Plaid Bag

This is a cute bag my friend Jen gave to me that her mother-in-law made. I took it out this weekend for my trip to the Brimfield Antique Show. Great size for toting around my finds, and the straps are just the right length too that I can push it to your back to navigate narrow booths. Thanks to Jen & her MIL for a great bag!

References:
My Brimfield finds

Bali Bag

This is another fabric covered clothesline project inspired by my bali bowl. I decided I needed a summery bag and my friend Elizabeth had given me this fabric, so away I went. I modified the technique from the pattern so instead of doing a pre-sew on the strip, I overlapped as I went. The only issues I had with the construction were that the bag was somewhat small so it was a bit difficult to manipulate on the machine at some points, and attaching the handles got very bulky to cram under the presser foot - but I managed. Love how it turned out and that it can stand up on its own. Couldn't resist adding the starfish pin.

The Penguin Bag

I made this bag in a class given by Kathleen Murphy. She did a great job teaching it, we had a great time and got plenty of great bagmaking tips. Love the inside with all those great pockets. I also went to the hardware store and had them cut me a piece of plexiglass for the bottom so that it will sit up nicely.

I got that cute penguin fabric on my trip out to California at an awesome store in San Francisco called Britex Fabrics. This is a Japanese imported fabric made by Kokko (same fabric maker as the pig hat). Such a great combo - orange, polka dots, stripes, and penguins - how can you beat that? That big wooden button (carved in Africa I think) is from The Button Box in Wellesley, MA.

Amy Butler Bag

I made this bag for an online contest given by Amy Butler. The rules were to make a bag that was inspired by Amy Butler Designs. I was so proud of this bag. I designed the pattern myself. The concept of the quilting and binding construction I saw in the book 21 Sensational Patchwork Bagsby Susan Briscoe. This definitely made putting it together easier (note I did not say easy). I took a sheet of paper and made myself a model of how the clutch would fold. Then drew my marking lines on it. Started playing with the fabrics - so much fun to play with all those luscious patterns! There were a few mishaps and miscalculations, but overall I had a blast making this bag.

I woke up one morning thinking about how I was going to make a handle for this bag and came up with the idea to make it convertible from a wristlet to a strap. My friend Elizabeth and I were completely obsessed checking the site daily for new entries. To our disappointment, neither of us won. My fatal flaw was not taking into account that Amy loves oversized bags. Oh well, I love my little bag and it was great fun to see so many fantastic bags, ideas, and inspirations in the hundreds of entries.