July Challenge Day #12

The most popular post on this blog is the "Scrappy Snappy Pouch Tutorial" that I wrote about a year ago. I haven't made one of those pouches since then, so I decided to use up some scraps and make myself a new one. (There's a pretty big pile of green scraps on my sewing table now, so don't be surprised if you see another one of these again very soon...!)

July Challenge Day #9

When I go out to exercise (I half walk, half jog around the neighborhood) I take my iPod with me, but I don't like to hold it in my hand the whole time. This pouch solves the problem--I can wear it as a cross-body bag, and my iPod will stay safe and my hands will be free to pet any cats I happen to encounter along the way!

This picture shows it with my iPhone inside. There is a loop (hidden in this picture) on the back edge that goes over the button in front to close it, while leaving room for the earbud cord.

Birdy Pouches

For two recent swaps on Craftster, I made (among other things) a zippered pouch for each partner.  They both like birds, and they both appreciate whimsy, so the birds are wearing party hats!

The basic construction is the same as my "popular" pouch, but I eliminated the gusset and just sewed them flat. I've made a lot of zippered pouches, but these are the first ones I've made like this, with an appliqued section and a fabric section on both sides. I think it makes them a lot more interesting and there are a million different things you could applique on them to personalize them--they would be great gifts, because anyone could use a pouch for something!

What Is It? Guess and Win! (Updated 1/29)

Tuesday Update:  Thanks for your great comments and guesses!  No one got it right yesterday, so feel free to keep guessing.  Also feel free to repeat someone else's guess if you are stumped, because everyone who leaves a comment will be entered in the drawing if there is no correct guess.
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It's been a while since my last giveaway, so let's have another one!  To contrast with the gray weather we are having in Virginia today, I'm offering a bright, sunshiny-yellow zippered pouch! (Key not included!  It is for size comparison only!)

This is one of my very popular pouches that I created for the Master Craftster Series on Craftster last year.  It measures 5.5" x 8", it is fully lined, and it can be used for lots of things--I'm sure you will find it quite handy if you win it!

This time, the winner of the giveaway will be the first person to guess what I am going to make with the little knitted piece in the picture below. (I won't be adding anything else to the piece, but I will do something with those dangling yarn ends to finish it.)  Leave your best guess in the comment section, one guess per person, per day (that's right...go ahead and guess again tomorrow if there is no winner today.)  The giveaway will end when someone guesses correctly (and the winning guess has to be exactly correct...not just close! There are two particular words I will look for in the winning guess.)  If no one guesses it by Friday, February 1st, I will choose a random winner from everyone who left a comment.

Be sure I have a way to contact you if you win...if you are not a registered Blogger user (and your comment shows up as posted by "Anonymous"), leave your email address too.

And this is just a little side note--I know a lot of you dislike the "captcha" verification thingy that you have to complete before you can post your comment; I actually turned it off for a couple of weeks, and the flood of spam became so overwhelming I had to turn it back on.  If you have trouble leaving a comment, just send me a message (leslieandersen4@gmail.com) and I will post your comment for you.

Good luck to all!  I can't wait to read your guesses!!!

Fabric Yo-yos

I needed a little embellishment for a project recently, so I decided to try adding fabric yo-yos.  I had never made them before, but I found them to be so quick and easy that I want to share them with you. They add a nice detail to an item than might otherwise be a little plain.

 I made these 5" x 3.5" pouches that close with Velcro and added a yo-yo to each one, with a special "something" in the center of each yo-yo.  Read on to learn how I made the yo-yos. If you would like to make a pouch like these, go to my Snappy Scrappy Pouch Tutorial and use a single fabric in place of the scrappy pieced fabric..

To make a yo-yo, you start with a circle of fabric. The finished yo-yo will be slightly less than half the diameter of the circle you start with, so cut your circle to the size that will work best on your project.  This red polka dot fabric is 4.25" in diameter, which gave me a 2" yo-yo.

