The Wednesday Showcase

I'm taking a little departure from our regular Wednesday Showcase so that I can feature the lovely Amy Butler Beautiful Belle Bags that were posted on the Sew News Flickr page. The ladies all did such a lovely job and it was exciting for me to see them all take shape.

The two bags below are mine. I kept the one in front, but the bark cloth bag became a shower gift. 
This lovely version of the bag was made by nvripley. Great combination of prints!

Look closely and you'll see peacocks in this fun print that lglsecretary79 used for her bag.

Love the polka dot combo used by evelynbadillohueller

ChristineBostonChristine knocked it out of the park by adding a zippered pocket to the interior of her bag.

ChristineBostonChristine also used a silk to make this fun version. Be sure to check out the Flickr page to see her lining. Great combination!

Woohoopepper lengthened the handles for the two versions that she made. One ended up being a Valentine's gift for her daughter. Lucky lady!!!

This beautiful rose in bloom version was made by jkaywiz120. Makes me dream of spring.

There are a few more that I was not able to copy to the blog and they are also quite lovely. You can see them by going to the Sew News Flickr page here, http://www.flickr.com/groups/2224982@N24/
I had so much fun watching the bags take shape and seeing the excitement of those who participated. A little secret, there are more sew alongs scheduled for this year. As soon as they are up and ready, I'll let you know. In the meantime, if you would like to access the videos and the blog posts that were done for the Amy Butler bag, you can find them here, http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/category/sew-along-amy-butler/
Hope you are having a lovely week!
Rhonda

The Amy Butler Beautiful Bell Handbag, Week 4

We have finally reached the final week of the Amy Butler Beautiful Belle Handbag Sew Along. What an enjoyable experience it has been for me and I hope you've enjoyed as well. Here's the final video,



Here is a link to the blog post that was done to go along with the video, http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2014/02/24/beautiful-belle-handbag-sew-along-week-4/

Be sure to get your bags finished and uploaded to the Flickr page. I would like to showcase all the bags that have been made here on the blog next Wednesday March 5th. So get busy and get them finished!!!!
You can find the Sew News Flickr page here, http://www.flickr.com/groups/sn_sewalong1

Beautiful Belle Handbag Week 3

There was a little glitch on the Sew News blog site this week, so the post wasn't really up until Tuesday afternoon. I had intended to link to the video yesterday and then I got busy and sadly forgot. So if you have been following along, here's a link to the blog post, http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2014/02/18/6161/ and the video is below. This is a rather long one, 25 minutes in total, so you may want to watch it in sections.



I've received some very nice compliments about the videos. I appreciate it so much. You can't imagine how nervous I was about how I would look, how I would sound, and how well I did in general. Doing the videos was a great experience, draining, but a great experience. Thanks again for being so supportive of my endeavors :)
Rhonda
p.s. Check out the Flickr page, http://www.flickr.com/groups/sn_sewalong1/pool/with/12626536705/#photo_12626536705, where you can see some of the finished bags. They are wonderful!!

Beautiful Belle Handbag Sew Along Week 2

Good Morning Everyone!! Well, Ground Hog Day is still alive and well here in Chicago. It's a glorious day with a temperature of -2. WooHoo!!! Do you hear, do you hear my note of sarcasm?!!! Some years ago we had an incredibly hot summer. I vowed then that I would never again complain about it being cold. Well, that vow is officially out the window :) One blessing in all of this will be our spring. The tulips and daffodils LOVE cold temps and especially a lot of snow. So if this holds true, we are going to have one incredible burst of color come April. That is, if the snow ever melts!!!!

If you are following along on the Amy Butler Beautiful Belle Handbag Sew Along, this week's video is up for viewing. A little behind the scenes note. When these videos were taped, Ellen March, the editor of Sew News, was sitting across from me watching a monitor. Whenever I would finish a segment, I would immediately look her way. The editing team did a great job of cutting this out, but if you look closely at the end of this video, you'll catch a glimpse of me looking Ellen's way. When I was in Denver last month, they put up a screen so I was unable to see anyone. Probably a good thing :)
The Sew News blog has a written explanation of this week's video and you can find that here,
http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2014/02/10/sew-news-and-the-belle-handbag-sew-along-week-2/
Some people do well with the written word and others do well by watching, so hopefully all bases have been covered.

Hope you enjoy the video!
Next week we'll start putting the bag together. It goes together so quickly, so maybe plan to make a few!! Like I've said, they make great gifts.
Here's a link to the Flickr page where you can see some of the wonderful fabric pairings that people are doing,  http://www.flickr.com/groups/sn_sewalong1 I can't choose a favorite because I think they're all great! Be sure to post your pictures to the Flickr group. I truly enjoy seeing what everyone is doing. By the way, my name on Flickr is Flying Seamstress. Now you'll know that it's me who's leaving a message when you see the name.
Have a wonderful day!

