The Petunia Pouch is ready!

I added the Petunia Pouch pattern to my Etsy pattern shop a few days ago but because of the holidays, I have not had time to post about it. I had a hard time deciding whether it should be a beginner pattern or not but to be safe, I wrote that it would require some experience with zippers and preferably a more simple style of zipper pouch.

It's really not difficult to make this rounded pouch, it may just seem that way because you can't sew all around the entire pouch at once when sewing the body pieces together. In any case, I think you should give it a try! Get your Petunia Pouch pattern here.

The Petunia Pouch - a work in progress

I'm trying something a little different and working on a new pattern for a zipper pouch this time. I wanted to create a pouch that was different than your typical square or rectangular pouch so I decided to try a rounded zipper top. It was a bit tricky because of the curves but with a little clipping of seams at the right places, it worked out great. As a bonus, I discovered that this style of opening allows the pouch to open nice and wide allowing easier access to the contents of the pouch.

I am working on some options for the pouch - probably just different outside embellishments and a patchwork option that will be great for using up small fabric scraps.

Stay tuned for the launch of this pattern early in the New Year!

Iris Convertible Shoulder Bag Pattern

Well the pattern is finally done and up in the pattern shop! I'm really happy with this bag and I would love to have time to make more but life is quite busy at the moment plus they are a huge investment in time and materials. I will gladly make one by custom order though!

I've already started on my next pattern - no sneak peak yet though.

Get your Iris Convertible Bag pattern here.

Almost ready...

My new pattern is very nearly done. I've decided to name it the Iris Convertible Shoulder Bag to keep with the flower naming convention.

 The only change I made to the bag was to make the faux leather bottom a bit differently by having it come up the sides a bit to give even more protection to the fabric. I also top-stitched the bottom seam to make it sit flat.

 

For this version, I made it with only one outside pocket, mostly to save time while drafting the pattern, but also to show that it can be modified according to your preference. 

Here is a peek of the inside:

It has my typical formula of 3 slip pockets and 1 zippered pocket but again, you are free to customize this to your liking!

I will be reading it thoroughly today and converting the files to PDF tonight which means it will be available by end of week. I have given up on having testers review it - I found myself waiting for days without any reviews so I'm just putting it up for sale and answering any questions that may come up.

 

Lovely new fabric

I've been on a bit of spending freeze when it comes to new fabric lately. I have so much quilt weight cotton in stock, I could line hundreds of bags with it. However, I am always on the look out for home decor weight canvas for the outside of my bags. I just don't use lighter cottons for the outside of purses anymore - it's not practical or durable. And there is such a great selection of heavier weight fabrics now!

I used to buy tons of fabric from Hawthorne Threads but they only have a small selection of home decor weight. When I saw that they stocked some of these beautiful coloured denims, I pounced on them right away.

Crossroads Denim by Amy Barickman

They are not as thick as the denim I normally use but the colours are wonderful. I just need to decide what I will use them for! They are also washed which means they are very soft to the touch.

I also found some great organic canvas from a shop on Etsy called Sew Fine Fabric. I normally would not splurge on Organic fabric like these but they are gorgeous and she had a 30% sale with flat shipping rates that couldn't be beat.

The Line Leaf prints on the left are from Cloud 9 and the 2 on the right after from The Grove collection by Jay-Cyn for Birch.

Again, my problem is deciding how to use them. I will not be able to afford to buy more so I must use them carefully. If you love fabric like I do, it is SO painful to cut into that fresh yardage for the first time.

New Pattern Coming Soon!

Very soon 2014 will be here and I'm pretty excited about leaving 2013 behind. It was not very good to me personally and professionally.

It means that it is time for me to try something completely different! So starting in 2014, I will focus mainly on pattern design and my pattern shop. I will probably try and find an alternative to Etsy as well because although I love the instant download feature, after I pay the Etsy listing fee and the Paypal fee, I barely get paid for my patterns. (If you have ever attempted to create a pattern, you will realize how much work it is. For a larger bag, it takes me at least 2 weeks of working everyday to create a PDF pattern!!)

Now for those who love my handmade creations, do not fret. I will have plenty of sample bags to sell in my regular Etsy shop. I will also accept custom orders for any of my patterns in your choice of fabrics. I simply can't go on just trying to sell larger bags only. I know some Etsy sellers seem to have great luck selling bags at a $100+ price point but I am not one of them. I don't know if it's my photos or styles or lack of features or bad fabric selections but I am exhausted trying to figure it out.

So to start things off, here is my first bag pattern of 2014:

 

It does not have a name yet but if you're paying attention, it will most certainly have a flower theme to it. :)

This is a larger sized bag measuring approximately 13 inches wide at the bottom, 9 inches high at the centre and 4 inches deep. It has double shoulder straps which are not optional and a removable cross body strap which will be optional. On this test bag, there is an identical outside pocket on BOTH sides of the bag but of course, that is optional. You could make it with a pocket on one side or have none at all.

There are some optional faux leather accents. But they can be made in any fabric you want although I would recommend using something thicker than quilting cotton. (As an aside, I am no longer using quilt weight cotton on any of my bags except for the lining. It's just not durable enough!) I can't say enough nice things about faux leather - much cheaper than real leather, looks really great, easier to sew and just as durable if you buy a good quality. I buy mine at fabric.com and I usually buy the more expensive stuff.

More pictures (because everyone loves pictures right?):

 

I have my usual  inside pockets: 3 slip pockets and 1 zippered pocket but of course, all of this is customizable. 

I am currently making some changes to the pattern and sewing another sample bag. I just wanted to change the way the bottom was made and the faux leather bottom will come up the sides of the bag slightly. I've heard from many that they did not like fabric touching the floor when they set the bag down so I will solve that problem. 

This is a longer sewing project - it takes me up to 4 hours to make this bag but I think it is worth it. There is a total of 6 decent pockets. This is a great everyday bag!

I have tons of sketches for more patterns including some pillow cover ideas. If you want to see which patterns I currently have for sale, check out my pattern shop on Etsy!