Monday, March 23, 2015

OWL Cross Body Bag

My tween inspired me to make this bag on a snowy day. 14 snow and ice events in the  Northeast. The snowiest winter ever.

We spent a few hours in the fabric store (Joann's) looking for the perfect fabric and supplies.... and then she finally made her choice.  She had a good eye like her Mommy, she picked the most cutest Owl textile design. 
At home, she said that she wants to help design her bag.  I showed her some bag design inspiration and found this pattern from Crazy Little Projects.  
She knew exactly what she wanted and gave me her drawings as how she wants her bag to look like. She helped with tracing and cutting the fabric...
When the bag was done, she looked so happy how it look on her and said "Thank you mom. It looks awsome!" She been bugging me for a while on when am I gonna make her a bag and then finally...   She said she enjoyed making the bag  and I too enjoyed making it with her :) That was a  nice Mother-Daughter bonding time.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Weekend Tote Bag Project Video

In the mood for a sewing project?

Find a whimsy fabric and start sewing! Here's a quick and easy sew Video from youtube userThaiDyedFalicia T  - "How to make an oversize Tote bag".  
You can pretty much use it in any way you want it. Whether you're using it as a school bag, beach bag or running out shopping and traveling.... Here's the bag for that!





Monday, May 20, 2013

Pouch with flair


Here's a super cute clutch from Spontaneous Threads, and can be found HERE.
This is such a fun project. She used a lot of scraps.  She also used a Go! Baby to cut out all those perfect circles, which was such a great time saver.  Chose a dark grey linen as the body, and a hot pink and other various scraps for the lining, handle and circle linings.  Coordinated with hot pink zipper. A machine stitch across stitch pattern as a little something extra, and it really added that extra touch.

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project adapted from http://www.marcigirldesigns.com

Friday, March 15, 2013

Quick sew Pencil Pouch Tutorial


A Robotic Pencil Pouch Tutorial!

by Birch Fabrics’ blog for a tutorial from Christina McKinney



 Christina McKinney, worked up this fabulous tutorial for all you beginning sewers out there.  Or even if you need a quick go-to project to give as a gift, this is it!  Check it out!

Here is what you are going to need:


  • 2-outer pieces, 9.5in x 5in
  • 2-lining pieces, 9.5in x 5in
  • 1-7in zipper
  • 2-zipper tab pieces 2in x 3in (cut in the outer fabric)
  • Optional: 2 pieces of heavy or medium weight iron-in interfacing cut to 9.5in x 5in. Iron this to the wrong side of the outer pieces. This will give your pouch extra stability.


Notes before getting started:

This is a pretty basic pattern that can be made bigger/smaller depending on your preference. I highly recommend prewashing then pressing your fabric before cutting. (This will ensure everything is even and will give you a more professional finished look.) I DO NOT recommend ever sewing over pins during your projects. Stitch to just before the pin & remove as you go. And finally, seam allowances vary in this project so make sure you double check before sewing any of the steps.

Assembly:

Attaching the zipper tabs - Fold each tab piece in half length wise & press.


Next, turn each side under 1/4 inch & press.





“Sandwich” the end of your zipper with the tab piece & pin in place.  Make sure that the ends of your tabs are PAST the metal zipper tab before you sew.



You need enough clearance to sew a 1/8 inch seam without running over the metal stopper. (*important* Only do this with nylon/plastic zippers. DO NOT sew over the teeth of a metal zipper.) Sew as close the edge as possible and keep stitches neat. Go slow to help your machine over the zipper teeth. For a finishing stitch such as this, I usually extend my stitch length a little, something like 3 or 3.5.



This is what you should end up with



Repeat with the other end. You will need to unzip the zipper about halfway to make this easier. Once pinned in place, zip and unzip a couple times to make sure you have the teeth lined up properly.




Once you have sewn tabs across both ends of the zipper, clip the tab sides down even with the zipper.




Lay a piece of your lining fabric right side UP and lay the tabbed zipper even with the top edge. (Make sure to center your zipper.)



Lay a piece of outer fabric right side DOWN, matching the top edge, and pin in place. If your fabric has a specific direction, ensure that you place it properly for this step to keep it from being upside down in the final product.



So now you have a fabric & zipper “sandwich” and you will stitch a 1/2 seam along your edge. A zipper foot makes this easier, but IS NOT necessary for this. As you can see from this photo, I stitched this in place with a regular foot. I typically start stitching with the zipper halfway open so that it’s out of the way. (Wait to unzip it until everything is pinned in place to keep things from shifting.) Don’t stress about sewing the zipper without seeing it - you can feel it between the layers to make sure you don’t accidently stitch over it. Just take it slow!



