Essential Phone Bag by Around the Bobbin + SALE

This was a fun and quick little bag to make. The Essential Phone Bag by Around the Bobbin is a minimalist style cross body bag that will hold a phone, and a few other essentials, like keys, or a little wallet like the Mini Cork Wallet (see next post about this wallet). The bag closes with a magnetic snap and has a pocket on the front. It is lightweight and perfect when you don't need to carry a lot with you. The cross body style is an easy style to wear and no more aching shoulders from carrying a too heavy larger bag. I hear that from a lot of women how they cannot carry larger bags anymore as it is too much stress on their shoulders, so The Essential Phone Bag is a great choice to wear and use.

Finished bag measures 7" high x 4.5" wide.

I used all one fabric for this bag (batik fabric), but you could make it with a different fabric for the flap as well.

The lining fabric is a hand dyed fabric.

Here is the main compartment and the front slip pocket.

Back of the bag.

These are quick and easy to make and would make great gifts!

Not only is this pdf pattern on sale, but all of Around the Bobbin's patterns are on SALE on the website for 15% off! Use Code ATBSALE to get the 15% discount. Sale valid May 24-27th. So grab all the patterns you have been wanting to sew while they are on sale.😉

Also, check out the other testers versions here.

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4 Matching Zip & Clip Bags

Hello lovely flowers! I was commissioned to make the Zip & Clip Bag and she wanted 4 of them for the women in her family, including herself. I showed her this floral fabric that I had that was bright and bold flowers (she wanted flowers) and she liked it. She wanted black for the main fabric and I used black denim.

The Floral fabric is something I have had for years and it's called, Celebracion, created by Kathy Hall. It's the Museum of New Mexico of International Folk Art, by Andover Fabrics. It was a perfect choice since we live here in New Mexico.

The bag pattern is the Zip & Clip from Around the Bobbin. It's a small minimalist style bag with lots of pockets! I used webbing for the straps in black.

It can be worn as a cross body bag, shoulder bag or a waist bag, all by adjusting the strap. 

The floral print is large and packs a punch. So when cutting the flaps, each flap has a different section of the print, making it not quite as identical to the rest.

I chose a different color for the linings to highlight each bag a bit differently. The front zipper pocket can hold a phone.

Looking down into a couple of the bags you can see a slip pocket with a narrow flap, that can hold a passport and across from that pocket is a zipper pocket.

The other 2 lining colors. Oh and when you unzip the inside zipper pocket, there are credit card pockets for placing your cards vertically. And because the pocket zips closed, those cards and cash are nice and secure.

This is a great bag for the minimalist or someone who doesn't carry a lot of things. Also great for travel when you only want to bring the essentials.

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Zip & Clip Cross Body Bag

Hello shutterbugs. I tested this cute little bag from Around the Bobbin. It is an updated version to the original pattern, which I did not test, so I have no comparison to see what is actually different in the instructions. 

I chose a camera print to highlight on the flap and I used Heat 'n Bond's Liquid Vinyl on the flap to waterproof it and keep it clean. I used denim for the body of the fabric. I chose to use a slightly wider strap than called for because my hardware is 1-inch wide and I don't have anything smaller. I used webbing for the strap.

This cute little bag measures 7" H x 6 1/2" W x 2" D. It is perfect for the minimalist or when you don't want to carry everything with you. Not only can it be worn across the body, but unclip it and adjust the strap to fit around your waist to wear as a hip bag too.

Under the flap there is a zipper pocket as well as a slip pocket (perfect for a phone. Inside the bag is another zip pocket and inside the zipper pocket are credit card pockets where the cards stand vertical for easier access, a slip pocket with a flap tab that opens to hold a passport or whatever you have that will fit inside it, like a small camera. This is the perfect little bag to take while traveling when you don't want to carry a lot. It also can be worn as a waist bag. Just unclip the clips and adjust the strap and clip the clips together around you waist. Check out Lisa's Blog blog to see how that is worn.

Also, check out the tester's versions here. Zip & Clip Cross Body Bag pdf and paper pattern is on sale for 25% off today through Sunday March 27 (midnight CDT) and no code is needed, so grab yours today. Shop here.

The instructions call for using 2 magnetic snaps, but I chose to use one snap and it works fine for me on this bag.

I used a Kam snap instead of Velcro for the tab.

The pocket with the tab flap holds a Passport, a smallish camera or a phone, etc.

Hard to photograph inside a small bag like this.

Since the flap had a lot of white on it, I added Liquid Vinyl to make it waterproof and stain proof. It's a great product by Heat 'n Bond.

The bag back side.

The side view.

Both a slip and a zippered pocket are just under the flap. Great for your phone or keys.

The zipper pocket with the slip pocket with a tab flap across from it.

Unzip the pocket and safely tucked away are 6 credit card pockets. You can keep your cash and coins in the pockets too and zip it closed for security.

