Pattern testing -- the All-In-One Bag by Flutter from.Kat

Last week, I had a really fun opportunity to test out a bag pattern for a great sewing/crafting blogger -- Kat, from Diary of a Flutter.Kat.  She sews amazing quilts and other fun things in New Zealand, and her blog has many free tutorials as well as some terrific patterns for sale.  When she put out a request for pattern testers for her new bag, I jumped at the chance and was thrilled that she picked me.

Here is a shot of the "All-In-One Bag" I made (as posted on Kat's Instagram feed):

 

It really was a blast sewing a pattern and being able to make comments.  Kat and I e-mailed back and forth a few times over the past week about various parts of the pattern, and she did make some alterations to the instructions that I and the other pattern testers suggested.  The pattern was already in great shape when I tested it, and now it's perfect as far as I can tell.

Here is a shot I took as I started sewing last week.  I love capturing all of the various pieces that go into the bags I sew.  (Too bad I forgot to lay out the magnetic snap and the material I had cut for the strap.  Just ignore the second lobster clasp I laid out -- I really only needed one.)

The bag has a neat shape due to the darts Kat has you sew in at the top on the outside and on the lining.  It can be carried like a traditional bag if you attach the lobster clasp to the opposite side . . .

. . . or it can be more of a clutch/wristlet if you attach the lobster clasp at the same side.

I should have put cards in the card pockets to show how perfectly they fit.

There is also a divider inside created by an internal zipper pouch -- so handy to corral the band-aids, chapstick, tissues, etc. that I need to carry.

Here is the view from the back.

It's a purse!

No!  It's a clutch/wristlet!

I loved the bag so much that I wanted to try making it again after Kat sent me the second draft of the pattern.  This time I tried the alternate strap suggestion involving a ribbon sewed to twill tape, and I think it turned out pretty cute.  I'm mad because I accidentally put the magnetic clasp on the wrong side of the flap (it was totally my fault -- not the pattern's!) so the brown should have been the underside and the salmon/coral color on the outside.  (Yes, it appears I am on a floral fabric kick right now.)

Here it is converted to clutch/wristlet.

On the other side of the bag from the card pocket is an internal patch pocket that fits my cell phone perfectly.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to test this great new pattern, Kat!  It was fun corresponding with someone on the other side of the world (it's something like 17 hours later there, which is pretty cool).  Best wishes on selling the pattern -- it's worth every NZ$!

Click here to purchase a digital download of the All-In-One Bag pattern directly from Kat (in NZ$).

Click here to purchase the digital download of the All-In-One Bag pattern via Craftsy (in US$).

Yet another Gathered Clutch

I have so many patterns that I want to sew that I rarely repeat previous ventures, but I have now made a third Gathered Clutch.  It's a great pattern, with a fabulous end result.  This one, I made for my friend, Natalie, from some of Amanda's fabric.  I thought it would be fun to take a picture of just all of the pieces that go into one of these little clutches, so I shot this picture for Instagram.

I realized afterward that I had actually forgotten to cut a piece, so just imagine a 4" by 9" strip of the gray and yellow lining fabric (for the band on the gathered side of the clutch) added to all of that.  Of course, I have added to the original tutorial an additional layer of interfacing on the non-gathered side as well as some felt batting, not to mention the side tabs, wristlet strap, and appropriate interfacing/felt batting for those as well.  It makes for a time-consuming cutting process, but a pretty quick sew.

Anyway, here is the finished clutch.  It's got a very modern combination of fabrics.  I hope Natalie likes it!

Gathered Clutch collaboration with Amanda

Amanda has good taste in fabrics I can sew -- together we make a good team!  She was interested in a Gathered Clutch too, so she went to Jo-Ann's and bought an assortment of cool fabrics and notions for me as bribery.  How could I say no to that?  On a related note, I think I need to take her with me on future fabric-buying expeditions.

This silver stamped burlap is so cool!  It was my first time sewing with it, and it will definitely not be my last.  It was stiffer to work with than I was used to, but not too difficult.  I'm trying to convince Amanda to let me make her a table runner for the console table in her living room with the rest of it.

I love the burnt orange lining material too.  I actually followed the directions a little better this time and got the zipper ends done much better.  It's a fun pop of color from the lining and it makes the zipper look so nice.

I won a prize pack of crafting goodies from a blog giveaway a few weeks ago, and it included a little package of silver letter charms -- perfect to decorate a zipper pull.

I added a layer of felt that I quilted to the lining, plus I sewed in little tabs on both sides of the pouch to assist with opening and closing the zipper (though perhaps they are a little too long?).  The bottom corners were rounded like the last one I did, but not as dramatically.  I also fused a layer of interfacing on the ungathered side of the pouch because I had seen a tip that it would help stabilize the burlap.  Apparently, burlap (probably the thinner kind) can get a little unruly at times.

Amanda liked the wrist strap I had added to my gathered clutch, so she bought me a pack of a few of those cool lobster claw thingies to use, too.  No scavenging for hardware this time -- what a luxury!

Now the test is to see how the burlap holds up to repeated use.  I honestly have no idea how it will behave over time, but I think the interfacing will help with the snagging issue that I just read about on another blog.

