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.

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.

Summer Shorts – Simplicity 9337

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 3 Comments

#simplicitypatterns #summersewing #memade #simplicity9337

This is a new to me pattern for unisex tops, shorts, and joggers. I purchased the red French terry fabric from University of Sewing. It is 95% cotton and 5% spandex. The recommended fabrics are knits such as cotton Lycra, jersey, and bamboo knits. Those knits are lighter weight than my French terry, but I went for it anyway. I will say that if you are planning to sew up this pattern, use a knit with similar weight to the recommended fabrics. Here is why:

See how the lower edge scoops up at the side and is a slightly longer length in back? That hem edge is completed by using front and back leg facing pieces. The written description on the pattern does not indicate this type of hem on the shorts. None of the line drawings show this type of hem on the shorts. And the actual photo on the pattern envelope does not show this hem. That said, I did notice the curve hem and the facing pieces when I was cutting the pattern. I went ahead and cut the pattern as it was printed on the tissue. When I sew a pattern for the first time, I like to sew the look that the designer intended for the pattern. As you can see from the above photo, my chosen fabric was waaaay too thick for this type of finish, but the length was also an issue. It finished just above my knee, which I knew it would, but being the glutton for punishment that I am, I figured I would just see how it looked for grins. I was NOT grinning. That’s not a flattering length on me at all. That, coupled with the thick fabric, made for a very ‘homemade’ looking pair of shorts. So here is what I did:

I sliced off almost 3 inches so I could serge the edge, turn up a 1 inch hem, and do two rows of topstitching to finish it off. So much better!

I eliminated the drawstring at the waist because I just don’t like the bulge from the drawstring to show under my top. I prefer a flat waist finish.

One of my favorite ways to wear my new shorts, is with my red and white striped tee that I made several years ago (it is the same Simplicity pattern that I shared in last week’s blog post). I liked these shorts so much, that I quickly sewed a second pair, but this time with a lighter weight knit fabric in blue.

Much to my dismay, the second time I wore them, I caught the leg on a rough piece of wood and ‘pulled’ the fabric. I thought about trying a fabric shaver to smooth off some of the roughness from the pulling. Have any of you ever used a fabric shaver on knit fabric? Please let me know your results. I really love this pair of shorts and I wear them quite often.

Here is a close up of the flat waistband in the front. The shorts have elastic inserted into a casing, but I like to put most of the bulk from the elastic in the back. I put less elastic at the front and I stitch in the ditch at the waistband side seams to catch the elastic between the layers and keep it in place.

I had some of the red French terry fabric left after sewing my red shorts, so I made the View B top. I like the length a lot. This top is a little warm to wear for the hot summer months, but it will be very comfortable for fall weather.

It has drop shoulders and features a loose fit. In a lighter weight fabric, it would drape very nicely. My version is close to the feel of wearing a sweatshirt.

Okay, dear readers, thanks for hanging with me through this lengthy review. I appreciate the time you spend with me and I enjoy reading your comments. Please let me know if you have any recommendations about the fabric shaver.