Closure solution for Authentic Bag - A Toggle Button!

Remember the super fabulous Bagalicious Club I joined? And that lovely little bag I made from the first kit, which was called Authentic for the fabric line that was used? I was not entirely happy with the fact that there was no closure included in the pattern, and was thinking of adding a magnetic snap during construction of my bag. But I forgot in my excitement to finish the bag!

Well now I have a solution that I think looks great and works well for the bag. What do you think?


I found this black toggle button at Joann's and thought it would be a nice addition to the bag with its black outer shell.


I sewed a strip of leftover fabric just as the instructions said for the straps, only shorter, and made a little loop to sew onto one side of the bag. Then I sewed the toggle button on the other side. Now that the bag won't open on its own, I would feel more secure using it to carry things like my wallet and cell phone.

I've seen this fabric popping up in other projects lately too and it looks great. One was a quilt that used more than these four fabrics from the line and it was really a fun quilt.

I should be receiving my next Bagalicious Club kit in the next few weeks so I need to wrap up a few other projects to make room for sewing another fun bag. How exciting!

Happy Stitching!

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The Other Tote Bag I wanted to show off!

Last fall I made a tote bag out of some fabric I had purchased on this trip to Pennsylvania, but I couldn't show it since it was a Christmas gift for Mary Corbet of Needle'n Thread.com. Silly me forgot to take any pictures of it before packing it up and mailing it off, so I asked Mary to take some for me. She did that, and more! She showed it off to all of her readers!

Here's one look at it...you'll recognize the basic shape of it and some of its features...



...but there's so much more to it than you can see in this picture! Hop on over and see what nice little extras this bag has, and read about how Mary is using it for her embroidery projects.

And just so you know, she's not a fink! The gifts she sent to me and my family were equally as thoughtful, and a lot of it edible to boot! YUM! And for those times when my eyes and hands are busy and I can't sit down and read to them, the audio stories for the kids are fabulous! Thanks again, Mary!

Happy Stitching!

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First Bagalicious Club Bag Complete

Bags are so fun and functional too! Depending on what you need to haul along with you, you may need a super huge tote bag like this one, a generously sized tote bag like one of these, or a kicky little over-the-shoulder bag like the one I finished just yesterday. It's the first in the Bagalicious Club series from Quilt Fabric Delights. I just love how it turned out. Take a look...


This cute little 10x10 inch bag is made using Authentic by Sweetwater for Moda Fabrics.


Don't you love the detail of the ruffled edge on the pocket?


And those delicious polka dots? YUM!


I had to make sure the word fabric pocket lining faced the right way so it could be read when peeking into the pockets!


This was a fun bag to make and the fabric is just lovely to work with. I had thought about adding a magnetic snap to the top of the inside lining before sewing up the top edge, but in my excitement to see the bag finished, I forgot to do it. Now I'm not so sure I want it anyway. I suppose I could unstitch the facing around the inside and snip the basting stitches holding the top edges together then slip the two pieces of the snap in and sew it all back up again. What would you do? Snap or no snap? I'm still deciding. But for now, it's finished and I love it! My next Bagalicious Club shipment won't be for another 5 weeks or so, just long enough to get me excited about the next surprise!

Happy Stitching!

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Tote Bags for Sister Margaret

Bags are my thing. I just love bags. I love making bags, having bags, using bags, giving bags as gifts. I guess you could call me a bag lady! People have even started asking me to make bags so they can use them or give them as gifts.

Recently I showed some of the fabric I purchased for my latest bag-making spree, and now the bags are complete and ready to be delivered. Here they are...


I love this floral fabric, and I think the stripes make it look like a beach bag, which reminds me of warm sunny weather. That's something we haven't had in quite a long time around here!


Here you can see the zippered extension tucked down inside the bag, with the little D ring perched on the top edge, and the swivel hook hanging down just below the zipper.


There's the swivel hook hanging on its strap underneath the zippered extension. This could be used to clip keys onto so they don't get lost in the bag, or any other item that has a ring on it.


And here's the second bag. How do you like that cool fabric? Sr. Margaret wanted the outsides of these bags to be made of darker fabrics so as not to show dirt quite as easily, so I used the lighter fabric for the pocket and on the inside.


