Quilts and Creativity

I’ve been searching for the perfect handbag. One that’s large enough to hold my small sketchbook and colored pencil case, in addition to the normal planner, checkbook, keys, lipstick and other essentials organized girls carry. Either the handbags were too small or were cavernous dark holes that everything got lost in. Until I found Miranda.

I had asked Jean to order this pattern and it somehow got lost in transit, but arrived just in time for the long weekend (which was even longer due to snow in Georgia!). I told Jean I’d make a sample for her shop as well as one for myself.

I made the sample bag first, and was duly impressed with Joan Hawley’s instructions. As a technical writer, I was also struck by the photos Joan used to illustrate each step. Photos are great, as you see exactly what you’re supposed to be doing, as opposed to illustrations, where you have room for misinterpretation.

Here’s the sample I made for Jean:

After making it once, I made a few changes to my bag when I made it. I quilted the flap, shortened the handles to make it look more like a handbag and less like a tote bag, and used the same fabric for the flap and handles as I did the cover. I wanted the focus to be the handbag, not contrasting accessory parts to the bag.

I love it! I used French provencal fabric my friend Danielle brought back for me after her trip to Europe, and mixed that with some others I had in my stash for quite the sophisticated look.

In my next post I’ll talk about how I chose the colors for my bag using the color wheel.

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I’ve made many purse patterns and I’m usually disappointed in the results: the pattern looks great, but once I make it I find it’s not really as functional as a purse I could buy. No more.

Meet Annabelle. I spied her at the Quilt Beginnings shop in Columbus, OH, and I fell in love. I had to have her. She’s the creation of Renay Martin of Purse Strings Patterns. She’s easy to get to know, beautiful, and really functional. What a cutie.

Here are a few photos to show you the process and how gorgeous she turns out:

You start by adding strips to fusible fleece (I didn’t have any so I just used batting). I used Kaffe Fassett and Amy Butler fabrics:

Renay suggests using decorative stitches to add interest, so I did a couple of samplers on scraps to see what I liked.

I ended up doing machine quilting instead. I thought the decorative stitches overpowered the fabric, while the machine quilting gave the bag texture without detracting from the fabrics.

Here’s what it looks like on the inside, before the lining:

The lining is Merrimeko fabric from Pottery Barn, and is more like canvas than most 100% cotton fabrics:

Here she is all finished, with a vintage button and some beads:

I’ll definitely be making a fall and winter version of Annabelle. I’ve been using the purse for a month and it’s held up well. I love it!

Sew! Mama Sew! is featuring lots of great bags, both originals and from patterns, on her blog.  Check them out by visiting her blog.

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