Knit Purse!

I have always considered myself knitting-challenged. My grandma tried to teach me to knit a scarf and it took me over a year. I also couldn't figure out the whole casting on and off business, which is slightly problematic. And yet....those beautiful yarns and patterns are so tempting. I finally decided after some encouragement to try it again. I figured out how to cast on all by myself. Woo! I decided to make a purse for my daughter since it seemed simple enough. I am pretty sure I broke all knitting protocol but it works. I hand-sewed the purse together and the handle is a strip I knitted and sewed into a roll. I wanted magnetic snaps so I installed them on two wool felt hearts and blanket stitched them in. My next project is a hat, but I probably ought to do a little research before I start...since I only know one stitch, and I couldn't even tell you the name of it!

Dresden Plate Bag

A while ago I stumbled across this tutorial for a Dresden plate bag. Dresden plate is a quilt pattern that forms a circle, or plate. I wanted to make the purse, but it was too small. I was able to craft a larger Dresden plate template and then just winged the pattern for the bag. It is wider at the base, with pleats added for shape. The Dresden plate is made from some of my favorite scraps, and I added a little bit of decorative embroidery for kicks. The bag itself is made from stretch denim. (The stretch is not optimal, but hey...it was in my stash :) The lining is an awesome print I got on fabric.com (Michael Miller I think).

Buttercup Bag: Chicken Edition

This bag was made from the Made By Rae Buttercup Bag pattern (which is free!). A few weeks ago, Mom and I went to an AWESOME fabric store in Lancaster County. It is called Obi's General Store, and the place is stacked to the ceiling (literally) with fabric. It is really quite overwhelming, and I know that despite our time spent there, I probably only saw a fraction of the fabric they had. While there, I bought several pieces of fabric, including this chicken print. Now that I have chickens (!!), I should have something with chicken fabric, right?! I figured I would make myself a cute apron, but plans changed and I made a purse instead. This purse is super-easy to sew up. I added rick-rack for a little punch, and also because I can't find my red piping. No doubt it is off somewhere being used by my children to rig up a squirrel trap or something. I left out the small interior pocket, and added a divider instead. The buttons are from my Grandma Heppner's stash.

It's Easy Being Green

This is an easy purse pattern that I redrafted from an Amy Butler clutch from the book, "In Stitches." It has a magnetic snap and the outside, strap and flap are made from random Marimekko scraps in my collection (the purse matches the passport sleeve that I made a couple of months ago). I enjoyed making this purse because it doesn't require any interfacing. The entire project is stabilized with Warm and Natural batting which is fantastic to work with. Also, as a side bonus, the whole thing cost me about $3!

The Phoebe Bag Again

As my sister mentioned in a previous blog about this pattern, it is awesome, awesome, awesome. Not only is it quick, it also doesn't require a lot of fabric and is extremely versatile. I used a burnt orange floral fabric for the outer part (it reminded me of UT) and a white and orange polka dot material for the lining. Also, I used fusible fleece for the first time which added a nice fullness to the shape of the bag. I will definitely be adding fusible fleece to my list of items to buy in bulk!

The Phoebe Bag

I'm just going to come right out and say that this bag is awesome and you should make it. It is very simple and I actually made it Saturday morning before my husband got out of bed, and with my three kids underfoot. Here is the link to the pattern.