Penny Inn Sew Along - Week 3 continued! (and a quick zipper tape tutorial)

I apologize to anyone that likes to work at a nice steady pace, I seem to start out like that, have great plans, procrastinate (or take on more than I should), then do a mad rush to finish stuff in time.  Since it's almost mad rush time, we need to use the rest of this week to get a little further along!


Step 12 - More card pockets!

Did I mention that this wallet has a million card slots?  Ok, not quite that many, but it's a LOT.  Now that you are an expert from making the first set of card slots, time to make more!  And just to make sure you are an expert, you're going to do the same exact set of card slots twice, one with a back and one without!

Step 13 - Zipper Pockets!

It's very important to have the top marked correctly on this piece, otherwise you're going to end up with some odd pockets!  If you are using zipper tape instead of the pre-made zippers, you can cut it to the exact length needed, but make sure your pull is on first.  I seem to always end up with one end shorter when I add on a zipper pull, so I started putting them on before I do the final cut for size.

Step 14 - Two more zipper pockets!

Maybe it's time to buy stock in a zipper company!

If you are interested in using zipper tape, here's a quick picture guide of how to get the slider on!  There are tons of videos, so be sure to look for those if you need more help.

Step 1 - Get out your roll of tape, and a zipper slider.  Find the end.

Keep an eye on your zipper pulls, they like to wander off.

Boronia Bowler - Mine, ALL MINE! (Plus an extra pockets guide)

As soon as I saw the Boronia Bowler pattern by Blue Calla, I knew I wanted to make it right away!  Unfortunately I had other things ahead of it on the list, but I decided to skip the line for my birthday sewing last month!  It is a good sized bag, with tons of room inside and a stylish shape!  Of course I had to go a little crazy and add in extra pockets, but even that wasn't too hard.  I planned on making a 'test' one first, but then I decided to live on the edge and just go for it with my hoarded fabric.  I love Tula Pink sea prints, so when they reprinted the Octogarden, I jumped and bought my first full bolt of fabric.  Sometimes I pet it when no one is looking.  Or when they are looking, and then I get odd looks...until they pet it and feel how silky it is!

My favorite colors!

Harry Potter Concealed Carry Rosie by Swoon

I'm still not 100% sure how I got into making concealed carry purses, but as long as I get to use fun fabrics, I don't mind!

Here's another one I just finished, based on the Rosie purse by Swoon. (this might be an affiliated link, if I did it right...)  This is much smaller than the others I have made, so I was worried a gun wouldn't fit in, but it does, as long as it's a small gun!

Brandt's Boulevard Wallet - With a Stripe Tutorial!

I really do love the Brandt's Boulevard Wallet by ChrisW Designs, it's so fast but the finish is very professional!  I had a request to make a special one for a co-worker's new wife and I jumped at the chance to make it again!  He wanted it to be super special since it was their first Christmas as a married couple, and even asked for their names to be embroidered together inside. (Awww!)

Harry Potter Spell Concealed Carry Purse - Modified Laney By Swoon

Time for another concealed carry purse!  This one is a little smaller than the last one, and a totally different shape!  Based on the free Laney pattern by Swoon, I had to make some major modifications to get a zippered pocket in, plus there are more pockets inside and outside and a magnetic snap closure.

Front View

Mermaid Tails For EVERYONE! Plus an Open Back Tutorial!

The most useful tutorial I found this winter was the FREE Made for Mermaids mermaid tail pattern/tutorial.  It is seriously a fast sew, and turns out super cute!  The pattern includes sizes for small and large child sized, but if you leave the tail open, and do the band so it folds up, it will fit even small adults!  I ended up making 7 total, 1 doll, 2 child, 2 small adult, and 2 adult with open backs. 

My first attempt - I did the doll sized one so I could make sure I understood the pattern!

Ramona Hipster by Swoon, and a Zipper Pocket Tutorial!

I really like purses that have 'purse-onality' (did you see what I did there?) so when I saw the preview for the new pattern Swoon was releasing, I was excited to try it out.  The pattern is called Ramona, and it's a very basic purse with a cute look.  The best part is that it is a free pattern! (More money for fabric, yay!)  The pattern doesn't have any outside pockets and only one inside pocket, but it does have a zippered top.  Well, obviously that's not enough of a challenge (or enough pockets!) so I had to change it up!

Crayon Rolls - a tutorial

There are millions of crayon roll tutorials on the Internet (well, maybe only half a million).  I’ve read several of them and come up with my own version that combined features I liked.  I seem to make them just infrequently enough that I have don’t have the measurements and assembly order always at the front of my brain, so I figured I should write it down somewhere.    I like to use a ½” seam allowance, I feel it is a little sturdier and more forgiving than the ¼” I see on several tutorials.

Another Necessary Clutch plus mini tutorial for installing a swing lock!

I had a request to make another NCW and had the idea of trying to take notes on how I installed the swing lock since it's not exactly the same as the other ones that Emmaline Bags has on her blog (Emmaline Bag Latch installation)  And I also had to make one for myself since I finally caught up on Christmas presents!

 First, the Pirate Loot Clutch for me: