I made this set for my mom last year. I had this half yard of (what I believe to be a Kaufmann) fabric that was begging to be used. The classic bird print combined beautifully with the more modern circle pattern I also had, the colors are a perfect match.
The set consists of a large zippered tote with handles, attached with steel rings There’s also an eyeglasses pouch, a keyfob and a passport wallet.
For the bag I used fusible fleece as interfacing and lined it with the circle fabric. The keyfob is made of the same webbing used in the handbag, and has a strip of the circle fabric sewn on top.
I am not sure of the name or designer of this fabric, I bought it on a clearance sale. The fabric is “Whispering Woods Songbirds”
By far the most difficult item to sew was the wallet. It had two slots for credit cards, one clear pocket for ID, one pocket for money, one for coins (closes with snap button), one for plane tickets and one for her passport. There was an elastic ring to hold a pen that had been covered inside the clear tube with the ring fabric. It looks as if the pen is printed with the pattern. I used heavy interfacing to keep it very stiff, like a wallet should be. It closes with a magnetic snap.
On the outside the wallet is covered with the bird fabric.
The eyeglasses pouch closed with an elastic loop and a button covered in the circle fabric. I used extra thick fleece interfacing to make it “fluffy” enough to keep the glasses from harm.
All of the items had my mom’s name embroidered on them. She really liked it, I am glad to say. A vast improvement from the days of macaroni art and hand-painted flowerpots.
Aunt Clara
This is my first time visit at here and i am truly happy to read everthing
at one place.
Absolutely beautiful! What a nice gift!
hanks A*!Elizabeth, I did not use a pattern. I am like Pollock with scissors. I just make it up as I go along. I am thinking of making a pattern and sharing it here, but it is a big undertaking, seeing as I am not good at the whole pattern-making thing. For the wallet I found inspiration in a Flickr poster that does similar wallets for a living, but I changed a lot of her design, and didn't use a pattern. This is hers: http://www.flickr.com/photos/glassbeach/2549057534/
What pattern did you use? It's awesome!
This set is really beautiful, you have put so much thought into each item, I especially love the travel wallet, and the matching pen! Fabulous! (Lucky Mom!)
Thanks glor, Dee, Kim and Tara for the lovely comments. It took me a couple of days (about 4 hours) to finish it, but it was well-worth it.
What a great gift. I am sure she loved it! I bet she even liked the "macaroni art and hand-painted flowerpots". Thanks for sharing your talent.
What a terrific idea and it looks gorgeous!Thanks for linking up with Sugar & Spice.
wow! looks great and i'll bet it took some time to make.
What a beautiful gift. And made so well. Your mom had to love this.
What a lovely gift! And you put so much thought into all the extra little pieces. It's so pretty. I love it. 🙂
Thanks Cheryl. I have been a customer of Fabric.com for so long that it was fair they started sending some money my way. :)Is there any one that ever thinks "Alright, my fabric stash is complete. No more buying"? I doubt it.
This is really impressive. I just love the wallet design and both the fabrics. I keep saying I need to use up my fabric stash, but maybe I need to look at Fabric.com since they're doing a lot of sales now….hehe. Thanks for linking to Craftastic Monday!
Thanks so much Abby.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment over at Crafty Nest – so pleased you liked my table. I'm really glad I found your blog – this travelling kit is fantastic! I love that fabric. Your Mom is so lucky!Abby