alwaysquilting
judysew4th
knitsnquilts
ladybirdee
Some time ago I came across a pattern in Homespun Magazine (June 2010) for cute miniature handbags by Melbourne designer Nicole Mallalieu http://www.nicolemdesign.com.au
Miniature handbag ….an ideal gift.
These little bags are filled with lavender and hobbyfill and can be placed with your clothing and linen or used as pin cushions. At the time I first saw this pattern, I made a mental note that these would be great gifts for friends and family, and could use fabrics and notions already on hand.
Bags in production.
As December approached, I decided I would make some of these little bags as Christmas gifts.
First of all, one for each of my colleagues at Always Quilting! For this batch I did buy fabrics… for these girls I wanted to use items from within the Always Quilting store. www.alwaysquilting.com.au Of course this had to be done with a certain amount of secrecy, but I managed to purchase some fat quarters from the Cuzco range, some matching braid, and Aurifil threads, without arousing suspicion.
Bags made with Moda Cuzco fabrics.
As you can see from the photos, I added the braid and rick-rack with a contrasting thread, Aurifil Cotton Mako 12 weight, for added interest. To do this, you simply sew over the rick-rack in one direction, then go back in the other.
Adding decorative stitching to the rick-rack.
You can also decorate the braid with colonial (or French) knots. Again Aurifil Ne 12 is ideal.
Using Colonial knots to decorate braid.
In all I made 15 little bags, 14 as gifts for family and friends, and one for me!!
A batch of bags.
Filed under: Cotton Mako', Cotton Mako' Ne 12, Embroidery, Home page, Patchwork Tagged: | Always Quilting, Aurifil, bags, Cotton Mako', Cotton Mako' Ne 12, craft, Embroidery, fat quarters, handcrafted gifts, Patchwork, scraps, stash
Beautiful handbag, thank you for the tutorial !
Thank you Anna. Hope it proves useful!
I was thrilled to receive one of these beautiful gifts at Christmas and I will treasure it. The work is exquisite and the colour choices just perfect for me. How lucky I am to have such a talented work colleague!
Thank you Ladybirdee. Might I add that another beautiful handmade item was also exchanged! To give and receive handcrafted items is always special.