The Convertible Reversible Bag Tour and Fun Giveaway

Welcome to shades of BOLD !  If it is your first time here, I hope you stick around awhile and peruse my posts.  I'm Marilyn and sewing is my passion.  My blog is about all things handmade but particularly about sewing those addicting handbags!

Speaking of handbags, I was invited to join a bag tour by Sarah of Cozy Nest Designs and the time has finally arrived to share this amazing bag with you.  Sarah is offering this pattern for 25% off until Aug. 2, 2014.  Just go here and enter the code bagtour for your discount.  And look for the giveaways on all the blogs everyday!  Keep reading to find the one here.

Now onto the bag.....  How did Sarah ever figure this one out???  You make one bag and voila...you actually get four bags.  All it takes is some tucking in, reversing and tucking in again.  It is hard to explain but really not that difficult to make.  My words of advice are:

1. Don't read ahead. 
2. Stay in the moment and just sew step by step
3. It's magic ....out comes four bags in one!

Here is/are my bag/bags. (How do I say that?)

When choosing your fabric you have so many options.  You can use contrasting colors, one side casual, one side dressy, etc.  My fabric selections were inspired by the Fourth of July holiday as I was making this bag near then. 

Let's look at each of the bags to see what you get.

Here is the first bag.  It measures 9"wide, 11" high and 2 1/2" deep.  This is a crossbody bag with an adjustible strap.  Now if I just remove the strap, tuck the top of the bag down into the bottom, pull the bottom flap up and reattach the strap to the D rings hidden under the flap, I have this bag....

This is my favorite.  It measures 9" wide by 5 1/2" high and 2 1/2" deep.  It zips at the top.  Now if I remove the strap again and turn the bag inside out all of the way, I get this bag...

What was the lining of my first bag becomes the second full sized bag the same size at the first.  I have attached the second adjustible strap in that matching color.  I have also glued a button on a magnetic closure to fit inside the magnetic closure, that would be showing, to decorate it.  Sarah also gives a tutorial to make covers for these snaps.  If I remove the straps again and fold this bag down into itself, I get the fourth bag, a clutch.

That's it.  Four bags in one!  Glad I only had to sew it and not design it!!!! (Thank you Sarah)

Sarah's pattern was easy to follow.  I have never followed a pattern like this with hyperlinks to these great tutorials to give you even more direction.  There are also instructions to make a vinyl insert to keep the inside (which becomes the outside of another bag) clean and to make it easy to switch bags.  She also includes directions to make it out of laminated fabrics.  Since the pieces can get a little confusing, she has tags that you can print to put on the pieces so you know what they are.  What is really cool about this is that they are sized to print on computer labels so that all you have to do is print, peel and stick.  Great idea!

(I received a free pattern for participating in this bag tour but the opinions expressed here are mine.)

Here is the schedule of the other bloggers who will participate and the links to their sites.  Visit them all for the most chances to win.  There is a giveaway for each blog here.

 

Monday, July 28th

Maria of Mia's Creations

Niki Stringer of Roonie Ranching

Alyssa Carrion at Keep Calm & Carrion

Tuesday, July 29th

Lynn Potts of PottsCrafty

Marilyn Brandt at Shades of Bold

Wednesday, July 30th

Vicky Myers of Vicky Myers Creations

Liz Schaffner at Moments

Sarah at Cozy Nest Design

Thursday, July 31st

Amy Macdonald with Friends Stitched Together

Kathy from Handmade Dress Haven

Judith Clauss of Judith Stitches and More

Friday, August 1st

Jonie Brooks with Knot Sew Normal

Lorena Rey of my way of...

Bethany Rapp with Sweet Bee Buzzings

And now for the giveaway........



http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/dd7070507/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway



















 

 

The Convertible/Reversible Bag Tour

What a fun week this will be.  I am participating in a blog tour for a great new bag from Sarah of Cozy Nest Designs.that starts today and runs through Friday. (My day is tomorrow.)  Several sewists will be showing their version of this unique bag, The Convertible/Reversible Bag...1 bag that converts into 4 different bags.  You heard me right.  You make one bag and you get all of the above bags just by folding it and turning it inside out and folding it again....

But, I don't want to do tomorrow's post today.  Oh...and did I mention giveaways ??? Yes you will find those, too, so you better follow along ...everyday!  And you just might find some new sites that you will want to follow, too.

