Sewing Party Projects

This past weekend I got together with a bunch of friends at the local library for a sewing/craft party.  We had coffee and snacks and all brought projects we wanted to work on and fabric we wanted to trade or give away.  One girl was teaching crochet techniques, another was hand sewing a doll, and several of us had our sewing machines and were finishing up half-started projects.

Here's what I accomplished that night; A little bunny wristlet and a few vintage fabric key chains.

I had cut most of the pieces for this little pouch years ago, but as with many projects, it got stuck in a drawer and forgotten.  I love this vintage children's fabric (its a 1940's Puritan Print called "Mail Time") and have used many of the cute little scenes before.  On this wristlet I used the bunny on the front and a strip with the bluebird on the back.

I also tried out some new key chain hardware.  This was just another way to use up tiny scraps of vintage fabric that I can't throw away.  I only needed about a 1.5 inch strip for these.

It was a fun and fairly productive evening.  I wish I would have remembered to take some pictures while I was there, but apparently I felt the need to defend my title as "World's Worst Blogger".  lol
Have a great week everyone!

Blue Cut Velvet Boho Bag

I apologize for yet another bag post. But honestly, its been so long since I've spent any quality time in the sewing room, I got a little carried away. :-)For this bag I used one of my favorite cut velvets. Its a gorgeous blue design on a shimmery beige ground. Although still an upholstery fabric, this one is a little more supple and probably dates a little older than some of the other cut velvets that I've been using. It, too, goes well with the corduroy and I've outfitted it with the same features (interior zip pocket, magnetic snap closure, and long cross-body strap). With the left over pieces, I made a small matching zip pouch. This bag is available on Etsy.

Vintage Floral Velvets for Fall

Vintage printed velvets from the 1970's become new zip pouches. They are in pretty fall colors and have fun poppy and daisy floral designs. Available on Etsy and the website... more coming soon. :-)

New Vintage Velvets for Fall

I was thrilled to be able to buy more of these wonderful vintage cut velvet or sculpted velvet upholstery fabrics a couple of weeks ago. They are from the same local estate that the others came from. A talented woman, who did freelance upholstery work for years, had acquired many, many lovely fabrics. Her daughter has been working to clear the house and fabrics and was so sweet to contact me again. Some are large pieces cut from bolts, and others are swatch size pieces, which are great for wristlets and pouches, and many have multiple colorways.

There are cut velvets ( or raised velvets, sculpted chenilles, not sure of the correct term)...

printed velvets...

And my favorite, the multi colored floral velvets! Here are just a few...


I have 2-3 large bins filled with these types velvets as well as other damasks, brocades, and

matelasse. Needless to say, I've been busy sorting and hand washing these beautiful textiles and creating new wristlet and bag designs for the fall and winter seasons.

Have a great week and happy sewing, everyone!

Eyeglass Case and Coin Purse Sets

My vintage scrap fabric bin was getting a little too full again, so I had to sew up a few small accessories. For these sets I used a few of my 1960's fabrics. I thought they would be fun for summer. I think this green and blue is my favorite of the bunch. I made an extra sunglasses case for myself. :-)
These are available on the website, but if you have some pretty scraps you need to use up, why not make yourself a new set to take to the pool. :-)

Let's Sew a Zippered Pouch ~ A Tutorial

After hearing several comments from readers that they had never sewn in a zipper before or were intimidated by the thought of installing a zipper, I decided to put together a little tutorial.
I should preface this 'How-to" by saying that it may not be the only way or even the best way to do it. I'm mostly a self-taught, learn by trial and error, kind of sewist, so precede at your own risk. LOL

Go and gather up your materials (list below) and we'll do a fun project together. Go on...I'll wait...

What you'll need:
*2 pieces of outer fabric fused with interfacing and 2 pieces lining fabric all cut to the same size. (I think mine are 9.5" x 6.5", but this method will work with any size, even a small change purse.)
*A zipper (with nylon? teeth, not metal). (As you can see in the pictures, my zipper is longer than my fabric, which is not a problem. But, ideally you want the full length of the zipper, including the tails, to be at least as wide as your fabric.) Helpful tip: A zipper is sized by the length of the teeth, so figure that a 7"zipper is really 8-8.5"L including the tails. A 9" zipper is 10-10.5"L including the tails, and so on.
*Pins
*A zipper foot and regular foot for your machine

Ok, is everyone ready? Start by layering your first side: a piece of lining face up, zipper face up, and outer fabric face down. Line up top edges and pin.

