Annex Double-Zip Box pouch revealed!

On Wednesday I teased you with this

and now I can reveal what this great fabric from Spoonflower was used for.

This lovely pouch is an Annex Double-Zip Box pouch from the new pattern, released today, by the very talented Sara of Sew Sweetness

I had been intending to make a Box pouch for my youngest son with this fabric when I ordered it, but never actually got around to doing anything about it. So, when a request for pattern testers for this pattern popped up in my inbox, I knew that the time to finally make one had arrived :)

The pattern includes instructions for three sizes, this is a medium sized pouch.

The pouch has two separate compartments, each with its' own zipper, so keeping things neat and tidy should, in theory, be a breeze for the youngest son. We shall see!

Using only one FQ of fabric for the exterior, these pouches are a great way to utilise some of those FQ's that you bought just because. Admit it, I am not the only one that buys FQ's that catch my eye with absolutely no plan in mind for their use :)

So, another gift added to the stockpile and a New to Me pattern tested to boot.

Head on over to Sew Sweetness to check out the lovely pouches that Sara's pattern testers have created. If you decide to make some of these very useful pouches for Christmas or Holiday gifts this month, don't forget to link them up to the Ho, Ho, Ho and on We Sew Link Party, which is over at Threading My Way

You could be the lucky linker who will win this month's great giveaway prize!

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts

Kennedy Bag

Recently the lovely and very talented Sara at Sew Sweetness put out a call for pattern testers for her latest bag pattern, which she had named the Kennedy Bag. Even although I had plenty of other projects on my to-do list, I was so taken with the photo of the bag that came with the call that I couldn't resist volunteering to be a tester.

At the same time I received a shipment of great home dec fabric from the nice people at Terrys Fabrics so it seemed only natural to put the two together and come up with this!

My version of the Kennedy Bag.

Because of an impending visit to something called Quilt Market (???) the turnaround time for testing this pattern was relatively tight, to give Sara time to co-ordinate the feedback before she jetted off to tease us all with new fabric lines and quilting heroines and heroes on Instagram!

Unfortunately I didn't pay a lot of attention to the hardware requirements for this bag until I actually came to put it together. I then discovered that despite having more bag hardware than I will probably ever need, I didn't have the correct size buckles for this pattern. A trawl round every haberdasher within a 10 mile radius failed to find them either. They were available, however, on the MacCulloch and Wallis website, so a few clicks later and I was ready to start sewing. I have visited MacCulloch and Wallis' bricks and mortar shop in London and it is a real treasure trove, so I wasn't surprised that they had the buckles listed that I needed, when nowhere else seemed to stock them.

Whilst the bag was fairly straightforward to do, there are a lot of layers at times to wrestle through the sewing machine. I counted 10 layers at one point and I could tell that my sewing machine was not very happy with it :) Still we both gritted our teeth and hoped for the best and, fortunately, it all worked out.

Which is more than can be said for my buckles order, unfortunately, one of the items in the order was out of stock and although the lovely lady who rang to tell me this could not have been more helpful in finding an appropriate substitution it meant that I wouldn't get the order in time for the deadline date for feedback to Sara.

Clearly drastic action was required!

A frantic rummage through my store of handbags unearthed this bag, which has seen better days.

Those buckles were exactly the size I needed, so some quick cutting and I was back on track.

You would think they were meant for that bag strap wouldn't you??

The pattern of the main fabric was perfect for some outline quilting, which was an optional step in the process. I did debate about whether to do it or not, given the time constraints but I was glad in the end that I did. I think it makes for a more sturdy bag and given that this is fairly large bag, I think a bit of extra sturdiness will be useful. Sara recommends using Soft and Stable for the interfacing, which I think would make this bag even sturdier but I have not yet tried this.

As you can see from the photo above the buckle straps are decorative, the bag flap is actually closed with a magnetic snap. I like the look of buckle closures but find in practise that they are slow and cumbersome to open and close, so I think this is a great compromise.

I forgot to take a photo of them but the bag also has a zipped external pocket on the back and a divided pocket in the interior. Sara has thought of everything!

If you would like to make your own version of the Kennedy bag the pattern will be available as a free download at Sew Mama Sew later today. The pattern is now available for download here

Details;

Exterior fabric - Verve in Linen from Terrys Fabrics
Lining fabric    - Happy go Lucky by Bonnie and Camille for Moda
Accent fabric    - Quilters Basic Dusty Style by Stof

I am delighted with my new bag and look forward to getting lots of use out of it on our upcoming trip to France.


If you are looking for more bag inspiration check out the great bags being linked up at Sew Sweetness' Purse Palooza

 

The link up is open till November 11th, so you have plenty of time to get your own version of the Kennedy bag made and linked up to be in with a chance of winning a great prize.

Linking up to

A sneak peek revealed and a Giveaway

It isn't in my nature to be secretive so I am happy to be able to share with you the outcome of one of the sneak peeks I posted about on Monday.

The vintage buckle slider - 

was part of the equipment needed for my bag pattern test for Sew Sweetness. The pattern is available for sale today so I can now show you the bag in all its glory. (Check out the end of this post if you would like to win some bag patterns!)

And here it is

I 

I used an embroidered wool fabric that I picked up in a sale in Riga for the exterior and the lining fabric is from the 1001 Peeps line, and was also picked up in a sale in Riga. I knew those fabrics would come in useful someday :)

The twist lock I used for the bag is slightly different to the one Sara recommends in the pattern, but as I had this one in my stock of bag supplies already it made sense to use it instead. This one is screwed together unlike the recommended lock, and is slightly bigger, but it worked out just as well. It is available here

You can see it more clearly here. I love these twist locks they definitely add something to a handmade bag, don't you think?

Sara's pattern was very straightforward to follow, so I really enjoyed my first bag pattern test. Check out her blog to see the wonderful variations of this pattern, and to see the rest of her brilliant bag patterns. She is really churning out patterns at a rate of knots! She is also such a generous soul that she has offered to giveaway a five-pack of patterns for one lucky winner on this blog.

So if you would like to revamp your wardrobe with some fabulous new bags, just let me know the best/strangest thing you have discovered at the bottom of your handbag!

Each comment will be entered into a random draw and the winner will get five patterns from Sew Sweetness' pattern range. The patterns will be sent by email so make sure I have some way of contacting you.

As ever tell me you are a follower for an extra chance to win.

The draw will close at 12.00 p.m (GMT) on Sunday February 24th, when the winner will be randomly drawn.

I look forward to reading your comments. Good Luck!