Mini-Log Cabin block & Shirt Pattern review

I was a little late to get sewing, but I joined in the Sew Can She mini-log cabin block sew-along.  I am not a quilter but this little 4.5" block looked like one I could manage.  Caroline walked us through selecting fabrics,  cutting our fabrics, sewing the blocks and finally making something.  I appreciated the tutorials and tips!

I have been wanting some new t-shirts and thought my little block would make a nice pocket. I love pattern & tutorials that Its Always Autumn has put together for her Easy Tee.  I haven't sewn Autumn's pattern yet, but used her Peter Pan collar on my trusted Jocole Mix & Match Ladies shirt pattern.  I have made 4 of these Jocole shirts and have adapted the neckline and length for my body.  I've added 1.25" to each side of the shoulder and shortened it by 4" in the front, tapering down in the back for a high-low hemline.  It's hard to give up a good thing!

I added the pocket to the front shirt panel before starting the shirt construction.  Another modification I make to the Jocole pattern is adding clear elastic to the shoulder and arm seams.  This was recommended in another free t-shirt pattern, the Blank Canvas Tee from 3 Hours Past on Craftsy. I like the stability it gives the seams and I add it while serging the seam.  After sewing the shoulder seams, it is time to add your collar.

Autumn provides the front collar template and I traced the back neckline, adding 2.5" length to pattern the back collar piece.  I really like the bias binding on the neckline and love the punch of color it adds inside.  My fabric was a light-weight slub knit, so next time I would add light interfacing to the collar for more structure. 

To finish my hems, I serged the edges then slip-stitched them.  I wanted to give my shirt a special finish and love the results.  All 5 of us are getting over influenza, so you'll have to live with dress-form pictures for this one. 

Thanks, Caroline and Sew Can She for a fun sew-along.  I learned how to make a mini-log cabin block and how to add a collar to a t-shirt.  Check out the other entries on Facebook  or the SCS blog.

Sew Sweetness Pattern Review ~ Quilted Sawyer Bag

This is my fourth Sew Sweetness bag and all the patterns have been easy to follow with great results!  Sarah and Sew, Mama, Sew are sponsoring a bag-making contest using Sew Sweetness patterns.  There have been dozens of gorgeous bags entered!  Check them out here. 

Here is my version of the free Sawyer Bag tutorial from Sew Sweetness.  This is a simple, tote style bag that measures approx. 16"L x 14"w x 3"D.  It has long accent handle strips and O-ring hardware for some detail.  It would be a great beginner bag or quick gift.  This bag took about 4 hrs to sew because of the quilting, but otherwise would be about a 2 hr project. 

I like to have a bag closure and decided to add a recessed zippered top panel.  I used a technique similar to this tutorial from Charmed Liebling.  It would also be quick & easy to add a magnetic snap closure instead.  No pockets are included in the original pattern, so I added a double patch pocket and zippered pocket inside, along with a key clasp.  I also substituted D-rings, as I could not find O-rings locally. 

I am a very novice quilter, but I was inspired after seeing some Quilt-as-you-go blocks, as shown in this tutorial (also a great bag pattern!) and this one.  I had purchased a big bag of designer scraps from the Michael Levine Loft store in LA for only $2 and thought this would be a perfect chance to use them.  Most of the fabrics I chose were in greens & blues from Free Spirit designers.  Both the front and back panels are quilted.

The quilting was done on cotton batting.  I used Pellon 70 to add stiffness and shape to the lining and a heavy interfacing for the straps.  I like to use one of my older, mechanical sewing machines, a Viking 1010 or Pfaff 360, for bag-making.  They are great for sewing through heavy fabrics & interfacings, something my low-end Janome can't handle. 

If one can ignore the not-so-straight quilting and imperfect rectangles, this is a fantastic bag!  I am really happy with it.  It will be hard to give away this Christmas! 

Check out more free Sew Sweetness tutorials here and Sarah's pattern shop here.  I just bought her Big City Bags book and would like to sew one of everything! 

~Now CLOSED~ SMS Giveaway Day

Congratulation to Judy H. of the Knotty Needle blog!  Please email me or leave a comment to claim your prize :) 

 

Sew, Mama, Sew's Giveaway Day is here again!  I've enjoyed visiting hundreds of blogs during their Giveaway Days and even won a few prizes along the way.  I'm happy you've found your way to Mama Lusco Handmade.

Jocole's Ladies A-Line Yoga Skirt

I'm a busy wife, registered nurse and mom of 3 who enjoys sewing clothing and bags.  Someday I'd like to try quilting, but at this point I enjoy quick, easy sewing projects.  My blog has been somewhat neglected the past 2 years, but I share my sewing projects, pattern & product reviews and host giveaways here on the blog. 

Self-drafted Guitar Bag

I am most active on my Facebook page and would love to have you following!  I'm also on Pinterest here, where I love to share free patterns & tutorials for bags, clothing, kids, toys and home décor. 

Swoon Rosie Bag

This Giveaway Day, I am offering A set of Pink Fig patterns, the Olivia top No. 3 and the Sweet Heart pants No. 16.  These paper patterns are new and uncut, for sizes 12 mo - 10 yrs.  I'm also including a set of jumbo ric-rac, perfect for trimming the patterns.  To enter, please tell me what you like to sew and leave a link to your favorite free tutorial.  A winner will be chosen randomly on Dec 13th at 5 pm, PST.  Good luck and I'd love for you to follow the blog, on Facebook, or Pinterest.

 
Enjoy visiting all the blogs during Giveaway Day.  Return to Sew, Mama, Sew blog to find more links.  Thanks for stopping by and Merry Christmas!

Purse Palooza ~ OSU Beaver Aragon Bag

 

Well, friends, today is the last day to enter a bag for Purse Palooza 2013.  I finally finished a bag on my gift-sewing list today, the OSU Beaver Aragon bag. 

 

 

This bag is made using the Sew Sweetness Aragon pattern found here.  The fabrics are a black twill and Oregon State printed quilter's cotton.  This pattern calls for Annie's Soft & Stable, but I substituted auto headliner fabric, as it is cheaper and what I had in my stash.  I also substituted a med-weight fusible interfacing for the Pellon Shape-Flex, since I'm sewing from my stash and 3 hrs from a fabric store! 

 

This is  a large shoulder bag and will be gifted as a diaper bag to my Oregon State-loving cousin.  It measures approx. 12" tall x 16" wide x 5.5" deep at the base with oodles of pockets!  The outside features a zip pocket on the back side and two elasticized side pockets. I added black piping around the front main panels for extra detail and changed the magnetic snap to a swivel closure. The inside features a large double-pocket with top elastic, two side elasticized pockets and another large zippered pocket.  I also added a key holder.  The top closure is a large sport zipper.  I omitted the back zipper flap as I wanted to show-off the orange zipper and contrasting pocket fabric.

 

 

Sara's instructions for bag construction were good, as always.  I did struggle with putting this one together, though.  Instead of constructing inner & outer bags and sewing them together, this one is constructed with an inside exposed seam, then the inside seam is hidden with bias tape.  It was a challenge attaching the bias tape to such a large seam, but I slowly got it done.  The bias finish is not as neat as I prefer, but it is mostly hidden in the bag corners. 

 

I hope Rachelle and baby Jackson enjoy this bag.  I am happy with the results.  I didn't want the orange camo print to be overwhelming and think I accomplished this.  Check out all the beautiful bags entered into Purse Palooza 2013 at Sew Sweetness here.

 

 



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!