There are quite a few bag tutorials on the internet these days, but I have to say that the Buttercup Bag from Made by Rae is one of the best (and cutest!) I’ve ever come across.  I saw photos and references to this tutorial on several blogs, and just couldn’t resist it.  Rae provides a beautifully done pattern and instructions for download, and this bag is not only easy, but requires very little fabric as well.  If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you know that I usually change things up a bit when I use other crafters’ patterns.  My only changes here were strap length and construction, the use of a button loop on one bag instead of a magnetic snap, and the addition of heavyweight interfacing on my bag linings.

On both bags, I made the straps with a 5″-wide strip of fabric folded in half lengthwise, then in half again (with raw edges on the inside), and topstitched both edges.  I attached the ends of the straps between the lining and the outside, instead of sewing them to the outside of the bag.  One bag has a shoulder strap, and the other strap is shorter.  I will probably omit the strap on the next one I make.

If you carry a lot of stuff in your bag, this one probably won’t work for you, but it’s so much fun to make, you might want to make a few for gifts.

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I apologize for my lengthy absence from this blog.  I never intended to be away for so long, but due to a physically demanding part-time job with often grueling hours, and an all-out search for a full-time job that won’t kill me, I’ve lacked the time, energy, and motivation to sew.  I decided over the weekend that sewing might make me feel a little better, and since I had come across this great tutorial from Cicada Daydreams, I thought I’d dust off the sewing machine and give it a try.  I’m so glad I did! Not only did I make myself a great little tote bag, but now I also feel like I can begin to take on other sewing projects again without being overwhelmed.

I call this tote bag “little” because it’s not your typical shopping-size bag.  It finished to approximately 11-1/2″ x 9″ x 3″, which is still large enough to hold some reading materials and a few other essentials.  One thing I really like about this design is the accent fabric on the bottom, which also serves to make the bag sturdier.  I made my bag as directed in the tutorial, except that I fused lightweight interfacing to my lining because my floral fabric was very soft, and I used a different construction technique* for the strap.

Even if you’re not interested in sewing a tote bag, do go take a look at Cicada Daydreams.  It’s a lovely blog.

*Strap construction - I cut two 4″ x 13″ strips, pressed the long raw edges to the center, then folded in half and pressed again to enclose the raw edges. I then top-stitched the long edges. This resulted in sturdy 1″-wide straps.

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Thanks to everyone who dropped by and entered my OWOH giveaway. I enjoyed reading your comments (all 311 of them!).  I hope those of you who didn’t win here found some luck at one of the other 910 participating blogs.  To choose my winners, I used the random number generator at random.org.  The winner of the wristlet key fob is Vanessa from comment #281, and the scarf goes to Suzy, the 205th commenter. The winners have been notified, and their prizes will be on the way this week.  Vanessa and Suzy both have blogs as well, so be sure to take a peek at their lovely blogs.

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Today marks the beginning of the One World One Heart Giveaway.  If you didn’t participate last year, let me tell you now, you won’t want to miss it this year. From now through February 12th, you’ll have the opportunity to enter hundreds of giveaways, simply by visiting participating blogs and leaving a comment.  The rules vary from one blog to another, so be sure you read each giveaway post for details. (Note: As of 5 p.m. on January 29th, there are 732 giveaways on the list. Amazing!)

 For my giveaway, there will be 2 winners, both drawn by a random number generator.  One winner will receive the wristlet key fob pictured above, and another will receive a 5-1/2″ x 60″ cotton scarf (also pictured).  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post (and this post only!) before midnight Central Time on February 12th, and you will be entered in the drawing.  Depending on how many comments I get, I may add a 3rd prize.  You don’t need to have your own blog in order to enter my giveaway, but you will need to leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. 

When you leave a comment, there’s a space where you can enter your email.  I’m the only one who can see this, so don’t worry about it being posted for the whole world to see. Alternatively, you can provide the url for your website or blog (if you have one) in the space provided on the comment form, as long as there’s a way for me to contact you there.

I will draw the winner and notify her/him on February 13th.

OK, a recap of my rules:
1. Leave a comment on this post.  Don’t leave it on any of my other posts, because it won’t count.
2. Make sure you have a valid email so I can contact you if you’re a winner.
3. Comment before midnight Central Time on February 12th.
4. That’s it!

After you comment here, go over to the OWOH website for a list of currently participating bloggers. Be sure to visit their sites and enter their giveaways as well — no telling how many prizes you might win!

I’m having a giveaway on my other blog as well (Lenny da Vinci), where the prize is one of my embellished fabric pins, so be sure to stop by over there and enter.

If you’re not feeling lucky, or you don’t want to wait til the drawing, both the key fob and the scarf are also available, at the time of this writing, in my Etsy shop.

