Miss June, the Birdie Sling!

Hey everyone!  Look at me, I'm on time this month!  So, for June, I made the Birdie Sling (hey look at that, you can click the name of the bag and I've linked it to the webpage with pattern info!  The internet is so cool) by Amy Butler.  She has some gorgeous designs!  Many of her designs are perfect for highlighting big, bold prints, too, which made this bag the perfect pattern for this fabric, which I have been dying to use (and may have several yards waiting at my house to become a dress):

I have decided, however, that carrying a bag and wearing a dress made from the same fabric might be a bad idea.  So, without further ado, here is the bag!

I did actually have a picture of the bag by itself, but I did something to the file and now it's lost forever.  So anyway, this bag is pretty big, as you can see.  I didn't measure it before I dropped it off at the shop, of course, because that would have been smart and I'm just not into that.  But it has one large, wide handle, that felt really comfortable without anything in the bag (I should have put some stuff in there to test it out!), and it has a large pocket on one side of the lining that is divided in two, and a small pocket on the other side of the lining.  Here's a vague picture of the inside, since the pockets are the same fabric as the lining, so it's hard to tell:

This bag would be great for carrying projects in, like handwork for long road trips or the like.  But let's be serious, I would use this honking bag as a purse.  I would probably never be able to find anything, but I would look so fab while digging through it.  I also meant to put a magnetic snap in the top to hold it shut, but I got so excited about how fast the bag was coming together that I totally forgot.  I made a couple of modifications to this pattern (shocker), but I won't let you in on them unless you take the class!  See what I did there?

So, here are some things I love about this bag.  I love the size (yes, we already discussed that I use huge purses).  I could carry a set of twins in there, if I wanted to (which would be totally unsafe, so don't try it.  I won't take the fall for that one).  I also love this fabric, and the bag highlights it wonderfully.  There are also some really sweet little designy things about the bag (I'm trying to think of the right word for "designy things," but it escapes me at the moment) that I just love.  For example, the top of the bag has six little pleats on each side.

I am such a sucker for pleats.  I want to add them to everything, especially places where they are not appropriate at all.  I'm also a sucker for paisley fabrics, such as this yellow coordinating fabric.  I also love butter, which matches this coordinating fabric, but we don't need to talk about that.

Also, at the bottom, where on lots of other bags the corners are brought in to box out the bottom of the bag (does that make sense?), the corners are brought in on this bag too, but the line sewn is curved rather than straight, making the corners just so elegant-looking!  I don't get out much, so little things like this excite me.  Don't I look excited?

So basically I would give this bag a billion thumbs up, and the pattern is very well-written as well, which is really nice.  The class for this bag will be held on Saturday, June 25, and the price for the kit and class will be $60.  This will get you all of the fabric, interfacing, pattern, and all of my secret modifications (oooh intrigue!), and as an added bonus, you'll get to spend the whole day laughing at a crazy teacher who makes lots of mistakes.  Call the shop at (207)764-3800 or email sylvia@gardengatefabrics.com to sign up for the class.

Grommet Grab Bag

Hello everyone!  Just wanted to share May's bag with you, the Grommet Grab Bag by Indygo Junction.  Here's the bag...

And here is the inside....

 

Yes, those are raw ends on the handles.  I was in a rush to finish the bag before my husband and I took a 15 hour road trip to a wedding, so I could carry the bag to the rehearsal dinner, since it matched my dress.  In fact, I made my husband take the car to get gas by himself before we left so I could topstitch the handles.  If you think that sounds crazy, let me tell you that's pretty much my life.  Never a dull moment!  Needless to say, my husband is very patient.

The bag measures about 14.5 inches long and 3 inches wide at the base, and about 13 inches long at the top.  It's also about 13 inches tall without the handles.  As you can see from the picture, it flares out in the middle.  It also has two pockets on the inside, one of which I divided in half, and the other got divided into thirds.  When the bag is filled with stuff (like a checkbook, envelope system, wallet, wire cutters, and a leatherman, for example), the weight of the bag makes the handles cinch up nicely on the grommets.  I did intend to get a picture of the bag in action over the weekend, but it just didn't happen.  It was kind of a crazy weekend, to say the least.  So anyway, I really enjoyed using this bag as an all purpose purse.

The price for the kit and class together will be $48.  We currently have one class scheduled on Saturday, June 4, but it is full.  There are no other times scheduled thus far, so if you would like to come and make the bag, give us a call at (207)764-3800 or email sylvia@gardengatefabrics.com, and we can talk about times that work for you.  The shop is closed on Mondays, so those are good days for classes.  Let us know if you would like to come, and we'll work something out for you.  Hope you are enjoying the sun!

April's snappy tote!

The bag I made for April is pretty simple, and it uses something that many of us have around our house: metal tape measures.  Especially broken ones.  What, you don't keep those?

This past summer I went on a missions trip with my church's youth group (I went as an adviser, NOT a youth :)), and one of the boys, in his haste to look cool, broke a tape measure.  It was in the garbage pile, and I salvaged it from the jaws of death!  Or I grabbed it from the top of the pile and shoved it into my backpack.  It didn't really fit though, so all day everyone was asking me why I had a tape measure sticking out of my backpack, and why I wanted a broken one, and my answer of, "I have a bag pattern that uses a metal tape measure," got me looks of confusion, so I just started saying, "I'm going to use it for something."  That seemed to satisfy most everyone.

