A clutch for a gardener

When Amy saw my Denyse Schmidt clutches and asked if I wanted to do a swap, I knew this was my chance for get an awesome goodie from her- as if I could refuse! She made me a gorgeous "kidlet" using her very own adorable printed fabric. In return, I wanted to make a clutch just right for her. And, if you follow her blog you will know she is also quite the gardener. What is better than a flower?

I modified the big bloom tutorial by Keyka Lou to size for this bag. I used some of my Rowan shot cotton in pink for the flower, and a mustard colored button from my stash for the center.

Amy loves linen, so I knew this would be a great base for the bag. Inside, I used a big floral print from the Dream On line....I love it :-)

As the clutch is compact of course, I thought to incorporate a little pocket for stashing cash and a couple slots for credit cards and license, to eliminate the need for a wallet. Still room for a lipstick and cell phone, too. But, no, NOT a diaper bag, ladies!

I also chose a frame with loops for attaching a chain so it can be worn over the arm or body when wanting to keep the hands free.

Interfacing is always the bane of my existence, and I had some struggles getting it just right here. I wanted the bag to have lots of body, so I used a fairly stiff interfacing paired with some quilt batting for softness. When inverting the bag and attaching the frame, I had troubles with it bunching and wrinkling....had to take it apart a bit and trim it back to get it right. Not perfect, but much better.

I have packed this clutch with a few little treats and it now on its merry way to its new owner. Hope you enjoy it, Amy!

p.s. And to all my Canadian friends out there....Happy Canada Day!! Grab some Labatt's and and head 'er out to the lake, eh?

Christmas Wreaths- one way

Feeling a little festive over here....Let's hope it lasts because I have a huge pile-o-crafts planned to get done before the Big Day!
Found the tutorial for these lovely yarn wreaths here. I love them. So many color and texture combinations with the yarn and ribbon!

(can't find the beautiful aqua ribbon I had bought to go with this wreath....maybe it is hiding somewhere with my still-missing sewing ideas notebook??)

They take a bit of time, but now that I have my yarn-wrapping-rhythm, it's all good. And aren't these felt flowers wonderful?
Hang 'em on your front door, rest them on your mantle....and if all else fails, The Middle Child also thinks they make a great fashion accessory!
I have another set of different wreaths planned....will be back! Linking these up at Sew and Tell.

Just wanted to say thanks for a bunch of great blogs that have been featuring my stuff lately! Craft Gossip and One Pretty Thing both featured my Mini-Monet Christmas ornaments, Katie's Nesting Spot showed my rendition of Noodlehead's Mail Organizer, and Sew Mama Sew is featuring my Messenger Bag Tutorial on November 22, as part of their annual Handmade Holidays roundup. Thank you so much!

Fabric Flower tutorial

These fabric flowers are a great addition to your Twirly Girl skirt, a handbag, or place some felt and a pin on the back to add a little something-something to a shirt or coat!

To make a fabric flower:

Cut a long strip of fabric that is 2 inches wide. The length can vary depending on how big of a flower you want; the one shown in the photo measured about 2 feet long. I joined 2 shorter pieces together to get this length, so feel free to use scraps or even a bunch of different fabrics. This part is more art than science, so be creative and have fun!

Take your piece of flower fabric and fold length wise. Press.

Sew a straight stitch starting at the edge on one side; slowly start wandering towards the middle (as shown below) so that one end becomes narrower than the other. Leave both ends open. Trim excess.

Using a safety pin, pin one edge of the narrow end, then insert the pin into the hole and use your fingers to work it down the length of this “tube” you have created until it emerges on the other side. Pull to make fabric right side out again. You will have a long tube with one end narrower than the other. Press. Invert raw end pieces ¼ inch inside, then sew ends closed.
Start with narrow end of strip to form centre of flower. Wrap fabric around itself, gathering at bottom (seam side) with your fingers to form a flower. Use a needle and thread to secure together by sewing in base of flower. If desired, insert button at centre. Again, this is the creative part- there is no right or wrong, so play with it and have fun to make your own one-of-a-kind flower! When you are happy, hand sew onto skirt or other item.
Congratulations! You did it! If you missed my Twirly Girl ruffle skirt tutorial, you can find it here. I hope you enjoy your Fabric Flower, but please remember that this tutorial is intended for home enjoyment only and not for commercial use. Feel free to blog about your creations; a link back to this page would be appreciated. I would love to see your finished skirts, so please shoot me an e-mail with your pictures or blog links to me so I can admire them! I also have a Flickr group and would love to see your photos there. Have fun!