Here is the schedule of bloggers who will participate and the links to their sites.
                                      

Monday, July 28th

Maria of Mia's Creations

Niki Stringer of Roonie Ranching

Alyssa Carrion at Keep Calm & Carrion

Tuesday, July 29th

Lynn Potts of PottsCrafty

Marilyn Brandt at Shades of Bold

 

Wednesday, July 30th

Vicky Myers of Vicky Myers Creations

Liz Schaffner at MOMENTS

Sarah at Cozy Nest Design

 

Thursday, July 31st

Amy Macdonald with Friends Stitched Together

Kathy from Handmade Dress Haven

Judith Clauss of Judith Stitches and More

Friday, August 1st

Jonie Brooks with Knot Sew Normal

Lorena Rey of my way of...

Bethany Rapp with Sweet Bee Buzzings

Visit Maria, Niki and Alyssa today and remember to come back here tomorrow!

What is Coming Up Next Week ? How About a Blog Tour With Giveaways

Next week will be a first for me.  I will be participating in a bag tour and giveaway sponsored by Sarah at Cozy Nest Designs.  This bag tour will feature her new bag, The Convertible/Reversible Bag.  You can find the pattern here.

What a great pattern!  Those are not 4 separate bags in the pic.  It is 1 bag that is tucked inside itself, reversed to the "lining" side  and tucked inside itself again for 4 different looks.  How did she figure this one out???

Check back on Monday for a list of the bloggers that are participating and links to their sites.  Oh, yes, did I mention giveaways ??  There will be those, too!  Join the fun starting Monday.

More Zip and Go Bags From More Swatches

I spent time going through all of the upholstery fabric swatches I got, rolled them up and displayed them in a basket...well actually 2 baskets.  I found these cute baskets at JoAnn's for 70% off.  How could I leave them?  I knew I had a use for them.  I just didn't know exactly what at the time.

I have so many swatches  that I pulled 3 that I liked and decided to make more Zip and Go Bags from a pattern by Erin at Dog Under My Desk.  The swatches are big enough for the front of the bag.  I used a faux leather on the back and the adjustible straps.

Here is the first one.

I used a black and white polka dot for the interior.

I used a checkerboard fabric for the second one.

I used an orange for the interior.

The last one is some selfish sewing I did for me.  My last few bags have been red.  Unfortunately, they weren't for me.  So this red zip and go is mine.  I love this bag for quick trips.  It holds just enough.

This is what the back of all 3 bags looks like.

I am getting ready for The Main Street Festival next month.  The first 2 bags will go there.

Second Place Win for My Poolside Tote

How fun is this??  I just found out yesterday that my Poolside Tote won second place in that grouping from the Bag of the Month Club.  If you were not a part of the Bag of the Month Club, look for it again in January of 2015.  For one low price, you recieve a new bag pattern in your  email on the first of the month for six months.  They come from six of the best independent bag designers.  They then gathered prizes and awarded them to the top two bags of each design  Here is my bag that won.

I followed the pattern by Anna of Noodlehead as it was written except I added a large flower on the outside for fun.  You can buy this pattern here.  This is a huge bag that can carry all your family needs to go to the beach or all of your purchases at a farmers' market.

 The rear of the bag has an optional zippered pocket.

Loved the key hook that she put in this bag.  I may have to duplicate it on more bags. 

So, what did I win?  A $25 gift certificate to Pink Chalk Fabrics.  I'll let you know later how I decided to spend it......

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For Those Who Want The Color But Not the Bold

Well, I finished my second of many Totes Ma Tote Bags over the weekend and it just reinforced how much I love this pattern by Janelle at Emmaline Bags.  You can find it here.  This bag is for someone who likes color but doesn't like the bold.  My last Totes Ma Tote bag was long on the color and long on the bold!

This is the front of the bag.  Even though I used a red quilting cotton, I stayed calm  on the pattern of the fabric...just some lighter red and black muted circles.   It was still enough to use my black faux leather for the handles...

and the side trim...

I liked the double zip zipper on my first bag so much that I duplicated it on this bag...

And, I left all of the craziness on the inside with a fun print for the lining...

I can't wait to make this bag again.  If not this week, then next week.  It's too bad the richness of the fabric doesn't show up as well as it could have.  Red always seems to be a hard color to photograph.  Anyone else find that??

Featured, Interviewed and Scheduling While Sewing

I have had an eventful week in my sewing room.  After finishing my Convertible Bag, I decided to do another Totes Ma Tote Bag from Janelle at Emmaline Bags found here.  Since it is not quite done, all I can show you is the fabric.

