Author: Pamela Klingensmith

Sewing is my passion and I always have a notion to sew, but sometimes I get distracted with other crafty endeavors. I share my creative accomplishments (and sometimes failures) here on my blog. I am a licensed Martha Pullen beginning sewing instructor and serger instructor. For 5 years, I taught new owners how to use their Bernina sewing machines at my local Bernina dealer, and for 2 years I taught serger project classes at my local Baby Lock dealer. These days, my professional time is spent retailing handmade purse and bag making supplies and patterns. I also sell a small selection of fabric as well as my handmade bags and purses. "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." Prov. 16:9

On the Go 2.0 – Patterns byAnnie

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 4 Comments

#patternsbyannie, #bag, #handbag, #onthegopattern, #rubystarsociety

I have been enjoying all things strawberry this summer. I purchased a fat quarter bundle of strawberry fabrics by Kimberly Kight for Ruby Star Society while I was traveling through Delaware for the recent Mid Atlantic Shop Hop. I love these fabrics so much! I paired a few of the fat quarters with this pattern:

I’ve sewn up a number of patterns from byAnnie in the past, and I was never disappointed with the end result. The instructions are easy to follow; they offer free add-on videos for a number of their patterns; and the supplies are easy to find.

The pattern calls for 1/2 yard cuts of main, lining, and binding fabrics. Since I only had fat quarters, I used several different prints for my bag. It is a bit scrappy, but all the fabrics are from the same line, so they coordinate nicely.

I have quite a bit of bag hardware left from when I closed my Etsy shop in 2023. I did not want to buy supplies for my bag, so I used what I had on hand. The strap slider and the triangle rings are iridescent rainbow by Emmaline Bags, and the swivel hooks are nickel finish designer profile by Emmaline Bags.

The zippers are handbag zippers from byAnnie.

The front flap has a hidden magnetic closure. I did not have any magnetic closures from byAnnie or from Emmaline Bags. All I had on hand was an invisible magnet by Dritz. Trust me, don’t use that one. It is not strong enough to penetrate all those layers of fabric and foam. My completed bag would not stay closed *sigh* I ended up purchasing one of the the oh so powerful Emmaline Bags bar magnets from my local quilt shop. I had to perform tedious surgery on the inside of my bag and replace the Dritz magnet with the new bar magnet. It wasn’t pretty, but I patched it up and nobody will see it, but me. The flap on my bag now stays in place.

The flashy little berry charm is by Kate Spade. It was on a bag that my daughter gifted to me.

The back exterior features a nice size slip pocket, and the front flap exterior includes a smaller size slip pocket along with a large zipper pocket.

Underneath the flap, on the front exterior is a vinyl ID pocket.

The only interior pockets are three card slots. If I make another On the Go 2.0, I will add a narrow pen slip pocket. My pens fall to the bottom of the bag and I have to remove my wallet and sunnies to get to them.

All in all, this is a handy little bag to add to my handbag wardrobe. It can be worn as a cross body bag when you need your hands free; or it can be worn over the shoulder for everyday activities. If you are in the market for a new bag, I would encourage you to give this one a sew. I’m thinking of stitching up a lovely version using Tilda fabrics.

Let me know in the comments if you have sewn any byAnnie patterns.

A Year of Spools – Sew Sunny

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 4 Comments

#sewsunnyblock, #quilting, #sunflowerquiltblock, #shabbyfabrics

The local sunflowers are in full bloom and they are absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, I did not plant sunflowers this year and I’m not sure why. LOL So I will enjoy my sunflowers indoors. This is my make from the Shabby Fabrics block of the month, A Year of Spools. The pattern suggests flipping the direction of each sunflower spool, but I chose to have both of my sunflowers in an upright position:

These kits contain all the fabric needed to cut and assemble the block. So I just rolled with it and stitched mine with the provided fabrics. There is a hanging sleeve on the back, and I also added one of my Sweetwater quilt labels:

The hanging sleeve is convenient if you are using a hanger such as an Ackfeld wire hanger. I keep mine on the wall in my sewing room.

But since this is actually sunflower season, I want to display my wall hanging in my dining area where I have a permanent quilt hanger mounted on the wall. This is an Amish quilt hanger that I purchased at a local quilt shop:

Whenever I walk through the dining room and see my new quilt block, I am reminded of what a great time of year this is. The mornings are noticeably cooler and the daytime temps are not skyrocketing.

Thank you for reading my blog and please leave a comment** if you are so inclined. I enjoy talking to you all.

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Sew House Seven – Remy Raglan

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 4 Comments

As I was out Shop Hopping, I visited a new store in Hagerstown, MD. Pink Peony Creations opened their brick and mortar store this past spring. They carry fabric that I don’t see at most of the shops around me. In addition to 100% cotton, they also stock some knits and linen. I purchased this Merchant and Mills organic cotton fabric because I’ve been wanting to sew a Remy Raglan by Sew House Seven and I thought the weight of this fabric would be a great match with the pattern. The fabric is 61″ wide, so I knew I would have plenty for pattern matching the plaid.

I sewed View #2 with short sleeves, which has a seam running down the front of the top, so I meticulously cut the pattern pieces so that seam would match up. Since it is front and center, I did not want the check pattern to be misaligned. I also matched the side seams while I was at it. Honestly, it took me longer to think about the pattern layout and overcome the fear of cutting into my fabric than it did to actually sew the top. LOL

The seam down the front of the top allows for an easy way to add this keyhole with button and loop closure. The pattern instructions are clear and easy to follow. The pattern rating is for confident beginner, and I would say that is an accurate rating (just don’t use a plaid fabric). The pattern also guides you through terrific finishing techniques so you do not have any exposed edges on the inside of the garment.

A bias binding strip is sewn to the neck edge, then the seam is clipped, the folded edge of the bias strip is brought to the inside, and it is sewn down. That bias strip will also finish off the loop seam on the inside of the garment. Here is a picture of that:

The interior of the top is just as lovely as the exterior:

The sleeve and side seams are finished with French seams.

I added a cute strawberry label by Sarah Hearts. The color match was pretty much spot on. It was as if the label was made to specifically coordinate with this fabric. I love that.

I just hemmed the sleeves and turned them up twice and tacked them down to keep the cuff in place.

I will use this top year round. The fabric is cool and comfortable for summer wear, and it is also lightweight enough that it does not add a lot of bulk under a sweater or jacket for fall and winter wear. All and all, IMHO, my new Remy Raglan is a winner.

Have you used Sew House Seven patterns? If so, please share with us which one(s) you have sewn and what your experience was. I have also sewn the Toaster Sweater (4 different times), and I love that pattern as well.

Thank you for reading and sharing. Have a great sewing week, dear readers.