Sew Powerful Purses #272-288 (for 2025)

I think these 17 purses might be the last of the selvage flaps for the purses I made, but don't hold me to it 😂. I was determined to sew up all the selvage flap purses to get them finished. Some have Kokopelli fabric in the centers and the rest have the prints I had been using before.

I was experimenting by making a smaller patchwork pocket for the front on the purse on the right. I holds the little notecard I placed inside of it, but I think I will stick with the larger slip pocket on the front, like the purse on the left.

I enrolled in the Sew Powerful Sew-A-Thon to raise funds so schoolgirls in Zambia Africa can have the feminine hygiene supplies they need to attend school all month. I make purses to hold the supplies as a special gift for a girl living in poverty. Together we can help keep girls in school! There is still time to donate through September 30, 2025. It takes $10 to fill each purse with the monthly hygiene supplies the girls need to stay in school all year long. So if you haven't donated yet, please consider at least a $10 donation to fill one purse. Click here to donate or use the QR code below. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

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Sew Powerful Purses #258-271 (for 2025)

I wanted to sew up a lot of purses using the selvage flaps I had made months ago. If we create scrappy flaps, embroidery, etc. we were allowed to do this before the Sew-a-thon, so that people using just plain fabric wouldn't be at an advantage over those of us who put more time into making flaps. So I really got to sewing these in batches, assembly line style to get these 14 purses finished. Glad these are done now.

I like this print. It reminds me of prints from India. These aren't my colors though, but I love the print and with Autumn on the way it is the perfect colors for Autumn.

I enrolled in the Sew Powerful Sew-A-Thon to raise funds so schoolgirls in Zambia Africa can have the feminine hygiene supplies they need to attend school all month. I make purses to hold the supplies as a special gift for a girl living in poverty. Together we can help keep girls in school! There is still time to donate through September 30, 2025. It takes $10 to fill each purse with the monthly hygiene supplies the girls need to stay in school all year long. So if you haven't donated yet, please consider at least a $10 donation to fill one purse. Click here to donate or use the QR code below. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

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Sew Powerful Purse #257 (for 2025)

I made this flap with a donated fabric from Tea Cup Quilt Shop, which went out of business a few years ago. I upcycled a red Starbucks apron for the purse body, donated to me by my sweet daughter.

The front pocket was the pocket that was on the Starbucks apron. 

Hello sweet people, I enrolled in the Sew Powerful Sew-A-Thon to raise funds so schoolgirls in Zambia Africa can have the feminine hygiene supplies they need to attend school all month. I make purses to hold the supplies as a special gift for a girl living in poverty. Together we can help keep girls in school! There is still time to donate through September 30, 2025. It takes $10 to fill each purse with the monthly hygiene supplies the girls need to stay in school all year long. So if you haven't donated yet, please consider at least a $10 donation to fill one purse. Click here to donate or use the QR code below. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

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I am a Bronze Level Prize Sponsor for the 2024 Sew Powerful Sew-a-thon

Hello everyone, I wanted to let you know that I am one of the sponsors this year for the Sew Powerful Sew-a-thon. As a Bronze level sponsor, the total value of the prize equals $100, but I could divide it into more than one prize and I decided to create 2 prizes (each prize is valued at $50). I created 10 purse flaps for the the Sew Powerful purses and 2 winners will win 5 flaps each.

I used different techniques in creating the purse flaps too. For each prize I made a flap out of selvages, batik pieced flap, a painted flap, a pieced flap with an appliqué butterfly on it, and a raw edge scrappy quilted flap. So, do you want to see the flaps I made for the prizes? Of course you do! Check them out below:

If you would like to join in on the Sew-a-thon & Fundraiser for 2024, you can pre-enroll now and get some fun extras. Check it out here!

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Sew Powerful Purses #43-46 (2023) for Fundraiser 2023

I made 4 Sew Powerful Purses with Hot Air Balloons on the flaps in appliqué. I put them into a local gift shop to see if they will sell, since Balloon Fiesta will be here the first weekend in October and I hope they will sell. I put a little note in the front pocket explaining that if the purse sells, I will donate the money received to Sew Powerful during their Fundraiser and Sew-a-thon during the month of September. So far nothing is selling at that gift shop. It has been hot here though, so most people are probably not wanting to shop or stroll around Old Town.

If they don't sell, then I will donate them to one or up to four girls in Zambia, depending on how many do sell, or if any sell? Time will tell.

So here are the 4 purses I made~

The body of the purse is denim, upcycled from denim jeans.

I added a pocket inside this one. I usually don't add an inside pocket, but I had some extra fabric.

I also added a jean pocket on the back that I first did an appliqué heart on it. Only smaller women jean pockets will fit on the back of the purse.

Added crystal bling on all of the balloons too.

This one I made with a batik fabric body.

Back has a slip pocket added.

Another denim jean body and pocket with a purple appliqué heart on this one.

Denim jean body and this one I did a flower appliqué on the pocket.

Flap lining I had to piece scrappy as I didn't have enough of either fabric. Kind of like that scrappy lining flap.

Wish me luck in selling these purses so I can donate to the fundraiser. If you would like to donate any amount to Sew Powerful (in my name) during the fundraiser (through September 2023), let me know so I can send you the link and my number  to enter to donate, because there will be prizes for us fundraisers. Not that I need to win anything, but Aurifil thread is one of the prizes and I can always use thread, lol! Sewing machines are donated too from Bernina and Babylock (serger), but those go to the people who raise the most $$. Will find out at the end of September if I am lucky enough to win anything.

Happy purse sewing for me!

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Sew Powerful Purses #191-216 for 2022

Hello my beautiful sewers/sewists! Well the Sew Powerful Sew-a-thon is over! I am exhausted! I sewed 116 purses for the Sew-a-thon and a total of 216 purses for the entire year. Yes, I could still sew more purses the rest of this year before the year ends and I might do that, but I also need at least a month break from sewing them as I want to sew other things instead. You can check back here at the end of the year and see if I sewed more than 216 purses to donate to Sew Powerful.

These are the last purses I made for the September Sew-a-thon, which total another 26 purses. My final total for the Sew-a-thon is 116 purses made in September for Sew Powerful. During September, I also tested 3 bags for 2 designers, fell on the hard floor hurting my back (it's still sore) and took a couple days to rest from the fall. And I still made 116 purses during the month! 

I still need to work on the notecards that I made to include in each purse too. So I will do that this month so I can send off these purses. One woman in the Facebook group made over 200 purses! Wowzer!!! I feel like a slacker compared to that, but this wasn't a competition and I didn't really make a goal like some people did. I cut 113 kits in August and was hoping I would get all of those sewn and I did. I needed my September project for Crafter's Edge, so made a purse of course, using a hexagon die cut. I made 2 more with the hexagon die cuts (last 2 purses I made) on the last day of the Sew-a-thon. If I participate in the Sew-a-thon again next year, I will cut kits out months in advance so it won't be so overwhelming.

Here are the last 26 purses I made:

I made 2 more purses using the Hexagon die cut from Crafter's Edge for the African women/children fabric and sewed batik fabrics around the hexagons. The African fabric print and the coordinating print fabric that I used for the body of the purse were donated by Karen H. Thanks again Karen. I love how these came out!

I also want to thank all the people who donated in my name to Sew Powerful during this Sew-a-thon. You made a huge difference in the lives of these girls in Zambia. Together we are Sew Powerful! Thank you!

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