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4 Hour Slouchy Summer Hobo Bag

23
Jul 2012

I thought it would be fun to do a Slouchy Summer Bag – and this one is super quick!!
I did it in under 4 hours – so you could make up your bag in the morning and carry it to your beach party or picnic that evening!

It’s a cute lace Hobo bag with a fun bright orange lining and tabs for the strap. I used a bright pink zipper for contrast – I think it’s so fun!

Ready to get started on your own?
Here’s what you’ll need:

2/3 yd lace
2/3 yd fabric for lining
22″ zipper
2 D Rings
18″ of webbing for strap

UPDATE: Click here to Download the Free Pattern if you’d like to use mine. (You can always draw out your own following the instructions below if you’d rather.)
(As with all Flamingo Toes Patterns, this is for personal use only. Please do not sell or redistribute the pattern in any way. Thanks!!)

Start by drawing out your pattern. This doesn’t have to be exactly like mine, but you want to create a pattern for half of the bag. It should be about 13″ wide and curve in on the sides and the top.
Make the top about 3″ and leave about 7″ at the bottom as a straight line. This will be the fold at the bottom of your bag.
Get a helper to keep the pattern flat.

Fold your outside lace fabric in half with the selvedges together. Then fold the fabric in half again, vertically. Place the pattern piece so the straight side is on the vertical fold and the bottom is lined up with the horizontal folds. Cut one out of your lace and one out of your lining.
You should now have one outside piece and one inside piece.

Center the zipper along the top curved edge, between the right side of the lace and the right side of the lining. The zipper should be completely inside, between the two pieces.
Sew the curved edges together, 1/4 from the edge, sewing the zipper in place as you go.

Here’s what the right sides will look like after you sew that seam.

Repeat this step for the other side of the zipper, and the other curved edges of the lace and lining.

Open up your zipper before this next step, it’ll be easier.
With your lining pieces out of the way, sew your lace pieces together along the two sides, right sides together.

Repeat for the lining.

Turn your bag right side out, through the little sections at the top of the bag between the sides and the inner curves.
Press the lining inside.

Top stitch along your zipper. Fold the seams on the top corners to meet in the center. Sew across the top of each side.
Your zipper should be centered as well now.

Cut out your two side strap connectors. These will look like a bow shape and you’ll need 4 of them.
You want the center part to be the width of your D ring (probably about 1″), and the outer width to be about 3 1/2″. The whole piece should be about 7″ long.

Sew two pieces together, leaving an opening for turning. Turn right side out and press. Repeat for the other two pieces.

Feed half of the strap connector through a D ring and fold the piece in half. Sew just below the D Ring across the thin section of the connector.

Place the top sides of your bag between the two connector halves. Make sure the bottom of the connector is just above the end of the zipper. Sew the connectors to the top of the bag on each side just inside the edge of the fold, all the way around.

Fold your strap webbing around the D rings on each side. Turn the edge under on the back side of the strap on each end.
Sew the strap together right at the fold, then again 1/2″ away to give it a little extra strength.

And that’s it!! How quick and fun was that?!

It’s a lightweight bag, so if you want to carry around books or something crazy, you might want to go with a heavier weight fabric, like a twill.

I hope you like it!

Linking up awesomeness at Sunday Scoop, Today’s Creative Blog, Met Monday, Skip to my Lou, Tutorials & Tips Tuesday, Shabby Creek Cottage, and the other fabulous parties on the party page – make sure you check them out!

Category: Accessories, Sewing Tags: purse, Sewing 40 Comments

The Ashley Bag – A New Purse Tutorial!

16
Apr 2012

Beverly

Woohooo! It’s time for a new purse!

Well – it’s always time for a new purse isn’t it? Yes. yes it is.

This new bag is so perfect for Spring and Summer! It’s got some great elements – ruffles (shocking)- and a semi-drawstring top – and I made it up in some fun Spring-y colors too! It’s a neutral black and white – but it’s dressed up with some fun pops of tangerine!

Of course you can make yours any color you want – but I just love this bright cheery color – and it goes with so many things! So here it is -my new Purse tutorial – I called it the Ashley Bag!

I tried out some store-bought handles for the first time. These came from Joann’s and I really liked the nylon type fabric and the cute braiding down near the rings. If you don’t have a Joann’s – you could easily make your own straps!