Anyway, I've finally made the bag with my broken tape measure, and it's so great!  I made the tote size, which ended up being around 15.5" tall without handles, 15.5" wide, and 5" deep, and the pattern I used has the tote size and a purse size, which is around 10" square.  The broken tape measure is in the casing of the bag, to keep it snapped closed when you're not using it.  Cool, huh?

This bag also has two pockets inside, for holding all of your important things!

This is an excellent bag for highlighting that piece of fabric that you've seen in the shop, but don't know what to do with because you can't bear to cut it up.  And, you'll look totally fab sporting it around town!

Since there are two bags in this pattern, we'll be offering two kits, one for the purse and one for the tote.  The prices will be as follows:

Kit and class for the purse size (10" square) is $30.
Kit and class for the tote size (16" square) is $41.

Please call the shop at (207)764-3800 or email sylvia@gardengatefabrics.com for more info or to sign up for the class, which will be scheduled for April 30 at 10 am.

Market tote for March

And now, the long awaited Market tote for March 2011, just in time for Earth Day in April!

This is a market tote with one long handle, and two shorter ones:

The bag measures 14" high, not including handles, by 10" wide by 6" deep.  This project is great for highlighting some of your favorite fabrics!

If you are interested in participating in a class for this bag, we will be having one at our National Quilting Day Party on March 18 and 19, one each day.  This is a fast project.  We can also schedule another class in April, our class on March 26 is already full.  Please email (sylvia@gardengatefabrics.com) or call (207-764-3800) for more information.  Hope to see you soon! :)

February's bag!

Hi everyone!  Sorry I'm so late telling you about February's bag!  For February I made a diaper bag, because it seems like everyone I know is having a baby.  This would also be really cute as a purse too.  Here are some pictures to show you just what it looks like!

This is the front of the bag, obviously. :)  It has a strap that matches the lining fabric that comes around the bag and secures with D-Rings.

This is the back of the bag, which looks suspiciously similar to the front.

This is the bottom.  The pattern includes a piece to cute a plastic template for the base of the bag.

This is a sad looking picture of the inside.  There are eight pockets with elastic tops, so they will not be poochy or anything like that.  This is quite a roomy bag, I of course didn't measure mine and it's currently at the shop, so I can't measure it.  The pattern states that the bag dimensions are 14" tall, 20" lengthwise, and 9" deep.  The straps are nice and fabric-y too (is that a word?), so they are comfortable.  This pattern is done with paper pattern pieces, which Sylvia is going to give us some tips on, because Alex is not good at it. :)

We are having a class for this bag Saturday, February 19, from 10-4, and we have room for a few more people.  If we need to, we will have another class, and we will have to schedule it Saturday, March 12 (tentatively), or sometime during the week.  If you are interested, call the shop and see what's going on.  The number is (207)764-3800, or email sylvia@gardengatefabrics.com.  Thanks, see you soon!

Introducing Miss January!

Garden Gate Fabrics is proud to present the first bag of the Bag of the Month for 2011, January!

 

Pattern: 4th Quarter Bag by Silk Road Creations

Fabric: Arabesque from Benartex

Kit: cost is $25, and that includes fabric to make the bag, fusible batting, hardware, pattern, and Alex's tips and tricks.

Class: A class for making this bag will be held Saturday, January 29 at 10 am.  The price for the kit and the class will be $30.  Please sign up so we can make sure we have enough materials and space.

This bag was really fun to make, and reasonably priced.  It's also a good size.  It is 9.5 inches tall without the handles, and 16 inches tall with them.  It is 9.5 inches wide as well, and 3 inches deep.  If you actually follow the pattern you might get a slightly larger bag, I had to do some fudging throughout due to lack of reading all directions first. :) It has 12 pockets on the inside, and 2 pockets on the outside.  Overall, it would make a great everyday purse.  The fusible batting that I used helps the bag to keep it's shape really well too.  Please join us in making a bag a month for 2011!  In closing, here are some gratuitous shots of the bag from other angles.

Is it really almost Christmas?

I spent the morning knitting, and will be spending the afternoon sewing, in an attempt to get homemade Christmas gifts done by Christmas.  There's a first time for everything, right?

Here is how the conversation in my head has been going (and yes, I do talk in my head while I'm home alone, knitting and sewing.  The cats got tired of me talking to them):
"Wow, there isn't any snow, I have lots of time to get these gifts done!  I am so ahead of schedule!"
Pause to pat self on back and slow down a little on the knitting.
Glance to the right, where there is a chalkboard reading, "11 days until Christmas!"
"GAH!" knitknitknitknitknitknitknitknitknitknit
"Wow, the sun is out!"
Slow down on knitting.
Look at chalkboard again.
"ARGH!" knitknitknitknitknitknitknit
Repeat.

This has been going on for about 5 hours now, no exaggeration.  I told someone last week that I thought I was going to get everything done for Christmas before Christmas actually got here, and now that statement is coming back to haunt me.  But really, it's December, and there is little to no snow, and it's 50 degrees outside, in northern Maine.  Can you blame me for thinking I'm way ahead of Christmas this year?