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Monthly Report: January 2025 Sewing Scorecard

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This is my sewing scorecard for the month of January 2025.  The goal is to sew from stash and make only targeted fabric purchases. This month, I sewed 8 yards of fabric making women's wear (5 garments), 4 yards for toddler clothes (4 garments) and 15 yards in my endeavor to learn bag making techniques (5 handbags, including 3 wearable muslins, and 7 small zippered pouches). That brings the total to 27 yards of stash sewn for the month of January. Womenswear Patterns #Made Description Petite Friendly Recommend? Keep or Discard? Yardage  V2958 1 Pucci Vintage Vogue Couturier Dress  Yes  Yes  Keep  2  S5015  1  1963 Vintage Junior Dress  Yes  Yes  Keep  2  V2288  1 ...

Pattern Review -- Making Leather Sling Bag using Simplicity Patttern 9803

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  This project is my second entry for the Pattern Review bag contest. I have never sewn with leather before. I had some small pieces of leather gifted to me years ago that I never used. I thought this would be a good time to learn how to sew a leather bag and use up stash. This is the 5th bag I made with this pattern. This month. The first three were muslins made from upholstery fabric gifted to me from my grandmother, may she rest in peace, when she was reducing her stash. The fourth was a mystery fabric that may be "pleather" or vegan leather. This final project accomplishes my goal of sewing a leather bag, although I have no idea what type of leather. This was a small hide. Photos: 1. Front of Bag 2. Back of Bag 3. Sewing details: added interior and exterior pockets, darts for shaping 4. From hide to bag 5. Comparing new and old bags Pattern Description: Simplicity Bags in Four Styles by Elaine Heigl Designs 9803 Slouchy lined bags have indie style. ...

Pattern Review -- Making a Vegan Leather Sling Bag with Simplicity 9803

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This project is my entry for the bag contest. It is the 4th time I've now sewn this bag. This month. The project is also part of the January 2025 Pop-up Sew-along: Nothing but Stash and a part of my yearlong commitment to the 2025 Fabric fast and 2025 50 Yard Dash . I've never made a handbag before, and I wanted to use this contest to learn how to do so and to duplicate a bag style I love.   Reversible Ergonomic Bag Worn as Healthy Back Bag I made three wearable muslins for this project: • V1: S9803 Sling Bag made with Upholstery Scraps  with Matching Makeup Bag and Matching Coin Purse • V2: S9803 Sling Bag w/ snap front pocket also made with Upholstery Scraps • V3: S9803 Reversible Sling Bag w/ zipper front pocket made with Blue & Printed Denim Scrap The project was made to replace a favorite bag that I used for years until it finally fell apart. The lining was torn and soiled. The hardware of the bag was broken. My cobbler told me to get a new bag. You can...

90 DIY Jewelry Projects to Make with Founds Objects: By Type of Jewelry

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So, you want to make your own jewelry to go with your handmade garments?   You've come to the right spot. Years ago, I launched a 90-day project where I made a new piece of jewelry every day out of found objects. Folks often comment on how well my jewelry matches garments I've made. That's because I made the jewelry too. Brass Chain Belt Below is a list of 90 different jewelry tutorials I wrote for projects that are quick and simple to make using easy to find household objects. Many projects are based on key resources destined for your trash or recycling can.  The list of projects include: belts, bracelets, cuff links, earrings, necklaces, neck-rings, pendants, pins, and zipper pulls. The list of core found objects used include: bottle caps, bottles & jars, box, broken chain, duct tape, game pieces, gift card, glass, hair bands, hardware, old leather from garments, bags or scraps,  LEGO® , paper, leftover refrigerator piping, polymer c...