Naughty Notions Challenge - A woven ribbons experiment

Crazy me... like I didn't have enough on my  plate I decided to take on the challenge hosted by Rikka @ Sew La Vie... the Naughty Notions challenges... Could not resist , I HAD to.

So here it is, finished just before the deadline.
I dug up into my ribbon stash because lately it's been out of control.

I wove the selected color and stabilized the resulting"fabric" with medium weight interfacing

Then I dug up in my scraps' bins : cute left-over floral brocade and a piece of leatherette for the lining and outside shell

Added some fun trim left over from a jacket 

And this fab button covered in bead from my stash...

Finished !! 

I already took it out on a fancy dinner date with my hubby last night :)

Envelope clutch revisited

Another Chrisms gift now revealed. This past summer,  Amie (Kitty Cats and Airplanes) taught me how to make her adorable envelope clutch. 

I recently found a different type of interfacing than we used back then: stiffer and thinner. This prompted me to make a new version of the clutch that would be a bit bigger too, with a gusset to make access easier. 

I ended up making two .. . one for myself and one for a friend that has a soft spot for yellow and grey.

I will definitely reuse this form for more cute little clutches :)

Buttons and ribbon plaid purse

Something things just come together unexpectedly. A couple of months ago I got two 20-yard spools of grey satin ribbon and a bunch of grey and gold buttons from a discount fabric store by fishing into a huge pot. From the beginning I wanted to use them on a purse. But how? Then I saw a really inspiring picture of a pretty purse made by a french designer. A few days later, someone gave me a yard of this wonderful grey suede-like fabric. And it all clicked together. I spent the weekend planning and sewing... My new button purse. 

The shape is a pretty simple book bag with a rounded corners flap. 

Then I wennt to town with the ribbon, setting it up in a pseudo-plaid pattern

A lot of thinking went into the layout of the interior: 

Of course the choice of a nice lining fabric... Grey and yellow are so perfect together

The main compartment is divided in two large sub sections, Each with inside pockets

I added two large pockets in the from for easy access of essential items : cell phone, sun glasses and access badge for work

More ribbon and buttons on the long shoulder strap

Love love love it .. and my iPad fits in there perfectly!

Stashbusting - Jeans upcycled into fun purse

In this project, all my favorite things: denim, a cute purse, upcycling, awesome fabrics and even beads! It's no secret, I love making purses and I looove a challenge. A couple of months ago, one of my friends sent me a few ripped jeans done in by her children after I ran out of old jeans. The first transformation was the twirl skirt for Bug. This is the second pair, which had been cropped just below the knee before landing in my stash, so there was no extra to work with. 

The little embroidered flowers gave me the color scheme : denim + pink + chocolate brown. 

 

I did some stash diving and pulled out this lovely pink and chocolate damask style print I grabbed a while ago from the remnant bin at JoAnn's and a piece of leftover denim from my bike basket yielded the bottom piece and the shoulder strap.

I cropped the pants a bit below the crotch and recreated a straight seam after cutting off the excess fabric. Then I cut a piece of denim to make the bottom of a bucket shape bag.

 

Then I made the lining using the same measurements with the damask, adding 2 inside pockets from the  last of the pant legs. Yes it's been used to the last scrap. 

I generally put magnetic snaps for handbag closures but for a bucket bag it didn't really work out so I opted for a draw-string closure made with ribbon and beads. 

Old ripped jeans : zero dollars

Ribbon and fabrics from my stash... hmm about $3 dollars

Giving new life to old jeans : priceless!

Tutorial - Anthro inspired Denim Farfalle bag

I'm very excited to share my latest handbag creation, a project I recently guest-posted on Someday Crafts. A few months ago I fell in love with this Anthropologie handbag: 

The Farfalle Handbag

Did you know that Farfalle means butterfly in italian? Unfortunately, a three-hundred dollars purse, even this cute, does not fit in my budget. No matter. I decided to make my own. Not in leather but in denim. And here's is how:

Supplies:
NOTE: Measurements account for 1/2inch  sewing allowance around the sides and bottom seams
- Two pieces of 16x12&1/2 inch denim- new or upcycled (new will be stiffer than upcycled)
- Two 3x25 inch strips of denim for the handles
- Two pieces of 6x12&1/2 inch of your choice for the lining, cotton or satin
- One 2x3 inch piece of card stock for the bow template
- 43 to 48 2x3 inch rectangles of denim for the bows
- 1 yard of coordinating blue satin ribbon
- Fray Check
- Sewing machine and sewing supplies
- Glue gun and glue sticks
- Magnetic snap (optional)
- Extra material for inside pocket
- Medium weight interfacing (optional)


How-to steps:

• Round the edges of your card stock for the bow template 
• Use the bow template to cut the pieces needed for the bows and apply fray check on the edges
• Make an accordion with 4 fold "peaks" on the side that will be up

• With a matching thread, secure the fold by threading through the folds twice 
• Secure with a knot

    

• Cut the pieces of matching ribbon for the center of the bows (1.5" long)
• Put a dab of hot glue on the back of the bow tucks

 

• Put the end of the ribbon on the hot glue let it cool for a couple of minutes 
• Put another dab of hot glue on the end of the ribbon and fold over

 

• You will need roughly the same number of light and dark bows
• You will save time by stitching all the bows then applying the ribbons in batch of 6-8 bows 

Make the bag shell - I didn't make a detailed tutorial for this part as there are a number of very good existing ones around the blogosphere. There is a very detailed one HERE.

• Cut the fabric pieces for the outside shell and the lining
• Sew the outer shell and the lining for a basic bag. 

•  Tuck in the top corners of the outer shell as shown on the picture below i.e. 2" wide x 3" tall
• Pin the sides and bottom of the shell
• Optional step : add one or 2 inside pockets to the lining

•  Add a pin a the corner of your tuck
• Top stitch the fold all the way around

• Once top stitched, the outer shell should look as shown below
• Optional step : fuse the interfacing to the outer shell

• Pin the lining and outer shell right sides together along the top of the bag lining up the side seam
•  Don't forget you will need a hole in the bottom of the lining to turn the bag right side out

• Stitch along the bag opening with a 3/4" seam allowance and turn the bag right side out
• Optional - Place a magnetic snap for the bag's closure using the 3/4" fold of denim as support
• Close the opening in the lining of the bag

• Cut and fold the straps for the bag  as shown - first in half, then fold the edges in like for bias tape
• Tuck the short edges in
• Top stitch all sides of each strap

• Pin the straps about 1 1/2" from the top corners
• Stitch the handles on the bag 

• Layout the bows evenly on the front side of the bag alternating dark and light ones
• For the layout below you need 43 bows (21 light and 22 dark) 5 across by 9 high (minus 2 at the top corners)
• You will need more 5 bows for a tighter layout

• Put a dab of hot glue on each side of the center ribbon 
• Secure all bows to the bag's outer shell

All done - Good news, it cost under $20 even with new denim and interfacing