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.

Sewing Up Some Magical Make Believe

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 7 Comments

#booksleeve, #bookish, #sewing, #anotiontosew

Yep, it’s time for some Christmas prep. But before we get to the sewing dear readers, I want to share a story with you.

When I was a little girl growing up in Wyoming, our local library was located downtown. We lived in a subdivision toward the outer edge of town. Although my dad was an avid reader, he preferred to buy his books, so my parents were not ones to frequent the library,. Therefore, my trips to the library were few and far between, and I only received books as gifts for Christmas. I was a fan of the library because I could check out several books at one time to keep me busy reading for several weeks. The bookmobile would make a stop in our neighborhood once a month. It was an imaginary world at my fingertips every month. I like fiction. It takes me away from reality and gives my imagination encouragement to run. So when our local news reported that a new Barnes and Noble recently opened in a nearby town, I was all on board to travel over there to check it out.

IMHO, it is one of the nicest Barnes and Noble stores I’ve ever visited. It is updated with a modern mid-century vibe. The book sections are not lined up in rows, but rather they are organized in groups, with seating in each section. And the cafe is equipped with plentiful seating. While there, we picked up several books for our youngest granddaughter for Christmas. That purchase started me down my sewing rabbit hole (or unicorn flight, as the case may be). And for those of you who are wondering, yes, I purchased a couple books for myself as well. I am into the cozy mysteries.

I’ve been noticing book sleeves all over social media lately. My granddaughter is all about unicorns right now. So I stitched up a couple book sleeves for her new books. The cotton poplin fabric is from Spoonflower. It was pretty much a perfect weight fabric for this project. I used Kona cotton for the purple lining and I sandwiched By Annie Soft and Stable Foam between the outer fabric and the lining. I quilted straight lines on the smaller (8″ x 10″) book sleeve; and I left the larger (10″ x 12″) book sleeve plain, without quilting.

To add another item to her bookish Christmas gift, I made a small boxy bag with some of the leftover fabric.

I again used foam between the outer fabric and the lining, but the lining is PLU food safe fabric.

I will buy some fun, little goodies such as crayons, markers, colored pencils, erasers, bookmarks, etc. to fill her bag. But since the lining is food safe PLU, she can have mom help her wipe down the inside with warm soapy water and she can carry snacks inside her boxy bag.

The inside does not have any raw edges and is easy to clean.

The ends of the bag have a small pull tab to make it easier for her to zip and unzip her bag.

Remember, sewing friends, if you are gifting handmade items this Christmas, it is not too early to start sewing those gifts! Let me know what you are planning to sew for the special people in your life.

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What’s Sewing On . . .July 2022

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 5 Comments

Hello Sewers! I set aside my personal sewing plans this month so I could focus on stitching up some inventory for my handmade shop. I’ve been busy sewing these oh so useful snack bags.

The outside of each bag features a lovely cotton print fabric and a beautiful solid vinyl. These sweet bags are lined with food safe PUL fabric so they are easy to clean. You can feel comfortable using them for veggies, fruit, chips, or yes, candy. LOL Simply pull the lining out through the top of the bag and wipe it down with a dish cloth and dish soap. Dry with a dish towel and then also allow to air dry overnight. Your bag will be all clean and dry and ready to re pack in the morning.

While snack bags are something we think about using with children or grandchildren, they are not the only ones who benefit from a handy snack. These snack bags are terrific to take to quilting or sewing classes, to accompany you on a road trip, or to toss in your beach bag or in with your ski gear if you are heading into the great outdoors for the day. They are also perfect to fill with treats for Fido.

The handmade shop will be restocked with these and other goodies in September. What would you stash in your snack bag?

Thank you for sharing some of your time with me today.