Add pockets to any pattern

It's very easy to add a pocket to any pattern that you have. I made a bag this weekend in which I used two different types of pockets, A patch pocket and a pocket incorporated into a seam. You need to put the pockets on first before you follow any of the sewing directions of the pattern.

Pocket incorporated into the seam:

I wanted to place two small pockets in the side seam band.

I took a piece of paper and placed it over the Side seam pattern piece, drew my outside lines so I would get the same width of the fabric, then I just estimated how deep I wanted the pocket and added my seam allowance. For those of you that own my 'Not so big Big Bag' Shoulder bag pattern This piece is 5" wide by 7" tall. I cut 2 piece of the outer fabric and 2 pieces of the lining fabric so I would have 4 pockets.

First you prep the top seam. Iron down 1/2 of the seam allowance which in my case is 1/4"

 Then Iron down again the rest of the seam allowance.

Then Stitch across the top, I stitch twice just for decoration.

The iron up the bottom seam allowance.

Position the pocket on the side panel were you want the pocket located, and pin the bottom in place and stitch the bottom of the pocket to the side panel. Repeat the same process for the rest of the pockets. I choose contrast color so my pockets can be a design feature as well as a functional pocket.

With the pockets in place you can then start the directions as outlined in you pattern.

Patch pocket:

First prep the top of the pocket, the same as above. Fold down 1/2 the seam allowance, fold down the rest of the seam allowance. Stitch the top seam.

Then fold up the bottom seam, and fold in the side seams.

The pin the pocket any where on any piece where you would like the pocket to be located. Then just stitch down one side, across the bottom and up the other side.

That easy! You can put a pocket anywhere.

Sorry for the different fabrics, I didn't think to take pictures of the steps until after I had finished the Bag this past weekend.

The only down side to making bags for sale, when you love bags, is that you want to keep them all for yourself. Well I love this bag so much I am keeping it for myself. It fits my binder and two text books perfectly. As some of you know I went back to school. Well I'm registered for the Fall semester and it starts August 29. I'll be taking a Black & White photography class, an Art History class and an English Composition class. I'll be 3 classes closer to a BA in Fine Arts!!

And here it is the bag I finished this weekend.

Here you can see the pockets incorporated into the seam.

And the patch pocket on the front. The bag is reversible.

Let me know if you need any help with adding pockets to a pattern???

Putting findings on fabric necklace...

I'm not sure what this finding is called, the package just says crimp beads. There lots of different styles of crimp beads.

I do know that they are used for cording, so I just figured they would work for fabric also. They are U shaped:

I stuffed the fabric in the U nice and tight:

Then take pliers and press down the side walls flat. I then add a jump ring and then a claw closure. To the other side I just add a Jump ring.

Tammy thank you for the question. Hope this helps.

Resin Pendant on a fabric strap Necklace

I've got to say I'm really liking my commitment to stay off the computer for a day and just get stuff done. But this time have decided to do a blog post on each instead of just showing you all my done pictures all at once.

I have been working on this pendant for a while now, I actually did the resin and it set like stone and I didn't like it, so my daughter took a drill and broke all the resin out, you can tell by some of the scratching on the silver.

I purchased the pendant, then cut a piece of fabric to fit snug inside along the bottom. I bought the charms and with some pliers took the charm loops off. I added some beads to fill in some of the large spaces.

I followed this video tutorial on YouTube to learn how to use the Resin.

And I followed this Tutorial to do a very very thin fabric strap with the same fabric I used for the background.

Then used a crimp tube, a jump ring and added a claw closure. Feel free to let me know if you need more detailed directions?

I am a Red...

I'm having a problem with how much I should or should not share on my blog. I have a very strong personality that I have struggled to control for a long time. If I don't set parameters for my self I can make enemies of friends really quickly. I don't mean to, it's just I am very direct and to the point.

My brain goes a million miles a minute, and it's hard for me to talk about the weather. Which is mostly what I've been talking about around here. Which doesn't give you my personality at all.

We had a Relief Society meeting a few months ago, where we took the Color Code Personality Test. It was no surprise to me that I was a Red, I knew it before we began.