Ready to dive right in? This tutorial is longish but be brave! This one is so fun to do!

I’m trying something new – I have all the fabric pieces,sizes, and supplies you need on one handy download. That way everything is in one place. Click here to open the PDF.
You’ll need about 1 yard of the main fabric (the white), 1 1/2 yards of the lining fabric (the black) and a fat quarter of the accent color (tangerine).

Sweet!! Here we go!
Start by gathering your supplies and cutting everything out.

Iron the Pellon fusible fleece to your outside bag pieces.

Hem both long sides of your ruffle piece. Sew a gathering stitch down the center and pull up the threads until the ruffle measures 18″.

Pin the ruffle down the center of the bag front piece. Sew the ruffle on down the center, right over the basting stitch. Sew two more rows down – 1/4″ on either side of the center stitching. (This will help the ruffle lay a little more flat in the center.

Iron the 1 1/4″ x 18″ piece of Pellon Ultra Firm Stabilizer down the center of the 2″ x 18″ accent piece. Press the sides in to fold around the stabilizer. Place this piece, right side out, down the center of the ruffle and sew down each side right along the folded edge.

Let’s go ahead and do the cording next, shall we? If you need to piece together your bias strips for the cording, do that first.

Fold the pieces in half, right sides together, so the long raw edges are together. Sew the strip together 1/4″ from the edge, so you are making a tube.

Now I don’t have a nifty turning tool – if you have one use that to turn the tube right side out. I go all MacGyver with some ribbon and a safety pin. Add one end of the ribbon (make sure it’s longer than the length of the tube) to the pin and feed it through the tube.

Once the pin is through, open up the safety pin and pin the end of the tube.

Pull the ribbon at the other end gently and it will turn the tube right side out!

Now cut your cording into 2 – 37″ pieces. Add one piece to your safety pin and feed it through your cording. Fold the ends over and hem them, so the hem catches the top of the cording inside.

Set those aside for now.

Pair up all your strap holder pieces and sew them together with a 1/4″ seam allowance – you’ll have 4 Base Strap holders and 4 Accent Strap holders once you’re done. Turn right side out and press.

Tuck the raw ends of each piece in, then layer them into four sets – with the smaller accent piece on top of a base. You should be able to see a little of the base all the way around the sides and bottom.

Sew the pieces together just inside the sewn edge of the accent piece.

Fold the top edges of two of the strap holders around the rings one of your handle pieces. The piece should measure 4 1/2″ from the fold around the ring to the bottom. Place these on the bag front piece, they should be 4 1/2″ from each side, and the fold should be 1 1/2″ down from the top of the bag.

Sew the strap holder onto the front of the bag, 1 1/2″ below the fold around the ring, across the holder horizontally. This should catch the back of the folded piece as well. Sew the rest of the piece onto the bag front over your previous stitching on the accent piece.

Repeat for the bag back piece, using the same measurements.

Sew the bag front to the bag back, along the two side seams. Use a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Press the 4″ x 9″ Stabilizer piece to one of the bottom pieces. Lay another bottom piece over it. Right sides should be out.

Baste around all the sides of the bottom pieces.

Now we’re going to add pleats to the bottom of the bag. On the front of the bag, measure from each side seam in 2 1/2″ and mark with a pin. Measure over from this pin 1″ and 1 1/4″. Mark both of these with pins. Move the 3rd pin over to the second, to make a pleat, and pin this in place. You should now have two pleats on each side of the front. Repeat with the back side of the bag.

Pin your bag to your bottom piece, right sides together. Make sure to line up the corners with the pins you’ve marked at 2 1/2″ from the seams. (you might need to adjust your pleats just a bit, that’s fine.)

Sew the bottom to the bag and turn right side out and press.

Place 2 of your inside pocket pieces right sides together and sew around all 4 sides, leaving an opening at the bottom for turning. Clip corners and turn right side out and press. Repeat for the other pocket.

Place the pockets on each inside lining piece, in the center and 4 1/2″ from the top. Sew the two sides and bottom of the pockets on. For one pocket, if you want, add a seam down the center so you have a divided pocket.

