A New Purse and a Pattern Giveaway

NOTE: Comments are now closed for the giveaway.


"Victory Bags" from Indygo Junction by Amy Barickman

Pattern Description:
From the pattern back: A pair of stylish shoulder bags with a 1940s wartime influence. The Victory Bags are constructed with a set-in gusset base and are a sensible size for everyday use. Both styles include instructions for an internal zippered or patch pocket.

Pattern Sizing: one size: The bags measure approximately 14” wide x 11” high x 3” deep at the base, excluding shoulder strap.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes. I sewed View A with the buttons. View B sports a buckle.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
The instructions were well-written with clear, helpful illustrations. The only thing I found lacking was a pattern layout diagram. Because of the many pieces, a layout diagram would have been helpful.

Error on pattern piece G: pattern piece says to cut 2 from interfacing; only 1 is needed.

The gussets were surprisingly easy to sew. I expected to have to re-do the gussets at least once, but they came together just right and on the first try. Again, great instructions!

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I like the style and size of this purse. The gussets at the purse bottom make for a roomy inner compartment. The purse is easy to sew, but yet the details of the design make it interesting. I also like that the purse has a magnetic snap closure under the front flap. The 3 buttons are for just for show. :)

Fabric Used:
Exterior: I used a piece of home decor fabric--a heavy twill, I think--a typical home decorating fabric with a mod leave print on a lime green background.

Interior: A cotton quilting fabric from my stash. The bag also has an inner lining of Pellon fleece. The strap and front flap are also interfaced with fusible interfacing.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
The only change I made was to add a second pocket to the purse interior. The pattern gives great instructions on how to make a zippered pocket; my bag has both the zippered pocket and the added second patch pocket.

Conclusion:
I love, love, love this pattern. It's the perfect size purse, and I can imagine making several in various fabrics...change the fabric and you get a whole new look..cute and trendy, sleek or classic...just imagine the possibilities! I will definitely make this pattern again, but next time in View B.

Ruth


Okay, if you've read this far, here is the information about the pattern giveaway! Sew Chic will be giving away two purse patterns from Indygo Junction, complements of Amy Barickman, owner and founder of Indygo Junction. The two purse patterns are: Victory Bags (reviewed above), and Cross-Over Carryall, another great pattern I hope to sew up soon.

To enter, go to the Indygo Junction site and browse the shop. Then come back here and leave a comment on this post answering the following question: If you were to buy one item from Indygo Junction, what would it be?

Be sure to leave your email address so we have a way to contact you if your name is drawn.

Note, because of shipping costs, this giveaway is open only to people with addresses in the United States and Canada. We're sorry that this is closed to our international readers.

In a week or two, we will choose 2 winners for the 2 patterns. The first winner will receive her choice of the 2 patterns, and the second winner will receive the 2nd pattern.

Now, go to Indygo Junction and have fun browsing all the fabulous patterns! :)
happy sewing,
Ruth and Jessica

Vintage Notions Book Review...giveaway on Thursday!

Vintage Notions, by Amy Barickman...I was so blessed to receive a copy of this lovely book to review...so excited to share a bit of her book with you, my readers!

Truly a delight for lovers of all things vintage, this book is much, much more than your typical craft project book (although it does contain sewing patterns and projects!). Basically, in a nutshell, it's a compilation of the vintage fashion and magazine articles from the early 1900's. It is chock full of recipes, household tips, inspirational quotes and poems, advice for friendship and relationships...and it is simply filled with lovely illustrations and vintage fashions. Delightful!

Vintage Notions is a celebration of the beauty and joy to be found in the womanly arts of homemaking, decorating, fashion sewing, and cooking...this would be an excellent book to share with a special friend...or to treat yourself with if you are in need of some household inspiration and encouragement!

Oh, did I mention that this is a large book...240 pages...there is definitely enough inspiration here to last a year at least!

I have always loved old things...I have many memories of antique shopping trips with my grandmother. She taught me to appreciate the beauty of the past and I loved hearing her stories and paging through her albums of black and white photos, asking "who's this" again and again.

This book brought back a lot of those memories...memories of my grandma, (she would love this book!) and memories of the ideals and romantic notions of my teenage years. Ideals that have sadly gotten shoved to the back of my mind as I've grown up and taken on new responsibilities...the busyness of life has a way of making one forget about the important things, doesn't it?

I think I'd forgotten the dignity, joy and meaning that can and should be derived from creative home arts...making good food for my family, playing outside with my kids, indulging in sewing something for myself, reaching out in friendship to the people God has placed in my life...all of these things are important and the enjoyment of them shouldn't be neglected in the craziness of life.

I think this vintage quote from the book sums up what I'm trying to say...