Once you near the zipper, stop your machine NEEDLE DOWN and pivot your fabric around until you can shimmy the zipper back up. This will get it out of the way while you finish stitching.




Once stitched, flip your layers right side out and press.



With your pieces now right sides out, you will stitch a 1/8 hem along the edge going through all three layers. This gives a more finished look and will keep your lining from getting caught in your zipper.



As before, to make things easier, zip/unzip your zipper as you sew and pivot it out of the way. This is what you should have so far:



Lay the second piece of lining fabric right side UP & lay you assembled zipper piece right side UP on top.



Next, lay your outer fabric right side DOWN on top and pin in place. You’re repeating the steps from before to secure your lining/outer to the other side of the zipper.



And just like before, you will stitch a 1/2 inch seam along the edge ensuring you’re going through all layers. Don’t forget to zip/unzip your zipper out of the way! Once the second side is stitched, turn the layers right side out, press, and stitch in place.




Your ends should look like this:



Before you do anything else, UNZIP THE ZIPPER!! (You cannot turn the pouch right side out without the zipper open.) Take the pouch and open each side, pairing the two outer pieces and two lining pieces. Put them right sides together and pin in place.



When you get to the side where the tab is, just pinch it either up or down and pin in place. (Just make sure that whichever direction you pick is the same on both sides.)



Mark a start/stop point on your lining side. (indicated in the photo with a green & a red pin) You’re going to leave a small gap here for turning the bag right side out. 



Make sure to secure the stitches on either side of the gap so that they won’t come loose when you turn the bag.



Stitch around using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. When you come to the sides where the tabbed edge is, you’re sewing close to the tabs but not through them. Once you’ve gone all the way around, clip your corners to reduce bulk but make sure your don’t snip through your stitching.



Through the gap you left in the lining, turn the bag right side out. Use something pointed to turn out all your corners. Be gentle! You don’t want to stab through your seam! (I find that chopsticks are ideal for turning corners.)



Before you stitch the lining shut, leave it out and give the outer fabric a good press.




Tuck under the open edge of your lining 1/4 and press.



You can do a blind stitch to close this or a small 1/8 inch seam across the bottom.  (Once your pouch is tucked in and filled with goodies, no one will see the bottom of the lining!) Tuck the lining down inside and you’re DONE!!



Monday, February 18, 2013

MARERI GIVEAWAY


Congratulations ELENA VO!!! 
Winner of Mareri Giveaway 2013
Winner was chosen by Random Picker


$40 Gift Certificate giveaway



A new Giveaway!
  • PRIZE: $40 GIFT CERTIFICATE 
  • PRIZE VALUE: $40 
  • NUMBER OF WINNERS: 1 
  • ENDING DATE OF THE GIVEAWAY: 04/28/2013 
  • WHERE IT CAN BE WON: WORLDWIDE THE PRIZE IS FROM: MARERI.ETSY.COM 
To enter –
1. Like MARERI in Facebook
2. Share on FB this giveaway photo
3. Comment and Post your fave item from the shop in the comments section.
4. share my FB page with your friends
5. Join the site and follow my blog MARERI Blog 

GAME ON, Y'ALL

Sunday, January 13, 2013

NEW! MARERI Sunrise Messenger Unisex Bag

A versatile Unisex Bag. Designed for young professionals, students or it can even be used as a Diaper bag. It works well for books and laptops or baby/kid things (diapers, entertainment, etc.) 


FEATURES
The top flap fully covers the interior of the bag. There’s an ample storage space to carry up to a 15" laptop. 
One inner pocket fastens with a Velcro. You can fit a 10" tablet or a magazine. 
The bag closes with a nylon zipper. 
The exterior of the bag has two deep pouch pockets on the front and one deep, wide back pocket.
The long adjustable strap allows you to wear your Messenger across your body or on your shoulder.
Mareri logo on the front is made with twill fabric. 

COLOR
Interchangeable and customizable to your preference.

DIMENSIONS
16" across the top, 12" tall, 3" deep. The strap is approx. 50" at its longest length. 

CARE INSTRUCTIONS 
Spot clean with mild detergent for light soiling and Machine was on delicate cycle for heavy soiling.

***Available to purchase at Mareri Etsy Store 











Photo Credits to my loving Hubby :)