Velveteen LouLou Thi Messenger Bag

Long time no see, right??

Our family made a cross country move last month and with packing up, moving, and buying our first home I've been busy, busy, busy! We made it to the Midwest and are finally settled in so I will be back to the swing of things now. Now that both of my kiddos are in school all day, I am dying to get sewing and creating again!

In the meantime, I thought I would share a little project that I finished a couple years ago but never  got around to sharing. 

Y'all know that I get kind of obsessed with bag patterns when I find one that I love. 
Perfect example of this: The Amy Butler Weekender Bag. 
If you've been reading and following my blog for the past few years, you will know that I have a deep love for the Oliver + S Messenger Bag too. Like "I've made 10 of them" kind of love. I love the small version, I love the large version... I just LOVE the pattern! 

You can find the pattern for this bag in the Oliver + S Little Things to Sew book. If you have little kiddos (or just want to make a messenger bag) I would recommend this book. There are quite a few projects featured in the book along with the messenger bag- I've made a handful of the projects and they are all really fun.

pattern: Oliver + S Messenger Bag (large version)

fabric: AMH Lou Lou Thi Velveteen (exterior + bag strap), AMH Lou Lou Thi Needlework cotton (interior), bias tape- brown and cream stripe from my stash.
I loved using the velveteen for this bag. It added an extra durability to the bag, as well as an extra softness.

After giving each of the messenger bags that I've made away as gifts, I think it's time that I whip up another and keep it for myself. ;)

Have a great week!
Happy sewing!
xoxo, Ashley

Seaside Oliver + S Messenger Bag

When it comes to darling fabric, Tasha Noel knocks it out of the park every time. Her newest line, Seaside, is no different. It just tugs at my nautical loving heart! I've been anticipating this collection since I saw it debut at quilt market! So, when Riley Blake asked me if I wanted to play with the collection and make something, I jumped at the chance.

If you've followed my blog for a while, you've probably noticed that I love to make bags.... and when I find a pattern that I like, I make it over and over again. I've made the Oliver + S Messenger Bag over 10 times now.  The pattern can be found in the Oliver + S Little Things to Sew book. I definitely recommend the book- even if its just for this pattern alone- but I've also made the Little Red Riding Hood and Tutu, and the Explorer Vest from the book as well.

I have two girls, so of course I had to make two bags. In the past, I made the small version of the pattern (for when they were 3 & 4 years old), so this time I opted to make the large size. One of the things I love most about this pattern is the gusseted pockets on the front of the bag when you lift the main flap up. Another unique thing is that the bag is edged in bias tape, so its just as cute as can be and very well constructed.

I used the Seaside Border print in Red for the exterior of the first bag. I love using panels for this pattern, because it really just gives the bag a custom look. I had planned to use one of the coordinating prints from the collection for the bias tape that edges the bag, but I had some navy floral from Tasha's previous collection A Little Sweetness, and I just couldn't resist from using the dainty floral to compliment the Seaside fabrics.

For the second bag, my oldest daughter wanted to have a little more say in the design of the bag. She picked out her favorite prints from the collection and asked for "patches" on the front of her bag. I used a quilt as you method (like I did for my weekender bags) for the main flap panel. She loved how it turned out and almost snatched the bag to use before I could snap a picture of it. (Big no no! ahhh... life of a blogger's kid. haha)

I think one of the cutest little details on the bags are the darling woven handmade tags on the strap of the bag that Tasha designed. I mean... come on! These little labels are just too cute to not sew them onto EVERYTHING I make now. ;)

PS- Be sure to hop over to my friend Amy's blog (Diary of a Quilter) and check out the darling Seaside Star Spangled Banner Quilt that she made.  I am so in love with anything Amy makes, and this patriotic + nautical beauty is just the cutest!

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo, Ashley

Patchwork Messenger Bag

When I find a sewing pattern that I really love, I tend to make it over and over. That is totally the case with the Oliver + S Messenger Bag pattern.

You can find the pattern in the darling book Oliver + S Little Things to Sew. I initially bought the book solely for this pattern, but after looking through the book I have plans to make a few things from it. It's a great book. When it comes to sewing patterns, I am only interested in patterns that are well thought out, easy to follow, and have a clean finish. I have never been disappointed with anything Oliver+S! Love it all. 

