That's a HUGE Bag

I made a spring bag this weekend. It turned out a wee bit larger than I had anticipated.

I'm telling you, once you go messenger bag you will never go back. Hands free. Then you can hold your coffee in one hand and awkwardly hold the grab bar on the T, with your elbow in a stranger's face, with the other. And your bag will never slip off your shoulder. I have loved this one all winter. But I may have to give it another go with this one...

It's just SO big! And the sad truth is, I know I will eventually fill it up. But I'm not sure I'm ready to go there yet, especially since I do not change diapers or feed babies on a daily basis. I do tell myself that these three little pockets in the front will change my life. If you sew, you know what I mean.

Every bag I make has more options to be more organized. But it never takes. I just end up getting really annoyed trying to figure out which one I dropped my lipstick into.

Happy Patriots Day!...Who celebrates that holiday you ask? Boston! along with 10 other random holidays. It's like we're all bankers here and I love it. In about 30 minutes I am going to try to catch the winner of the 114th Boston marathon! I'm so excited.  I hope some of their drive rubs off on me. Come back to see photos.

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Calling All Crafters!: Support Kim's Project

I mentioned last week that my church is getting involved in the idea of Advent Conspiracy. Next week all of the offering collected during the service will be going to three different organizations. One of those organizations is called Kim's Project. Kim's Project is a local Boston non-profit that helps women get out of the prostitution and sex trafficking industry. A representative from the organization came and spoke to us this morning and it really broke my heart to hear the realities these girls live. Many of them are children who have aged out of the foster care system and have no family or friends to help them begin their adult lives, can you imagine?

I have been sewing bags these past couple of weekends to fill requests friends have made. But I was thinking, while I was at it, I could maybe sew one or two more and send them over to Kim's Project for the holidays. What girl doesn't like a new bag?

So I wanted to throw the idea out there: If anyone would like to sew a bag and send it to me I would LOVE to take your bag over to the shelter to show these girls that despite their current situation there are people out there {total strangers} who care about them and would like to brighten their day.

I have looked and there is not a lot of info on Kim's Project on the internet, which I am sure has to do with the nature of their organization. But if you have any specific questions I can email the lady who spoke at my church this morning.

To get you started I have compiled a list of some of the BEST bag tutorials floating around the blogosphere. BIG, HUGE thanks to the bloggers who wrote these, they are great.

Film on the Fridge: Market Bag

Not So Fancy Nancy: Very Easy Tote Bag

Jcaroline Creative: Tote Bag

Craftster: Reversible Tote Bag

Purl Soho: Apple Picking Tote

U-Handbag: Curved Bottom Grocery Bag

JCaroline Creative: Hobo Bag

Craftser: T-Shirt Hobo

Machen/Machen: The Wasp Bag

Picking Up Threads: Charlie Bag

BlueBirdBaby: Messenger Bag

MMMCrafts: Basic Messenger Bag

My Spare Time: Pleated Purse

oh, fransson!: Margaret Sling Bag

Cut Out and Keep: Pleated Tote

And one from me

Email me at: stephanie.sabbe@gmail.com and I can give you my address. I hope to bring the bags over before the 25th if possible. Thanks in advance for participating!

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Messenger Bag {take 2}

Here is the second bag I said I would post last week. One week late...not so bad. I like this one better because I gave it an adjustable strap. It's made from a piece of Designtex fabric that my friend Cherie had ordered to show a client for a big hospitality project she designed. Sometimes the benefits of being a designer who also likes to sew are fantastic.

Why are there only lights on the bottom half of my tree? Oh, because the other 6 boxes I grabbed are on white cords....grrrr....Do you like the trim job? Four days ago the limbs spanned over that little chair to the right. The whole situation was hilariously Griswold.

 

 

Zoe is hoping Santa can find her in Boston.

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Messenger Bag {take 1}

I've been filling my holiday weekend with my favorite pastime. Yesterday I made this messenger bag for myself.

I really like it and think I will get a lot of use out of it running around the city. It was actually a practice round for a bag I finished today for my friend Cherie. I'll post hers tomorrow. I think I like it better. Isn't that they way it always goes? I got started with a tutorial found here.

The boss was very happy to be back in the studio.

Although I had to kick her out when the thread spools started getting knocked all over the place. Does anyone else have a cat whose favorite treat is sewing thread? {please say yes, I need a support group} It's like drugs for her. She can't stop, nor can she ever recall her prior bad experiences. She chews and swallows, chew and swallow....30 minutes later, she throws up....then does it all over again. I obviously try to keep her away from the thread, but she's an addict, and addicts do crazy things to get their fix.

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New Bag in Shop

meet the sailor bag

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My Winter Bag {bows and pleats}

I grew tired of my fall bag and dropped a few open ink pens on the inside, so this weekend I sat down to finally make the winter bag that's been floating around in my mind since early December. I felt like some of my bags were relying to0 heavily on the design of the fabric as opposed to the actual design of the bag. So I forced myself to step it up a notch this time. My friend Kendi helped me do so by giving me an old bag of hers, which I ripped apart to make a pattern. So this is not entirely original, but I really like the way it turned out. The huge bow was my addition...and my favorite part. I was a big bow wearing child, so it's no surprise that I love big bows on my bags as an adult.

Almost looks like the bow would glow in the dark. That would be cool. I could go to a rave, if I'd ever been or would go to a rave, and dance twirling my bag around. I can hear the techno beats now. Surely that would be the coolest form of glowing dance accessory at the party. You know...I have been to a George Acosta concert. Does that count as a rave? He did a remix of the Dirty Dancing sound track and I remember feeling very cool because I actually knew the words to a song. Now I've got myself waaaay off track.

