Sew a Book Sleeve

 

I recently discovered book sleeves and how absolutely essential they are! Why did I never thought to have them before? They're perfect for putting your books (or bible) in when popping them into your bag or car ...or in my case; dropping beside the couch. They keep you book safe & undamaged and you don't lose your page marker either (whether you use a bookmark or turn the corner down on the page).

They are so easy to make, I've filmed how to sew them here: https://youtu.be/ydhF9CDB0FE?si=jVolpERgloe4u4ch

They'd make perfect gifts for book lovers, teachers, bible group, book clubs etc. They'd sell really well if you have a market stall too.

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I utilise affiliate (aff) links throughout my blog as a way to help me keep crafting. If you click on an aff link, I receive a very small amount from it at NO cost to you. So please help me to keep CraftyRie up and running by clicking on my aff links! Many thanks, Rie

Quick make pouches, a great gift idea!

 

If you have lots of scrap fabric and a handful of zips and a spare 5 minutes of your time then you need to make the world's easiest zipper pouches!  

You can make them big, small, solid fabrics or scrap fabrics. 

Check out how I made them here: https://youtu.be/ht9znMCOX3w?si=XYxpUipNgTVfmmTz

They great for coins, lip balms, cords, earphones, keys etc and absolutely perfect as gifts!

I'd love it if you popped over to my YouTube channel & subscribed to it & even liked some of my videos. Every like, every follower, every comment is like a great big hug! 

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I utilise affiliate (aff) links throughout my blog as a way to help me keep crafting. If you click on an aff link, I receive a very small amount from it at NO cost to you. So please help me to keep CraftyRie up and running by clicking on my aff links! Many thanks, Rie

Making the cutest crossbody bag!

 

I just finished sewing this awesomely cute bag for myself. Do you like it?

It's the Orbit Bag from Helen's Closet and you can do it with or without the pieced quilt star front, in fact you can use no patchwork at all. You could just use a decorative fabric panel, maybe an old favourite tshirt that's been interfaced so it's sturdy. You could do any type of quilted panel for the front, maybe your favourite dresdens or you could use EPP too. It's only limited by your imagination.

There are some tips that I have for making this - the perfect hacks to make this sew easier for you, if you'd like to know what they are then just click here...... to go to see them.

I also think this would look equally good done in recycled denim from your old worn out jeans. If the quilting bit puts you off then you can either use pre-quilted fabric or just spray bast the layers together well and sew as is - also perfect for you favourite fabric patch too.

I'd love it if you popped over to my YouTube channel & subscribed to it & even liked some of my videos. Every like, every follower, every comment is like a great big hug! 

If you need more Crafty Inspo, then check out my shoppable lists here....

I utilise affiliate (aff) links throughout my blog as a way to help me keep crafting. If you click on an aff link, I receive a very small amount from it at NO cost to you. So please help me to keep CraftyRie up and running by clicking on my aff links! Many thanks, Rie

Sewing a gift :: a quilted tote bag

 

I just recently finished this quilted tote as a gift for my very first 'real life' sewing buddy! Yay, someone that I can sit & chat fabrics, patterns and all things sewing related with! We've even had a 'sewing date' at her house (her house is bigger than mine and has more room to cut fabric).

I tried to use fabrics from my stash, I know she likes the colour brown, so I found some fabrics that went well with each other. I love the bag so much that I'll be making one of my own too!

I didn't follow the pattern 100% as I added some more pockets into it - check out how I sewed it in this Youtube clip here....

Below is a piccie of the bag almost done, I was just going to handsew the binding in the photo.

I'd love it if you popped over to my YouTube channel & subscribed to it & even liked some of my videos. Every like, every follower, every comment is like a great big hug! 

If you need more Crafty Inspo, then check out my shoppable lists here....

I utilise affiliate (aff) links throughout my blog as a way to help me keep crafting. If you click on an aff link, I receive a very small amount from it at NO cost to you. So please help me to keep CraftyRie up and running by clicking on my aff links! Many thanks, Rie

The oversized bird zipper pouch.

 

I found myself jealous of all the awesome oversized zipper pouches that I had made for the kids & their friends last year, so I had to make myself one.

When I saw this gorgeous bird fabric, I just knew it would be perfect for my own project bag. I even took the time to hand quilt around the birds.

Do you like it?  How would you have quilted it?

If you'd like to see more, then check out this: https://youtu.be/Zo9GQ2l8Wsk

I'd love it if you popped over to my YouTube channel & subscribed to it & even liked some of my videos. Every like, every follower, every comment is like a great big hug! 

If you need more Crafty Inspo, then check out my shoppable lists here....

I utilise affiliate (aff) links throughout my blog as a way to help me keep crafting. If you click on an aff link, I receive a very small amount from it at NO cost to you. So please help me to keep CraftyRie up and running by clicking on my aff links! Many thanks, Rie

An easy Laptop Case.

