Daryl's Drive & Brandt's Blvd. Wallet to Match

I was commissioned to make a Daryl's Drive handbag after a woman I know saw mine. I used a colorful floral fabric for mine and she wanted something bright and colorful too. So I had picked out a nice fabric grouping and then I got a call from her that she had seen a hot air balloon fabric at one of the quilt shops and wanted the balloon fabric instead. Luckily I hadn't cut out anything yet, so I went out and purchased the hot air balloon fabric and bought some extra fabric for me too. This woman also had shown me her leather wallet that was falling apart and I mentioned I could make her a wallet too, but she didn't say anything (maybe she didn't hear me?). I decided I would make her a wallet and tell her she did not need to purchase it as I could sell it if she didn't want it, but after seeing it she bought them both. I think she was very pleased with them and I hope she uses them too. She told me the handbag was too pretty to use and I told her to use it because it was meant to be used, lol!

Both the Daryl's Drive and the Brandt's Wallet patterns are ChrisW Design patterns from her Easy Street Collection, that is why Drive and Blvd. are in the names. And Daryl is named after me (I was one of the testers) and Brandt was named after Marilyn (her last name was used and she is also a tester).

Daryl's Drive Handbag

The woman who purchased this bag used to be a nurse and I had just the right amount of this nurse/doctor fabric to line the bag with. 

The back of the bag.

Cell phone or keys pocket on the back.

Brandt's Blvd. wallet to match.

There is a detachable wrist strap, which you can remove when using as a wallet in your bag. But if you only want to carry a few things and not a purse you can have your credit cards, ID, cash, coins and even your cell phone will fit in a cell phone pocket in this wallet and the wrist strap makes it easy to carry.

They do make a nice pair.

The wallet fits so nicely inside too!

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Katie's Crossbody Bag

I purchased this pattern called Katie's Crossbody by Same Bag Co. on Craftsy.com. It looked so cute and was a nice shape with credit card slots inside and a slip pocket on the back of the bag. It was easy to sew, except not enough pictures or instruction for doing the credit card slots, so I messed up something there as I wasn't sure quite how to do it because of the lack of pictures and instructions in that section. So I ended up having to add a trim to the top of the card pockets in order for it to fit in the bag. But I do like everything else about this bag and pattern. I will need to figure out how to do the credit card slots my way and then I will make another bag. I do hope she updates her pattern to include better instructions for the card slots though because it will sure help her pattern to be better. Just giving an honest review here.

The front of the bag has a nice shape to it.

The back of the bag has a slip pocket.

Inside are credit card slots and because I didn't quite get this right, I had to adjust it and add trim to the top so it would fit inside the bag. There are supposed to be more slots than this.

Back slip pocket .

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Carissa Clutch

I made this Carissa Clutch a pattern by Huff 'n Cuffs. This is a free pattern and a new to me designer. I found this to be an easy to sew pattern. There is an optional strap handle that you can add across the width of the clutch, but I chose not to add the handle to this one.

I used this cute cowboy boot fabric (thank you Sherry!) with an accent fabric that went well with it.

Inside is a wonderful credit card slot pocket and a zippered pocket opposite. So you don't need a wallet because it is a wallet too! This is so great for when you don't have a lot of stuff you need or want to take with you. There is plenty of space for a phone, keys, cash and of course credit cards and ID.  

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Evening Home to Seattle Row Quilt

Last summer I was in Washington state visiting my mother, sister and her family and my husband, daughter and grandson also came to visit, as it was my mom's 90th birthday celebration. Sadly she passed away only 2 months after our visit there.

While we were there, my sister, her youngest son, my daughter, grandson and myself took the ferry to Seattle. We walked all over Pike Place Market and a short distance from there is a quilt shop called Undercover Quilts on Virginia Street. I was collecting the Row-by-Row Experience free patterns on our trip, and picked up the pattern for this Seattle Skyline row quilt, called Evening Home to Seattle. I could have purchased the kit for $50, but since I had so much fabric, I just got the free pattern. But I did purchase some other patterns while I was there.