Photos taken by Jenn

 That's my daughter and I in the corner. Great Job taking the picture, I'm not photogenic. Maybe 1 of every 10 pics of me are publish worthy. I think she took 3. Jenn it wasn't you it's me!

I think I have decided to share a little more of My Life....to go a long with My Crafts. Keep in mind, when you are reading...I am a Red. So if I made you cry, tell me, you won't hurt my feeling. I'm sure we can talk through it.

Red: Strengths: Decisive, Determined, Responsible, Powerful, Logical, Confident, Pragmatic/Task Oriented. Limitations: Arrogant, Selfish, Bossy, Critical of Others, Impatient, Insensitive, Argumentative.

If you take the test - come back and tell me what you are????

No Computer Access = A productive day

All of my ideas reside on my computer. Even if I find an idea in a magazine I scan in and put it in a folder on my computer. I do this because I'm a clutter bug, and I have spent all of my life trying to reduce the clutter around me, another story for another day.

The point is that all my ideas reside on my computer, so when I turn on the computer it's like walking through a toy store, oooo look at this, oh yes, I wanted to do this, no I think I'll do this first, oh wait here are a few things that all almost done, I'll work on those, maybe not, do I have email, oops haven't check my twitter, oh no, I haven't posted anything of my Facebook fan page wall, man that Tumbler account hasn't had a post in months, mmmm Pinterest.....Well you get the picture!

So on Friday I checked my email early in the morning, turned off the computer, and told myself no computer until Monday morning. Look what I accomplished:

My dress form has a new cover, I needed a solid color the patterned one wasn't working for product pictures.

I finished some alterations that have been on my pile for months:

I actually sewed a sample for my sewing class (we are doing a Beach Tote):

I made my daughter a skirt (she's been waiting for ever!):

And I finished a bag to put in my Etsy shop (not listed yet, I was having trouble with the lighting in the photos):

I think I found myself a new routine, No more computer access on Fri. Sat. and Sun. My online presences isn't that big anyways, I'm sure I won't be terribly missed for 3 days out of the week. Plus I'm sure I will have more to show and talk about during the 4 days I am on the computer, If I do this.

How do you guys find time to finish the projects you start???

Phoenix Art Museum...Theatre De La Mode

I'm so glad that I had the chance to visit the Phoenix Art Museum while in AZ. Things just happened in such a way that I had a day all to myself. It was wonderful. During the AAFCS conference I heard some of the ladies talking about an Exhibit that was currently on display of 1/2 scale mannequins with designer clothes.

I was intrigued so when I realized that I would have a day to myself I knew I had to figure out which of the several Museum's in downtown Phoenix it was. Luckily I found an article of an Exhibit that sounded what the ladies were talking about at the Phoenix Art Museum. I arrived and asked about the Exhibit and she showed me a map and told me where to find their "Ellman Fashion Gallery".

It was up stairs in the South Wing, which didn't connect with the Main level North wing the entrance is at. So I decided to take my time and tour the museum section by section and I'll get there when I get there.

I went through their Renaissance and Baroque, 18th Century European, 17th Century Northern European, Spanish Colonial, 19th Century European, American, Western American and Western Contemporary. I loved that you were allowed to take pictures, we only picture of what they owned. So if the Phoenix Art Museum owned the work and therefore owned the Rights, they gave you the right to photograph it. There were plenty of pieces of Work on lone so those had a sticker of a camera with a big red circle and line through it, and those you couldn't photograph obviously. There was some wonderful pieces:

There is this large wonderful circular sculpture a convex and concave sphere:

The imagery that you get from it is amazing:

And then I got to were I was going, and found "Theatre De La Mode" (no picture allowed) here is the scan of the brochure:

It was amazing post WWII era fashion from various French Designers of the time. Done it 1/3 scale (actually) every detail on each of the dolls is amazing, they all had Jewelry, Shoes, Hats and handbags. All in 1/3 scale. 

The story of how these dolls came to be is even more amazing:

"Liberation in the fall of 1944 after four years of foreign Occupation found Paris surviving on minimal resources. Hoping to make a statement to the world that Paris was still the center of fashion, couturiers, jewelers, milliners, hairdressers, and theatre designers joined together to present the Theatre de la Mode.

