Bari J.

Well, this is it!!! I'm loving it in my Bijoux fabric.

All that's left to do is sew the lining closed and make a removable hard bottom for the bag!

Then I think I need a weekend get-away and so do you! London, anyone?

 The Holiday in London Pattern is available here.

 

Sewing Summit and a Bag Handle How-to Video

Warning: I'm about to be somewhat corny. The reason is that I'm still feeling all warm and fuzzy inside from Sewing Summit. As the event approached, I have to admit, was nervous. Would people like my presentation? Will I live up to who people think I may be? Will they be disappointed? How am I going to teach a whole handbag in one hour without the use of any sewing machines?

But in the end, all that anxiety was for nothing. Sewing Summit was filled with down to earth people. There was lots of learning and sewing and it was a low key, accepting atmosphere. All of which we have two wonderful, passionate women to thank, Erin and Amy. The most wonderful part of the weekend was truly meeting all of the "friends in my phone" from Twitter.

While there, I taught Handbags 101. Because I knew I only had an hour (and no one would be sewing) I made a ton of how-to videos for my class. And in the spirit of Sewing Summit (which in the end sorta' felt like it was about sharing and sisterhood as much as sewing), I'd like to share one of them with you. This video is about how to make a cute trendy handle. In it I am referring to my Springtime in Paris Pocketbook pattern (there's a kit here) which I taught in it's entirety. But, of course, these handles can be made for any bag. Happy stitching!

 

 

First Bari J. how-to video... Fabric Collage How-to plus a free collage pattern at Gen Q!

I can't tell you the number of times I've been asked for a how-to video on fabric collage. This technique, which I use for many of my sewing patterns and in Inspired to Sew, is among my favorites. It involves free motion quilting raw edged fabric motifs to create a lovely shabby design. Here are a couple extra helpful hints: A question I get asked a lot is "do you turn your edges under?". The answer is no. Another question I get is "should I glue the motifs down?". The answer to this is also no. First off, it tends to gunk up the needle. Second, when you use glue or iron on materials such as fusible web the collage doesn't get the frayed edge and scrunchy look we are going for. Enjoy the video and let me know if you have any questions!

 

For a brand new, FREE, project that uses fabric collage head to today's post on Gen Q. I've created a zipper wristlet pattern that will get you started. For other fun projects, please see my book, Inspired to Sew, as well as my sewing patterns which you can find here. Kitchen Art is among my most popular patterns.