Purse Palooza ~ Rosie Crossbody Bag

The Rosie Crossbody Bag from Swoon Patterns, formerly Paco Bean patterns, is my 4th bag of Purse Palooza 2013.    This was my first Paco Bean/Swoon pattern and I am in love with the results!  

The Rosie bag is a medium-sized bag, approx 8" long x 11" wide x 4" deep.  It has a large front flap closure with a magnetic snap, two zippered pockets and an adjustable strap for crossbody or shoulder lengths.  The Rosie bag is suitable for beginner bag-makers and took about 4 hrs of cutting & sewing time.  

The only modifications I made to the bag itself was adding a patch pocket and key ring clip opposite of the inside zip.  I did modify the construction of the zippered pockets, as I prefer to layer the pocket fabric on the bag fabric while sewing the zip opening, as shown in this tutorial.  There are not as many pictures with the sewing instructions as some other patterns provide, so novice bag-makers may need to reference other photo tutorials if the written instructions are not clear.  

This Rosie will be a Christmas gift.  I can see more Rosie bags in my future!

Purse Palooza 2013 is coming to an end soon.  Hop over to Sew Sweetness to see all the beautiful bags entered, read lots of great bag reviews and pattern giveaways.  

Purse Palooza ~ Rockin' Guitar Bag

It's Purse Palooza time at Sew Sweetness!  I hope you are following along and enjoying all the purse reviews as much as I am.  This is a great excuse to sew some bags for myself and gift-giving.  Here's my third bag, the Rockin' Guitar bag.

I pinned this tutorial from Bored and Crafty awhile back and finally made my own guitar bag.  I started with this guitar photo and drew a pattern based on the photo.  

I wish I had the patience to add some more details to my guitar front, but overall I am really happy with the bag.  Inside, there is a zippered pocket, patch pocket and key holder loop.  I also added a magnetic closure and adjustable strap so it can be worn cross-body or over the shoulder.  

The Bored & Crafty guitar bag has little depth, so I added a 3" strip between my front & back panels for depth.  I used home decor weight fabrics and Pellon 70 to line the outer fabric.  I used a fusible woven interfacing on the lining, so this bag stands at attention!

Abby is begging to keep this one and the neighbor girl wants one for Christmas.  Sounds like I will be making more!  

Purse Palooza ~Fancy Fylerion Bag

Here is my second bag for Purse Palooza 2013 - the Fancy Fylerion bag.

Mama Lusco's Fancy Fylerion bag

The Fylerion bag pattern is a FREE pattern, tutorial and video tutorial from Sew Sweetness.  I've had this one bookmarked for awhile and thought it would be a good size and shape for a special lady's Christmas gift.  Like many Sew Sweetness bags, it is large, measuring 10"long x 15" wide x 2-3" deep....perfect for bringing along lots of stuff!

Back side

This is a great pattern to customize.  To add some extra detailing, I made piping for the front & back accent pieces.  I also added an interior zippered pocket in addition to the patch pocket and switched the single strap to these great purse handles that I've had in my stash for over a year.  I think they are very classy and make my Fylerion fancy :)

Piping detail and magnetic snap closure

Double patch pocket

Inside zippered pocket and key holder

Sara's instructions were easy to follow and the video tutorial is great for beginners.  This is a pattern I will be using again because it is easy to personalize  and has a great size and shape.  The magnetic snap closure is a favorite of mine because it is simple and works well.  Check out the Fylerion Bag pattern & tutorial at Sew Sweetness here to make one of your own.  This one will be a great Christmas gift!

I also hope you are following along at Purse Palooza 2013.  I have been enjoying the bag reviews and am finding some new purse designers.  I'd love to hear some of your favorite free purse tutorials.  Happy Sewing!

Sew Sweetness Dot Dot Dash Bag Review

Sara at Sew Sweetness is hosting Purse Palooza 2013 through October.  I love to make bags and needed to start Christmas gifts, so here is my first Purse Palooza bag - the Dot Dot Dash bag from the Sew Sweetness Shop.  

Dot Dot Dash bag by Sew Sweetness Pattern Shop

This is a big tote-style bag featuring five front zipper compartments.  Notice the curved accents on the lower front panel also have zippers!  The top also has a recessed zipper and an adjustable strap lets you wear this one cross-body if desired.  I recently won a few patterns from the Sew Sweetness shop and this was one that I chose.  

I have been hoarding this pink, girly skull fabric that I purchased on clearance from JoAnn Fabrics last year at a clearance sale.  I believe it was a bottom-weight apparel fabric, but I purchased it with a cool bag in mind.  I thought the fun zippered Dot Dot Dash pattern would be perfect with this fabric and am totally pleased with the result.  

I really like the zippered top closure.  I used a longer separating zipper and tucked the end between the lining and outer fabrics before finishing the bag.  I struggled to get the top zip fabric corners to match exactly, so there is some pleating in those corners, but the zip functions perfectly despite not looking quite perfect.  

The front zips went in easily and Sara does a good job explaining how to insert those long zippers.  I thought about omitting the corner piece zips, but am glad I added them.  It would be a good place to put some ear buds or a flash drive.  The corner accents on the back are simply sewn in place.  

The inside of the bag pattern did not include any pockets, so I added a double-patch pocket and key ring clip to one side and a large pocket on the opposite side.  I tend to carry my Kindle, water & snacks along with my wallet and essentials, the the big pocket at the bottom will help keep me organized.  I also really like the sliding strap feature so this bag can be adjusted for shoulder-bag or cross-body wearing.

As you can see, this is a big bag at about 15" long x 13" wide x 4" deep at the bottom.  It will be hard to give this one away, I love it so much!  

Check out the Sew Sweetness blog during October for daily (Mon-Fri) bag reviews and giveaways.  Thanks, Sara, for writing a great pattern!  I will be making more Dot Dot Dash bags in the future.