Category Archives: Bags

My Mojo is Back!

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I’ve been having sewing machine problems for about a year now. The most frustrating thing in a sewist’s life is walking into your sewing room with a hankering to sew. You sit down, put the pedal to the metal, and nothing good happens. Argh! I took my main machine in to the dealer and she just said, “User error.” I call bullsh*t on her. I’ve been sewing since I was 13 years old. I know what I’m doing, and this machine had a problem. (It’s known in the jargon as “birds’ nests.” My Spousal Equivalent even knows the term now, … Continue reading →

New Old Equipment

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My last blog post—the last item I made—was on March 12. That’s about two and a half months! I got sick of looking at that same old post, so, amid the kitchen reno and the water leak in the basement sewing room that had rusty water running across the floor to the drain, and the tearing apart and putting back together of the guest room with its now-refinished hardwood floor, I finally found a couple of half-hour sewing segments. I’ve been having bobbin birdsnest problems with my Bernina 330 (accompanied by a trip to the dealer/technician and a diagnosis of … Continue reading →

Bellevue Pouches

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I decided to participate in a March bag swap among members of Sara Lawson’s Facebook group, “Sew Sweetness Sewing Patterns.” The organizer of the swap gave us a list of Sara’s bags and pouches that we could make for the swap. I chose the Bellevue Pouch, which is part of the Minikins Season 1 series of patterns. The Bellevue comes in three sizes: small, medium, and large. First I made the medium-size pouch out of the Australian aboriginal fabric that I had used several times for the Metro pouch. My DNA cousin, Barbara C., who shares a love of sewing … Continue reading →

A Quick Little Gift

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Have you been buying some bits of the wonderful new cork fabric that’s all the rage nowadays? And maybe you’re not quite sure what to do with it? I’ve got the answer! If you watch Facebook or Instagram or this blog to see what I’m making, you’re aware I’ve been making a lot of Sew Sweetness bags lately. One of the really brilliant things Sara Lawson does for most of the bag patterns she makes is to create a video covering the construction of the bags. Recently she has begun importing cork fabric and offering it in her online store. … Continue reading →

Metro Double-Zip Pouches

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Click any photo to enlarge As I mentioned on this afternoon’s bag post, I’m making a few Metro Double-Zip Pouches from the Sew Sweetness Minikins 2 collection. Bag #1 The bag, as designed, calls for SF-101 interfacing on the exterior and lining fabrics and the wristlet handle. I wanted it a little thicker, as we travel a lot and I like the idea of having a quick place to stash my phone and/or my passport. Interfacing: I made the medium size bag—the main pouch pattern piece is 9″ wide and 6″ tall; the pocket piece is 9″ wide and 5″ … Continue reading →

Winter Break Bags

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YSU’s winter break was four weeks, which gave me plenty of time to both practice and sew. Yea! The first picture shows how the individual components look before a bag is actually constructed. The side panels are interfaced. The lining side panel has the zippered pocket installed with a mega*cool black and white striped zipper. (And note that the company I bought the zipper from a couple of years ago no longer stocks them. Did you hear that little sob?) I’ve been working my way through Sew Sweetness’s Minikins and Minikins 2 sets. And by “working my way through,” I … Continue reading →

Two More Sidewinders

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I wasn’t completely sold on the Sidewinder pattern that I made up for the Sew Sweetness Secret Santa exchange, but I had already cut the pattern out in another fabric, so went ahead and made it up, then made it up again. The third make was in a music-themed fabric, as I am a working musician. I thought I’d give it to one of the music professors I work with at Youngstown State University. But when it was all finished, on the morning I was taking my new half-sister (whom I discovered two-and-a-half years ago via Ancestry.com) to the Cleveland … Continue reading →

Santa Sews!

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A lovely young woman named Sara Lawson creates sewing patterns for bags under the name Sew Sweetness. She has a Facebook group that 31,000 sewists have joined. We talk about her patterns, we ask each other’s advice, and we dispense encouragement. Liberally! This year a member named Michelle Graham organized the first Global Sew Sweetness Secret Santa event, which almost 400 sewists joined. To join, interested participant-wannabes had to send an email to Michelle with their name and mailing address and agree to have their bag finished and in the mail/on the FedEx or UPS truck no later than December … Continue reading →