Using coordinating thread (I'm using contrasting thread for clarity in the photos), turn under a 1/4' hem and hand-stitch it in place. The stitches won't show in the finished product, so don't worry about making them perfectly straight and even.

Pull the two ends of the thread tight to gather the circle, then knot the thread and trim the ends.  I tied my knot on the outside of the yo-yo because I will be covering it in the next step.  If you want to use the yo-yo without anything in the center, hide your knot on the inside.

Flatten the fabric so the gathered edge is in the center, and your yo-yo is complete.

You can add any relatively flat item to the center of your yo-yo; I used a felt badge for this black, white, and red pouch...

...and a pin-back button for this pink and black pouch...

...and a matching button from my button jar for this blue pouch.  You can either sew the yo-yos and center embellishments in place, or, if you are in a hurry, glue them with fabric glue.

These pouches make a nice little gift, and can easily be customized for the recipient.

I plan to keep yo-yos in mind for future projects.  I can imagine them gracing a journal cover, looking cute on a knit hat or mittens, jazzing up a tote bag...it's great to add something new to my repertoire of embellishments!

Popular Pouch! (With tutorial)

Of the seven projects I made for the  Bernina Master Craftsters series for Craftster, the most popular one has been this zippered pouch (posing below with the Bernina 380).  Of the 20+ projects in the series, this was the first one to make it into the "Hot New Projects" category, based on reader's interest.

It's just my regular ol' pouch, but I think what makes it so appealing to Craftster readers is the fabric combination.  I got these fabrics at Sew Mama Sew a while ago, just because they looked cute, without any plan for how to use them; but when it came time to choose fabrics for my Master Craftster projects, I grabbed these first, because I was going for the brightest colors in my stash! 

I was floored when I got the weekly e-mail (below) from Craftster with the Project of the Week--they chose my zippered pouch! (Leslieshappyheart is my Craftster username.)  This is probably the most exciting thing that has happened to me in a while!

Whimsical Zippered Pouch by Leslieshappyheart	Share:
	Lined zippered pouches make great gifts and are wonderful little organizational tools. Toss one in a backpack or in your desk drawer to house your favorite mini sewing kit. Leslieshappyheart shared her zippered pouch tutorial, complete with lining and a little button. Personalize yours with various fabrics, buttons, zipper pulls and even embroidery. If you make one, bask in the glory and share some pictures on the Purses, Bags & Wallets Board.

Happy sewing, Craftster Team And now, I give you the tutorial, just as it appears on the Craftster website.  If you make one of these pouches, I'd love to know about it! Whimsical Zippered Pouch using the BERNINA 380 I love making zippered pouches! They make great gifts and you can easily personalize them with your choice of fabrics and embellishments. I made this simple pouch to test-drive the BERNINA 380. Start by cutting your fabrics. For the lining, cut two pieces 6 1/2" x 9". For the outside, cut two pieces of your main fabric (the blue print in this picture) 5" x 9". Cut two pieces of your secondary fabric (the orange stripe) 2" x 9". Using a 1/4" seam, sew the secondary fabric strips onto the main fabric pieces, as in the picture. The fabric choice makes all the difference between an ordinary pouch and a great pouch--this bright, whimsical print and matching stripe are really great! I made two of these pouches, one without embellishment, and one with this blue ribbon trim. If you want to use the ribbon, sew it in place now. To give the pouch more body, I added iron-on interfacing to both the outside pieces and both lining pieces at this point. Now to add the zipper! Layer one outer piece and one lining piece on each side of the zipper, as shown in the photo below. (The fabrics are staggered in the photo so you can see how they are layered; to sew them, match the left edges of both fabrics, but leave the zipper extending past them, as in the photo.) Since this is an exposed zipper, I'm just using the basic sewing foot (rather than the zipper foot). The amazing thing about the BERNINA 380 is that there are nine needle positions, from left to right, so you can easily arrange everything just the way you want it. I'm sewing with the needle in the farthest left position, very close to to the zipper teeth. Then flip the fabrics over and topstitch, again with the needle in the left-most position. Repeat on the other side of the zipper, sewing the outer fabric and lining in place, then flipping the fabrics and topstitching. When you have done both sides it will look like the picture below. Now to sew around the sides. First, open the zipper half-way (you will sew the sides with the zipper in this position). Then flip the fabrics so the two outer sides are touching, right sides together, and the lining pieces are also touching, right sides together. Pin everything in place. The zipper will be folded so there is a small bump at the two sides; make sure the bump is pushed down towards the lining. Sew all around the edge, leaving a 4" opening at the bottom of the lining. That's right, you sew right over the zipper! Trim off the ends of the zipper, even with the seams. Sew a 1" gusset in each of the four corners. Sewing the gussets is simplified on the BERNINA 380 by the marked 1/8" measurements on the throatplate. To turn it right side out, reach in and open the zipper all the way, then turn it. Press under the raw edges of the opening in the bottom of the lining, and stitch it shut. Push the lining down inside the pouch and smooth it out. Hot off the sewing computer! (Yes, that's what it's called in the manual--it's a sewing computer, not a sewing machine!!!) I added the orange button for a little more interest. After pressing it with the iron, I finished the pouch with a flower charm tied on with a ribbon. Small touches like this can really personalize your creations. My zippered pouch is now ready to be given away!