My son started high school this week and needed a laptop case, so I made a quick one using no pattern.

I made the case using Neoprene fabric (wetsuit fabric) and I wasn't prepared for sewing it! I had the wrong sewing needle, wrong tension, no space on the table and kids that needed feeding.  

I got there in the end and I think it looks awesome! The motif on the front of the case is a dragon that my son designed & drew onto felt for me, I then cut it out and hand stitched it to the case before folding the sides and sewing it up. I used a piece of velcro for the closure as I didn't want to scratch his new laptop!

For those not in Australia, our school system is like this:
~ school year starts in February as it's mid summer,
~ Primary school goes from Kindergarten to grade 6,
~ High school is grade 7 to (now) grade 12 &
~ the year the child turns 5yo is the year they start Kindy.

p.s. the dents in the below photo are from the clips that I used when I was thinking I'd hem the case but it turns out that the fabric doesn't need hemming! Time saver!

I'd love it if you popped over to my YouTube channel & subscribed to it & even liked some of my videos. Every like, every follower, every comment is like a great big hug! 

If you need more Crafty Inspo, then check out my shoppable lists here....

I utilise affiliate (aff) links throughout my blog as a way to help me keep crafting. If you click on an aff link, I receive a very small amount from it at NO cost to you. So please help me to keep CraftyRie up and running by clicking on my aff links! Many thanks, Rie

Sewing a coin purse / card holder / bus pass holder

 

I needed to sew/make/come up with a solution to hold a bus pass, coins & money (for buying the bus pass) that is easy to use, easy to hold and of course, looks good so it in fact gets used.

I came up with this one, I think it worked out well and more importantly, my son loves it. 

Come & watch me come up with the idea, from sketch to sewing to finished piece: check it all out here on my YouTube channel.

I still can't believe that my baby is just about to start high school!

I'd love it if you popped over to my YouTube channel & subscribed to it & even liked some of my videos. Every like, every follower, every comment is like a great big hug! 

If you need more Crafty Inspo, then check out my shoppable lists here....

I utilise affiliate (aff) links throughout my blog as a way to help me keep crafting. If you click on an aff link, I receive a very small amount from it at NO cost to you. So please help me to keep CraftyRie up and running by clicking on my aff links! Many thanks, Rie

The Cutest Pouch Ever!

 

These lamb pouchs are possibly the cutest things that I've ever sewn!

It's a great stash buster, as you can use smaller pieces for the ears, the 'fringe' and you could even use different fabrics for the front & back.

I filmed myself making it, if you wanted to see someone doing it..  maybe because you're keen on sewing some for gifts now too?  I think it would also even look cute as a bag, with a small D ring sewn to the top (at the end of the zips) and an adjustable strap to go over your body.

Youtube clip here: https://youtu.be/quBz-KQkaSc

Pattern here: https://tidd.ly/3PBrRU6

I'd totally appreciate your support if you popped over to my YouTube channel & possibly subscribe to my channel or even liked some of my videos.

If you need more Crafty Inspo, then check out my shoppable lists here....

I utilise affiliate (aff) links throughout my blog as a way to help me keep crafting. If you click on an aff link, I receive a very small amount from it at NO cost to you. So please help me to keep CraftyRie up and running by clicking on my aff links! Many thanks, Rie

Flora Supply Cases

I just finished sewing a couple of cute cases.  I've had the pattern for a while now but for some reason, I never made it. I actually have a stash of patterns that I've purchased and not used - I'm trying to make them all at least once otherwise I've just wasted my money! Do you have a similiar problem to me?

This is the small pouch and I wanted to try sewing hst (half square triangles). It was pretty fun, I used a template and just sewed along the dotted lines & cut where it instructed. Couldn't have been easier, don't know why I waited so long to do it!

This pouch, well, I wanted to try something completely different! I really wanted to try to do a 3d cover for the case and decided on a mini puff quilt. 

Honestly, I think it looks awesome! I know want to puff quilt everything! 

Grab the sewing pattern here: https://tidd.ly/3e3AVDU

You can try your hand at sewing hst's using either this template or any of these ones.

I'd totally appreciate your support if you popped over to my YouTube channel & possibly subscribe to my channel or even liked some of my videos.

If you need more Crafty Inspo, then check out my shoppable lists here....

I utilise affiliate (aff) links throughout my blog as a way to help me keep crafting. If you click on an aff link, I receive a very small amount from it at NO cost to you. So please help me to keep CraftyRie up and running by clicking on my aff links! Many thanks, Rie

Caterpillar Butterfly soft toy

Yesterday was the last day of our self isolation (after 2 months of iso), so I took the opportunity to make one last thing with/for the kids before they headed back to school. I printed out a pattern that I'd had for a while (& not used) and hit out fabric stash to make these cute butterfly/caterpillar toys.

