Faux Leather Sugar and Spice

I got an order from my sister for a Sugar and Spice Bag.  She wanted it to be beige faux leather with black piping on the pockets and she wanted a darker lining mixing those same colors.

I love this pattern by Chris W Designs (what pattern of hers don't I love?) and I have made a dozen or so of them but none completely out of faux leather.  When I was getting ready to attach the lower part of the straps to the bag, I just thought it looked too drab and lacked that punch. (You know me, shades of BOLD and all of that, I just couldn't not say something).  I sent her a picture of the bag front with the beige straps and one with the black ones.

She agreed that maybe it did look better with the black straps and so that is what I did.  Good news for me...I already have beige straps made for my next Sugar and Spice Bag!!

Here it is.

And the interior I chose.

 Since she reads my blog, she'll get to see it before she gets it.  Hope you love it, Linda!

If you still haven't made this bag, you really should.  I think sometimes people get scared away from Chris W Designs Bag Patterns because they look intimidating.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Her patterns are so thorough with great directions and pictures.  Taking her patterns step by step will result in a bag that you just won't believe you made yourself.  (No one else will believe it either!).  You can get this pattern here.

Now what fabric should I pair with those beige handles??? Hmmmm...

Two More Faux Leather Bucket Bags

I got an order for two more bucket bags in faux leather.  They wanted one in a tan/light brown and one in a light cream color.  I think this makes 10 of these I have made recently and all of them have been sold!  So, it looks like I will need to make more very soon.

Here is the first one.  I have combined this faux leather with an orange suede in the past but decided to use it by itself this time.

The back is plain.  This faux leather has a good weight to it.

The inside of the bag opens wide and it is so roomy.  I used a brown striped quilting fabric for the lining.

The second bag is made from a very soft, buttery faux leather.  It really did not have the heft that was needed so I used a heavy fabric for the lining and I got the body I was looking for.

 The tutorial for this bag can be found on Sew4home.com.  As soon as I get some more eyelets, I will be sewing more.  I have some fabric picked out already!

The New Girlfriend Bag from Imazzpatterns

I have been so busy and I have so many completed bags to show you.  Today, I get to share a new bag from Imazzpatterns that I have recently tested.  I love hearing the stories about the inspiration behind the bags that designers create.  This one made me chuckle.  Imaz's daughters "demanded" this bag and "helped" her to create it.   They knew what they wanted and it was up to mom to figure out how to go about it. Lucky girls to have a mom who could do just that!  Here is the Girlfriend Bag.

It is a small, but well thought out bag, with room for all the essentials.  It measures 6" high and 8" wide.  Think of two pouches sewn together with a secret compartment created between them.  One pouch has a zipper top and one pouch is open.  The pouches are then covered with a flap with a magnetic closure.

Here you can see the two pouches and the compartment in between them.

Inside the open pouch is an optional zippered pocket that I chose to add.  I have made hundreds of these pockets but this one is done differently from the way I am used to doing them.  This new method makes it an easier sew, and since this pattern is for the confident beginner /intermediate sewist, it makes it perfect.  The bag has an adjustable 3/4" strap.  Since there are so many layers coming together, Imaz says to avoid heavier weights of fabrics.  I have used all quilting cottons.  When I make it again, I will try adding fusible fleece to just the flap, front panel and back panel but cut the fleece down so it is not in the seams.

This is a cute, and practical bag.  It is,also, a quick and easy sew.  That makes it a great choice in my mind and I will be making more.

You can find the pattern on craftsy here  or on etsy here..

My Sunday Feel Good Story

Today I received a letter and drawing from Aubrey who is 5 years old.  She received a shades of BOLD bag as a gift from a customer that has been very supportive during my struggles with rheumatoid arthritis and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Even though I have never met Aubrey, she sent me this picture.

I was told that Aubrey received $4 for helping out around the house.  When I turned the picture over, this is what I found.

She had given me $2 (half of the money she received) to help pay for my medicine!  It brought tears to my eyes.  At such a young age, Aubrey has a heart of gold.  Love you, Aubrey.  Your parents and grandparents must be so proud!

The New Kristine ID Wallet from Uniquely Michelle

I was delighted to be a tester for Michelle Brown Burke of Uniquely Michelle with her brand new pattern, the Kristine ID Wallet.  I have made a few different kinds of ID wallets and I was curious to see how this one would be different.

Isn't it cute?  Let me tell you about this ID wallet and what I like about it.  First of all it is designed for the advanced beginner to the intermediate sewist.  The finished size is 5.5" wide and 3.5" high.  It also has a layer of fleece in it to give it a softer feel than other ID wallets I have made.  I like that.  On this side of the wallet is an envelope pocket that is secured by a snap.  The pattern uses a magnetic snap but I love these snaps I get from Snapsource and decided to use one of those instead.  One of the testers used a button and buttonhole.  The choice is yours.  Under the flap are...

two card pockets for a secure way to carry a couple of credit cards or rewards cards.  On the other side of the wallet is the ID pocket that can carry a few other cards as well...

What I like best, though, is the zip pocket on top that is large enough to carry dollars and change or lip gloss....

The ID wallet has a key ring attached which allows you to attach it to your keys or, the pattern also comes with directions to make  a wristlet strap and lanyard to make it even more convenient to carry with you.

I made a second one in a brown and blue print.

It is so cute, right?  Go to Uniquely Michelle's blog and see some of the other testers' wallets here.  You can get the Kristine ID Wallet pattern on Michelle's Etsy page here or on her Craftsy page here.  I see many more of these in my future.

Faux Leather and Suede Evelyn Bag from Swoon Patterns

I have been so busy lately with pattern testing  (I can't wait to show you but I have to wait until pattern release dates) that I forgot to show you another order I completed.  This customer saw the red faux leather Bella bag that I had made and was disappointed that it had already sold.  You can see that bag here.  So we decided to go with the Evelyn Bag from Swoon Patterns and make it with a different red faux leather and red suede that I had gotten at Norwalk Fabric Outlet.  The Evelyn Bag comes in two sizes (handbag and market tote) and I went with the smaller handbag size but I will remake this bag in the larger market tote size, too.

This smaller handbag size measures 12" wide, 10.5" high and 4.5" deep.  I love the simple lines of the bag which is highlighted by the two fabric selections.  Sometimes the lines and pattern designs can be lost in busy fabrics and that is what I loved most about this bag so I wanted to make sure it was captured.  Even though the fabrics were the same color pallette, the shine and texture differences between the two fabrics showed what I wanted to show.  The back of the bag looks the same (only minus my label).

The top of the bag closes with a recessed zipper that gives you a peek of the lining fabric.

Inside of the bag is roomy with one zippered pocket.  It would be easy to add an additional zippered pocket or slip pocket on the other side of the lining.

I thought the bag reminded me of hearts and valentines, so I chose a fabric from JoAnn's for the lining that set off that theme.

This was a fairly quick and easy sew.  Next time I will sew the market tote size that measures 15" wide, 13.5" high and 5.75" deep.

You can purchase this pattern from Swoon Sewing Patterns here.

I truly enjoyed making this one. But after doing a few faux leather bags in a row, I am looking forward to quilting cottons again....except I just got another order for a Sugar and Spice Bag in...guess what?...faux leather!