Passport Pouch please

One of my sewing projects a couple of weeks ago was to create a Passport Pouch for my sister Naomi who is heading overseas on a wonderful volunteering adventure. The brief was simple ... it needed to be - a little bit bigger than passport size (so it could fit in a few other important essentials); have an adjustable strap, zip pocket and flap. Oh and also important, but not for functionality reasons, not too light in colour as she is going to Cambodia so it will be subject to sweat & dirt!!

I chose some cheerful 100% cotton quilt fabric from Spotlight that just happened to be on their $5 - $8/m specials table - it's always nice to find something you like that isn't full price ... my theory is 'think about how much money you saved!' rather than 'how much money you actually spent'!

As a base pattern I decided to use the Makeup Purse pattern (you could also just as easily use the Coin Purse pattern) from Nicole Mallalieu Design but adjusted the size, drafted a shape for the flap (with a 14mm magnetic catch), and added an adjustable strap. Naomi thought she might need to tuck it into the top of her shorts (on the odd occasion for additional security) so I made the 'flat' version of the purse (without the boxed corner). The photo below is a particularly attractive image of me modeling this 'look' - "yikes" ... that is definitely not going to make it onto any runway in the near future!

The great thing about adding an adjustable strap (using a 25mm small slide adjuster and 25mm small o-ring) is that it can be worn any one of three ways - around your neck, across your shoulder or around your waist. The trick is to get the strap so it's long enough to go around your neck but still able to be adjusted to a short length so it will fit snugly around your waist.

Naomi has just arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and has taken her little bag out on it's first outing (see her blog entry here) so it has been officially 'christened' in the 35 degree heat - sweat and all!!

Still no bunny at home …

I am still rather mystified about Mr Gold Lindt Bunny’s disappearance but also 99.9% sure I haven’t sleep walked to the kitchen for a spot of midnight feasting. Chocolate can last for a while once opened can’t it??? … unless consumed of course, so here’s hoping I may still stumble upon it in the near future.

Yep, been a bit slack about posting over the last fortnight so thought I’d share a couple of sewing projects from the last few months. I got the camera and tripod out over the weekend just when the light decided to fade as the weather turned sour but took the pix anyway. Then tried to post but found that Blogger was not working so here I am … just a few more days on!

Kiss

This was made up from a test pattern for the ‘Kiss’ purse from Nicole Mallalieu Design and with its 200mm chunky frame is a very handy size for an evening or lunch date outing (I’ve used it for both). It is available in either a kit that includes everything you need (apart from your fabric) or pattern only.

This cute Kiss was fun to make (aren’t they all?!). I used quilting cotton for the outside and cotton backed satin for the inside. As I’m a bit partial to a lovely, satiny smooth lining I found this flocked back satin (at Spotlight) is a little easier to manage than a lot of the usual slippery fabrics because it doesn’t fray quite as much. The purse feet on the bottom (see first photo) are also a very handy feature because they protect it from getting dirty. 

Go on, you know you’d love a Kiss …

This next one was a very quick ‘sew because I need something for Derby Day’ purse using Nikki’s Clutch pattern (Nicole Mallalieu Design). 

Clutch - without gusset

It is the simpler, without a gusset variation with a wrist strap which is actually tucked into the purse for the photo. The flap uses black lace (leftover from a leotard I made for Hayley) overlaid onto cream satin and the black fabric was leftover from a bow tie I made.

You could say 2010 Derby Day was also ‘Happy Husband Day’ – purse (made by me from leftover fabrics), dress, shoes and fascinator (worn before)!

'New kid on the block'

Here she is … a glamorous little number that will definitely be accompanying me either out to dinner or to the ballet next time I go … or … most probably both!

I really enjoyed making this purse and testing the newest pattern from Nicole Mallalieu Design (which will be available very soon). This is the gathered overlay version with a rouleaux handle that has a little loop feature where it attaches to the purse frame.

The overlay fabric is from Rathdowne Fabrics … and is actually a remnant originally used for making men’s ties. And the lining was from Nikki's 'free to a good home' basket of goodies.

I used medium weight wadding for the purse body which gave it just the right structure so that it's able to either stand up on its own or still be soft enough to flatten out if that’s the shape you prefer.There's an option in the pattern to include a base too but with this fabric/wadding combination the purse didn't need it.

Pinning the purse to the frame helped to make sure the purse was centered and that it stayed there while I sewed on the seed beads (oh, and if I'm being completely honest ... I really just wanted to see what it was going to look like)!

If you would like the opportunity to win a copy of the pattern when it is released head on over to Nikki's You SEW, girl! blog.

Edited to add - It's official ... she's called the 200mm 'Glam' purse! and is available in a kit or pattern only from Nicole Mallalieu Design.

I've finally taken the plunge

Here I am sitting at the computer getting to know the 'behind the scenes' world of blogging.

For the past few months I've been one of those 'invisible' followers who pop in to read and enjoy other people's blogs while sitting there thinking that it might be fun to 'join in' ... so here I am.

I recently pattern tested for Nikki (Nicole Mallalieu Design) her new Shell Purse. It's such a cute, versatile design which was very straightforward to make - thanks to Nikki's step-by-step, easy to follow instructions that also have some great tips that you can use on other sewing projects.

This wee purse is actually quite roomy for the size of the frame (100mm) and it has already been on an outing to the ballet. It fitted all this in ... plus a packet of Starburst Babies (the jelly kind) which are my favourite (needless to say there were no lollies left at the time of taking the photo!). 

The fabric was a sample piece of cotton sateen that Nikki had in her 'free to a good home' basket. The beauty of making a purse this size is that you can make great use of small bits of fabric that might otherwise go to waste.

I'm currently testing another pattern for Nikki this weekend ... I'll upload some photos of that very soon, once it's in the frame and has a handle.