Call me crazy, but I have made this pattern 9 times. Yes... I just said NINE. 

Last summer I was on a quest to make all of my nieces and nephews "handmade birthday gifts" and this pattern was something I new would work across the board for everyone. 

I haven't posted all 9 bags yet, but you can find the ones I have posted here:

Thumbelina Bag 

Star Wars Bags

Heather Bailey Bags

I thought I would mix things up a little with this version of the bag and used a Posy mini charm pack I had on hand to make a patchwork flap for the bag. It turned out really great and was fun to do something a little different as far as the pattern is concerned. 

There are 3 more versions of the messenger bag that I have made and still need to blog about. It's fun to see how using diverse types and patterns of fabric can make the bag look completely different.  Stay tuned!

Happy Sewing!

xoxo, Ashley

Oliver + S Mini Messenger Bag

This week was Kids Clothes Week... A week to sew clothing for your kids. It's been a fun week for instagram- seeing all of the cute clothes that were created! I can't believe how talented some people are! 

Even though I had grand hopes and ideas for joining in, I guess you could say I kinda- pretty much- failed. No cute clothes were made in my home this week... but I did manage a cute accessory so it wasn't a total fail! ;)

Ever since I got the Oliver + S Little Things to Sew book I have been wanting to make the small messenger bag for each of my girls. (it's probably the main reason I bought to book)

I love Oliver + S patterns because they are written so well and the finished product is neat and professional looking. This pattern did not disappoint... I love the way it turned out and so did  the Little Miss! Score!

When I got this darling Thumbelina fabric a few months ago I didn't really have any idea what I would make with it, but I think this project perfectly showcased the print. 

I am head over heels for these birds, hedgehogs, flowers, and polka dots- and Thumbelina riding a bird with a parasol- it doesn't get much cuter than that!

I used Carnaby Street Rose Girl About Town for the interior of the bag, linen for the handle, and Marmalade Stripe in Leaf  for the bias trim. 

The fabric that I used for the outside of the bag was a pretty lightweight linen and the interior of the bag was quilting cotton so I ended up making a slight change to the pattern- I used duck cloth in between the two layers to make it a little more heavy duty. (I just used the duck cloth for the main bag flap, the side panels of  and the front panel- so I didn't used it on any of the pockets or pocket flaps- the end result wasn't too bulky or heavy- just the right weight.)

This little messenger bag is the perfect size for my tiny 4 year old- big enough to carry her stuff but not too big to overpower her.

Now the other Little Miss is requesting her very own bag as well... Guess it's off the the sewing machine for me- but who's complaining! I love it when they request I make them something! :)

Have a great weekend! xoxo, Ashley

Heather Bailey Messenger Bag

Happy New Years everyone! I hope you all had a happy holiday season!! I spent the last 6 weeks with family in Utah... It was a total blast!

I am home now and just trying to get back into my groove! It's been about 2 months since I touched my sewing machine and I am just itching to get working on a project!! In the meantime I thought I would share some projects that I never got around to sharing last year... Some messenger bags I made for my nieces and nephews.

When I made my first Oliver + S Messenger bag I fell in love with the pattern. I found the patter in the Oliver + S Little Things to Sew book. It is done so well and I just love making it. (I think I could make it in my sleep after making it 9 times now! ha ha)

  This is the version that I made for two of my nieces. The small version of the pattern works great for toddlers and the large version of the pattern works great for bigger kids.

Check back for the other versions I made of this bag... I will share them later this week! 

Happy Sewing! 

xoxo, Ashley

Little Red Riding Hood Bag

Hey guys! Can you believe that it's November?? I can't believe how fast time goes sometimes. October was a crazy month for me. I got super sick which lead to an unexpected surgery... Nothing serious, just had to have my tonsils out, but as a result I've been kinda scarce here on the blog for a little while. I'm almost all the way healed up and feeling soooo much better now. Thank goodness! 

