Sewing bags

 Since I have all of my "grandchildren" quilts sewn....I've been wondering how to occupy all my newly acquired free time ❤️

I learned a long time ago that unless I have some ideas in my head and maybe even on paper, I can waste a lot. of time.  I've been decorating for Christmas and reading some books and preparing for our family reunion.  I've also been making some bags.  I've made about 8 Sew Together bags for gifts, but I've never made one for myself.  One of my favorite designers is Rifle Paper Co, so I used this fun "Alice in Wonderland" gold on black fabric along with some Rifle Paper flowers.  

The side is pretty colorful!  Each zipper coordinates with the color of flower fabric that I used.  Of course, I'm only as good as my fabric and zipper stash.... I think you can see that the inner lining is a black fabric with gold stars.  Not quite as scrappy as other bags I've made :)

The first pocket is pink.

The second pocket is yellow.

The third pocket is green.

The bag is matchy matchy with a punchbag I made a few weeks ago.

I love this Sew Together bag, but I may just gift it to someone special instead of keeping it for myself :)

I also made three more lined drawstring bags.  

Choosing fabric is the best!

Cotton + Steel Sew Together Bag

I made another sew together bag, I love making them!

Why, you ask?

I love choosing the fabric from my stash!!!

This is my 7th bag, and I still haven't made one for myself :)

It's all Cotton + Steel fabric, except for the red blocks, they are from Lori Holt's Vintage Happy line.

I tried some different quilting techniques for this bag.

It's such a great feeling of satisfaction to finish one of these bags.

Let me be honest, they are difficult to make!

Did you notice that there are kitten heads on the binding?

*Meow*

I'm not even a cat lover, but they are adorable!

I was saving these cute lining pieces for myself, but I used them for this bag instead.

I thought they were so perfect and so interesting!

I remembered to add the cute label.

See the kitty heads? Awwww.....

 I didn't notice until I was writing this post, but the "Sacramento Railroad" is written on that #2 pencil.

That's so close to where I live!

Bonus!!!
Not to mention the cutest little pandas which I used for all 3 of the pocket linings.

For my LDS family and friends, I always add a Salt Lake temple zipper pull.

For daughters, I sew in the "PS I love you" label :)

 The Sew Together bag pattern can be found at Sew Demented.

Google it!

Have a great week :)

Sew Together Bag

Another sew together bag, yay!

I think this will be the last one for a while :)

I used Amy Butler fabric, I just love her prints.

I machine quilted the outside of the bag with wavy stitch #4 that's on my Bernina, with pink Aurifil thread.

I don't have a huge selection of Aurifil thread colors, so usually I make do.

It looks pretty good though :)

I love the print on the side of the bag, and the binding.

The zippers are shades of blue, but I want you to notice the Amy Butler prints.

One of my favorite labels.

I don't know what the name of the fabric is that I lined the zipper pockets with, but I love how I got the stripes to match on each one.

These sew together bags are really versatile.

Hope you enjoyed the photos :)

Another Sew Together Bag

I'm here to show you another sew together bag I made :)

This is the my fifth one, and I don't have to look a the photo tutorial that I found online anymore, yay!

There are so many creative possibilities for this bag.

I used Lori Holt's "modern minis" fabric line for the outside of the bag.

The red check binding is from her first fabric line, "sew cherry".

Isn't this side so happy?

The sew together bag isn't complete without a cute charm on the end of the zipper!

I bought these Salt Lake temple charms from doodle bead, on etsy.

The pockets are so big inside, there are four of them.

I put washi tape in one, and various other paper products in the others.

I used Lori Holt fabric on the inside too, but not modern minis.

I chose fabric that had reds and aquas.

Here's a look at the bag with empty pockets :)

There are so many things you can use this bag for....paper stuff, post its, stickers, gel pens, sewing notions, embroidery supplies, coupons, and even makeup.

I'd be a little hesitant to use it for makeup though, because it would discolor the fabric over time.

I love these labels, I bought them from tag-it-ons, you can google them, or call 949-552-3299.

I used lots of bright colored zippers.

I really love the "purses" fabric pocket :)

This is what the insides of the zipper pockets look like.

Thanks for showing interest in my sew together bags!

Sew Together Bag

I love sew together bags, they are a little complicated to make at first, but once you've made one, the rest are straightforward.
I have a love for Matryoshka dolls, so I found I use for a couple of my fat quarters.
I think the black and white fabric that I used for the binding makes the outer fabric pop :)

I love this matryoshka doll fabric so much, I used blue on one side and pink on the other.

I used low volume Cotton and Steel fabrics for the inside panels, each one is different.

I used a "you make me happy" label on the inside.

The linings of the zip pouches are all the same print, but different colors and they coordinate with the zippers.

It's always fun to include some little extras in my sew together bag with some of my favorite things!

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my creation as much as I enjoyed making it!

Sew Together Bag - Thimbleblossoms

I made another sew together bag for my friend, for her birthday :)

My friend is an author and a playwright, so the typewriter is meaningful!

My friend always lets her light shine wherever she goes and with whomever she meets.

She was so warm and pleasant and friendly when I first met her, over 4 years ago, for the first time.

I'll never forget how thoughtful she was to me, when I first moved to California and didn't know anyone.

She treated me like a long, lost friend and I really needed that.

My friend is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, just like me!

I looked all over the internet until I found a cute zipper pull of the Salt Lake temple.

I loved making this bag for my friend, she's always so happy and so thankful!

My friend's name is Joni Hilton, and you can read her blog here, it's called Joniopolis.

Joni has a great sense of humor :)

This bag is a little difficult to make when it comes to attaching the sides, that's probably the hardest part.

The best part is choosing the fabrics and the zipper colors.

I chose Thimbleblossom fabric, because Joni loves turquoise and these are such vibrant colors, just like Joni's personality.

Each of the 3 zipper pockets has a houndstooth print, matching the colors of the zipper.

The sections between the zipper pockets are pretty roomy.

I thought of Joni the whole time I made this bag, and I knew she would love it.

I was right, Joni was so complimentary and looked at every single compartment of the bag with great care, and kept thanking me and making a fuss.

Who wouldn't want to make a sew together bag for such an appreciative person?

The bottom of the bag has a pretty print, and you can see my machine quilting in this photo.

I love making time consuming gifts for people who treasure them.

I'm so blessed to have such a good friend :)

Joni is also called the You Tube Mom.

She made all sorts of short videos showing how to do really useful things, I've learned a lot from watching them.

You can see them here.