The Beautiful Belle Video

Good Morning Everyone!! The first video for the Sew News Amy Butler Beautiful Belle Handbag went live yesterday morning. It's very exciting, but I must admit that I was extremely nervous about seeing myself in a video for the first time. Of course we are our own harshest critics, but all in all, I did okay :), I think, I hope!!! A lot of thanks needs to go to the team who did the editing. They are truly able to work magic!!! If you would like to take a look, here's the video,



I did do a blog post about the bag in general as well as a few cutting tips. You can find that post here, http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2014/02/03/sew-news-and-the-belle-handbag-sew-along-week-1/
Sew News has set up a Flickr group. A number of people have posted some wonderful fabric combinations for their bags. I can't wait to see them as they start to come together. You can find the Flickr page here, http://www.flickr.com/groups/sn_sewalong1 Over 100 have joined the group. I think that is especially exciting :)

For those of you who have been following along with the bodice drafting posts, I will be back on Thursday with two posts, one on truing your pattern and the next on fitting. In the meantime, I'm also working on something especially exciting. You won't believe this...I will be playing the part of Edith Rockefeller McCormick. Now there's a name for you!!! Mrs. McCormick was one of the two founding members of The American Opera Society here in Chicago. We are celebrating our 90th season and a documentary is being made to celebrate the occasion. This coming Friday, my part as Mrs. McCormick will be taped. I'm making a simple little 1920's inspired day dress that I will wear in the film. I'll share that with you later this week. The fabric is beautiful. Cris, a lovely and very generous follower who lives in California gifted me with the fabric. It's such a beautiful piece of fabric, so I wanted to do something truly special with it. When this opportunity came up, I knew that this fabric would be perfect. I will unveil the fabric, the dress and how I made it, I hope on Friday. The taping is on Friday, so I may be a bit swamped that day, but if I'm not able to get it posted on Friday, you'll see it on Saturday.
Excitement abounds!!!
Have a wonderful day.
Rhonda
p.s. I owe all of you who come by the blog on a regular basis a tremendous amount of thanks. Without you, the lovely opportunities that have come my way, well, they would not have come my way. Yes, I have done the work, but you have been the support and for that I am so very grateful. Thank you.

Get Ready For The Amy Butler Beautiful Belle Sew Along

The first Sew News issue of 2014 is now available! And it is full of great information, wonderful tips, and 

 and my little article!!!! I'm so excited!!! I just realized that this bag does double duty for Jungle January!!

 I made this bag months ago and now I have it back in my hands and I can finally enjoy using it.

Just to give you an idea of the size, I've included a picture of the bag over my shoulder. You can see that it's large, but not too large.

Inside are an abundance of pockets for anyone who is always on the go. There's room for everything from diapers and a bottle, to your flip flops for that impromptu pedicure and there's even a special pocket for your cell phone! Even with all these items, you can still find room for all the other necessities that are a must in everyone's bag.

If you would like to make the bag and sew along with me, starting next week, the week of February 3, 2014, there will be a new video up each week to help walk you through the process of making your own bag. A special Flickr group has been set up, you can find it here, http://www.flickr.com/groups/sn_sewalong1. Join and post your pictures. I can't wait to see your creative fabric choices! You can find the Sew News newsletter here and the blog post here where you can get information on the sew along and how to join the Flickr group.
Now, I've saved a little treat for last, I have an extra copy of the current Sew News Magazine

and I would love to share it. So, leave a message on this post if you would like a chance to win. I will announce the winner this upcoming Friday, January 31st.

Beautiful Belle, A Sneak Peek!

This past year I did a number of projects that I was unable to share as I had to wait until they were published. Well, the wait is over, at least for one project! I'm very excited to share with you the bag that I made using the Amy Butler Beautiful Belle Pattern. This bag kicks off a new feature that I will be writing for Sew News entitled, Sew and Tell. 

When I initially saw the pattern, I thought it was nice, but just a big slouchy type of bag.

Once I got into the project, I LOVED the bag. 

The magazine will be on newsstands January 28th. To kick off this new feature, Sew News will sponsor a sew along featuring me!!! The sew along will be a series of videos where I will walk you through my process for making the bag.
In the article I wrote, I talk about the bag and all the possibilities there are to customize it. Don't let the outside of the bag fool you, as the inside holds lots of secrets!!!!
Sew News will kick off this new series with a wonderful give away. You'll have a chance to win not only the pattern, but the Amy Butler fabric as well. What a fabulous give away!!!! Be sure to check out the Sew News blog TODAY so you can throw your name in for your chance to win the pattern and fabric. Here's a link to the blog, http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/
Follow this link to sign up for the Flickr group, http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2014/01/14/amy-butler-beautiful-belle-handbag-sew-along/
I'm really excited about this opportunity to sew along with you, a little nervous too!!! Actually, a LOT nervous :) If you enjoy the first sew along, there will be more throughout the year. I can't wait to share with you the upcoming projects. There will be a new project in each issue this year. I had a great time discovering new patterns and I hope you'll enjoy making them as much as I did.
If you don't win the free pattern and fabric, you can buy your own pattern here, http://www.shopsewitall.com/product/beautiful-belle-handbag-pattern-by-amy-butler/ellens-picks
As soon as the videos are up on the website, I'll let you know.