Using the ages-old tradition of traveling miniature mannequins dressed in current couture, the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture mobilized a whole industry with unprecedented cooperation and creativity to prove that life could begin again through these 27" tall ambassadors of fashion. The exhibition, inaugurated in Paris in March 1945, began a long journey, first to other capitals in Europe and Great Britain, then in 1946 to the United States.

When the little ambassadors had served their mission, their valuable jewelry was sent back to Paris and they were abandoned, packed away in the basement of a department store in San Francesco. Paul Verdier and Alma Spreckels rescured them in 1952, and arranged for them to be sent to the Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Washington. They were exhibited behind glass, appreciated by only limited audiences until "rediscovered" by historian Stanley Garfinkel in 1983." Back cover of the Theatre de la Mode Fashion Dolls: The Survival of Haute Couture a Plamer/Pletsch Publication.

Each year 3 of the 9 sets are on Display at the Maryhill Museum of Art, While a few of the sets a lent out for Exhibit to other Museums I'm so glad that I was able to be at the right place at the right time to be able to know of the existence of these wonderful Haute Couture Treasures!!!!

I've now added Goldendale Washington to my list of places to visit (not sure exactly were that is, but I'll be figuring it out very soon!!) I must see the rest of these dolls.  There were 237 original dolls made of which 65 are currently missing.

Arizona Desert Envy

Our family moved to the Coachella Valley Desert (Palm Springs, CA area) when I was 5 years old. I graduated from Indio High School, I did move away to San Diego and lived there for a short while. Then my husband Retired from the Navy and we moved back to the Coachella Valley.

So I have been in this Desert 70% of my life, and every time I drive to Arizona I wonder why our Desert isn't the same as Arizona's Desert. Their desert is so green:

I have Arizona Desert Envy!!!!

Large Barbie doll house for sale

My husband has finished his first house that he is putting up for sale, the last few he did had owner's before he even started them.

This is the one that is currently for sale:

It is unfinished so that you can paint it the color you would like. Fun painting project for Mother/Daughter or Father/Daughter. It is 53 inches Tall, 49 inches Wide and 34 inches Deep.

It has 3 stories and is built to accommodate Barbie Furniture kits for Living Room, Kitchen/Dining Room on the bottom floor, Barbie Bedroom and Bathroom on the 2nd floor and a Stacie Bunkbed set on the 3rd floor. Or mix and match and move them around. I do suggest buying the furniture sets first so you know what color to paint the corresponding rooms.

It has hand carved details on the door (door doesn't open).

Open windows and small porch.

And hand tooled shingles.

Price: $600 (Credit cards accepted) Shipping or delivery not included. If you would like to come over and see it please call Sonia at 760-289-2263.

Here are images of my Nieces finished house:

Barbie doll house pattern now available click here to visit the blog post with more info.

June Sewing Group...Handmade books for Haiti Orphanage

June was a blur to me, so much to do, and no time left over to blog about it. Most of the time I just move on and blog about current things going on, but I didn't want to leave this one in the past.

I make lots of reference to my sewing group, but I don't think I've ever stopped and explained it. I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as a female member I am a part of the Largest Women's Service Organizations in the world called The Relief Society.

The Relief Society hold meetings on Sunday and also has a few meetings during the month, one of those meetings is the one that I lead The Santa Rosa Ward Relief Society Sewing meeting.

I try to have a new pattern every month that teaches different sewing techniques, for those that have never sewn and those that are advanced sewer's and want to practice their craft.

I was so pleased when I saw CK's post on a project she was putting together to make handmade books to go to an orphanage in Haiti. I really felt this was a project our sewing group could help with.

It was a hit we had ladies that don't sew or care to learn to sew come and participate by cutting the card stock pages for the books.

Everyone loved it so much that those that couldn't attend are asking when we can schedule another one. Soon ladies, soon.

We were able to make 15 books:

If you yourself or a group of you want to help CK she needs to make 50 books to complete a first shipment to the orphanage. Visit her website page with all the information. Handmade for Haiti