I tend to give away a lot of the things I sew whether the recipient is interested or not, so it's really fun to sew for someone who actually wants me to make something!

Gathered clutch

I had so much fun making this clutch/wristlet, and it may be the best phone holder/wallet option yet!  I like my other clutch I made, but I wish I had rounded the bottom corners.  I also wish it held my credit/loyalty/insurance cards a little neater.  I saw this tutorial from 2010 for a gathered clutch on one of my favorite sewing blogs, noticed the card holder and internal divider options, and decided I needed to give it a try.

Unfortunately, the pattern of the fabric kind of camouflages the cute gathered part of the clutch.  If you look closely, you can see how the purple rose fabric is gathered behind the denim band.  It might look more obvious with a different print.  I could also make that pattern piece longer so that it gathered more, but that might make a little too much bulk.

Inside, there is a divider that can keep my phone separate from the cash, and little pockets that can hold the cards.  I altered the design to make the cards stand up vertically so I could have three instead of only two sections.  I also added a wrist strap because I am on a kick of only carrying around a wallet/wristlet thingy instead of a full purse.  I'm sure I will be back to purses again soon, but it feels so nice not to haul around a big bag for a change.  Hooray for (sort of) potty-trained kids!  I also rounded the bottom corners in the 11th hour and am happy with the result.

Ooh -- actually, it fits even better when I put the cash behind the divider and my cell phone in the middle!

I stole the hardware for attaching the wrist strap from a flash drive we have.  How's that for upcycling?

If I make it again, I will use a different fabric so the gathers are more noticeable and I will pad it with a layer of felt as batting.  My phone could use a little more protection (even with that whole Otter Box, I'm still petrified of anything happening to my precious phone!).  I also had a really hard time with the zipper tabs and want to try that whole thing again, only making the zipper a little shorter.  I think I used too wide of a seam allowance to sew the whole clutch together and there was no way to avoid sewing through the zipper tabs (which is the trick to using zipper tabs).  Oh well -- this is certainly not the worst zipper I have ever sewn!  I also should have put the strap on the same side as the zipper pull when it's closed, so I can open the zipper easier.  Whoops.

Charlotte just saw it and said "it's the coolest wallet ever!  We skould make one for everyone we know!  For Shelby's mom, Grandma JoJo, NanaB, Ivette, Miss Kym . . ."  WHOAH there, cowgirl.  Learn to sew yourself (we're starting with a few little quickie projects, including a simple fleece sleeping bag for her beloved Charlotte Doll!) and then you can start planning out future sewing projects.

Redemption -- Double-Zip Wristlet

After yesterday's battle, I wanted to redeem myself by making a better pouch/clutch/wristlet/whateveryoucallit.  I had loved sewing from a previous tutorial by this particular blogger (the brick pouch), so I figured this tutorial would be a heck of a lot easier.  Happily, I was right!  Behold, the Double-Zip Wristlet:

I used a bit of the fabric I found in the remnants bin at Jo-Ann's (it's 100% polyester -- perfect for a bag or wristlet), and lined it with some material left over from Charlotte & Shelby's May Day Skirts.  I loooooove that the bottom zipper opens to its own separate section.  Wheeeee!

The zipper is still kind of creased from being in the package, but that will flatten out over time, right?  Now I kind of wish I had rounded the corners at the bottom of the pouch.  That would have been cute (and prevented things from getting stuck/lost in the corners).  Still, I love the pouch, and will be using it to stash my phone, credit cards, and cash when running errands!

Back from the war: another pouch/clutch I will NEVER sew again

Okay, so I don't really feel like I just got back from active combat, but I swear my current foul mood is a direct result of this project.  I came across this woman's craft blog and saw some links for sewing tutorials that looked fun.  Then, I discovered she was one of those idealistic bloggers who believes Pinterest is destroying creativity and the business of being a craft blogger.

I know nothing about making money by blogging (nor do I ever care to), but I can attest that I have visited more blogs (thus upping their view counts, or whatever you call them) and sewn more than ever in my entire life since I signed up with Pinterest.  Maybe this blogger's attitude should have been a red flag, because her tutorial gave me major fits.  She even wrote at the top of the blog entry that she understood some people had problems with this tutorial.  Did that stop me?  No.  I have made tons of pouches and bags and understand the basics of bag construction.  Apparently, my understanding differed wildly from hers.  I should have just clicked onto another one of the umpteen pouch/clutch tutorials I have pinned and forgotten all about this Scrappy Clutch.

I won't bore you with an enumeration of my problems with the construction of this clutch/pouch/disaster, but my chief complaint was the method for installing the zipper.  I couldn't do it her way properly if my life depended on it.  I tried and tried, and eventually got something workable, but it's far from decent.  I'm not sure what she had against the way virtually everyone else on the planet does it, but I do know I should have just ignored her instructions and sewn the zipper the right way.  Here is the finished product, which is made from all sorts of scraps I had in my stash.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure why I even really tried this pouch and wasted a zipper on it.  It's pretty similar to a much-better constructed pouch, whose tutorial I could have altered to add padding and a strap (in addition to making it a little bigger).  I know bloggers who post free sewing tutorials don't owe me anything, but I still feel extremely frustrated and cranky after making this pouch.  I think I need a nap.