Brown Bag 2 - the small bag

I love, love, love these small brown bags I got on Etsy last year. (Sadly, the seller is no longer selling) I use them for small gifts because they are quick and easy to make pretty!

This one I just stenciled with the Stars stencil from Studio Calico  that I picked up last month at my local stamp store. I'm so glad I got it because I can't find it anywhere now. I used the Festive Berries Distress Ink and some stickers from a Girls Paperie Christmas set. (Also, not in business anymore) 

I used the same stars and stickers for the tag.

I think my Secret Santa partner is really going to like his gift. 

Bonus: there's a set of 6 Star stenciled bags and gift tags in my shop! At $4.00 for 6 you can't miss out on giving a few gifts in super cute bags. 

bag revamp

I took my vintage army map bag and gave it a new look on the flap. I cut out hexagons from favorite fabric scraps, then heat-n-bonded them onto the bag. then i sewed it on. the 'create' is stickers from authentique that i sewed onto green linen. i added some ribbon and buttons and it's perfect for crafting on the go when i don't want to carry my usual art bin bag. (and it's cuter too!)

It was iffy at first, but in the end...success!

Sometimes I find myself in the mood for a challenge. A project that I know will require some finesse, some time, and most of all, will push me to the limits of what I can do with my sewing skills. When I find myself in one of these moods, I like to find something that I already make but can make better or differently. Bags, for example. I've been making simple tote bags for months on end and have been too timid to try new patterns because, well, let's face, I'm not the great with directions. While the Knot bag was a success and I've made a few of them in recent days, I wanted to branch out.

I wanted to branch out to something reversible and cute and well, different. Cleaning out bookmarks I came across the tutorial from Lula Louise for her reversible shoulder bag.

For the first time in a long time, I didn't bother to read the directions and rewrite them in a way I could understand them. (That's a first for me!) The directions, while they could have been a tiny bit clearer, were easy enough to follow and the pictures she posted were more than helpful.
My problems:

1. I printed out the tiled PDF and assembled the pattern per instructions. Either my printer was off or the pattern was off, because I had to do some serious adjusting to get things to line up the proper ways. (Should you find yourself using this pattern, let me know how the assemblage goes for you.)

2. Steps 5 & 6 could have been a little more clear in the written instructions area. I think. Perhaps it's just me, but it took me about a half hour to figure out what she meant, and that was with the aid of the pictures.

3. I don't have enough cutting table space for so much fabric!

While problem 3 is my own problem, it was pretty easy to follow and make.

Once I got it all figured out, it was a breeze. I have round-bottom bag experience from a pattern I bought last year, so that part was a breeze. Even the turning out portions were easy, and typically, I manhandle and rip seams.


It's soft and sturdy and going to be added to my shopping bag collection. I would like to figure out how to make the straps longer; while it says you can wear it across your chest (the manner in which I like to carry my bags), this strap isn't long enough for a girl like me. I also need to remember for the next one that the pull through spot at the end should be on the lining so that you don't see the hand stitching on the outside.

Overall: not so frustrating and fun to put together.

Knot bag? Success!

When it comes to sewing there's only one thing I love more than buying new fabric(s) for my stash (see above) and that's...

Success!

I found this Japanese Knot Bag tutorial recently and against my better judgment, I bookmarked it. Adorable bag, I thought. But it's probably difficult and I'll never get through it, I thought. Yet I bookmarked it anyway. Then the other day while looking for a new project I kept going back to it and finally decided to give it a go.

What the hell, I thought, if I fail, I fail. It isn't my fault my brain isn't wired to read patterns and whatnot.

40 minutes later -- with no rewriting in a way I could understand it -- I had myself my very own Japanese Knot bag!


It was so easy and the directions were clear and for the first time in a very long time, I didn't have to rewrite the entire thing in a way I could understand it. The seams came out brilliantly, it's adorably reversible, and even though I had a little bit of a hard time with the handles, I got it worked out and found success!


(Above: inside the Knot bag if you couldn't figure it out. I don't take the best pics!)

I'm using the red one to carry my Wednesday night craft supplies around and I've gotten a few comments on it. I've already made 6 of them to give to my friends, hence the delay in my posting here for a few days. It's simple, pretty projects like these that really give me a much needed boost in my sewing self- esteem.