Brandt's Boulevard Sew Along - Step 6 - Put it all together!

This is where the real magic happens!  Now that you have inside finished, it's time to get this wallet DONE!

My finished wallet!

Brandt's Boulevard Sew Along - Step 5 - Inside!

Now that you've taken time to admire your finished exterior, time to get started on the hardest part!

My nearly finished inside, when you finish this step,that will be all sewn together!

Brandt's Boulevard Sew Along, Step 4 - Outside!

For the next part of the sew along we will be working on the outside.  When sewing the wrap around strap part, I like to mark my seam allowances on the pointy end to make sure it's nice and even.  I won't say how many times I've had to 'fix' my sewing when I got a little wild and wasn't paying attention, but it was enough times that I now mark it every time!

hey, my sewing is even mostly straight!

Brandt's Boulevard Sew Along - Steps 1, 2 and 3!

It's time again for another sew along, and this time it's going to be the Brandt's Boulevard from ChrisW Designs!  I know we've done this a few times before, but it's a GREAT pattern and a quick sew (compared to say, the Penny Inn...) I hope you will join in if you've never done it, or if you'd done a million of them!

Last one I finished

Factotum Sew Along - Pocket and Flap

I apologize for the stretching out of this sew along! The good news is that Amanda finally finished hers and has all the videos now available in the group!

My factotum front piece, ready to go!

Factotum Sew Along - Straps and tabs

So I'm still behind...by a lot...but if you are trying to do a million things at the same time like I always am, it's no surprise!

I had to take a break and clean off my ironing board just so I could get to this stage!

WIP Wednesday - Don't Try This at Home

I mean, unless you want to...

I couldn't resist fussy cutting the unicorns to get more characters!

Factotum Sew Along Update

How is everyone doing on the sew along? We are almost caught up to the schedule, so the next video will be for the front pocket and flap (Maybe today, maybe in a week...)!  The straps video is up, if you need that! 

Still need to cut the lining and ALL the interfacing...

Factotum Sew Along - Cutting, Interfacing and Straps!

I'm not sure why I thought I'd have time to get ahead on this sew along...I'm still barely cutting my pieces!! The good news is that Amanda is already almost done cutting, so she'll be finishing that up much sooner than I will!

For cutting, I really love my giant quilting square.  I bought the 20.5"x20.5" square on amazon for my reading pillows, but it is amazing for the bigger tote bags that don't have paper pieces.  You could always tape some paper together and make a pattern piece, but I find that the ruler is much faster unless I'm planning on making a production run of something.

The straps will be a quick(ish) prep and sew, so if you are ready for that step, feel free to power on through!

Don't forget to join the sew along group (and the main group!)  And there are going to be some awesome prizes in the main group for the 10k member celebration!

Sew Along - Factotum Plan!

UPDATED!  This bag is taking us longer than we estimated!!

Here's the tentative itinerary for the sew along, and the good news is that if you can't sew along on that day, the videos will be up in the group!  Or if you want to work ahead without the videos, feel free!  We'll be doing the Factotum from ChrisW designs, an amazing pattern that will impress everyone that sees it!  It looks complex, but we'll be there to hold your hand through the Sew Along!

Sew Along! - Factotum by ChrisW Designs - Prep Work

It's been a while since the last sew along!  For this one we'll be doing the Factotum by ChrisW Designs.  It was originally released last year in the Bag of the Month club, but now you can purchase it individually HERE.

Brandt's Boulevard - Flash Sew Along!

This is a speedy sew along, with a quick pattern!  We'll leave it open through the weekend so everyone that wants to can have a chance to join!  You'll need to be a member of the ChrisW Designs group on Facebook and then respond as "going" to the Event, plus sew along to be eligible for the prizes!  Make sure you join, Amanda has graciously offered to do some live videos of the wallet!

The Brandt's Boulevard is one of the Easy Street Patterns, and I've done sew alongs for it before, but it's a great pattern and I get orders for it all the time!  I finally broke down and made a template for the strap piece with my dollar store cutting board, but it keeps wandering off...the template is great because I can audition my cuts before I actually make them to see what will be covered by the tongue lock!  Since I can't find my template (maybe need to clean the sewing room...eventually), I made a new one and I can show you the steps!

Template piece, auditioning my placement!

WIP Wednesday - Procraftination, My Old Friend

I'm actually fully booked for project for this month, but that doesn't seem to stop me from trying to take on more!  I am trying to do better at giving myself time to finish orders and stay within deadlines, but then fun things come up and say "Make ME!" and my procraftination comes out full force!  The keychains are still so much fun to make, but now I need to get back to my other orders!

I never get tired of looking at this fabric!

Fiona's Freeway - Stage 3

Hopefully you are on track and ready to go for the rest of the Fiona's Freeway!  Tonight Amanda will be doing the final video for the sew along, so be sure to tune in! If you can't watch live, they are available in the main group to watch at any time!  We're trying to figure out how to get them on YouTube or something like that, but are a bit video challenged...

Amanda's in-progress Fiona!  Can't wait to see it all together!

Fiona's Freeway Sew Along - Stage 2

Hopefully by now you have your pieces cut out and are ready to jump in!  If not, what are you waiting for?  You can work at your own pace, but if you finish by the end of the sew along, you can enter to win a free pattern!  Every finished Fiona is an entry!

If you use directional fabric, make sure it's going the 'right' direction!  Owls will be the inside

WIP Wednesday - Fiona's Freeway Sew Along and More!

I'm trying to get everything caught up so I can focus on the sew along, but so far that means a lot of mostly finished projects are now everywhere in my craft studio...I just need a few more hours of time to dedicate to finishing everything!  (or days.  Or weeks....)  I can't wait to cross them all off next week!  Something about crossing stuff off my list fills me with joy.  So much joy.

Test purse - I am totally in love with this one, but I don't NEED another purse....

Sew Along Time! - Fiona's Freeway by ChrisW Designs

It's time once again for a fun sew along!  This is going to be a fast one, only 2 weeks, but we are doing one of the Easy Street patterns, so it shouldn't take you too long (famous last words...) and we are here to guide you along!  As a bonus, there will also be a video guide done by Amanda to help you get through any tricky spots!
 

I decided to try printing the pattern in booklet form, as long as you have good eyesight, it's perfect!  Just print the pattern pieces in FULL size!

WIP/UFO Wednesday - Kick It Into Overdrive!

I was feeling like I had room to breathe again, so obviously that's a sign I need to take on a million more projects! Someday I'll finish building the shelves for my sewing room and get it totally set up, but for now I'd rather navigate the obstacle course and sew instead!

Fun fabric for the Ellen's Esplanade lining - opening a purse to this would make me happy!

Next Sew Along!! Fiona's Freeway by ChrisW Designs

It's time for another sew along, this time we'll be doing the Fiona's Freeway by ChrisW designs.  This is the latest in her Easy Street Sew and Sell line, so it should be a relatively quick and stylish sew!

Magical Coffee - Ellen's' Esplanade Sew Along

The Ellen's Esplanade Sew along is finished, and so is my purse!  I hope everyone had fun sewing along, (or living vicariously through my sewing journey) and I have seen quite a few amazing purses in the group!  Thanks to everyone that joined in, and keep posting your finished pictures on instagram and in the FaceBook group!

I totally love this fabric!