Sew your lining together like you did the outside bag, starting with your side seams, then adding pleats, then sewing it to the bottom piece. Leave an opening in one of your side seams about 4″ long for turning the bag.
Add your magnetic snaps to the lining, in the center of each piece, 1 1/2″ from the top.
(I don’t have a picture for you – because – keeping it real here – I forgot to add mine in until I had sewn the lining to the outside. Duh. So this is a case of do-as-I-say and not d0-as-I-do.)

Before you sew the lining to the outside, we’re going to get the cording casings ready. Iron the Decor Bond pieces to 2 of the cording casing pieces. Place these pieces right sides together with the other two casing pieces and sew the two short ends together. Turn right side out and press.

Fold one of the casing pieces in half, so the long raw edges are together. Pin the casing to the top of the front bag piece. Make sure it’s centered. Sew the casing on with a basting stitch, 1/4″ from the top edge. (Lift the casing up and double-check that you caught the back side as well.) Repeat with the other casing for the back of the bag.

Place your lining and bag pieces right sides together and sew around the top with a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Turn the bag right side out through the opening in the lining. Sew the opening closed and press the lining to the inside.

Feed one of your cording pieces through each of the casings (a safety pin works great here too) and knot the cording close to each end.

And that’s it!! You’ve got a cute, stylish new bag!

The drawstring doesn’t pull up too tight – it’s more for a little gather and to look cute. If you would rather yours cinch up your bag pretty tight, leave off the decor bond in the cording casings. This will help it gather up!

I think the ruffle in the center is so cute – and the strap holders are so fun with their bright color!

It’s got plenty of room inside – for your keys and wallet and all those grocery store coupons they give you at checkout but you forget to use the next time you’re there.

I hope you like it – and that you’ll give it a try!

I’m linking to Sunday Scoop, Today’s Creative Blog, Met Monday, Skip to my Lou, Tutorials & Tips Tuesday, Quilt Story, Funky Junk Interiors, Shabby Creek Cottage, and the other fabulous parties on the party page – make sure you check them out!

Category: Accessories, Sewing Tags: accessories, purse, Sewing 18 Comments

Anthro Asterid Coin Purse Knockoff

08
Aug 2011

Beverly

So I was scrolling through Anthropologie the other day and Ooh-ing and Ahh-ing over all the new fall things.

(I can’t quite believe it’s time for the Fall lines to be out yet. Didn’t we just finish July???)

And while ooh-ing and ahh-ing and bookmarking and plotting, I came across the cutest little purse!
It was such a fun color combination – and miraculously enough, I had just that same color combo of fabrics in my stash.
(which maybe isn’t so miraculous when you consider what’s in my stash) :)

Here is what I came up with, and I’m pretty much in love.

It’s small, but just the right size for my phone, keys and sunglasses!

Here’s Anthro’s version. I love the orange leather, but I’m all about working with what you’ve got. And I am all out of orange leather here.
They call it the Asterid Coin Purse.
Because I’m a nerd I looked up “Asterid”. In case you were curious, it’s a kind of plant. Well, even if you’re not curious it’s a kind of plant. :)

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:

Outer Fabric (Piece of fabric about 8″ x 20″)
Lining Fabric (Same – about 8″ x 20″ piece)
Accent fabric 1 (mine is orange) – 2 pieces 3″ x 20″, plus small amount in scraps for the zipper end and the tassel
Accent fabric 2 (the linen pieces on the purse) 1 piece 14″ x 2″ for piping, and a small piece about 10″ x 10″ for the top pattern pieces
1 – 12″ zipper
14″ of cording
Some sort of ring to attach the tassel to the zipper
Pattern Piece (click link to download PDF)

Ready to dive in?? :) Begin by cutting out all your fabric pieces.

Mark the location of your pleats on the body pieces using the straight and dotted lines on the pattern.

Here’s how to make the pleats. The blue pins represent the solid lines and the yellow pin represents the dashed line.

Bring the two blue pins together, creating a fold at the yellow pin.

Pin the pleat in place, with the fold pointing in to the center of the fabric piece.

Pin the other three pleats in place on the body piece.

Baste the pleats down by sewing 1/4″ away from the edge.

Repeat for the other outside body piece and the two lining pieces.