I haven't really been sewing too much on my machine since we moved into our new house. I've mostly been getting things settled. I did do a really fun project a couple weeks ago, but its top secret for now. (Don't you hate when people do that?? Me too! Sorry! :) 

I have been working on my La Passacaglia quilt in my down time though. If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen my progress. (#mbdcbnpassacaglia) This project brings me so much joy. I love coming up with fabric combinations for the cogs and rosettes and then piecing them all together. So much fun!!  

I'm sooo ready to get back to my machine now that I am feeling better though! I can not wait!

Until then, I thought I would share yet another Oliver + S Messenger bag that I made a couple years ago but never shared. It has to be my very favorite! I made it for my daughter and it is very beloved. She uses it all the time...

You can find the pattern in the Oliver + S Little Things to Sew book. 

I made the smaller version, which is perfect as a little dolly diaper bag for her to play with, or to carry small books and odds and ends in. 

I used one of my favorite fabric panels by Tasha Noel for her Little Red fabric line. It worked perfect for this bag. I added some mini pom pom detail along the top of the bag and used some Bonnie + Camille for the bias tape and strap. I just love the way it came together. So sweet. 

I hope that y'all are having a wonderful day! Check back here soon for some fun Christmas projects that I have up my sleeve. 

Happy Sewing! 

xoxo, Ashley

Carnaby Street Messenger Bag

Pattern: Messenger Bag from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew

I've literally had this post sitting in my "draft" folder for ages. I made this bag for my niece over 4 years ago and she still uses it to this day. She's now a senior in high school, and it makes me smile when I see her carrying it around. I'm not sure why I have never hit the publish button on this post- probably just that I have made over 9 of these bags now and figure "enough is enough" (haha), but it's a cute bag, so I figured it was worth sharing. 

I can't say enough, how much I love this pattern. It's very well written and after several years of putting the bag to use I can say that it holds up great and is very versatile. 

TIP: I follow the suggestion in the pattern and used a layer of duck cloth between the interior and exterior fabric since I was using quilting cotton and it worked great. Iv'e done this for each of the bags I've made and the only one that had issues was the bag that I put through the washing machine. The duck cloth shrank considerably more than the quilting cotton and resulted in the exterior of the bag looking loose/baggy. SO... if you are going to wash your bag in a machine instead of just spot cleaning it, I would recommend pre-washing your duck cloth and probably your quilting cotton too. 

I've been doing quite a bit of hand sewing lately. I've been working on my Kingfisher Stitch Along Quilt. I have close to 20 hexie flowers made so far, so I'm almost halfway. For my Grandmother's Flower garden quilt I used 1.5" hexies, so these 1" hexies seem to stitch up quick! I'm really excited to get them all finished and start arranging them on the background fabrics and piece the quilt together. This free pattern by Tales of Cloth and Stitched in Color is a great mix of EPP and machine piecing so if you are wanting a project with a bit of both, it's a good one!

What projects are y'all sewing??

Star Wars Messenger Bags

Since I don't have any boys (yet), I rarely sew with "boy" fabric. Last summer I wanted to make something that would be "cool" enough for my 2 darling nephews to use. Since I was making all of my nieces Oliver + S Messenger Bags, I thought I would make some for my nephews too.

 They are lovers of all things Star Wars... So I went in search of the "coolest" Star Wars fabric I could find. For my oldest nephew, I wanted to get something that wasn't too over the top... He just turned 12 and I wanted something that had the Star Wars vibe but was a little more grown up looking. I came across this fabric. I loved it!

 He is also learning to play the guitar so I knew that some Michael Miller Groovy Guitar fabric was in order for the lining. I trimmed it all in a light grey solid and used some Michael Miller Huevos Dot in Stone for the strap. I really love the way it turned out!

For my youngest nephew I went with a fabric that definitely screamed Star Wars. I found this fabric at Joann's. I loved that it was navy (my favorite color). Even though it is definitely a Star Wars looking fabric, I felt like it was a bit classier since it was only navy and white (instead of a bunch of bright colors like most other Star Wars fabrics are).

 I lined the bag with Riley Blake Medium Chevron in Navy. Then I trimmed in a solid navy and used the navy for the strap too.

I really like how this one turned out. It was a lot of fun working with some boy fabric for a change! :)

Happy Sewing!!

xoxo, Ashley