Sew Powerful Purse #73 for 2025

For this Sew Powerful purse, I appliquéd a hot air balloon that I cut out from fabric. I added some appliqué clouds too. As you can see, I used denim jeans for the flap and removed the pocket, but the fabric under the pocket was much darker since it was covered by the pocket. Kind of adds some interest.

I pieced some webbing scraps together using ribbon to cover the joins and make the strap long enough. The body of the purse is also denim jeans that I upcycled.

Front pocket of the jeans was used as the front pocket for the purses, with the jean pockets adding some extra pockets.

The back jean pocket also provided a pocket on the back. This purse will be donated to a sweet girl in Zambia through my donation to the Sew Powerful Purse Project.

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Serendipity Hip Enlarged in Hot Air Balloon Fabric

I have wanted to make an enlarged Serendipity Hip for quite a while and finally decided to just do it. I made the top of the bag straight across, rather than curved too. I like this larger version because it still has all the great features of the regular Serendipity Hip, only bigger. This is a pattern from ChrisW Designs.

This enlarged version measures approximately 10" wide x 12 1/2" high x 2" deep. (The original size is 8" wide x 10" high x 1 3/4" deep).

The bag has a zippered closure and there is a zippered front pocket too which is handy for quick access. 

I made a zipper pull with beads and a hot air balloon charm too. Did you notice the charm and the balloon in pink behind it are the same pattern?

Back of the bag.

Inside the bag another zippered pocket and a credit card/cash pocket.

The credit card pocket will hold a couple of cards and behind it is a deeper pocket that will hold cash folded in half. So if you don't want to carry a separate wallet, you will have more room for other items in this bag.

Above the front zippered pocket is a hidden slip pocket with a phone pocket. So handy and convenient for quickly grabbing your phone.

Inside the front zippered pocket.

Here you see the zippered closure and the hidden pocket above the front zippered pocket.

This bag would be a huge hit at a balloon festival. Sadly, our International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque was cancelled for this October, but hopefully the balloons will be flying high again next year at the Fiesta!

This one of a kind bag is now listed for sale in my Etsy Shop. Get it before it's gone.
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Sunshine Cross Body Bag in Hot Air Balloon Print

I made the Sunshine Cross Body bag, which is a free pdf from Bagstock Sewing Patterns. I love how this one came out. It is a sweet style and not too large or small of a bag. I chose this hot air balloon print and the gray Uncorked fabric print and love them together. The bag features a zippered closure, a front zippered pocket, a zippered interior pocket and I also added a slip pocket inside too.

This bag is currently listed for sale in my Etsy Shop. When it's gone it's gone. I may make more of this style bag, but not in the same fabrics.

I even added a hot air balloon charm zipper pull to the front zippered pocket.

Inside is a zippered pocket and I added a slip pocket with a pen pocket.

This is the back side of the bag.

I made another Sunshine Cross Body bag that I will be posting soon. I also enlarged the pattern so I can try making a larger one too.
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Serendipity Hip Bag in Hot Air Balloon Print Fabric

The first weekend in October is the start of the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, (that runs for 9 days), so I love to make some purses and other bags with hot air balloon fabric. This is the Serendipity Hip (ChrisW Designs) with a straight top. It seems I sell the straight top versions better than the curved top Serendipity Hip, so that is why I make them like this. I love both looks.

The Serendipity Hip is a great little bag loaded with pockets galore and has a zipper closure to keep it all secure.

You can see the zippered pocket here, but right above this is a slip pocket with a phone pocket for easy access.

Side view shows depth of bag.

I only use these hot air balloon charms when I make a bag with hot air balloon fabric. 

The back of the bag.

This is looking down into the slip pocket with the phone pocket.

Inside the bag is another zippered pocket.

And some credit card and cash pocket too, so you don't even need a separate wallet!

I will be taking this bag to a craft show I am doing in October.
Update: This bag just sold.
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Gracie Bag @ 80% with Hot Air Balloons

I wanted to try making another Gracie Bag (by Shamballa Bags), but reduce it in size. I reduced this Gracie Bag to 80%, which is still a nice size without being too large. I also thought it would look great with some hot air balloon fabric. 

I paired this Gracie with a multi-colored batik fabric and some green fabric I hand dyed years ago. Just barely had enough of the hand dyed fabric I needed for this bag.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta started yesterday and I wish I could have taken all my hot air balloon bags with me to sell at the show, but the cost to sell in the huge arts and crafts tent there is way out of my price range. So this and the other bags will go to the shows in November, where I hope they will go to good homes and be loved.

I love how real these balloons look.

Okay this is funny. Now that I am looking at these photos, I realized I forgot to add the rivets to the straps! LOL! I will go and add them now, but I will have to add the updated photos to this posting when I get the photos later. Sometimes you see things differently in a photo than in person, lol! 

Back of the bag. I added a slip pocket that is really needed to have outside the bag and the back was the perfect place for a pocket.

Here is a closer look at the slip pocket on the back of the bag.

Still a lot of room for a smaller bag.

One zippered pocket inside the bag. I forgot to add my zipper pull before taking the photo.

Here is the zipper pull in this photo.

Got the rivets added to the straps, whew! Now it looks a bit better and more balanced, lol! Glad I caught that before I took it to sell at the craft show next month!

Back of Gracie with added rivets on straps.

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Good to Go Messenger Bag (Hot Air Balloon fabric)

Guess what is coming up? The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta! In just over a week and it begins. So I made this Good to Go Messenger Bag from Andrie Designs in the small size. It's a free pattern.

The flap is perfect for all kinds of fun fabric or other artsy stuff.

I used some blue "uncorked" fabric to compliment the hot air balloon fabric. Tell me does it look like real cork? It's 100% cotton fabric. A lot less $ than real cork.

I made the straps adjustable and added some rivets.

I added a zippered pocket to the back of the bag (not part of the pattern). I know I have to have some kind of exterior pocket and I have heard this from others too. You can see the "uncorked" fabric here really well.

Inside is a nice bright fabric with a slip pocket.

This bag has SOLD.
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