Tag Archives: testbag4diane

I saw a tote bag somewhere on the internet early last week. Over the past months, I’ve been trying to decide on the best crossbody bag pattern for the vintage fabric my cousin’s wife, Diane, sent me with her request for three bags—one each for herself and her two sisters. But there are two pieces of fabric, and wouldn’t it be nice if I could give each woman two bags. The “Tourist Tote Bag” from Sew Many Creations grabbed my eye and my imagination. All the reviews and accounts of this pattern say it’s easy and quick. Several members of … Continue reading →

Just finished: A new pattern from Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness Patterns. She sponsored a sewalong for this wonderful new crossbody bag. The event took place over four weeks. I was late starting as we were in Texas visiting my Amarillo son and daughter-in-law in their new-to-them home, and then in Lewisville (northwest suburb of Dallas) with my elder son. After we returned, I was able to push through and finish the bag a few days before the end of the sewalong. I don’t believe I’ve mentioned here that my 20-year-old granddaughter is living with us now while she’s job … Continue reading →

I may have found The Pattern for the bags for my cousin. I’ve admired Noodlehead bag patterns for years, but have never made one. As I was reaching the end of my test bags for Diane, the wife of my cousin, Ken (link to the blog posts about the test bags) and taking one last pass through all the patterns of the indie bag pattern designers whose work I admire, I came upon Noodlehead’s Hillside Tote from designer Anna Graham, and realized it was the perfect candidate. And now, with the bag finished and having eyed it repeatedly for several … Continue reading →

Why can’t I find what I want?! It’s like the Perfect Man; Maybe the Perfect Bag doesn’t exist? I have heard sewists in the Sew Sweetness FB group talking about the Tower Crossbody Bag since the day the pattern was introduced in 2020. It’s a free bag from Sew Sweetness, so it’s very popular. Who doesn’t like a free pattern?! I’ve wanted to make it, but it never reached the top of my Next Make list. So I decided to make a test bag out of the pattern and, while I was at it, make it out of a fabric … Continue reading →

My search continues. If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ll know I’m making tester bags trying to find just the right pattern from which to make three bags from vintage fabric that belongs to my cousin, Diane. This pattern is not It. After the Sew Da Kine bag, I thought I would turn to designers whose patterns I had used more frequently than Sallie Tomato and Sew Da Kine. So I looked at byAnnie, the patterns designed by Annie Unrein. I’ve made several of her bags, including my very favorite, the Ultimate Travel Bag. Another of my favorites … Continue reading →

In my previous post, “Kissin’ Cousins,” I told you about my search for just the right bag pattern to use for three bags I’m making for my cousin’s wife, Diane, and her sisters. So far I’ve made the Sallie Tomato “Zippy” crossbody bag, followed by its big sister, Sallie Tomato’s “Myrna” crossbody bag. When I finished the Zippy, I felt it was too flat to be able to throw more than a thin wallet and a phone into. The Myrna, with its boxed bottom, was thicker. You could also tuck sunglasses and a few other essentials into that bag. Maybe … Continue reading →

In the “How Time Flies” post a few weeks ago, I mentioned some bags I promised to make for my cousin’s wife and her two sisters. I was auditioning the Sallie Tomato “Zippy” crossbody bag for that purpose. But then I learned there was a similar bag to the Zippy, a little larger and with boxed corners, so it carries a little more. That pattern, also from Sallie Tomato, is “Myrna.” <Sidenote On> If the term “boxed corners” is foreign to you, it’s a method used in sewing bags and home decor to add dimension to a flat rectangle. Where … Continue reading →