Vintage: Buttons, Cigars, and Fabric, Oh My!

Having fun creating tote bags for our Etsy shop
using burlap, canvas, and playing with fabric on
my home copier.  Love the one featuring fabric
printed with graphics from one of my favorite
old cigar boxes. I simply ironed my muslin fabric
onto freezer paper and copied the top of
the GarciavVega cigar box! Had so much fun adding
unique hand embroidery and vintage buttons to a
Moda honeybun collection strip of fabric.  Counting my
 button blessings every time I search my lovely vintage
 glass jars for buttons.  I think vintage buttons always
add a nice touch. The other bags were created with burlap---messy but so cool looking!  The Moda honeybun fabric was
used to make gathered strips and handmade flowers.

 Love using vintage cotton florals for the lining of these tote bags.  Leftover quilt batting scraps were used in the handles.  I think it gives the handles a substantial yet soft and flexible feel.  My torn fabric flowers are double faced, gathered on my sewing machine, and shaped into flowers sewn by hand.  Love the frayed look!

















Gotta love those Moda precuts--they make the creative process so easy. This burlap bag was created with my Moda honeybun collection of 1 1/2" strips.  I just gathered two strips and made the gathered flower from the green strip for the closure tab.  I used a magnetic snap for this project.   
                                                      

All Buttoned Up!

buttoned up tote bag

handmade buttonholes!
madedownsouth.blogspot.com

Love making these big bags and adding vintage buttons.  The dilemma of the week was doing buttonholes on this super thick combination of corduroy and batting. It simply was not going to be possible with my sewing machine.  After some research, I practiced and experimented and really enjoyed playing with different threads.  I changed up the standard  blanket stitch design to give my own buttonhole version a bit more tailored finish.  Here is the final product and I love it!    It sold very quickly so I'll have to make more for our etsy shop.  If anyone needs assistance making a handmade buttonhole, email me and I'll be glad to help you out.


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