And here's the same bag, looking down inside through the zippered extension and into the large inside pocket. You can see the D ring peeking over the top edge. There is also a large pocket on one side made out of the same fabric, so it blends in.


And here's the last bag for Sr. Margaret. She is giving these to three of her nieces so I made them all the same, except out of different fabrics. I think this one is just plain fancy fun! I couldn't resist the silver lined circles with stripes inside them. And the pretty blue floral paisley has silver lines around the designs too.


A silver D ring and swivel hook are on this bag too.


And this shows the zippered extension pulled up to reveal the swivel hook strap and the inside of the bag with its large pocket on one side.

So that is what I've been working on lately, besides all the usual household and family things of everyday life. I'll be delivering these bags to Sr. Margaret on Friday at the convent which is just behind the school where my son goes. It's the retirement home for the retired sisters, and they are such a joy to visit and spend time with. I think she will enjoy giving these to her nieces next time they come for a visit!

Happy Stitching!

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Fun Fabric and other cool stuff

A friend of mine recently asked me to make some tote bags for her to give as gifts so I took this as an opportunity to go shopping at my not-very-local Joann's fabric store. I was very happy to hear that one will be opening right here in my little city sometime within the next season or two, so that will save me lots of driving when I just need to pick up a zipper or match some thread.

I picked out two fabrics for each bag, and a matching zipper. I found some other goodies while I was there too...


Here are my fabrics. The top two are so bright and blue, with shimmery silver around the designs. The bottom two are a greenish sort of color with blue and off white. I really love the floral fabric and all the colors in it, but the picture doesn't seem to show them off very well. The colors in the striped fabric coordinate with the floral and should be perfect for the lining. These bags will be made similar to THIS tote bag, only with not quite so much corduroy on the outside.


I also found these great swivel hooks, D-rings and magnetic closures in four different finishes so of course I had to get one of each in each finish! I'll be using a set of each on each tote bag, building in nice little conveniences like a swivel hook to help keep track of keys, D-rings to clip a cell phone case or other small bag to, and magnetic closures to keep the inside and outside pockets closed.

It was a very productive shopping trip, but I'm sure looking forward to being able to zip right down the street when I need some little something for a project.

Happy Stitching!

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Super Awesome Patchwork Tote Bag

Tote bags come in all shapes and sizes and serve so many useful purposes. The same could be said for patchwork quilts. If you've been following Hooked On Needles for a while, or even if you only pop in every now and then, you might have figured out that I have a thing for tote bags. I do believe it has been mentioned once or twice! I also love quilts or anything that brings together many fabrics and turns them into one beautiful and useful item.

In one of my recent shipments from my new favorite clearance rack place to shop, Connecting Threads, I received a tote bag kit for what was described as a large tote bag that could hold a 13 by 9 inch pan in the bottom of it. It was the first thing I made from that order! I had to see it for myself!

If you want to see it for yourself, keep reading...


This fabulous, super huge and very cheerful tote bag is made with two charm packs and some yardage of Connecting Threads' fabric line called Mama's Cottons 2. The kit is no longer available, but if you have even basic experience making bags, I am sure you could figure out how to make this just from looking at the pictures.


Don't you just love the colors and the prints?


Could you see this oversize tote bag being used for a day at the beach, or to tote your big afghan project with you to a friend's house?


The velcro closure across the top was my own addition to this pattern. I like to be able to close up the top of my project bags to keep things better contained.


To stiffen the bottom of the bag, I cut two pieces of mat board to fit and slid them into a simple sleeve made with some of the leftover fabric. I just tucked the open end inside between the two pieces of board so the sleeve could be removed for cleaning.

See the two large pockets on the inside? This bag would also make a great diaper bag for that first-time mom who feels the need to haul everything x2 every time she takes the baby outside the house!


I think the back is just as pretty as the front.

This kit was fun to work up, and I even have quite a few of the charms leftover to use for some other project. If you're looking for a great place to purchase nice fabric and great patterns put together into complete kits, keep an eye on the Web Specials page at Connecting Threads for some great bargains.

Happy Stitching!

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My Secret Santa had Very Busy Fingers!

