Quilted Patchwork Wine Bag Tutorial

Giving a great bottle of wine? Wrap it up in a great wine cozy. Your friends will know there is something special inside!

Cutting out

Lining: Cut  one piece 12.5 inches x 15.5 inches and one 4 inch circle.

Batting (I used felt):  Cut  one piece 12.5 inches x 15.5 inches, and one 4 inch circle.

Scrap squares:  Cut 20 3.5 inch squares of miscellaneous fabric.

Bottom of bag fabric: Cut one 4 inch circle.

Ribbon: 35″ long

Making the patchwork

1.       Lay out your squares in a 4 x 5 grid to match colors or designs as you desire. Follow your grid when constructing the squares.

2.       Using a ¼ inch seam, sew (or serge) two squares right sides together along one seam.

3.       Add a third square to the row and sew along one of the sides.

4.       Add the forth square, sew, and press the seams flat.

5.       Do this to all 5 lines of squares, so that you end with 5 rows of 4 squares sewn together.

6.       Now, sew 2 rows together along the long edge, being careful to match the seams.

7.       Add the remaining rows until your patching is done. Iron all seams flat.

8.       The finished size should be 12 ½ inches x 15 ½ inches.

Quilting

1.       Using a yardstick and a quilter’s pen, draw diagonal guidelines across your squares to form X’s in the center of each square.

2.       Place your batting on the wrong side of your patch worked piece. Pin in place.

3.       Starting with the center line, sew (or hand quilt if you wish) the straight lines, stitching the patch worked piece to the batting underneath. Sew all the diagonal lines.

4.       Trim up the outside edges, if needed.

5.       Use damp cloth to erase the quilter’s  pen lines.

Constructing the bag

1.       Fold your quilted patch worked piece lengthwise in half and pin to insure your seams match up. Stitch along the long edge making a tube. Iron seam flat.

2.       Place batting circle on wrong side of fabric circle. Mark an X through the center of the circle and sew (or hand quilt) the lines.

3.       Pin quilted circle around the edges of one side of the tube to form the bottom of the bag, right sides together. Sew, then iron.

4.       Turn your bag right side out.

5.       Now take your lining fabric, and fold in lengthwise in half, and stitch along the long edge leaving 3 inches open in the center to turn the bag later. Iron seams flat.

6.       Pin the lining circle around the edges of one side of the lining tube right sides together. Sew, then iron.

7.       Place the patch worked bag (right sides out) inside the lining (wrong side out).

8.       Sew the top edge of the lining and patch worked bag together.

9.       Turn the whole thing right side out through hole in lining seam. Slipstich seam hole in lining shut.

10.   Push lining to inside of bag, topstitch seam 1/8″ from edge and iron 2″ down over patchwork to form a cuff.

11.   Knot the ribbon on both ends, fold in half, and then sew it to the bag  just under cuff edge.

Now just insert your bottle, tie it up and give it away!

Don’t want to make one? Check out my store and buy one instead!

Small Electronics Pouch

What a great idea! Its a little pocket bag to hold small electronics. I made one for my Sony Walkman from the tutorial on Sew, Momma, Sew! I used two pieces of wool felt to make it nice and cushiony.

Time

30 minutes

Purse Organizer

Oh boy! I just love this purse insert. The pattern was like a mystery unfolding with each step. This will be my go-to gift for the next few birthdays! Family, beware.

It has 5 elastic topped- pockets, 3 slots for pens, 4 credit card slots, a zipper change purse, an special ID pocket, a wallet slot and a open space for miscellaneous items. It is perfect for switching between bags and keeping much used items at finger’s reach. I know I”m going to be tempted to just carry this into the store!

Time

3-4 hours

Simple Skirt

This simple skirt was made from the widths of two fabrics each at  different lengths (so the underskirt shows at the bottom), and gathered with elastic at the waist. I used a plaid fabric and a solid pink for the underskirt. I sewed five different pieces of trim down the front of the outskirt skirt lengthwise before hemming and gathering. Its a cinch! Eleanor has worn it four out of the seven days last week.

Time

Just under 2 hours.

Groovy Handbag

One of my birthday presents to myself this year was a new bag. I fell in love with this pattern and decided to make a few. This is my first one. I’m not thrilled with the fabrics, but I was in the store with rambunctious kids, so it was the first thing that hit my eye. The next one will be a bit more demure.

The pattern was super-easy, with lots of top stitching, which I like. I love the pleated pockets and tab-scrunched sides. Now to whip up a purse organizer insert, and its ready to lug!

Time

3 hours

It’s Supergirl!

We had a superhero party to attend, so Supergirl it was.

