It's her official debut, so be kind, please

The sewing project I mentioned in my last post? It is done! Finished. Finito! I wasn't able to finish it before church on Sunday morning but I made a lot of head-way and got it done late that evening. Late, as in, 1:00 Monday morning! And I had to work, so I was going on 4 hours of sleep! It was so worth it, though! I have lots of pictures to illustrate the process (well, some of it. I got impatient) so lets get to it.

I found an entire yard of zebra print suede-like fabric in the remnant section of Hobby Lobby awhile back. At the time, I had no idea what I would make with it, but I was 900% positive I could find a use for it at some point. This fabric was just too fabulous to pass up! Scrumptious, even!

Then, at JoAnn Fabrics (I'm sorry Hobby Lobby. I'm not cheating on you, I swear! You'll always be my first love!) I picked up several fat quarters in various blue patterns. Once I brought these new pretties home, it hit me! A purse! I shall make a zebra purse with blue lining! And I'll use the fusible fleece that was supposed to be used for our stockings last year as the interfacing! And I'll put a zippered pocket in the lining even though I've never even looked twice at a zipper that wasn't already sewn in something! Oh, and I'll put one of those magnetic clasps in there too! Oh boy, I can't wait to get started on this purse!

Yeah, excitement & enthusiasm will only get you so far, ladies. Once I came down off my creative high, I realized I had no idea how to put in a zippered pocket, a magnetic clasp, or interfacing! Therefore, I commenced to researching the process. I typed in "how do I sew a zippered pocket in the lining of a purse?" (not joking) into Google and this is what I found. Autum, from Creative Little Daisy, has several amazing tutorials.  It was exactly what I was looking for, and even had pictures!! Yay! I am such a visual learner. You can try to tell me what to do all day long and all you'll get is a blank look with an occasional nod. But, you give me a picture, and watch out! Sista's goin' to town!!

I started out by using the measurements from one of my favorite purses to make a pattern. I just rolled out some parchment paper and used the measurements on my cutting mat as a guide. I wanted a not-quite-rectangular shape so the bottom is 18" wide, the top is 16" wide, and it's 12" tall. I like 'em big, y'all.

Then, I ironed my fat quarters and pinned the pattern in place.

I cut it out and voila! The lining is born!

I did the same with the outer fabric. I get excited all over again just looking at it!

Next, I laid my pieces onto the fusible fleece and cut it out. I had to be careful because that stuff can shimmy around on you even when it's pinned! I fused the fleece to the fabric, which was kind of frustrating, because you can't have the iron too hot or it will melt your fabric. And you can't let the iron touch the fusing medium cause your iron will become gross and sticky and have to be washed with soap 500 times. And you have to go slow and count to 10 another 500 times while pressing really hard with the iron or it won't stick to the fabric. Yes, experience is the best teacher.

Once all the pieces were fused, I cut a 1.5" square out of the bottom corners of the lining & outer fabric. This is to make a gusset, which will help the purse stand up on its own. I cut out a 9"x14" rectangle from a contrasting blue fabric for the zippered pocket. I'm not going to go into all the details because I only took a few pics of the process. If you want to see exactly what I did, and I mean exactly, then go check out Autum's tutorial.

Here's a closer look at the 0.5"x7" rectangle I drew for the zipper opening. You may have to click on it to get a good gander.

The zipper opening all sewn and pressed. Isn't it purty?

 

The zipper in its place. Autum said to use fusible tape to hold the zipper in place while sewing, and I do believe that's the best tip I've ever gotten! That stuff rocks!

And...the pocket open. See the little polka-dots? Gotta love 'em!

Okay, so this is where I got impatient and just wanted to get it done. I don't have step-by-step pics anymore so you'll just have to settle for the end product. I'm sorta glad, though, because if you could see what the top seam looks like on the inside, you would be scared. Let's just say a zig-zag stitch combined with about 3 inches of fabric and a needle on its last legs makes for a less-than-tidy look. Good thing all is well on the outside! Ha!

I needed pockets on the inside for my cell phone and card wallet, so I whipped one up out of the same polka-dot fabric and used a little Pellon Craft Fuse to give it some oomph. Oh, and see the magnetic clasp? Super easy. I just followed the instructions on the package!

All my stuff. This is stream-lined, mind you.

The straps. Those little tabs connecting the D-rings to the straps were, oh, how should I put this? A pain in the patooty! But only because I'm a genius and didn't exactly follow the directions. And, I didn't realize I didn't follow the directions until all four of them were done. I tried to fix one but only made it worse. Thankfully, you can't tell I had technical difficulties. Can you?

The finished bag. Oh, how I heart her.

That little silver button is actually the center of the black velvet bow. See?

**Never mind all my clutter. I can't make stuff and be tidy at the same time.**

Maybe this is better? I really hope you can see it. I know it's hard since it's such dark ribbon. But did I mention it's velvet? Fabulous, I tell you!

Okay, now where can I go today so I can wear my sweet little purse on my arm? And what should I wear so we'll coordinate? Hmm, I'm gonna go peruse my closet. And I think Hobby Lobby is having a sale on some stuff I need *ahem, want*. Y'all have a great day, now!