Sew Powerful Purses #465-468 for 2025

4 more purses to donate to Sew Powerful Purse Project.

I used a die cut flower and die cut circle to make this appliqué flower, along with decorative machine stitches.

These 2 are super scrappy flaps using the tiniest pieces of fabrics, covered in tulle and quilted. Added jumbo rickrack and small pieces of a ribbon (the teacup & laugh were cut from ribbons), and a few buttons.

Stenciled flap with texture painted background.

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Sew Powerful Purses #414-417 (for 2025)

These are the last 4 purses that I made during the September Sew-a-thon for Sew Powerful Purse Project.

I had 3 panels of Dachshund dogs with balloons that I sewed scraps around to create the flaps.

I had this one flap of an owl with a mouse. Owls are okay to use for most of the schools, except for the rural schools that have cultural differences. I wanted to this panel though, since I had it. The volunteers in Zambia will make sure this doesn't go to a rural school. In the rural schools they do not like cats, bats, owls and hyenas, and I don't use those animals in my purses normally, so I will make sure I do not use them anymore.

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Sew Powerful Purses #159-162 (2025)

3 Scrappy selvage flaps and a scrappy pieced flap all paired with denim jeans that have been upcycled into purses. Donated to Sew Powerful Purse Project to some sweet girls in Zambia.

Selvage scrappy flaps.

Back pockets.

One selvage flap and one scrappy pieced flap.

Front jean pockets for an added front pocket.

Always fun to use the back denim jean pockets for an additional pocket.

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Sew Powerful Purses #87-89 (2025)

Here are 3 scrappy pieced purse flaps on these purses that I am donating to Sew Powerful. The one on the left started with a crazy pieced yellow, the middle with a star pieced block and the right one with a Debbie Mumm print. As soon as I use up a few scraps to make the flaps, I end up with even more scraps after cutting out the purse bodies. It is a never ending process. When the scraps start taking over, it's time to piece them together to create scrappy quilts to donate to use up the scraps faster, but then it starts all over again with scraps from cutting out purses, quilts or other bags.😜

3 scrappy purse flaps that are all different.

Back pockets on purses.

I love being able to use up scrap fabrics to create these purses to help teenage girls in Zambia to allow them to stay in school all year, so they do not miss any school while they are in their monthly periods. Making purses changes their lives for the better. Read about it here.

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Sew Powerful Purses # 32-34 for 2025

3 more purses finished! 2 are small Indian (or Asian) Elephant panels and the center purse is made with selvages and an appliqué heart patch. I am using the same African print fabric for the bodies that I used for the past several purses that I have posted recently. I got 12 purse bodies in total with the African print fabric. 

The Indian (or Asian) Elephants will be donated to African girls, so it might be fun for them to see a different smaller elephant, since the African elephants are much larger. Plus, the fabric panel elephants are adorned in Indian motifs.

Back Pocket is the same on all.

Closer look at the elephant.

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Sew Powerful Purse #182 (2024)

Another purse finished to donate to Sew Powerful. 

Mostly raw edge batik fabric scraps that I quilted heavily to hold the pieces together on the flap. Added bits of fuzzy yarn scraps and buttons too.

The body is a batik fabric and I made a strap in batik fabric with a ribbon in the center.

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Sew Powerful Purses #170-171 (2024)

All Batik Purses! The flaps are made from batik scraps and the intermediate purse bodies are batik fabric, the straps are batik fabric too. Only the lining is not batik.

I think at this rate, I will have over 200 purses finished by the end of the year, but how many over 200 is anyone's guess. 

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It's a Jungle Blog Hop~ with Sew Powerful Purses #154-155 (2024)

Another fun blog hop and another reason to make some Sew Powerful purses to donate. Thanks Joan (of Moosestash Quilting) for hosting this blog hop!

I love sewing purses for the Sew Powerful Purse Project! It allows me to use up some fabric scraps (and create new scraps too 😜), but more importantly, I can help girls out in Zambia to allow them to stay in school every month (when they have their periods) so they can get an education and not miss school, since they aren't allowed to make up any missed days. The girls are so appreciative too! Plus, they employ local women to sew the reusable pads, make the laundry soap and the uniforms and this allows the women to earn a good wage (and many have been able to leave prostitution). All this is possible from donations from people like you. It costs $10 to fill each purse with the supplies that are needed for the girls. 

For this Blog Hop I made some purses using a fabric of small panels of elephants. I cut out 2 of the elephants and sewed scraps around it to create the flaps. That's 2 more purses to donate.

Check out the other Jungle blog hop participants too!

Monday August 19

MooseStashQuilting

Ms P Designs USA

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Quilting Between the Rails

High Road Quilter

 

Tuesday August 20

Patchouli Moon Studio (me)

Karrins Crazy World

Quilting Gail

Quilted Delights

 

Wednesday August 21

A Quiltery

Quilted Snail

Selina Quilts

Hazel’s Daughter

 

Thursday August 22

Just Let Me Quilt

Scrapdash

BeaQuilter

That Fabric Feeling

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Sew Powerful Purses 77-90 (2023)

More Happy Scrappy Flappy purses finished for Sew Powerful, during their annual Sew-a-thon.

I found the pink fabric on a free table at one of my groups. Just enough to make the body and the scraps were used in the flap, along with other scraps I had that went with the colors in the print.

Cute "shopping" fabric. 

Close up of the print.

I love playing with selvages and making flaps. They make a sturdy flap and so interesting to look at.

Added a slip pocket to the back.

The main floral print for all 12 of these purses was given to me by a friend. The floral print looks a bit like a painting and once cut into the purse pieces it looked different with each purse. I made scrappy flaps using the leftover floral fabric and other scraps.

You can see how each purse has a bit different look once the fabric was cut. I added slip pockets on the back of the purses too.

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