For a limited time only this pdf or paper pattern is on sale 25% off at Around the Bobbin, so grab your copy while it's on sale. Sale ends midnight March 27 CDT.

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Cell Phone Cross Body Purse

I followed a YouTube video to make this cute little cross body purse. I didn't have enough fabric left to make a strap (I used a fat quarter), so I knit an I-cord strap instead. Since this is a small bag intended to carry a phone and a few essentials, I thought the knit strap would be fine to use for a strap.

I just love how it turned out. It is perfect for the minimalist who only needs to carry a few items with her. 

The bag measures 4 1/4" wide x 7 1/2" tall x 1 1/2" deep, with the sides being a bit expandable, so the depth of the bag filled with things inside would be wider if you carried a few thicker items inside, maybe expanding to 2"+. This bag is like a mini file cabinet with 3 separate sections to keep your belongings organized and easy to grab when needed.

The I-cord knit strap is 41" long. but has a bit of stretch too. It is not adjustable, but could be tied in the middle to shorten it if desired. I can certainly make one of these purses with an adjustable strap or a particular fixed length if anyone wants a custom one made.

Three separate compartments to keep organized and make it easy to grab your phone and other belongings.

The side when purse is empty. The sides can bellow out if filled with thicker items.

I used a Kam snap closure.

If you would like to purchase this Phone Purse or have one made for you in your color, contact me. I can invoice you through PayPal. Cost is $45. including shipping. This purse has SOLD

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VW Kombi Van Purse

When I saw this cute VW van purse, I had to make at least one. It is a small purse, which is perfect for a child or teenager or minimalist, but it sure brings out the inner hippie in me, lol!!! It was fun to make this sweet little bag.

I found this on Lisa Pay's YouTube channel. Her channel is called PayitForward (cute play on her name). (See the video at the end of this post.) Lisa has so many other cute things to make as well, such as stuffed animals. Her instructions are great and I love her Australian accent too. So I am paying it forward to you with her video down below. Subscribe to Lisa's channel and tell her I sent you, lol!

This sweet purse calls for using both cotton fabric and felt. There is both hand and machine sewing involved. Lisa sewed more things by machine than I did. I only sewed the strap by machine and did the rest of mine by hand. Since it is a small purse, you wouldn't be carrying much weight inside so it can be sewn by hand.

The purse measures 5 5/8" wide x 5 1/4" high x 1 3/4" wide.

I added a handmade label to mimic a license plate.

I blanket stitched all the felt pieces by hand, whereas Lisa uses the sewing machine and does a straight stitch.

The back of the bag is cotton fabric.

I also blanket stitched the side pieces in place. The orange is a woven wool fabric that I used.

The inside is felt.

Here is the video~

You know I am always thinking about how I can change things when I make bags or quilts, so I thought I would make a larger bag (different designer) and applique the VW Kombi van on the front or a flap of the bag, enlarging the van, if needed. That way I get both a cute VW van and a larger bag with more features and space. So that might be something I create later this month as I have too many UFO's calling me at the moment, lol!

$35 + $5 shipping ($40 total price). USA shipping cost, if you live outside the USA, shipping will be higher. This has SOLD

Peace & Love,

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Seneca Creek Cross Body Bag & Waist/Fanny Bag

I made this Seneca Creek Cross Body Bag (Betz White Design) and enlarged it 10% larger than the original size bag. I made the original size bag a few years ago. This enlarged version measures  11 1/2" wide x 8" high x 2 1/8" deep.

I also reduced the size of the bag and made a Waist/Fanny Bag too (photos after this enlarged version further down)

This bag is listed for sale in my Etsy Shop.

 This version measures 11 1/2" wide x 8" high x 2 1/8" deep.

I added a slip pocket as well as the zippered pocket in this bag.

Great pocket for a phone or keys.

I also decided to reduce the size of this Seneca Creek Bag by 10% smaller than the original size (20% smaller than the cross body pictured in green). I turned this one into a waist bag-fanny pack-bum bag-hip bag or whatever you want to call it. (It can also be worn on the shoulder or across the body, but on most people it will fit just under you arm as a cross body bag) The smaller size works well for a waist bag (the original size would also be good for a waist or cross body, depending on your size needs). The waist adjusts from about 35" to 46". Some women may like to wear it around the waist or at the hips, so it's hard to know exactly how long to make the straps, since there are wearing preferences as well as different body sizes. If you want one of these waist/fanny/bum/hipster bags made to fit you and if you have a bag size preference for the original size, small (shown below) or large (shown above), you can contact me through my Etsy Shop to order a custom bag made in the size and colors you like.

I have this bag also listed in my Etsy Shop for sale.

This bag measures 9 1/2" wide x 7 1/4" high x 1 3/8" deep.

The 2 bags side-by-side. The original size Seneca Creek Bag would be right in the middle of these 2 sizes. Go here to see the first Seneca Creek I made.

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