(pg. 96)

"I could not help thinking what the day means to me. It is always like a new piece of cloth to use in the best way that I know. Material means so much to me--its texture, color, width, and purpose--that even if it is only a kitchen curtain or a cloth for dish toweling, it has its use and should be cut and made the best way I know so that it may give the greatest satisfaction and comfort.

And our lives are as a day. We must make them fruitful. How? By total unselfishness. Selfish people often have comforts that the unselfish do not have, but they never possess the same quantity of rightness and happiness....

A woman, according to her love and energy, has a great responsibility

in making her home an abode of peace, a place of protection from the winds of the world,

a castle for her love, and a shrine to womanliness."

The book contains 12 different "magic patterns", original projects from the early 1900's. Patterns include several different apron styles, a cape, purses, several different styles of loungewear and nightwear and more.

I love the vintage fashion illustrations scattered throughout the book! The book is divided into monthly sections and each section contains seasonally appropriate fashion, beauty tips, recipes and more.

Amy Barickman, the author of Vintage Notions is also the owner and founder of Indigo Junction Patterns...go check them out...Thursday we will be hosting a review of one of her purse patterns...and a giveaway! See you then!

Jessica

Pattern Giveaway Coming Soon

This weekend I made a purse from Amy Barickman's Victory Bags pattern. Let me just say, I love this purse! My 15 year old loves this purse! (You may NOT have it, Ellen!) And now that I made one, I want to make another. And another....

The cool thing is...Jessica and I will be giving away two of Amy's purse patterns in a few days...and you just may be one of the lucky winners. Check back soon for more giveaway details and reviews of the purse pattern and Amy's book, Vintage Notions. :)

Ruth

Dress Form

Wahoo! After all these years of sewing, I finally bought a dress form! Yes, I'm excited.

Just had to share. :)
Ruth

edit: Emily just walked in and excitedly exclaimed, "Look! Mom got a mannequin without a head!" Too funny.

Coming soon...Vintage Notions book review!

oooh, look what arrived in the mail recently...a lovely package chock full of goodies from Amy Barickman of Indigo Junction. We're going to be doing a book and pattern review in the next couple weeks so check back...two readers will win a fun purse pattern! While you are waiting for the review and details, you can check out Amy's site HERE and her pattern lines HERE.

Jessica

Purse patterns to review and a fun tote bag... I love how the book came wrapped in actual pattern tissue paper from one of her patterns!

Snow Days, Sew Days

Sewing and knitting....I like snow days! We "never" get snow in Oklahoma, but ha, we have had 7 snow days in the last two weeks. And when it snows, I like to sew. :) (Yes, sometimes homeschoolers get snow days, too).

The skirt: Ottobre 04-2007 #14 "Pleated Skirt"
Size 110

The top: Ottobre 01/2009 #12 "Kaisa Blouse"
Size 110, lengthened

The sweater: "Little Girl's Shrug" #288 from Pure & Simple
Size 6, Berroco Comfort yarn

More details at Ravelry and Pattern Review if you're interested in the details.

On another note, I am so thankful for all your comments on our posts here at Sew Chic. We are truly blessed by you, our readers.

Happy sewing,
Ruth

"Eleanor" Dress

I bought this lovely corduroy fabric last winter to make something for Emily that would go with the striped tights she owned but didn't match anything. A year has passed, and I knew this would be the last winter the tights would fit my daughter. So I finally made her a dress from the fabric that matched the tights that will only fit a few months longer.... : )

Pattern: Ottobre 6/2010, design #10, "Eleanor" dress; A-line dress with long sleeves gathered into wide cuffs; big pointy collar; yoke with tucks.

Mostly, I like this pattern, but there were a few things I had problems with: I disliked the way Ottobre has you do the sleeve placket. Basically, you are to cut the slit in the sleeve and then just narrowly hem the raw edges of the slit. Umm....no good. Instead, I cut a bias strip and made a placket following the method described in Betzina's Power Sewing (not the kind of placket you'd use in a man's shirt, but a simple bias bound placket).

I also disliked the wideness of the dress. It looks cute on the model in the magazine, but I found it too wide for my daughter. I added narrow ties to the sides of the dress to pull in the fullness. I sewed the ties into the side seams 3" down from the armholes.


The three brown buttons on the yoke are all mismatched. Call it a design element. The truth is, we are snowed in and I couldn't get to the fabric store to buy buttons. So I used what I had in my stash that worked. Yep, it's a design element.

Overall, I'm happy with this dress and look forward to seeing Emily wear it come Sunday (if we are no longer snowbound!). Mostly, I'm happy that I'm sewing again. Hey, sewing room, I have missed you!

Ruth