Now that the secret's out... some homemade gifts!
My homemade gifts usually have a theme. One year I made everyone microwaveable rice bags, one year aprons, and so on. This year I was excited to make some purses from patterns made by my inspiring sponsor Paradiso Designs. Cheryl has built quite the line of patterns including lots of cute bags!
I tried out the Okashi pattern for my sister-in-law...
Picked a brown plaid twill I thought she would like, and colors to compliment it. Rather than use the metal ring, I created a T-shape made of strap piece to attach the straps.
I put pockets on both sides of the inside, though you can only see one--lots of room for a cell phone, pens, gum... I picked this bag because it seemed like such a great size! And, to sew, it was really simple and fun, but it still has the rectangular base that makes a bag this size useable.
I made the Tiny Bag for my friend. How cute is this little thing?
Again picking colors I thought she'd like, I used a soft wide wale corduroy for the outside. Rather than make my own straps, I bought one at JoAnn and some small D-rings and used them.
The inside is a quilter's cotton, which worked well for bias trim, on the top and on the pockets.
This one has a pocket on the outside back, too.
Can you see the bottom corners? I love the technique for making this little bag have corners.
If you want to try out purse-making, I highly recommend either of these patterns! They're simple, mostly rectangles and such, but the instructions really help you get the idea of how you can make a high quality piece with no tricky, complicated, messy parts... I especially love how all Cheryl's bags have a layer of muslin between the outside and lining fabrics. It means you can make a sturdy bag with whatever cute fabrics you like!
What did you make this Christmas for gifts??
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