First the fabric, then the project

 So I fell in love with the fabric first then decided I had to make something with it.  That yellow, black and gray just spoke to me and I had to have it.  Since it was half off $9.99 regular price at Hancock's Fabric, I splurged and bought 1/2 yard not knowing exactly what to do with it.  Of course, now I wish I had bought a couple of yards.  I wondered what awesome creation I could come up with but ultimately cycled back to my favorite old pattern, the skirt bag I designed a few years ago.  This time, I tried to make a smaller version of it.  So, instead of being able to tote a small child, it can hold a small watermelon :)

 I called this a skirt bag because the top band reminded me of how my Momma taught us to sew waistbands for skirts.  You made a little gap below the band which allowed the skirt to open up wider to slide over the hip area.  Nifty huh?  Anyhow, I found it's handy for a bag that can go from empty to overflowing in a very short time at the flea market!  

The buttons along the top are pretty but they serve a purpose too.  I can adjust the way the bag closes by moving the buttonhole over to the next button. Voila!   I also tried out a new idea for the handles using a 3" wide black cotton webbing strap.  It sure feels sturdy like I could probably haul 2 watermelons if I wanted to! I will probably make another one to sell in craft fairs or our Etsy shop, Down South Designs.  Check it out!


 I am participating in link parties at Threading My Way, Nifty Thrifty Things,  Chatty Chics , Be Different..Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Craft Envy, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, Not Just A Housewife, The Shabby Creek Cottage Savvy Southern Style and Petals to Picot

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.