Well as you can see from this quilt there was a lot of teeny tiny cutting on these applique pieces, like the windows! So I traced on the fusible side (thinking I needed to reverse the scene) with a Sharpie marker. When I pressed it to the wrong side of fabric the markers lines stay and it is much easier to cut out those tiny pieces without the paper in the way. Well after I got it all cut and fused, I realized I had a mirror image of the pattern and so the Space Needle should be on the left and Mt. Rainier on the right! Oh well, I couldn't have cut from the paper side without the paper eventually falling off and my lines with it. So those of you who look at this quilt and think something looks odd, well there you go my goof! Still it did turn out looking nice in spite of my goof.

My daughter claimed this quilt for herself even before I chose any fabric for it. Of course I had planned on making and giving it to her anyway. She is a native Washingtonian.

This is how the quilt is supposed have looked with the Space Needle on the left and Mt. Rainier on the right. Mine is opposite. 

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Diva Envelope Clutch

I made a Diva Envelope Clutch, pattern by eSheep Designs. I wanted to use this hot air balloon fabric, but then totally forgot it is directional and with the flap the balloons would have appeared upside down! So I used the piece I cut out for the exterior fabric and used it for the lining instead and I used the balloon fabric on the bottom piece outside only.  The fabric I was going to use for the lining went on the outside and I appliqued some of the balloons onto the flap so it would look somewhat balanced. Not my best, but at least I was able to make it work.

The lining works here, since you see the correct direction of the balloons.

The back has a zippered pocket and I added a strap handle, but the handle only works if there is something stiff in the folder. Oh well sometimes things don't always go as planned.

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Fiona's Freeway an Easy Street Bag Pattern

ChrisW Designs has a new bag in her Easy Street Collection of bag patterns, called Fiona's Freeway. Easy Street patterns are faster and easier to sew than her regular patterns and cost a bit less too. Pop over to see all the tester's bag versions too.

I enjoyed making this bag. I got all artsy and sewed decorative stitches on the flap and that was fun! So here is my Fiona's Freeway~

Fiona is a bucket style bag with a drawstring and a flap with a magnetic snap closure. She is a medium sized bag with an adjustable strap so you can wear it across your body. There is a front zippered pocket that is perfect for holding a cell phone.

I had fun using fancy stitches machine stitches as well as making French knots by hand and couching a piece of rickrack in place. I also sewed on a few tiny buttons.

Side view shows the strap tab and the grommets for the drawstring you can see too.

My signature zipper pull on the front zippered pocket.

Fiona's backside is pretty too!

Here you can see the drawstring and magnetic snap closure.

I didn't have a large enough cord stop to use, so I rummaged around my craft stuff and found this large bead which looks nicer than a cord stop and works really well as an alternative to keeping the cord cinched in.

Inside there is a slip pocket on one side and zippered pocket on the other side.

Slip pocket with my label.

Zippered pocket with another zipper pull I made.

To give you an idea of space I put my wallet, reading glasses and sunglasses cases inside. Not a large bag, but not too small either.

Here you an see the entire flap.

Fiona is having fun swinging in the tree!

This one-of-a-kind Fiona is for sale for $54 plus shipping. Email me if you are interested in purchasing her. SOLD!
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Pick A Pocket Tote

I made a Pick A Pocket tote, which is a small bag with 6 pockets that go around the bag. I first sewed strips of fabric together to create my fabric, then I made the bag. As usual, I made it better by fusing interfacing to the fabric and making the fleece a bit taller, because with the first one I made, there wasn't enough fleece where it gets folded over at the top. This is a free pattern from All People Quilt.

This is how the bag looks on one side.

View from one side of the bag.

The lining has no pockets because all 6 pockets are on the outside of this bag.

This is how the bag looks on the other side.

View from the other side of the bag.

And the pretty bottom of the bag. 

I made this Pick A Pocket Tote first and there wasn't enough fleece at the top and my pink lining fabric wouldn't lie flat as you can see. Plus I didn't like sewing across the handles, especially with the thread being light on the darker fabric.So I also changed that and stitched the handles in place a little below the top of the bag, so I could topstitch the bag all around and move the handles out of the way, as I did in the green tote above. I usually have to make something once and then make changes on the next one (if there is a next one). Some things I can see as I am doing and can make those changes, but some things I cannot until i sew as per instructions and that's when I rewrite my own version. I gave this one to a woman I know who wanted a small bag.

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