how to: messenger bag refashion

It’s taken me awhile to write about this project because it’s not just a set of simple instructions. It’s more of a guide to what is possible. Before you rip one seam or sew one stitch, I recommend you sit down in a quiet place with pen and paper to plan. I know this is [...]

super cute (and quick) wine bottle gift bag

totes in waiting

Click here for the Sew, Mama, Sew tote bag giveaway.

Thank you everyone for the sweet comments on my giveaway tote. I’ve been overwhelmed by your responses! They’ve inspired me to make some more totes from my upholstery stash. Last night I put together color combinations for three more bags. Now, if I can only find [...]

liberty of target tote hack

Confession time: my daughter’s dress wasn’t the only Liberty of Target item I bought last month. I fell in love with this tote on the website and was disappointed when I got to the store and realized it was oil cloth. I almost put it back a few times while I was shopping, but in [...]

custom bag: tropical lunch tote

When I posted pics of my Tropical Tablecloth Tote, I received a request for a lunch tote. The bag is a little smaller, but a lot wider to hold lunch containers and a water bottle. I think it’s pretty darn cute!
There are two more totes worth of fabric cut and waiting to be sewn. I [...]

eggs in a basket + a candy strategy

The surprise eggs were finished with a few days to spare. I even had time to whip up a little basket for them. I just started with no plan in mind. The end result was a little flimsy, but a quick soak in some water followed by liberal amounts of spray starch got it right [...]

tropical tablecloth tote

I’ve started making some things for my shop again. There is some thrifted fabric in my stash that needs to be repurposed before I can go garage sailing again this year. I used a little bit of this tablecloth to make a small sock knitting basket a few years ago. Now I’ve gone in the [...]

my creative space

In my creative space today is another custom bag for my friend Cathy with more cat fabric! She wanted this one really big to hold her ball winder, swift and tons of yarn.
I made it really big.
Then I was worried that it was too big.
I took it to knitting group tonight and [...]

sweetheart zipper bag

This fabric is a little more kitschy than my usual style, but I really love it. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and I wanted to make something fun. I couldn’t bring myself to cut into all of those cute hearts, so I used the entire piece for one big bag.

Some would say [...]

gift bag resolution

After my daughter was born, we had a huge supply of gift bags. Most of them were pink, but we had our fair share of gender neutral and holiday bags, too. It’s been over three years, but I’m almost finished using them for gifts.
Honestly, it felt like my stash would never be gone. When [...]

keep looking »