The fabric with circles is the outside, the zig zag is the lining and the faux leather is the straps and side trim.

I worked this week on scheduling some new shows.  Since my Etsy store is still on hold, I decided to book an event for August.  I submitted pictures of my work, my blog and all of the necessary paperwork and fees.  You must be approved to participate in this festival.  I found out a couple of days later that I was approved and I will be at the18th Annual North Canton Main Street Festival in North Canton, Ohio on Aug 16 and 17.  This will be my first time participating in this fair where they close down part of Main Street in the heart of town for all of the booths of food, crafts, and fun.  Yesterday, I was contacted by a local paper that wants to do an interview with me with pictures of some of my bags for an article they are doing about the fair.Won't that be fun!

This morning, while sifting through all of the blogs that I follow, I found out that my first Totes Ma Tote Bag was featured on the Sew Can She blog.  It got the most hits from last week's linky party. You can see that below and on their blog here.

Well, back to work so I can show you the new bag soon.

Convertible Bag 3.0

I love the Convertible Bag, one of the bags from the Bag of the Month Club.  This bag is from Samantha at At Home With Mrs H.  She just recently made this pattern available on her Etsy store here.  It is a great sized bag that can be carried as a cross body bag or by rearranging the straps, can turn into a backpack.  So cute!!  So cute in fact that this bag is the third one I have made.  Look at the other two Convertible Bags I have made down the left hand side of my blog under the March Bags of the Month.

I purchased these fabrics a while back when I was thinking about making a set of matching bags.  I never did make those bags but I still wanted to be able to use these in some bag where both fabrics could be shown on the front.  This bag was a great choice.

I recently purchased a lot of these thumb catches and really like the look of them.  If you haven't tried them before, don't be afraid of them.  They go in as easily as magnetic snaps (if you haven't tried magnetic snaps yet...then you really have some catching up to do!!!!).  The best part is that you don't have to cut a big hole in your bag like you do with turn locks (but I like them a lot, too).  The contrasting fabric on the front is a nice large pocket that is protected by the front flap.

The back of the bag features an outside zippered pocket.

The inside of this bag features two slip pockets on one side and another zippered pocket on the other side.

I'm sure that I will make many more of these.  They are fun to make and I just love the results.

Rosie Midtown Messenger

I loved the April Bag of the Month, the Midtown Messenger by Betz White.  If you weren't a part of the club, you can now get this pattern in her Etsy store here.   I had this black and grey upholstery fabric that I had used on an evening bag and thought it would look good paired with a black suede.  I love the roses all over this fabric. 

The front of the bag has a divided secure pocket under the flap.  The back has a large slip pocket.

The top is closed with a recessed zipper.

The inside has a large tablet pocket.  Yes...and those black and white polka dots again (get used to seeing them).

This is a great bag to use as a purse or as a work briefcase.  It measures 10" x 13 1/2" x 2 1/2".

The New Totes Ma Tote Bag

It probably looks like I haven't been doing anything but I just finished a bag that will be part of a blog hop at the end of the month.  I can't wait to show you this unique bag.  I have also been trying to get my Etsy store up  and running but I hit a snag.  I'll share more when things are straightened out.

Today, though, I am excited to finally share a bag that I was a tester for, The Totes Ma Tote Bag from Janelle at Emmaline Bags.  She released the pattern today.

I love the look of this bag.  It is a great size at 17" wide at the top, 13" wide at the bottom, 12" high and 4" deep.  Made with quilting cottons, this bag stands up on its own when using by Annie's Soft and Stable.  I have used other things but the result is just not the same.  This is such a professional looking bag that went together easily.  What fabrics you use change the look of this bag tremendously.  See all of the other bag testers' bags here.

The straps are so cute!  They are inserted through the bag through oval grommets and buckled.

The bag is closed on top with a recessed zipper.  I used a zipper with double zips to make it even easier to open all of the way.

Look at these cool racing stripes down the sides!

 

Here is the interior.  There are 2 slip pockets and 1 zippered pocket on 1 side and a large pocket on the other side for a tablet with a magnetic snap tab to keep it secure.

 

 

 

 

 

The bag is finished off with 6 bag feet on the bottom.

 

 

 

 

If you are looking for a bag that says shades of BOLD all over it, this might be the one.  What can I say???  Bright bags make me happy!!!