For a while, I have purchased upholstery and drapery sample swatches when my local fabric store discontinues the fabric and sells the swatches to make room for the new fabric. I have recently been given more sample swatches from a local furniture store. These swatches are a great way to get affordable pieces of expensive fabric to use for smaller projects. I am even lucky enough to have an outlet a little over an hour away that has hundreds of rolls of this type of fabric for $6.00/yd. Anything in the store! $6.00/yd! I recently purchased an embroidered suede there that I have seen in another store for $40.00/yd. This same store sells sample swatches for $.50 a piece. The nice thing about that is that they often have multiples of one fabric which you do not see at furniture stores or fabric stores. Anyway....what to make with them. I have made rectangle pouches with wristlet straps and used them as a spotlight piece on a bag. One of my favorite things to do with them, though, is to take the fancy ones and make evening bags out of them. Here are two of them that I made this weekend.
To make these bags, I use the Buttercup Bag pattern from made by Rae. She offers the pattern for free for personal use. She does allow sales from her patterns but asks that you buy the pattern for $10 which includes a license to sell. I make the smaller version and leave the strap off to make it a clutch bag. I then draw a pattern piece that looks like a bow, cut 2 and sew right sides together leaving an opening for turning. I turn it right side out, close the opening and you can do this by edgestitching around the bow. I then thread the bow through one of these sparkly buckles or top it with a fancy button.
I like both looks. I then attach the bow to the top of the bag (over the magnetic snaps) by sewing the ends of the bow the whole length of the top band through all thicknesses. That's all there is to it. I love them. You can make them to match the color of your dress or make them blacks, silvers, etc.
Here is what the inside looks like. There is one small slip pocket.
Here are a few other colors that I have made.
Just perfect for a night out..... where do I get one of those???????
HAHA...night out?? I don't recall what that is....it is not part of my vocabulary! My intellectual faculties are not sufficient to comprehend your bombastic philology! GORGEOUS work though Marilyn....my faculties ARE sufficient to know good work when I see it! LOLLL....the addition of the sparkly buckles or fancy buttons is the icing on the glorious cake! ......if only I had access to some of those cheap yardages or swatches.....DREAM ON! LOLLL
ReplyDeleteYou do make me laugh! I tend to forget how lucky I am with the fabric choices I have. It is the first thing I seek out when I travel someplace new....I'm sure people have something I can't get. What is the saying about the grass is always greener????
ReplyDeleteThe striped evening bags are lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy. Fun to make, too.
DeleteThose are all beautiful Marilyn! With prom and grad night coming, you should be selling a lot of those!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Daryl. Hope to.
DeleteWow!!! They're so pretty. I like red striped one and the last one the best. I get given the fabric swatches from a friends furniture shop but they're not large enough to make one of these. Maybe I could patchwork them. Thanks for the idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Maria. Most of the pieces I get are about 12" wide and 17 1/2" long. The bottom part of these bags take a piece at least 12" wide and 13 1/2" tall. So they are perfect. i have to make the top band and lining from other fabric.
ReplyDeleteGreat show,anyone looks fabulous!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rosa. I love these fancy fabric swatches.
DeleteLovely! This is such a great bag.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I love it because no two are alike.
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