a new purse-wallet

I guess I will call it a purllet.

I was inspired to make this double-flex-frame purllet by this really expensive clutch and a friend who had a double-framed wallet.

The fabric was a scrap given to me by a friend who had a skirt/dress made out of it in Ghana by this company.

I added a flush zip pocket to the inside to store goods and used the same technique to add a cash pocket and card slots (I lined the card slots with laminated cotton to help the cards stay put). I also inserted magnets to keep the purllet closed when not in use.

The flex-frame pockets are made with a recycled tape measure rather than an actual flex frame [because I am too impatient to wait and cheap to pay for them to be shipped to me], and one pocket contains a zippered change pouch.

Thanks to this tape measure for giving its life to this awesome little accessory. The remaining portion of the tape measure is underneath all that duct tape - I learned my lesson in securing it when it shot across the living room :) (I used a narrower 12' tape, not the 25' one) (PS, these things are harder to destruct than one would think.)

I was so happy to move into this new purllet - it's so convenient and the perfect size for all the regular items.

I'm contemplating writing a pattern for this guy :)

Happy Monday!

Mary

blossom shoulder bag

Linking to Quiltstory's Fabric Tuesday (yay it's back! congrats to the block party winners!)

more than a yard of leftover raincoat fabric was just begging for a bag pattern.



That's where the blossom bag pattern from Amy Butler comes in (free at Sew Mama Sew!). I can't pass up free, but I also suspect that Ms. Butler has stock in interfacing because I ended up with 3/4 yards leftover timtex. I needed practice sewing littler things, cleaning up my stitching and improving my patience. Note: not a good idea when I already have an aversion to raincoat fabric (you can now add timtex to that list of aversions).

Anyway, it's done, it's pretty enough, and it's springtime. Which brings me to my next topic: I did not get enough of the first go-round with the raincoat pattern, so I am remaking it with these non-raincoat home decor beauties:



I learned my lesson and cut a half-yard of fabric off the requirements. What do you know, I still have almost a yard left. Seriously, such waste, both $$ and cotton (and we all know cotton is scarce this year).  There are only so many things I can have that are made out of green houndstooth (or now innocent crush).

Question: Are all patterns this wasteful? Or just particular designers?

The Boyfriend Bag

So named for its fabric and its function :) Linking to Quiltstory's Fabric Tuesday today.



This bag was made especially for a cousin's daughter. She's in her first year in college. Y'all remember those times...wanting to assert independence, while at the same time just wanting to go home and eat your favorite meal with your parents? So maybe that was only true in my life, who knows...  Anyway, this gal was also having a rough first semester, missing her boyfriend, dealing with her crazy roommate. I wanted to send her some love, and when I came across this fabric in the home dec remnants, it just screamed her name. Doesn't it look like those 'boyfriend shirt' stripes? I brought it home with the intent of making a purse, but why stop there. I made this full-sized duffle bag, one that she can fill up with a weekend's worth of stuff to get away from the dorms for a while, and perhaps go to her boyfriend's school a few hours away (disclaimer - I maintain that did not aid and abed any fraternization :) ).

Shhhh...don't tell anyone, but that person on the right in the next photo? That's John Deere himself. I used his fleece print to add some umph to the bag. Notice: there are two layers of the inside fabric to cover up the print on the fleece. I am really not into Mr. Deere, but this stuff was only $3 a yard, and at one point I needed a lot of umph-adding fleece. My hubs thought it would be funny to buy a ridiculous print for secret (one time, we ended up with power rangers), but then tell everyone about it instead of keeping the secret. ha.



If you want more info on how I constructed the bag, just let me know!

Thanks for reading, hope to see you back :)
Mary

Modern Meadow Wallet v1.0

I made this pretty little thing based on Noodlehead's gathered clutch tutorial (you know, only the most popular thing with a zipper).



It is a wallet, in case you haven't guessed, made out of Joel Dewberry's Modern Meadow (also been around the block a few times). It is held together by a sewn-in elastic piece (a headband gave its life for that). Let me tell you, this was my first up-close-and-personal interaction with my machine. By that I mean really small pieces. This might explain my lack of intricacy and precision. Perhaps I should have put on the old reading glasses. Here is a little view of the inside pre-construction.



I'll be honest, I loved this thing for a couple days, but the headband started to unravel (yikes!) so my cards keep slipping out. No good. I hope to try again soon to make this little guy a replacement. For now, it just stays tucked away in my purse 24/7, lest I lose a credit card or five.

cheers!
Mary