They start as a caterpillar and then you can turn them inside to reveal the butterfly then back again to the caterpillar & so on.

We didn't use the fabric type recommended as it's not something that I normally have in my stash. I actually cut up an old pair of jeans to use for my caterpillar!

Do you think they're cute?

Also, didn't Joe do an excellent job on his (the blue butterfly), I did the sewing machine bit but he did everything else.

Whilst it is super cute and the kids love it, gosh, the pattern was frustrating.
The pattern pieces were easy to cut out BUT the designer had skipped the most common thing when it comes to patterns. For example, they did not add "cut 2" etc to each pattern piece. It was so frustrating, I don't know about you but I tend to refer to that actual pattern pieces when cutting (like with clothing or bags) but I had to keep going back to the actual written pattern to find out how many I needed to cut for each piece.
It would also have been helpful to find have a note on what other fabrics were recommended too.  And when it came to joining it all together (inserting the caterpillar to the butterfly) the designer relied on a photo with a vague description on what to do. Luckily, I have sewn many bags & pouches and know how to do this in a breeze but my son struggled with this part.

Pattern is this one. You can quilt whatever design you want onto the wings, I just went with simple. I also just used a piece of batting on the inside to give the wings some structure.

Click here, to check out my Amazon Page for some great crafty inspo and links to some great books to read.

I utilise affiliate links throughout my blog as a way to help me keep crafting. If you click on an aff link, I receive a very small amount from it at NO cost to you.   So please help me to keep CraftyRie up and running by clicking on my aff links! Many thanks, Rie

           

Fabric scrap patch bag

 

When your 5yo daughter is majorly jealous of her big brother when he uses his sewing machine, you need a fabric project for her to do.

I gave her all my fabric 'trash', the small bits that would normally get thrown in the bin. I also gave her a rectangle of backing fabric (it was a piece that had been in my cupboard for 20yrs!) and I also gave her a glue stick.

She happily glued all the pieces on until they looked 'pretty' and then she sat on my lap and we used the zigzag stitch to sew the pieces on.  We sewed long straight crooked lines until the majority was stitched down. We then switched to pretty coloured threads and used lots of stitches types to jazz it up.

I then trimmed, hemmed and made a quick tote bag and sewed them on as pockets.

I think the bag looks awesome as does all the shop assistants that see it!  Even Grandma was impressed and when she first saw it, she went home and immediately tried it and made herself heaps of blocks!

Go on try it too, it's heaps of fun!

If you want some more inspiration, then check out this class & this class as I watched them both and it kind of 'set me free' with quilty inspiration!

  

I utilise affiliate links throughout my blog as a way to help me keep crafting. If you click on an aff link, I receive a very small amount from it at NO cost to you. So please help me to keep CraftyRie up and running by clicking on my aff links! Many thanks, Rie

2 wallets for two kids!

Two super cute wallets, for my two super cute kids!

The pattern was easier than I thought it would be and I finished these two wallets in a weekend!  I actually could have finished them sooner but I was doing one sewing step at a time then I'd do something else etc.

I'd actually cut these out last year, ready to make them for Christmas but time got away from me. I gave them to kids and they love them!

Pattern was this one and it comes with a video tutorial so it really does make things easier for you!
The super hero masked animals fabric was from here and the unicorn fabric was from my stash.
Oh, I added a coat of Odicoat to the outside to help keep them clean.

I think I need to make myself one too ... hubby actually needs a new wallet but declined me making him one .. the spoilsport!!

I utilise affiliate links throughout my blog as a way to help me keep crafting. If you click on an aff link, I receive a very small amount from it at NO cost to you. So please help me to keep CraftyRie up and running by clicking on my aff links! Many thanks, Rie

Hootiful Owl Bag

Ain't this owl bag just the cutest thing ever?!!

I made it for Joe for his birthday ...yeah, he turns 9 in December but I'm actually (for once) trying to plan ahead! I just now he'll adore it!
I put belt tabs on the back of the bag instead of a handle/strap as I thought he'd like to attach it to his belt rather than wear it crossbody.

Pattern is the Hootiful Owl Bag by Sew Quirky. It was such an easy bag to sew, I made it in two days and that's in between housework, mum duties, school duties and of course sleep!
I used Cork fabric for the body, I'd never used it before and it was gorgeous to run thru my machine! I also raided my felt stash and found plenty of glitter felt to use, it was the perfect scrap buster for those smaller pieces of felt.

..have you made any Sew Quirky pattern yet?  
..have you worked with Cork fabric before?

   

I utilise affiliate links throughout my blog as a way to help me keep crafting. If you click on an aff link, I receive a very small amount from it at NO cost to you. So please help me to keep CraftyRie up and running by clicking on my aff links! Many thanks, Rie