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Etsy is such a great place to find unique products, and a lot of sellers are using repurposed materials to create fun and functional items for sale in their shops.  Dolley Madison is a new Etsy seller who does exactly that.  Head on over to her shop and get yourself one of these handmade journals that she has fashioned from VHS boxes (remember VHS?).  I love this Superman journal!  While you’re there you can also pick up a handmade knitting needle case, sewn from the prettiest gold embroidered fabric.  Now, go shop!

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See you back here on Monday!

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I usually greet the New Year with enthusiasm. No resolutions, just excitement over a fresh span of time stretching out in front of me, waiting for new projects and ideas.  But so far, I’ve had a bit of a motivation problem in 2009, with little energy to execute the ideas that I do have.  The solution, I know, is to start with something simple that stands half a chance of being completed instead of being put away after only a few stitches, never to see the light of day again.

This Classic Tote from Sew, Mama, Sew! was exactly what I needed. It’s a simple, unlined shopping tote that’s sturdy enough to hold up to some rough treatment at the supermarket.  My favorite feature is the use of French seams, which not only hide the raw edges of the fabric, but add some strength to the bag as well.  I made two of these in one short evening, with minor changes to the instructions.  I left off the pocket and made the bag slightly smaller because I wanted to cut both totes from a very limited amount of fabric.  I also made the handles shorter, because I’m short and more often than not, my shopping bags end up dragging the ground.

Now that I’m back in the creative saddle, I’ll be working on an easy bag with an exterior pocket, which I hope to show you in a couple of days.

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I think this bag is going to be my favorite.  I love that you can open it almost flat to easily find your stuff.  I won’t be using it as a handbag because it might be too easy for small items to fall out, but it’s called a picnic bag, and it will be perfect for carrying snacks to the beach.  Since on occasion it will likely be holding a significant amount of weight, I will be doing something to reinforce the handles, and I may use another method to attach the handles on the next one I make.

You can find a pattern and instructions for the picnic bag, along with some other great tutorials, at sewtakeahike.

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I found this fabric basket tutorial (courtesy of vlijtig) a couple of weeks ago and have been saving it for when I needed a simple but effective project. Tonight I carved out some time and completed one of these in less than an hour.  That time included doing some calculations to convert metric to inches, plus taking a phone call from my mother.  You can probably complete yours in about 30 minutes if you have all your materials ready to go ahead of time, and if you don’t forget to do things like attaching the interfacing before you sew up the lining.  Not that I ever do stuff like that (actually, yes, all the time). I’m blaming that on my heavily medicated condition at the moment, which is a result of refusing to seek medical attention when I knew I was too sick to get well on my own.

The tutorial measurements are metric, so I converted them to inches (sort of) before cutting my fabrics.  Since it’s hard to measure decimals on the typical U.S. ruler, I adjusted the measurements a little bit.  I cut my pieces as follows:

Fabric A: 8-3/4″ x 2-1/2″ (2 pieces)
Fabric B: 8-3/4″ x 7-7/8″
Fabric C: 8-3/4″ x 11-7/8″
Interfacing: 8-3/4″ x 11-7/8″

Instead of ribbon I made tabs out of fabric, finished to 1″ wide.

And here’s a photo of what I’m really using this basket for - to organize the pharmaceutical chaos on my desk.  You didn’t really think I have baskets of pretty thread sitting around on my sewing table, did you?

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As much as I like a zip pouch, I quickly grow tired of the basic pouch with a zipper along the top edge. So I’ve been trying to mix it up a little bit, yet still keep it simple.  When I saw this tutorial over at Javajem Knits, I knew this would be my next zip pouch.  Jody’s tutorial is for a larger pouch than I needed, so I modified the size and cut my fabrics as follows:

Front portion above the zipper - 1-1/2″ x 5″ (1 each of outer fabric, lining, and interfacing)
Front portion below the zipper - 2-3/4″ x 5″ (1 each of outer fabric, lining, and interfacing)
Back - 4-1/4″ x 5″ (again, 1 each of outer fabric, lining, and interfacing)

The finished size of my pouch is approximately 3-3/4″ x 5″.  Credit cards fit into it nicely.

For my strap, I cut a 10-1/2″ x 2″ strip, and ran it through my 1″ tape maker to fold it before pressing into a 1/2″-wide strip and topstitching the edges. 

I made my first pouch slightly narrower, forgetting that the head of the zipper would take up a little space and make the opening smaller.  It’s a tight squeeze for a credit card, so I cut the pieces for my remaining pouches 5″ wide.  And somehow, I didn’t notice that I cut my strap too long, so it ended up way too long to stay easily on my wrist.  To shorten it, I simply tied a knot in the end, and I really like the way it looks.  The side tab on my test pouch didn’t help me much with opening and closing the zipper, so I left it off all the others.  But if I make this in a larger size, I’ll probably include the tab.

Go ahead and try a few of these!  They’re easy and require very little fabric, and make nice little purse organizers or a way to carry some cash and a credit card without hauling around a larger bag.

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