How about a little bag for April?

Hello everyone!  Thanks for your votes on February's diaper bag.  And the winner is the Mama Mia bag!

Okay, so voting for March's bag will still be going until October 2, and voting for April's bag will start today, September 25, and end October 9.  Phew!  That's a lot of dates to keep track of.  Hopefully you'll like what I have for you this month!

I thought that since prom season will be rapidly approaching at this point, we could look at doing a little handbag or clutch that could easily be used as a formal accessory or for casual, everyday use, depending on the fabric you choose.  As always, if you would like to do something different, let me know!

Bag number 1 is the Charming Little Purse-O-Nality by Linda Rauld:

This handbag can be made with either a wrist strap or a shoulder strap, or both!  The strap connects with a hook, so you can change them out if you'd like.  The dimensions of this bag are 8.5" by 5" by 1.5".

Bag number two is the Haute Handbag and Clutch by Artful Offerings:

This pattern is for both bags, and the handbag dimensions are 11.5" by 15.5" by 4.5", and the clutch measures 5.5" by 11" by 2".

Bag number three is the Cash and Carry change purse by Atkinson Designs:

This pattern includes directions for three different sized change purses.  The top one can be made 3.5" by 5.5" OR 3.5" by 7.5".  The one all the way to the right is also 3.5" by 5.5" or 3.5" by 7.5", and the bottom one is 3.5" by 5.5".  The top two are called "Strip Zips," and they are made with strips (obviously).  The ones on the right might make two at a time, or they are two stuck together?  I'm not really sure on that one.   And the one on the bottom is just a simple change purse.  I'm reading all about the way cool zipper technique included in the pattern, so I might just have to try it out anyway!

So let me know what you think about April's bag, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Go green with a market tote! And, the winner for January's bag.

Thank you to everyone who submitted votes for January 2011's bag!  The votes have been counted, and the winner is The Fourth Quarter Bag!  So get excited to make this bag in January!  Woop woop!

As some of you may know, Earth Day is April 22 each year.  2011 will be no exception!  For March's bag, I would like to make a market tote, so you'll be all ready to display it with pride when you go to the grocery store in April.  These also make great gifts.  I have found three bags for us to choose from for March.

The first bag is the Be Green Market Bag from Paradiso Designs:

I think it's pretty clear that if you want to make this bag you have to have a huge dog.  Just kidding!  That was hopefully my only lame joke for this post.  The dimensions of this bag are 10" long, 14" tall and 6" wide.

The second bag is the Eco Market Tote by Favorite Things:

This bag may or may not have an outside pocket (it's hard to tell from the picture, and it's amazing how non-descriptive some pattern descriptions are!), and the dimensions are 15" high, 18" wide, and 4.5" deep.

The third bag is the Chic Shopper's Tote from Bella Nonna Designs:

This bag has a smallish outside flap pocket, and the dimensions of the bag are 17" wide, and 16.5" tall with an 8.5" bottom.

You will have until Saturday, October 2 at noon to vote on March's bag.  Thanks for your consideration, and I look forward to sewing with you! :)

Choosing February's bag!

Okay everyone!  We've had some votes for January's bag, and voting will be open for another week.  Voting for February's bag will start today, and will end Saturday September 25 at noon.  Just a reminder that we will have voting for a new bag out every week, and each month will be open for voting for two weeks, so there will be some overlap.  Please contribute your votes!

For February, I thought it would be fun to do a diaper bag.  I don't know about you guys, but it seems as if when spring starts I have a never ending list of people I know who are having babies, and I feel that I have to make something for each and every one of them.  Diaper bags are nice because they are handy, and they are (hopefully) easy and quick for the person making them.  Even if you say to yourself, "Pah!  I'm not doing this month's bag because I don't know anyone having babies," it would be nice to make and donate to your local pregnancy care center, or just in case someone you know someday has a baby.  Anyway, I have three choices for this month, but if you have any suggestions please feel free to put them in the comments!

Bag one is the Mama Mia Diaper Bag from Favorite Things:

This bag includes 8 elasticized inside pockets, as well as a pattern for a changing pad that folds up into a clutch style piece with pockets for diapers and wipes.  This would double as a great tote bag, as well. :)  This bag's dimensions are 14" high, 20" wide, and 9" deep.

The second bag is the Nappy Bag from Amy Butler:

This bag includes a changing pad as well, with it's own storage case.  There is also a cell phone pocket on the outside.  This bag would also make a great tote bag if you don't want a diaper bag.  This bag's dimensions are 24" wide and 29" tall.

Bag three is the Double Duty Bag from Sew Baby:

This bag is reversible, and six roomy pockets on one side.  This pattern also includes directions for a changing pad.  The bag dimensions are 17" high, 14" wide, and 5" deep.

Those are the options that I found for diaper bags.  Again, if you see something else you like and would like that put in the running, feel free to mention it.  You will have until September 25 at noon to vote for February's bag.  Thanks!

And......we're back!

Hi everyone!  I bet you didn't think that the blog would be taking the summer off, did you?  Well, neither did I!  I was so busy this summer that I had very little free time, and what free time I did have was spent knitting and sewing.  I do hope you'll forgive me for that!

We just got back from the Houlton Quilt Show, and we had a great time!  We have lots of pictures, so we'll share them with you soon.  But I want to talk about something else that we are very excited about today!  Starting in January of 2011, Garden Gate Fabrics will be doing a bag of the month club.  We'll do a different bag each month, and you can purchase the kit complete with pattern, and we will also offer a class each month for whatever bag we make.  I have looked through a lot of patterns, and now we're going to let you choose what you would like to do each month.  What I'll be doing is posting a couple of choices for each month, starting now.  We'll leave the choices up for voting for two weeks, but I'll post a new month of choices each week so we will hopefully have chosen all 12 bags for 2011 before 2011 actually starts!  You can submit your vote by commenting on the blog post.  Also, if you are interested in doing a bag a month with us, but live far away, we will definitely ship a kit to you, so you can be a part of the fun too!  So, on to the fun part!

For January, I thought we could start with a simple pieced tote/handbag.  I'm going to show you three different patterns that I thought were cute, and you can choose your favorite or tell me if you don't like any of them. 

The first bag is called the Building Blocks Bag, from Indygo Junction:

  This pattern includes instructions for both bags, which are made using 6.5 inch squares.  I've been told this pattern is pretty simple as well, which is always a plus! :)

The second pattern is called Charming Totes 4 from Whistlepig Creek.  This pattern uses charm packs.

This pattern includes instructions for all three bags.  Additional yardage will likely be required for lining, handles, etc.  Using precuts is always fun, and makes things faster, as some of you know.

The third pattern is the 4th Quarter Bag from Silk Road Creations.

This pattern uses 4 fat quarters, and has 14 pockets.  Wowzah!  Talk about a place for everything, and everything in its place!

So all that I need you to do is comment on this post and say which bag you would prefer to sew in January, or if you would rather do something totally different.  If you aren't interested in doing a bag of the month on 2011, that's okay too!  Hopefully we can find something else to keep you busy.  So let me know what you think, and let me know if you have any suggestions for bags for 2011.  Thanks!

*IMPORTANT!* Voting for January's bag will end on Saturday, September 18 at noontime EST (just in case anyone is in a different time zone!).  Voting for February's bag will begin Saturday, September 11.  Happy sewing!