The One Hour Bag

This bag is so easy !

This is the new bag I made to take back to work this term. It took less than an hour from choosing the fabric to dumping my junk in it. In fact this tutorial took waaaayyy longer than the bag ! (the colours are great in real life but the orange doesn't photograph very well - sorry )

This pattern is on a piece of A4 paper so I'm sure you can work it out from that. It needs to be placed in the fold of your fabric as marked.

You will need:

Using the pattern piece and cutting on the fold of your fabrics.

2 pieces in your handbag fabric

2 pieces in your lining fabric

2 pieces in wadding or batting to give your bag a bit of body.

1 magnetic purse snap (optional)

2 x 6 1/2 inch squares of fabric for the pocket (optional).

2 strips of fabric 3 inches x approx 29 inches for the strap

1 strip of wadding about 2 1/2 inches by 29

2 large Buttons

Start with the pocket. Place your squares right sides together and sew around 1/4 in ch in from the edge. Leave a gap for turning (maybe 3 inches). Snip off the corners being careful not to cut your stitching.

Turn right sides out through the gap. . You might like to iron it. I like to do one line of stitching across what will be the top of the pocket but that is just for looks.

Pin your pocket to the right side of one of your bag linings. Sew around the sides and bottom of your pocket being sure to catch the gap you had for turning in your stitching.

I like to do two lines - looks good and adds a bit of strength too.

Now put your other lining piece right sides together with the pocketed one and sew around the bag, again leaving a turning gap at the bottom.

Take your bag fabric pieces and affix your wadding or batting to the wrong side of each piece (if it is fuseable). You need to sew all these four pieces at the same time. Your fabrics need to be right side together with the wadding on the outer of each. (check out the pic above if it doesn't make sense) Pinning might help stop these from moving too much.

Sew around the sides and base of the bag with a 1/4 inch seam. You may want to clip the corners , this will help your curves be nice and smooth and curvacious. Turn the bag right side out.

Now with the bag right side out- slip it into your lining. (This means you will have the right sides of your lining where the pocket is, against the right sides of the bag.)

Sew around the top opening of the bag.

Turn it all right side out through the gap in the bottom of the lining. Then tuck the lining inside the bag, smoothing it as you go. Pin around the top and topstitch.

This is when I like to add magnetic snaps. Putting your hand inside the bag through the lining gap you can poke your snaps through and affix them. Some people like to put a little circle of cardboard on the inside but just use a scrap of wadding or wadding reinforced with some interfacing.

Then that is it for the bag , you can hand sew or machine sew the gap in the lining closed.

The strap is super easy- Just place your pieces right sides together and sew along the length of the strip on both sides. You could add your wadding at this stage and sew it in but my fabric is a bit thick so it will be hard to turn, so I didn't add it yet.

Turn right sides out so you have a long tube. Then using a safety pin I just thread in a long strip of wadding for body.

Tuck in your ends, either on an angle or straight across and topstitch all around, ,making sure you catch the ends into your sewing.

Sew the strap to the bag - you can do this by hand or machine - add some buttons for decoration and you are done.

Obviously you can jazz this up as much as you want - maybe patchwork some fabric together first, add some trims, super easy and versatile ! Hope you like it!

Tie Headband

From: Craft Envy

For this project, you will need:

-1 tie (Thrift Store: $2 )

- Scizzors 

-Embellishment for middle of your flower ( 12/$2 )

-Hot glue gun for embellishment, or sewing machine

-6 or more inches of elastic

1. Cut the skinny part of the tie for your headband. I cut about 16 inches.

 2. Fold over the edge where you cut the tie and attach two elastic bands about 3 or more inches. You'll have to check to see how it fits on your head. Pin your elastic band to the edge.

  

 3. Using your sewing machine or hand stitching, attach the elastic bands to your tie.

  

4. Cut open the largest part of the tie and spread it out. 

  

 5. Place a bowl or something about that size on the tie to trace a circle for your flower. Cut out the circle. (It doesn't have the be perfect).

  

 6. Sew about 1/8 - 1/4 inch from the edge of the circle making stitches about 1/2 inch long. Sew all the way around.

  

 7. Start pulling the thread along the way to bunch up the material.

  

 8. Once you've sewn all the way around, pull the thread tight and tie it off so you have a flower that looks something like this.

  

 9. I sewed my little jewel on the middle of my flower and to the tie headband. You can also hot glue your embellishment onto the flower and headband.

  

 THAT'S IT! you're

done!

Burlap Flower Tutorial

From: The Tidy Nest

Check out this easy tutorial for making burlap flowers...

Follow Along... :)

Start by cutting a 5" square piece of burlap.

Fold the square in half from point to point, making a triangle.

Fold the triangle in half.

Fold the triangle in half again.

{Not too complicated so far...}

With the closed end of the triangle pointed down and the open end up, cut the triangle into an "ice cream cone" shape.

{Does that look like an ice cream cone???}

Open the "ice cream cone" to see the flower...

Repeat this process with coordinating fabric.

For the rest of this project you will need...

small rubberbands

double sided mounting dots

&

a small, round "gem" or pretty much anything small & round!

NEXT...

Stack the flowers face down on top of each other. Attach one side of the sticky dot to the top of the gem and the other side of the dot to the flower.

Pull the fabric up around the gem and secure it with a rubber band.

Spread the flower out around the rubber band.

Hot glue twine around the center of the flower starting at the base of the rubber band.

The hot glue may melt the rubber band so work quickly!

Snip off the excess twine.

The End.