London Calling!

My wonderful friend Susan went to London on business in January, and while there she purchased some amazing London-themed Kath Kidson fabric for me!  I finally had time this week to make this bright and happy bag!

The fabric she sent is a lightweight canvas, which is perfect for bags, and as you can see, all the things you associate with London are represented:  Buckingham Palace with the guards in front; Tower Bridge, double-decker busses, Big Ben, and the big ferris wheel.  In my stash I found the red canvas for the back, and the red and white stripe on the front, which go with it really well.

Front:

Back:

Inside:

I also had this other London print from eQuilter that I used for a coordinating keychain pouch.  The scale of the design is perfect for something this small, and the colors are good with the bag.

I've just listed this on Etsy as a "made to order" item, so I can take this one to my local shop.  I have enough of the fabric to make several more.

Thanks, Susan, for being so awesome, and for thinking of me while you were on your business trip! 

I spent a summer working in London before I got married, and this fabric brings back a lot of memories.  I'm loving this bag so much, it's possible it may not make it into the store...

Chococat Pouch

The "I Love Cats or Dogs Swap" is just winding down on Craftster, and I made this cute little zippered pouch for my partner.  She has two black cats, and she loves things that are kawaii, so I immediately thought of Hello Kitty's friend, Chococat!

I make the Chococat patch by printing an image from the computer, cutting it out and tracing the different parts onto wool felt.  I hand-sewed all of the parts of the cat, then machine-sewed the patch onto the front panel before assembling the pouch.

My partner's favorite colors are hot pink and turquoise (hey, me too!) so I gave the pouch a turquoise lining.

I finished it off with a kitty charm for a zipper pull.  My partner loves it!  On Wednesday I'll show you the dog-related items I made for her (yes, she loves dogs too!)

Bedankt, Wendie!

I got the nicest surprise in the mail today--Wendie K., who won two of the prizes in my Seven Days of Giveaways last month, sent me this awesome handcrafted "thank you" package!  Wendie lives in The Netherlands, and we met in a Craftster swap.  We were swap partners, so I already know how talented she is with a needle and thread!

This kitty eating a fish pouch is on my Wist.  Look at the perfect fabric she used on the inside--it has little fish on it!!

I love needlebooks, and this one is so pretty; I love these colors!

On the handmade card, Wendie wrote "bedankt Leslie"; I don't know Dutch, but I can tell that means "thank you".  You're welcome, Wendie, and "bedankt" to you!  I truly appreciate this thoughtful package and I will enjoy using my kitty pouch and needlebook.