Using your zipper foot, sew across the top. When you near the end before the zipper pull, stop with your needle down in the fabric. Lift the presser foot and open the zipper so the pull is out of your way. Lower the foot and continue sewing to the end.
Now, fold back the fabrics and press. Next, layer the second side. Lining fabric face up, zipper face up, outer fabric face down.Line up top edges and pin. This time the zipper pull will be in your way right off the bat, so go ahead and open it up a bit before you start sewing.Again, when you get to the pull, stop with the needle down in the fabric, close it back up and continue sewing to the end. Fold back and press. This is what your piece should look like.At this point put the regular foot back on your machine and decide if you want to add a loop tab or label or if you want to top stitch. Usually if I'm using quilt weight fabrics I don't top stitch, but with heavier barkcloth or decorator fabric I will.

Optional top stitching, loop, and label: To top stitch, sew through the top and lining fabrics. With heavier or bulky fabrics this helps to keep them out of the way of the zipper.If you add loop tab or label, be sure to sew them to the outer fabric only.

Now, very important step...open the zipper to an inch or so from the edge of the fabric.

Pin the 2 outer fabrics right sides together and the 2 lining fabrics right sides together. The teeth of the zipper will be pointing toward the lining.
Sew around all 4 edges, leaving a small opening in the bottom of the lining. I also backstitch over the zipper on each side for added strength.Now you can clip the corners and trim off any excess zipper if yours was longer, like mine.
Reach inside the lining opening and turn right side out. Sew up the opening in the lining. Press and TaDa!...you've made a zippered pouch. :-)See, wasn't that easy?

This project is also part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Click the link above to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

More Vintage Cut Velvet Chenille ~ Clutches

Yes, my obsession with this vintage cut velvet, sculpted chenille type upholstery fabric continues. :-)

After purchasing a piece of fabric earlier this month, the seller graciously included these fabric pieces. I immediately set out with my new purchased fabric and these fun freebies to find coordinating prints to use as linings.Mission accomplished! I found these two Japanese floral prints; the blue is from Joann's Kimono Collection and the orange is from a local quilt shop (didn't get the maker). They both have gold accents which help to tie in with the slight shimmer of the upholstery fabric.
I turned the lovely cerulean blue into a fold over clutch with magnetic snap closure.
And the orange became a small zippered hand clutch with a hidden back strap.

I have a couple of small home projects planned for later this week, so hopefully I'll be able to share them with you soon.

This project is part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Kim has a fun project oriented link event! Pop over to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

Eye Glass Case and Change Purse ~ Sew Fun

This is just a fun and quick little set I put together for one of my website customers. A small zippy change purse and matching sunglass/eyeglass case. For this set I used a fun vintage fabric from the 1960-70's. A small 4" zipper in my stash was the perfect size for the coin pouch, and a fusible fleece scrap was all that was needed to provide the padding for the eyeglass case.
This is also part of The Twice Remembered Cottage "Make Your Monday" link event. Kim

has started up her fun project oriented link event again! Click the link above to see all the fun things bloggers are making this week.

Have a great week everyone and happy sewing!

What I've Been Sewing ~ Cosmetic Bags

I needed a cosmetic bag. I have a drawer full of make-up, but use the same 6 or so items everyday, so I wanted a small bag to hold these few daily essentials.
Something pretty that I could grab quickly and throw in my purse if I was going to be gone all day. Oh, and a little loop would be handy if I wanted to hang it conveniently near my magnifying mirror, so I added a small loop of rick rack. After I made one for myself, I was on a roll and the rest just sort of happened. LOL

The first ones I made were out of some of my Sisboom fabrics by Jennifer Paganelli (love, love that pink and aqua toile from one of her earlier lines) and a cheery sunflower print from Heather Bailey.
I also found some pretty Amy Butler Lotus fabric in my stash. I think this was my favorite print of that line and had it in just about every colorway. The extras will be in the Etsy shop. Or if you want to make one of your own, it is a very easy project and I'm sure there are many tutorials just a google search away. Never sewn in a zipper before?...This is the perfect project to practice that skill, as well.
Enjoy the weekend, everyone and Happy sewing!