Bag #1: Ladybug Mini Purse!

simplicitybags%285%29-2011-04-5-22-00.jpg

This is the first ladybug design I made. I was at the beach on vacation with my family. Yes, I even take my sewing machine with me on vacation.

At the time, I just wanted a pouch for my flip cell phone and keys. I drew a few ideas out and then set to work. The original top zipper worked great with the flip phone but as I upgraded my phone I realized I need to make the zipper opening larger. So I moved the zipper to the side and the rest is history.

The fabrics are a Dab of Jazz by Gail Fountain and Maywood Studios. I tried to make the lines on the fabrics to look as if they were one continuous piece. This Ladybug Mini Purse will be shipped off to Simplicity this week along with 4 other beautiful creations!

More sneak peeks to come...

Comments

Bethany said…

Wow!! That's made of awesome!
And it definitely is making me think again about bringing my Janome down the shore in July :)

April 5, 2011 at 10:55 PM

Lynne in NC said…

Leah,
It's awesome that you will be in the Simplicity catalog! I cannot wait to 'geek' out in the store when I see your pattern(s) in the book :)
all the best!

April 6, 2011 at 5:56 AM

Sweet Coin Purse Tutorial for Teacher Gifts

This time of year is so special to me because I get to show my gratitude for all of the hard work that goes into teaching my daughters. I love to make handmade gifts and this year is no exception. Since money does not grow on trees around here, I looked at my stash (I keep my scraps in hat boxes ) and tried to see what I had a lot of; small zippers, trims, Peltex strips ( from making iPad cases ), fabric scraps and some hardware for key fobs. So I set to work. Materials: Plastic multipurpose 5" Zipper Fabric Scraps Lightweight interfacing 808 Pellon Trims (We clipped key fobs with 1.5" swivel hooks onto our coin purses . There are tons of tutorials on making key fobs .) Step 1: Print out the Coin Purse Template PDF. Cut 2 main fabric, cut 2 lining and 2 interfacing using the template. Optional: Cut a 2"X2" square of your choice main fabric or lining. This strip of fabric is used to clip a key fob to your coin purse later....

Veruca Salt Dress

Every year we perform a musical and one of the highlights for me as a theater mom and seamstress is I get to make costumes! I love sewing and when I can sew for a show or for a music reason it is awesome! This year was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and I was able to recreate Veruca's red dress. The first step is to find a sewing pattern that I can manipulate to look like what the character needs. I wanted to make the dress out of Pont de Roma fabric so it moved with the actress. Then I remembered the Marianne Dress by Christine Haynes , it is perfect because it also had a peter pan collar. The peter pan collar did have some issues. I did not want a t-shirt binding. Also, the back of the collar did not have a collar. I drafted a back collar piece and since the opening was not stretchy, I created a keyhole with a button and loop closure. I lengthened the sleeves and used the cuffs from the pattern for long sleeves. Next, we added the buttons! We al...

Fun in the Sun Mermaid Tutorial

Sewing Materials: 1/4 yard of Lycra or 5T or larger old swimsuit Thread Stretch Needle (helps) Sewing Machine and Sewing Notions Print the PDF patterns pieces out and tape them together. ✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄ ✄✄✄✄ ✄✄ Step 1: Cutting Layout- Place the templates over the fabric and cut. ✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄ ✄✄✄✄ ✄✄ Step 2: Fold the top edges of the mermaid tail and sew across. ✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄ ✄✄✄✄ ✄✄ Step 3: Place the mermaid tale pieces right sides together. Sew around the mermaid tail using the stretch stitch, it looks like a bolt of lighting. ✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄ ✄✄✄✄ ✄✄ Step 4: Flip the mermaid tail right side out using a chopstick. Option: You can add Poly-fil to make the end of the tale puffy. Set aside. ✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄ ✄✄✄✄ ✄✄ Bodice Step 1: Cut a bodice measuring 4.5” X1.5” or use template. ✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄✄ ✄✄✄✄ ✄✄ Step 2: Fold the bodice right sides together and sew the short ends making a loop. Use the e...

Sew Spoiled

Search This Blog