Thrifty Thursday On Monday/A Customizable Accessory Pouch

I felt so bad about the last Thrifty Thursday pattern not being the free pattern that I thought it was, so I decided to post this great little accessory pouch a little early. 

When I first came across this pattern from Thread Riding Hood, I thought it was just another little pouch, but then I looked a little closer and my mind took off!

What a great way to really make a unique gift. You can fussy cut a pattern as was done above, or monogram the bag as I did.

For those of you who like to embroider,  then you could embroider an initial, but I took the easy way out and just printed out my initial. I keep a pack of computer printable fabric on hand. You can find it in the quilt section of your local chain fabric store, and I'm sure at any quilt fabric store. 

The pattern comes with a template so you can get the exact image that you would like in the cat eye area. I played around with the font until I had a size that would fit into the area. Of course you can also customize the color.  

The only issue with the computer printer fabric is that it isn't wide enough for the pattern piece. A little pouch is formed on the back of the front pieces, and this pouch piece is somewhat large in comparison to the other pattern pieces. 

What I did was just cut the monogram out the size of the template and then sandwich the monogram inside the pouch.

The inside of the bag is fully lined.

The back features the same edge piece that the front has, but a plain bottom. 

The zipper application is very easy to do. Just follow the step by step instructions.

I now have an accessory pouch that works beautifully with my new tote bag. What a lovely gift a set like this would be. 

The pouch makes up so very quickly, so you can easily make a bunch for gifts. The only change I will be making to future bags, is to add a removable wrist strap.
You can find the pattern HERE. This is one of those patterns that's not only a fast make, but fun too!
Enjoy!
Rhonda  

Thrifty Thursday

I must be in a handbag kinda mood lately. Actually, I need a bag to go with the dress that I'm making for an upcoming summer party. Remember the Susan Khaljie pattern and video for the cocktail dress? More about that next week. Actually, you'll probably get more than your fill of that next week as I must finish the dress by the end of next week!!! Nothing like waiting until the last minute.
So back today's post.  I came across a cute pattern from Sew Vera Venus that I loved. Vintage styling, but, I think anyway, super cute!

Here's my version. I made mine out of a piece of gold leather. I've included the shoes in the picture so you can get a feeling of the size of the bag. I wear a size 7 shoe, so my shoes are not too large. In the original pattern, there is a loop that holds the front loop that goes around the back loop handle. I"ll explain what I did later in the post.
 From the back.

 I included this photo to give you an idea of the sturdiness of the bag. 
  I used Therm-o-Web inside my bag. It's a fairly stiff interfacing.

Because of the stiffness and thickness of this product, you do not want to have  seam allowances as it would be far too bulky. Since I do not have  seam allowances on my interfacing, I butted the 2 pieces together and zigzagged them together.

The circular piece for the bottom of the bag was not attached to the sides, rather just laid in the bottom. Note too that I did not include the interfacing for the flap of the bag as I felt it would add too much bulk with the leather.

To give the bottom of the bag a little more stability, I cut a piece of chip board(heavy cardboard)and placed it in the bottom on top of the interfacing piece.

Rather than stitch my handles to the outside of the bag, I cut a slit in the leather for them to go through. The pattern is marked for placement of the handles.

I transferred the marking of the slit to the interfacing and stitched my handles to the interfacing and them fed them through the slit opening. Because they have been anchored to the interfacing, they will stay in place. And remember, leather does not fray!

 The interior of my bag. I decided to just go ahead and line the entire bag with the leather.

I did edge stitch all of my seams. Once they were stitched, I then trimmed down the seams. 

I know that a number of you are thinking, "but, I have no occasion for a bag like this." The bag is perfect for anyone going to prom as the bag will hang on her arm throughout the night with no worry of losing it or it being stolen. So it's perfect for any dance occasion. Nice for a lovely dinner out too! I have not tried this, but I think it will work. For a larger version of the bag, cut the pattern out and then take it to your local copy shop that has large scale printing. Have them scale it to a size that you would like for everyday use. On my next trip to the copy shop, I am going to give it a try. I'll be sure to let you know how it works out. 

You can find the pattern here, http://veravenus.com/diy-things-to-make-tutorials-patterns/. Just scroll down until you find the pattern entitled, Dinky Little Handbag. Sew Vera Venus has a number of other free patterns , a few I must try, and she also has a brand new Flickr page that you can find here, https://www.flickr.com/groups/sewveravenus/ You'll see my Dinky Little Bag posted there shortly!