Little Zippered Bags

I have been trying to use up some fabric scraps and I made several zipper bags using a few different tutorials to see if I like any of them. I tried one style bag that I wasn't wild about and another that looks okay, but I didn't like the directions. So I went back to making the rest of the bags (the selvage bags) my own way and I added the lining separately. Most zippered bags have you sandwich the lining and the exterior with the zipper in between. Well I don't know about you but I feel like I am sewing blind that way. Even if I baste each piece separately and then sew, things always tend to shift in the process and I do not like how the zipper looks after I flip it over so I can see it. I decided it would be easier and faster to make a lining like the bag (minus the zipper) and then join the 2 together wrong sides together and stitch by hand the lining to the bag. For me it's not more work because I avoid having to rip out the zipper and lining umpteen times to get it right when using the sandwiched method. I also tried experimenting with sewing on the selvages to create a fabric and I made a few goofs along the way and learned a few things too. One thing is that it's a lot of work just to create the selvage fabric before even attempting to make the bag! LOL!!! Well at least I put those selvages to good use. :0)

I used up red scraps for this bag. Didn't care for the instructions for this bag. I got directions from a book I checked out at the library months ago. Directions were lacking and poorly written. I had to make my own adjustments to make this bag work.

Gingham lining.

Gusseted sides. (Those lint and thread gremlins at a it again! Every time I take a photo they jump on my creation!) I gave this little bag as a prize for a name tag drawing at one of my groups and Angela won it. I know she will use it.

Selvage bags I made. I like the ones with the diagonal selvages better. I hadn't thought out the placement of the other 3 selvage bags very well because I didn't want them to look cut in half, but rather to have a short vertical selvages on the tops. I forgot about the boxed bottoms making the horizontal selvages shorter after sewing them.

I sewed the lining in after the bag was made, stitching it by hand around the top.

I love the little scissors selvage! I like other shapes on the selvages rather than just dots.

These were made the sandwiched zippered method. I had to rip out and re-do a couple of times. Where you sew the side seams it gets too bulky at the top by the zipper and things don't lie flat. 

The other side of the bags from above. 

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Kumihimo (Japanese Braid) Necklaces

I have been on a roll making these braided necklaces. I am enjoying combining different colors together and seeing how they look. I kept a couple for myself to wear too. I have several more that need to be finished too. I hope to sell most of them.

This one I kept to wear.

I kept this one to wear for myself too.

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Lots of Coiled Fabric Bowls

I have been busy making fabric coiled bowls. I have made quite a few. Some of these have already sold and some will be going to the consignment shop to sell soon.

I used a ribbon yarn to make this bowl.

This is also made using a blue variegated ribbon.

Looking down inside the bowl.

Fabric bowls made with fabric.

This bowl is small. I used some Southwest Kokopelli fabric I had to make this bowl. There were stripes between the Kokopelli' figures and it made the bowl look more interesting as you see those tan and black stripes wrapped into the bowl shape.

This bowl was made using a variety of leftover Southwest fabric prints.

This is the same fabric as the one above the previous bow, only it's a bit larger bowl.

This was another Southwestern print that had Kokopelli, turtles, lizards on it.

I used a brown Kokopelli print for the bottom of this bowl.

4 of the Southwest print bowls stacked together.

This was made using scraps of batik and hand dyed fabrics,

This is made from a variety of gray colored batik fabrics,

A taller bowl made from batik and hand dyed fabric scraps.

Looking inside the bowl.

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