The gifts are opened and the children are busy playing with all their new toys. Christmas was a wonderfully joyful time in our household yesterday, and will continue until January 6th when we un-decorate and return things back to ordinary. The last gift I opened yesterday was from my Secret Santa, Australian Rachel of Four Wise Monkeys. Rachel is quite the stitcher and spoiled me terribly with lots of beautiful handmade things.


This is what greeted me upon opening the pretty paper package that had been waiting under my tree since its arrival two weeks ago. I recognized those birds! I remember seeing them on Rachel's website a while ago and admiring them.


This lovely wall hanging is the first thing I looked at, and the more I look at it, the more I see in it. The detail is quite amazing and all the stitching is perfect!

Take a look...you can click on the pictures to make them bigger.




This star is filled with French Knots! Wow!


The big red heart hanging from the moon, and the red trim along this angel's collar and hem are also French Knots.


A wonderful thought for this time of year, and throughout the new year too!




And here's Rudolph complete with red nose, leading the way!




This is one tall tree!



Two little Christmas love birds!


Then there was this fabulous bag...how did Rachel know I like bags? Maybe I mentioned it here once or twice? Don't you just love the fabric she used?


And check out the button hole stitch around the flower petals...perfect!


I love the ric-rac trim around the top of the bag. It's lined with pretty fabric too! Just my kind of bag and the perfect size to tote a project along.


Under all the other handmade loveliness was this Melly & Me pattern for the cutest little stuffed bears, Bonzer and Beaut.

What a package! Didn't I say that Rachel spoiled me? Now you can see it's true!

Thank you once again to Rachel for all the beautiful gifts of stitchery, sewing, time and talent. Your thoughtfulness and generosity are very much appreciated!

And another thank you to Chookyblue for hosting this swap again. It's a lot of work for one person to undertake so that all of us can make new friends across the world and share our talents with each other.

Happy Stitching!

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Friendship Bag Swap package ready to mail!

My Friendship Bag Swap package is finally on its way to someone. I can't say who that someone is though because this is a secret swap. As soon as I know she has received it, I'll let you know. In the meantime, take a look at what I wrapped up and tucked into the box...


You can see a few hints about the person who is receiving this...scrapbooking supplies, dog treats, some fabric, ribbon, of course the bag itself...


...I don't consider the chocolate a hint since I believe that everyone in the world loves chocolate!

If you participated in this swap, I sure hope you like the looks of this package. It could be coming to you!

Happy Stitching!

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Friendship Bag - Fun and Cute!

If you have been following Hooked On Needles for even a short time, you probably know that I love bags, all kinds of bags. I love to make them and I love to receive them and I love to use them for all sorts of things. You may have also noticed the cheerful little Friendship Bag Swap button on the sidebar of my homepage. It was an opportunity I could not pass up so, you guessed it, I signed up!

This week, I started sorting through fabric for a few upcoming projects, and this was one of them. I settled on what I thought was a fun combination. What do you think?


If you recognize the black and white fabrics, that's because they are the same fabrics I used for the pin cushion bag I made for my sister.


But then I threw in a few colorful fabrics from my recently filled out fat quarter stash!


There were two patterns offered by the Friendship Bag Swap hostess. The bag on the left was made using Rachel's Friendship Bag Tutorial. The bag on the right with the kicky little pleat on the edge is Kim's Charmed Gift Bag featured on Moda's Bake Shop.


This bag was fun to make because I got to use my walking foot to do some machine quilting of the outside layer and the batting before assembling the bag. I love the combination of black and white fabrics with the colored fabrics too!


This little charmed bag was so quick and easy to make, I just couldn't believe it! And if you make bags with boxed corners, you really should check out Kim's tutorial showing how to box the corners of the outside and inside of the bag at the same time! It's pure genius!

Both of these bags are about the same size finished, which is quite small, about 5 x 5 1/2 x 3 inches. Just big enough to put in a charm pack or two, a jar of homemade jelly, some little scrapbooking supplies, a ball of yarn with a pattern and crochet hook, a crocheted washcloth and a pretty handmade soap or some hand lotion, a few fat quarters and some lace trim. The possibilities are endless.

Now I need to decide which one of these cute little bags I will send to my secret Friendship Bag Swap partner, and which one I will keep for myself! Decisions, decisions!

Happy Stitching!

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