another giveaway.  I was planning to do one each month, but I realize now that it’s only been 11 days since my last giveaway…. oh well!  I’m excited and want to do another one!

Up for grabs this time is a one of these lovely little zipper bags.

HOW TO ENTER

I’ve been sewing profusely this week and have crafted up 8 little zipper bags ala Moda Bake Shop’s awesome tutorial. I used scraps of this incredible fabric that Adria had given me after her log cabin mermaid quilt was completed. Wow, how many links and credits can I fit into one sentence??

Anywho, I got going and couldn’t stop. I have enough fabric leftover to make a BUNCH more. These are all going to my girlies (I think 8 should suffice!) but I might make more and sell them for somewhat cheap on Etsy and maybe at my next craft show!

Thoughts? 

Also, I’d like to mention that technically these are quilted!  yay for my crappy $90 sewing machine!

last night I decided to get the sewing machine out in the first time in a long time! (yay! I love sewing!)  I haven’t had time to sew in the past few weeks because I was getting ready for Market Day, which was especially sad because my friend Adria had just given me two HUGE bags of stash fabric and some scraps from her mermaid quilt. I’ve been pining over my sewing machine. 

Anywho… me and the sewing machine totally hung out last night. 

I’v e been wanting to make this bag ever since I discovered the moda bake shop last week (thanks to Adria, of course). For those of you who don’t know what Moda is…it’s a fabric manufacturer. The bake shop gives “recipes” for different things to do with their fabric. Kind of self-serving…but hey, they have incredible step-by-step tutorials, so I love it!

I got out the scraps from Adria’s mermaid quilt last night, a chunk of yellow fabric and some felt stuff that I figured would work just fine for “batting” since I’m not really making a quilt…and went to town.  It was pretty fun. All the while I was watching Sixteen Candles on Encore.

Here’s what I came up with so far. Nothing too exciting. I need to go get some zippers and some more batting material so I can finish these. I have enough fabric to make a ton of these…but I was planning to make one for my mom and all my girlfriends. Although, I don’t know if they all like pink as much as I do.  

Oh, um, did I mention this piece was my FIRST ATTEMPT AT QUILTING???? eeeee!  It went pretty well. I don’t have a walking foot, but I’m going to get one now. I totally think I could quilt my hardcore quilt top!

That is all.

I recently started sewing again (my machine had been broken for a year or so) and I’ve been making some bags. I’ve been trying to make a bag based on this tutorial. So far, I’ve been unsuccessful because I have such a hard time sewing the fabric on the handles and getting it to stay.  This is what I came up with for my mom for mother’s day:

inside of bag (with pockets)

close up of stitching on handles.  You can see where the fabric puckered out and didn’t stay put.  Also, I don’t like how I can’t get a clean circle on the handles.

At least not yet.

I’ve been TRYING to make this purse, but haven’t had any luck getting it just right yet. My biggest problem is the handles. I’ve made 2 bags so far. One was for my mom and the other was originally for a birthday gift for a friend but I decided it wasn’t good enough and gave it away as a non-b-day gift to another friend (who hasn’t gotten it yet, but should today).

Anyway, the issue is the handles, like I said. I can’t quite seem to get them sewn right. I have to tuck the fabric in and it never seems to stay. It gets all bunchy and angle-y and in some places it just plain comes out and the raw edge shows.

Here’s my latest venture. I haven’t put the handles on or attempted to SEW handles just yet because this is the best bag I’ve done so far. I am thinking I might do something different, like add a zipper and a wide band of pink fabric around the top that goes into a handle off the side (like a clutch). I just don’t know how to go about doing that.

Kinda scared to try to add handles of any kind.

Kinda forgot to add pockets... oops. Next time: pockets.