To create the piping, wrap the 2″ x 14″ rectangle of linen around a 14″ piece of cording, so that the raw edges and wrong sides of the fabric are together.
Sew down the long side, 3/8″ away from the edge.
Cut the piping piece in half to make 2 – 7″ pieces.

Line the raw edges of one of the piping pieces up with the top edge of one of the body pieces. Center the piping on the body piece.
Pin in place, then stitch down along the top. Angle the piping so that the two ends are above the edge of the fabric. That way when you sew it down, the ends won’t show.

Repeat for the other body piece and piping.

Fold the long orange rectangle right sides together. Sew down the two short sides and turn right side out.

With the raw edges together and facing up, pin pleats into the rectangle like you did with the body.
Measure 1/2″ from the left side. Now measure 1″ away, 1 1/2″ away, and 2″ away, adding pins at each point.
Bring the 2″ pin to the 1″ pin, creating a pleat. Measure 3/4″ away from the fold and create another 1″ pleat. Keep adding pleats until you reach the end. You’ll have a little left, just create a small fold at the end.

Your pleated piece should measure around 8″. If it doesn’t, make your pleats larger or smaller as needed.
Baste the pleats down, 1/4″ from the edge.

Place the pleated sections along the top of the body sections, centered over the piping. The raw edges should line up. Pin, then sew into place with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

The top piece in the picture shows you what the piping looks like under the pleats after they have been sewn on and folded up.

Now we’re going to work on the zipper. It’s not too bad. Promise. :)

Open up the zipper. Sandwich one side of the zipper between two top linen pieces. The side of the zipper without teeth should line up with the top curved side of the linen.
Start the zipper about 1/2″ from the left side of the linen and stick the top of the zipper out of the curve. About 1″ from the right end of the linen pieces, tuck the zipper under so that it isn’t sewn down from that point on.
Sew along the top of the curved edge with a 3/8″ seam allowance.

Repeat with the other two linen top pieces and the other side of the zipper.
Turn the pieces right side out.

Trim the tops of the zipper off just inside the seams. Trim the bottom of the zipper off about 2″ from where it comes out of the linen pieces.

Cut a piece of orange fabric about 3″ x 1 1/2″. Fold the rectangle in half with the right sides together. Sew up both sides with a 1/4″ seam allowance.
Turn right side out.

Tuck the raw ends of the orange fabric under and slip the square over the cut end of the zipper. Sew around all four sides of the square.

Now for the assembly. We’re going to make more sandwiches. :)

Lay one of the body pieces right side up. Line up the raw edges of the linen top piece with the top of the body piece. Your zipper should be facing right side down.
Now lay a linen piece on top of that, with the right side facing down. Pin along the top edge.

Sew down with a 1/2″ seam allowance. This should take you right up to the edge of the piping inside the sandwich.

Fold the pieces so they are wrong sides together. The is what it should look like from the lining side.

This is what it should look like from the outside.

Repeat with the other side of the zipper and the other outside and lining pieces. Make sure you have it laid out correctly before sewing. :)

Your should now have two sections on either side of the zipper.

Now we’re going to sew everything together. Hard part’s done – smooth sailing from here on out. :)

Turn the pieces so that the outside body pieces line up and the lining pieces line up, right sides together.
Tuck the loose, tail end of the zipper inside so it doesn’t get sewn down.

Pin around all the edges.

Sew around the outside edge with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Leave an opening in the bottom of the lining about 2″ – 3″ for turning.
You might have to go slowly over the center part where the zipper ends meet, but you shouldn’t have too much trouble.

Turn the purse right side out through the opening. Sew the opening closed and tuck the lining inside the bag.
Press everything down so the lining fits smoothly inside and the orange pleats point up towards the zipper.

To add the tassel to the zipper, I used a link of chain that I had saved. (See? Pays to be a hoarder! :)
You could also use a heavy weight jump ring or a small D ring.
Add the ring to the small opening on the zipper pull.

Cut small strips of fabric on the bias (diagonal to the grain). You need 10 strips that are 3/8″ x 5″.

Feed the strips through the ring, folding them at the halfway point.

Cut another small strip of fabric about 3/4″ x 1″. Fold the sides under and wrap the strip around the top of the tassel strips about 1/2″ below the ring.
Tuck the ends under and sew down to create a band for the tassel.