Category: Sewing

Foldable Shopping Tote

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Hello Everyone!

Have you had any time for sewing recently. It is soon easter and many will have a few days off, maybe you can make some time and try this project. I have made a few foldable shopping totes that easily fits in a handbag or bigger bag when not in use. My daughters really liked them so I decided to write a tutorial and share it with you. You can find it here and on my tutorials page together with other free printable PDFs.

The project really came about from me cleaning out some dress fabric that I realised was never going to be used. I used mostly printed rayon and polycotton, which is a bit thinner and works very well for this project. The tote bag can of course be made from quilting cotton but it becomes a bit bulky when folded together.

There is a lot of positives with this project. It is a quick project that can be made in a few hours and a gift that works for most people. It is also the obvious sustainable view with not having to use plastic bags. I even used material I already had at home. I used a plastic snap buttons which are easy to find and not expensive. Alternatively a magnetic snap button would work or a button hole or loop and a button could be used too.

Speaking of Easter, I have made a few posts on sewing for easter and my favourite one is this mugrug.

Take care and happy sewing!

Annika

Back to School and Work Sewing

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Summer is coming to an end here in Australia. We still have very warm days and we are taking advantage of that as much as we can. School started last week for primary and high school students, and Uni starts in a couple of weeks. My husband and I are still both working from home, it has become a permanent solution for both of us.

I made time for some sewing the past couple of weeks and made a pencil case as a gift for someone special and laptop case for myself.

The pencil case is a bigger version of “The Tall and Thin Pencil Case” in this pattern. It is really easy to change the size with this pattern, just add to the width and hight to the desired size. Remember that you might need a longer zipper.

I used a variation of this pattern when I made my new laptop case for work. I have included the variation at the end of the pattern. It is a more simple design but it is not easier to make.

We still had time for some beach time this weekend. It was very cloudy at first but as the day went on it got bot sunnier and warmer so I went in to the water before the day was over. My youngest daughter and I also started a new puzzle this weekend. I hope you also had a good weekend with some sewing and time for family and friends.

Don’t forget to check out my other patterns in my Etsy Shop and the free tutorials/patterns on my tutorials page. Until next time, happy sewing and take care.

Annika 🙂

Christmas Sewing – Gift Wrapping

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Hello 🙂

Christmas will be here again soon, November and December always seem to fly past. Here in Australia Christmas is also start of summer holidays and the end of another school year. So it is certainly a busy time, but I try to make time for sewing anyway. My stash of Christmas fabrics isn’t very big, but I have made a few wall hangings, pillow covers, table runners etc. It is also nice to make a Christmas gift for someone and also special to receive a handmade Christmas gift.

Making gift bags is also a practical and environmental project and a personal touch to your present. I have a three free tutorials/patterns on my tutorials page that can be made with Christmas fabric and would work great instead of traditional gift wrapping. These project are great for fabric scraps.

Here is a cute little gift card wallet with a snap button. This is a very easy project can be made in under an hour.

Get the gift card tutorial here

Here is a small drawstring bag that I made as a Valentine jewellery gift pouch originally, but can of course be made with Christmas fabric. The little heart on the bottom of the pouch is a pocket to keep small items safe.

Get the gift pouch tutorial here

This drawstring bag measures 7″x4″x4″. The size can easily be changed to any size you want. The poinsettia drawstring bag at the beginning of the post measures 5″x3″x3″ and is made using this pattern. There is instructions at the end of the tutorial on how to change the size.

Get the drawstring bag tutorial here

I hope you enjoy this tutorials.
Until next time, happy sewing and take care.

Annika

Magic Cube Pouch

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Hello Everyone 😊

What have you been up to lately? Spring is finally here in Australia. We had a couple of warm days last week and the days are slightly longer.

I have been making magic pouches or sometimes they are called cube pouches. When you open them up, you can easily see what’s in the case. It is like a tray for pencils/ make up or whatever you are using the pouch for.

There are plenty of tutorials online, and all of them had seams covered with binding. There is nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t look very nice when I make it that way. Maybe I would get better at it with practice, but I usually try to find a way to make the project without exposed seams.

I have made five of these pouches in the past week in different sizes. I have included templates for three sizes. I love figuring out the maths behind the sewing to make different sizes in these kind of projects. I’ve done that before with these box pouches, I just wasn’t as good at using Adobe Illustrator back then.

Magic Cube Pouch Templates
Magic Cube Tutorial
I have added instructions for how to add sides to the largest size.

I hope you enjoy this free pattern and templates.

Happy sewing and take care!

Annika

More time for Sewing and Crochet

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Hello:)

Another weekend in lockdown and it looks like it is going to stay that way for a couple of more weeks. It is tedious but I am not complaining, so many people are a lot worse off than us. My husband and I can both work from home and we don’t have any young children that we have to supervise studying remotely. We are also very happy with our decision to move out of the big city to regional Victoria, close to the coast. It has definitively made lockdowns more bearable and less frequent.

Last week, I made this coin purse using some left over fabric. I found the pattern and tutorial online. Not that I am using coins that often anymore, but there is always room and use for another zipper pouch. It is also just because they are fun to sew.

It was a was a very good tutorial and an easy pattern. I got some new snaps that did not need a tool to assemble.

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I also did work some more on my latest crochet project that you can read more about in my last post. This is how far I have come since I posted last, about two weeks ago.

Most of the crocheting has been done while watching The Tudors with my daughter. I really like historical dramas.

I am taking some online courses in WordPress and Blogging at the moment too. I really enjoy it and of course to try to improve my blog and blogging skills.

Until next time, take care and happy sewing!

Annika

Time for sewing and crochet

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Hello 🙂

I have had extra time for sewing and crochet the last few days. We are in lockdown again, which is stressful but at least I can spend some of the time doing the things that I love. There has of course been some streaming of television too. Good excuse for crochet and coffee.

I finished a zipper pouch using the same basic zipper pouch style as for the cross body bag in my last post. But instead of a long bag strap it has a wrist strap. It is going to be used for diabetes supplies. I have made her a few different ones over the years. I made her one for her glucose meter a few years ago. You can find the post here. I am going to make a pattern for that case.

This pouch has a small inside pocket. I have also used interfacing and thin iron on batting on the outside fabric for more protection. Needless to say, the pouch can be used for anything and it is also a great scrap fabric project.

I also had time for some crochet due to all the time spent in front of the TV this weekend, watching both movies and TV shows. I am making a throw using a 10 ply cotton yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills in a denim blue and a beige called cotton latte. I am not using a pattern here either but the plan is to buy enough yarn for a 50″x80″ throw. I am using a mixed grit stitch which gives a nice texture and weight to the throw. I have been working on it for a month now and and I have a plan for how it is going to look.

This is this weekend’s progress

I hope you enjoyed this post. Until next time, take care and happy sewing!

Annika