I patterned the leotard from a onesie. It was made from a stretch satin dance material. The “S” was felt, pieced from the logo I pulled from the web and stitched in place. Red Satin for the skirt (cut on the bias) and cape. Yellow felt for the belt. The boot covers were from red vinyl and patterned from a pair of boots we had. I folded yellow felt over the tops so it wouldn’t cut into her skin.

After wearing it once, I sold it for $50.

Halloween Costume Delight 2008

When it comes to a costume, I am a stickler. Even if no one knows, I enjoy getting the details right. This year, Eleanor was Lucy from Prince Caspian, and Henry was Reepicheep.

This website was a dream! A site devoted to the Narnia costumes. How I wish I had the income to fund making a set for the whole family. I wanted to be Susan and make the man wear a Caspian leather brigandine. sexy! But food was more important. <shrug>

Lucy’s orange dress

Accessories: I went thrift store shopping for belts with decorative pewter or silver buckles. I used one for her belt and snipped at another with a silver tipped end to make the dagger sheath. I inherited a sliver letter opener with a filigree handle that masqueraded as her dagger perfectly! She wore black Mary Janes as did Lucy.

Dress: I adapted McCall’s Costume pattern # MP273. I matched the fabrics as closely as possible from my local Joanns and Hancocks. The pattern had to be adapted at the neck, waistline and skirt front to copy Lucy’s dress. I also made an under dress of white cotton from the same adapted pattern.

That night, we threw a charcoal, felted wool shawl over her and she kept plenty warm.

Reepicheep

Accessories: I picked up a leather belt for his rapier strap at the thrift store. It had a sliver buckle and tip. I purchased a large, red ostrich feather and hot glued it to a silver bangle bracelet from my costume chest. I glued the bracelet around the ear of the headpiece.

I wanted to add a rapier to the set, but figured he’d stab too many kids with it, so I left it out. I was going to make it from an old car antenna.

Costume: I lucked out and found long-haired, gray “rat” fur on the clearance table! I adapted McCalls Costume pattern #MP267. Mostly, I followed the Skunk pattern, ignoring the center belly insert and changing the ears to be rounder. I used the lion’s tail.

This was a wonderfully warm costume when we went trick or treating outside that night. But, we visited Microsoft’s offices in the afternoon, and he got very hot!

Winter Veil Snowman

I’m a gaming geek. Well, just a World of Warcraft gamer. But still, four years and guild leadership does a gaming geek make, methinks.

This winter, Seattle got a very white winter. It is snowing even as I type! I try to ignore the snow unless I have skis on. So, instead of building a snowman with my husband and daughter, I followed the tutorial at WowInsider and built my own version of the Winter Veil companion.

It was my first time playing with Sculpey clay. It was rewarding and quick! I also made a Hearthstone keychain for my husband’s Christmas present.

Tip

Work the clay very well in your hands to make it easier to work with. The more you massage it the softer it gets.

Work on a surface you don’t care gets spoiled. The dye transfers and stains.

Patchwork belt

The inspired authors over at Sew, Mama, Sew! had a great tutorial on making these slip belts.

I don’t have a large stash of fabric, so I pulled bits from here and there. Old curtains, Halloween costume remnants and scraps at the bottom of my fabric bin. I used felt instead of batting since I had it on hand. It made it nice and sturdy, but a bit thick.

Critique

The only thing I would alter from the tutorial is to leave only a small gap to turn the belt right-side-out with. The instructions leave about 10 inches to turn  and then fold, iron and stitch together. I’m not very precise with my ironing, so I always have weird places  where the folded edges don’t meet up.

Tip

Use a wooden chopstick to turn the belt right-side-out with.

Time

A little under an hour.

Eleanor loves it!

“Do it yourself”

Movies birthed a costume

I inherited the knack for making movies from my father.  I inhereted the love for movies from my mother. My father often went out of town on speaking engagements. I looked forward to those times because it meant steak, potatoes and a Disney movie with mom. Like all children, I watched my favorites over and over. I spent half a year in Kenya with my parents in the seventh grade with no television, but it wasn’t missed. I would spend hours quoting lines to myself and going through scenes in my head.

At the age of eight, one of my favorites was Ivanhoe. (My admiration for Anthony Andrews began that young!) I was obsessed with Lady Rowena, and asked my mom if she would make me a dress so I could pretend to be her.

She said, “Why don’t you do it yourself?”

Pink material and a pattern

Out of the treasure trove of her sewing mysteries, she pulled out a crinkly, fragile skirt pattern and a yard of silky pinkness. She showed me what to do and I’ve never looked back. Sewing just makes sense.