Saturday, March 31, 2012

Easter goods....

My good friend Karen showed me this darling little purse this week.   It is fast and easy to make, so there is still time to fit in in before Easter.  It made from a simple square and the cuteness is all about how it's folded.  I thought they would be fun for my "grand girls" to use as an easter basket/purse.  I made a quick trip to “Scrapbooks, Etc.”....my go to place for fun trendy fabrics.  The hardest part is picking fabrics, they have so many to choose from.

Here’s what you’ll need:
2 fabric squares - 18 x 18”, but you can make it any size square.
1 1/4 yd. twill, ribbon or cording - cut into 2 equal pieces
1.  Cut 2 squares of coordinating fabric 18” x 18”.  


2.  Put right sides together and sew around all four edges, leaving a 3-4” opening to turn.  

3.  Turn the square right sides out.

 Press and top stitch close to the edge, closing the opening.


4.  Fold the square into thirds as shown.


Adjust as needed to make this measurement and.....

.....this measurement the same.  Repeat on both sides.


5.  Find the center and mark with pins.   

 Up close detail


 Stitch 1” on both sides of center mark.

 (Stitching on right side of center mark)

(Stitching on left side of center mark)

 These stitching lines show the bottom of the bag.


6.  Fold piece in half with the folded sides inside.


7.  Stitch up both sides using a 1/8” seam.


8.  Make a boxed-in bottom.  Pull out the corners.  

The stitch lines that you did in step #5 create a guide for stitching across the corner.

Stitch across both corners as shown.  This will create the gusset so your bag has a flat bottom.


9.  Turn inside out


10.  Fold the triangular flap (shown up in the photo above) down and sew 5/8” from the folded top edge to form a casing.

11.  Using one of the pieces of twill, feed it through the casing from the right edge of
the bag, out the left side and back into the other side of the bag so both ends come out the right edge.  Use the second piece of cording and repeat the process feeding it in the left side and back through so they both come out on the left side.


I've got to get busy to finish the other 3....all will be slightly different.  I’m filling them with a few girly items that I know they will love.....shhhh don’t tell them, it’s a surprise!




Something I found out this week.....
Tip #573 - Don't leave your cutting mat on the front seat of the car when it's 90 degrees out.  The bowed part is where it hung over the edge of the seat....ugh, time for a new cutting mat!  

Have a great weekend,
deb


27 comments:

  1. cute! I'll bet if you put your mat out on a driveway or flat surface in the sun it would right itself! (Worth a try anyway right?)

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  2. Such a sweet gift for the grand girls. You know, your also creating some wonderful childhood memories for them. Some of my fav gma memories are the handmade doll clothes :)

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  3. my cutting mat was warped one time, and i used a heat gun to straighten it out. don't get too close to the mat, and keep the heat gun moving. if heat made the mat warp, heat should fix it.

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  4. I love these bags Your grand girls are lucky little girls. I am going to my scrap box and make a couple for my grand girls. Now for the grand boys, thats a harder thing to figure out...

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  5. Wow - I love this - I'll have to go through the instructions again but also what a great summer beach bag - thanks for sharing all the steps

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  6. WOW! Thank you so much for the directions for this charming bag - I am already eyeing my stash! The bag is so darling and I can't wait to give it a try! Have a wonderful day!!!

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  7. I just love this little bag! Thank you for sharing. I too have had 'car heat' mishaps here in FL. Hope you have a coupon to get a new mat. Thanks again.

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  8. This is absolutely adorable! I can see how useful it would be for many things. Thanks for sharing.

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  9. Such a cute idea...love the fabrics you chose too....JoanQ

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  10. darling! thanks for the detailed tutorial!

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  11. Absolutely adorable! Thanks for sharing that cute bag. Pulling out my machine now.

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  12. Your tutorials are so great and easy to follow. Thanks.

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  13. Eliza loves the bag!!! She wants one!

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  14. Just got done sewing this sweet, sweet bag....thanks for the great tutorial!

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  15. I just finished the bag. It took twice as long because my sewing machine and computer are on different floors of the house. Apparently I need a laptop. However this bag is jus the cutest thing. My 4 year old neice is going to LOVE IT. Thanks.

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  16. Great tut! Mine turned out great. Check it out here.
    http://craftambitions.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/sew-a-drawstring-purse/

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  17. Would this work as a larger tote? What size would you suggest the squares be?

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  18. Hi Paula, would love to use your tutorial for our Quick Quilt Saturday project on May 31, 2014. https://www.facebook.com/groups/quickquiltsaturday/ I will post your link here on our site for everyone to get the tutorial.

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  19. Don't get a new mat. Just lay it back out in the sun on a flat surface like your driveway or patio.

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  20. Hi, I love this little bag! I have a question about the boxed corners. I wonder if there is an error because after sewing the corners, which looks like it was down on the main/outer fabric, then next step says so turn inside out but the picture shows the same fabric, the main/outer side with corners inside. did you push them to the inside of bag after they are sewn? Or am I supposed to sew the corners with the bag turned inside out then turn right side out, corners tucked inside? Thanks!

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  21. Thank you so much for this excellent tutorial!
    My bag: http://spinnwebe.info

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  22. ok so my first bag was a lil off, looks like a wristlet bag. but I love the ideal & how cute it is . when I finish my bigger version I will post pics of both. thanks !!

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  23. I love this bag, Does anyone know what the finished size would be?

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