I like my bags big.

I also like the pleats....which remind me of my high school cheerleading uniform, which was by far my favorite outfit from seventh through twelfth grade. So basically this bag sums up two of my childhood favorites...bows and pleats. It will be a perfect everyday bag until it gets warm again and corduroy is out of season. By then I'll probably have dropped a couple more open pens in it...so in the meantime I'll start thinking of a Spring bag design. Thank God for seasons...and more reasons to sew!

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New Bag

I like it. I like it alot. But it's not for me.

Rick rack really makes me happy. You too? I want to put rick rack on everything.

I spy our favorite craft critic. See her? I seriously try to get her out of the pictures. I feel like I'm definitely portraying myself as a crazy cat lady. But the cat will not leave me alone. I think she feels she should get some credit for sitting with me during the entire process.

This scene is from a previous occasion, Mr. Sabbe was our paparazzi. She's my #1 Assistant, that's for sure.

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Easy Fabric Bag Tutorial

So it's Fall and I've been talking a big talk since last Spring that I was going to make a bag pattern. So here it is! Finally! I work at an architecture firm and have AutoCAD on my home computer for those unfortunate nights when I have to bring work home. Luckily it doubles as a great pattern writer! If you give it a shot let me know so I can give you a shout out:) ( I used to think the phrase was shot out...as in used to I mean two weeks ago I thought that:)

I like the fabric for this one. It's fallish and apparently (which I think I've heard this two falls in a row) purple is the new hot color....which my friend Kate calls ir aubergine...which I think sounds much fancier. So I may believe it for the third fall in a row.

Pattern- not to scale

Fabric all cut out.

Cut those 2" squares out of the lower corners. Cut the stacked so you know they match.

Iron the raw edges in on your "Body Stripe" piece"

Pin to the center of your exterior body fabric and sew along both sides.

Fold good side in and sew along the left and right side.

Pinch the 2" corners together to make the bottom of the bag, pin and sew.

Trim seams

Flip. Done with the outside!

Now repeat that for the lining of the bag...but first we're going to add our pockets.

Place two of the pocket panels together and sew along three sides.

Tuck the raw edge inside and sew.

Center pockets, pin and sew.

Other side

Now we have our lining put together.

Place it on the inside of the outer shell, fold over twice (to capture the raw edge)

Pin on the straps (that you have folded and sewn) and sew around the perimeter of the bag.

All done! So easy! Happy Bag Making!

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Sabbe Chic

So I'm leaving for Chicago in the morning! I'm very excited to go to my favorite city and see my favorite man. We'll both become a year older while I am gone.

Last week I discovered that there is a store here locally that sells Amy Butler fabric. And we all know of my love affair with Amy Butler. So I went and I found a new love... Joel Dewberry.

The best words I can use to describe his stuff is yummy. You know when you love a fabric so much you just want to rip it off the spool and speed home to make something out of it (I know that's not just me) Well his stuff definitely had me constantly reminding myself to calm down...I was still in public...don't scare the fabric cutter ladies. So after too long of going around seeing what went with what I decided on this nice Fall pallet.

And I made this.

I've been wanting a big hobo bag for a while now and this one is big. I would take a self portrait, but I'm in my pajamas and southern ladies do not post pictures of themselves in their pajamas on the internet. I should write that in to Emily Post. Oh! one exception, if you made yourself and your child some sort of matching pajama outfits and you need to share with other crafters that would be ok....and maybe Christmas morning, but let's draw the line there.

Lost track, here is a close up of the back.

And drum roll please....I'm a name brand!

I made all kinds of pockets that close with velcro on the inside because if I loose my keys or my lipgloss in my own purse one more time I'm going to go crazy. The tags I ordered from Namemaker. Aren't they fun?! Artist sign their paintings, I sew made up business names into my crafts. If I ever open a shop, which I doubt I ever will because I never want to work on Saturdays, it will be called Sabbe Chic.

Zoe liked this one too. What can I say, the cat has an eye for fashion.

I started to try and make a tutorial out of this one but it got way too confusing. I'll take it a step back and do one for the Kate Bag very soon, promise.

I think it would make an excellent diaper bag! Hmmm, any preggos out there want to learn how to make one? It really wasn't hard, just hard to explain on the internet.

See you next week! I'll be much closer to 30 so be prepared for this blog to become much more wise.

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The Cutest Bag I've Ever Made

So there are not many bags on this blog, although I've made a million. I went through that phase about 3 years ago, before I discovered blogging. I made baby bags, I made tote bags, I made every type of bag you could think of. At one point my mom had me contracted out to make bags for her friends and then later I subjected myself to making bags for all of my bridesmaids, flower girls, and attendants in my wedding (and I'm from the south, it was not a small wedding party).

Once you go craft you never go back (if that gets as big as that's hot...someone better give me credit). You feel like your selling your friends and family short when you go with store bought...when half the time they would probably like the store bought better. Anyhow, I made a bag this afternoon and I'm very proud of it. I love it. I want to keep it for myself...but it's not for me.

Introducing.... the cutest bag I've ever made.

I love how wide the straps are, it's my favorite part. And I used my favorite stitch to sew the inside to the outside...don't know if you can see that. The best part is I made it in one hour! Raise your hand and I'll come over and teach you how.

This is a self portrait of myself (obviously) and the bag. Don't think of it as blurry...think of it as an action shot.

I call her The Kate Bag

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