Halloween Bag

Halloween Bag
Originally uploaded by sewspurses

Here is the inside.

Halloween bag

Halloween bag
Originally uploaded by sewspurses

I made myself a bag for Halloween. I really enjoyed making this bag using a McCall's pattern. It has green interior with Halloweeen fabric pockets lines in green. the inside gusset is Halloween and I put a key loop and magnetic closure on tabs.

Adrinda bag Pattern by ithinksew

I found this PDF pattern on Etsy and bought it the other day. I really enjoyed making it and I love the shape. I used heavier fabrics for it but also lightly interfaced the outside fabric. The handles are braided, which added a cute touch.

This shows the inside with a zippered pocket and on the other side of the lining is a slip in pocket. You can also see the handles.

I had a question about the inside zippered pocket as I could not tell from the pattern exactly how she did it. we wrote back and forth and finally I went ahead as I had previously done them.

Then she mentioned another file I should have had and sent it to me,. it all worked out and I like her and the pattern and the attention she gave me.

The Peace Sign Bag

This is the back of the Peace Sign bag by Sweet Seams. I love this pattern too and love the way it turned out. This is one continuous pocket with 3 divisions-2 of which have button closures and the third has no closure but a little button closed pocket on the outside of it. It has pockets on the sides too.

This is a good view of the front, on which is supposed to be appliqued the peace sign. i chose to leave it off for now. You can see the side pocket too.

Around the top is a drawstring to cinch it up alittle or a lot or not at all. Your choice.

On the inside there is one tiny pocket for keys. Pockets are really not needed on the inside. Although you could put them when you make your own.
I put a tiny bit of the outside fabric around the bottom of the lining pieces because I thought it was too short. Turns out when I had it together it was not too short, so I ended up pulling the extra fabric on the top of the lining to the outside -making it a couple inches taller. I kind of like the "happy mistake" as George calls it.
It seems like every time I make something=no matter how hard I try to do it perfect and follow the pattern instructions= I make a few alterations, no pun intended.
The fabrics are Moda on the outside and free Spirit on the inside.

The Carrie Bag with a button closure

I think this really helped me love this bag pattern even more.  It is wide and sort of gaped open and now it is perfect.

These are McCall's patterns I think but called Sweet seams and really simple and easy to follow and on paper not the brown flimsey tissue paper.

The Carrie Bag by sweet Seams

The inside and a clearer picture of the outside maybe.

The Carrie Bag by Sweet Seams

I made this bag very quickly because it is the best pattern with wonderful directions and diagrams. I really love the way she wrote it.

I used the fabrics from the Celia line for Benartex.

This is the third time I have written this post and keep accidentally hitting enter and it goes away. LOL

International quilt festival in Cincinnati. Ohio

I went last week to this event with my husband and we had a wonderful time. The quilts were marvelous and the vendors were so friendly and helpful. Of course, i shopped and bought tons of fabric and 16 purse patterns and a few other little things.
I will take pictures and post. i took them once and this week my computer crashed the hard drive and I had to get a new hard drive. I lost everything on my computer......
Guess I will start over.

My faborite Bag ++ Kati Cupcake Pattern

I finished making this bag and boy was it a struggle. The pattern calls for fusible fleece on outside pieces and inside and the outside pockets and part of the inside and the bottom and also heavy duty on the bottom.

I have 2 favorite sewing machines. Baby Lock is my favorite, but it couldn't sew through the layers - even with a walking foot and a size 16 denim needle.

So, not to be undone or done in, I switched to my Janome 11,000 with a walking foot and size 16 needle. which I promptly broke-the needle that is- and the walking foot came off of its own accord. I discovered I had attached the walking foot incorrectly.

So, I got the WF on right and added a size 18 denim needle- just in case- and the Janome pulled through.

This bag also has 8 grommets that go through outside and inside, which was an ordeal.

Then after I got it almost finished and was ready to install the grommets, the inside pockets were too tall and bumping into where the grommets would be. So, I had to removed some of the separating stitching to make room.

The purse is so thick, I had a terrible time isntalling the grommets.

If I make it again, I will not use fusible fleece on everything but will use lightweight fusible cotton interfacing on part of it. I will install the grommets earlier if I canfigure out how to do it, LOL And I will make the inside pockets shorter,

The overall design is really pretty and I love her pattern. She included templates for some pieces and also probided color diagrams. Every little bit helps.

 Take a peek.

I forgot to say that this bag is huge and has tons of inside pockets and outside and I think it might have  been designed as a diaper bag. I really love the pattern and found it easy to follow. but would definitely alter it for my machines and talent.

In my ebay store, this has been my most popular pattern as of late.

There is also a pattern included for a diaper clutch or for wipies. I am going to make one to match the bag and use it as a make up bag.

cinch tote bag pattern from All People Quilt

I have not been blogging but decided to day to get back to it.

I have been t Ky to a Quilting Seminar and made a quilt in cindy Casciato's class call Star Quilt. She is a fabulously talented and very sweet person and wonderful teacher. She had such patience with me and my lack of quilting skills and hampered close up vision.

Anyway, I started making Cinch Tote Bags last Fall and have made several. They have grommets which I am loving. You put the handles in through the grommet's and feel them out to the sides and sew them down to the side s. Then when you pick up the bag, it comes together at the top. Magic!!

When you set it down, you can see all your stuff and easily get to anything you want and the handles seem shorter.

The blue batik fabric is Benartex and quite lovely. I did the applique in Texas at the International Quilt Market and when i returned home i made the bag.

Here is another one made with Benartex Celia, By this time I had moved onto colored grommets. I Love this bag too.

This turned out adorable using Moda fabric-so nice to work with.

Visit my ebay store for purse making patterns and supplies

http://stores.ebay.com/Fabric-for-quilts-and-more

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers
Originally uploaded by sewspurses

Last week my cousin Mimi made stuffed peppers and gave us some and we enjoyed them so much we wanted more.
I found a recipe on the internet called Dad's Stuffed Peppers and used it along with George's home grown tomatoes.
I removed the skins by dipping tomatoes in boiling water and then plunging them in ice water and squeezed them into small pieces.
I used brown rice from Minute rice in the little containers to microwave because we love it.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/dads_stuffed_bell_peppers/

I used 6 peppers and about 1 1/2 lbs. of groun chuck and I used the tomatoes and their juice and mixed the ketchup and Tabasco sauce and the Worcestershire Sauce in with the meat mixture and it totally filled up all the peppers and I added 1/4 cup water to the pan and baked it 50 min 350 degrees uncovered.

Alaska July 2010 cruise with In touch and Dr. Charles Stanley

Alaska 160
Originally uploaded by sewspurses

I have listened to Dr. Stanley for years and years and started listening to him when i lived with my daddy after my divorce. Michael and I both listened and I was so impacted by him and his teaching.

There is no one like him.

George and I went to the Martha's Vinyard Inspiration weekend where Dr. Stanley preached everyday for 5 days. It changed our lies.This was June 2010.

I knew when I returned home I wanted to go on the cruise which was a month later in July. Michael and I went and had the time of our lives.