Giveaway Day - Pink Sand Beach Designs and Hoffman California Fabrics

SewMamaSew is hosting another Giveaway Day today and SewCalGal is happy to be able to participate.  You may be visiting my blog for the first time, or coming back by way of the linky party of giveaways on SewMamaSew.  Either way, Welcome.

I'm currently hosting weekly #CreativeGoodness Linky parties for bloggers and non-bloggers to share and inspire all sorts of creativity, relative to the theme of the week.  And, they'll periodically be prizes for participants.  Of course I also host quite a few sponsored giveaways for followers and some for non-followers, throughout the year.  And next year, I'll be hosting the 2015 Free-Motion Quilting Challenge, with a new challenge released on the lst of each month.  I'll be sharing insights about this challenge the end of the month and I hope it will be fun for those new to free-motion quilting, as well as those with expertise in FMQ.

While some that participate in the SewMamaSew Giveaway Day will offer a handmade prize, the purse I'm making isn't quite ready to share.  But I came up with a close 2nd to a finished handmade purse as a prize.

 I thought this would be a great opportunity to give a shout out to a wonderful design house, Pink Sand Beach Designs.  They have a large collection of beautiful bags and totes, with easy to follow instructions.

As I'm currently  making the Bermuda Bag, with Hoffman Batiks.  This versatile bag design looks great in a variety of fabrics, but it is designed to utilize 2 1/2" strips.

With 7 different 2 1/2" strips, interfacing, notions, zipper and some complimentary fabric for the outside and inside, you can create a stunning bag uniquely yours.

You may want to use Indigo Blue Batiks.

Or bright batiks.

Maybe browns and black batiks.

Soothing greens and blue batiks.

Cheerful batiks, or any fabric colors and prints that catch your interest.

The Bermuda Bag is a fun and fast bag that looks great in an endless variety of fabric combinations.

Did I Mention A Giveaway ?

SewCalGal has purchased an extra copy of the Bermuda Bag pattern to share with one lucky winner. I will also provide the winner with  7 - 2 1/2" strips of Hoffman Batiks, cut from my personal stash, in the winner's choice of the following color palettes:

- Green, Blue, Purple, Pink (close to the fabrics shown on the pattern cover)

- Green, Blue, Purple

- Blue, Purple

- Pinks, Browns

- Browns, Blacks

This giveaway is open to anyone world-wide.  Simply leave a comment on this post, telling me which color bundle of 7 - 2 1/2" strips of Hoffman Batiks you would like to use to make this bag.  I will randomly select a winner on December 12th and I'll notify them by email, as well as update this post to announce the lucky winner.

Check out my page labeled "Giveaways and Contests" to learn more about various opportunities to win prizes.

You can find Pink Sand Beach Designs at:

http://www.pinksandbeachdesigns.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pinksandbeachdesignsbags
https://twitter.com/Pink_Sand_Beach

You can find Hoffman at:

http://www.hoffmanfabrics.com/
https://www.facebook.com/HoffmanCaliforniaFabrics
https://twitter.com/HoffmanFabrics

Big City Bags, by Sara Lawson

Have you had a chance to check out Big-City Bags in your local quilt shop yet?  This book was written by the very talented Sarah Lawson and published by Martingale.  SewCalGal views this is a "must have" book for anyone that enjoys making bags.  It is also an excellent book for anyone interested in making their first bag, improving their bag making skills, as well as for those sewing enthusiasts that have experience but want to make some super sophisticated bags.

Handmade bags always stand out and capture the spirit of the creator.  And they make a fantastic gift.  Speaking of which, the holidays are coming up and wouldn't a beautiful handmade bag make for a perfect gift?  Actually, any time of the year a handmade bag would make a great gift.   

There are designs in this book to make bags that are perfect for getaway trips, as well as carrying supplies to a quilting workshop.

There are bag designs that perfect for just about anything from a day of shopping to a night out on the town.

And Sara does a fantastic job providing instructions, with great visuals on how you too can make a bag that looks professional and will be durable.  You'll learn her techniques for installing zippers, magnetic snaps, creating adjustable straps, as well as how to select the right interfacing, stabilizer, or batting for any project.

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Think about how much fun you could have having a girlfriend's sewing party to make bags from this book?  Of course then you'd want to go out to lunch, some quilt store shopping, or a quilt show so you could all show off your beautiful handmade bags!

Or maybe you want to make a special gift for a new mom.  There is a cute pattern for a baby tote, but I think this design would also work well for using fabrics to make a tote for adults too!

And don't forget when you make a bag for a gift, to stick a lucky penny inside of it!

There are 12 new designer-style patterns for bags and purses, which alternative colorways provide additional inspiration, included in this book, making this book an exceptional value.

If you have made a bag using a design in this book, SewCalGal would love to see a photo of it.  And, if you have not yet checked out this book, I hope you get a chance to very soon. You should be able to find it at your local quilt shop, or favorite online shop.  If not, just let them know you are interested in having them make it available in their store.  Of course, you can also check it out online in Martingale's shop or on Amazon.

Sara also created a Youtube video to share some tips on interfacing:


If you have problems watching this embedded video, or you are using a mac, here is a link to watch this video directly in Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjcJiy9RFCI

While these bag designs look stunning  in various fabric prints and colors, SewCalGal also thinks that for those that enjoy free-motion quilting you could also use these designs to create stunning bags that would show off your FMQ!

What fabrics would you use to make a bag with this book?  Fall Fabrics ? Halloween Fabrics?  Christmas Fabrics, Bold Fabrics? Or ????

You can find Sara at:

Sew Sweetness:   www.sewsweetness.com

You can find Martingale at:

http://www.shopmartingale.com/

http://blog.shopmartingale.com/

https://www.facebook.com/shopmartingale

https://twitter.com/ShopMartingale

https://www.youtube.com/user/martingaleandcompany

The Professional Tote pattern, by Creative Thimble

The Professional Tote pattern, by Creative Thimble is an excellent design.  It creates a tote that has approximate measurements of 18"Wide X 15" Tall X 5" Deep, with a variety of zippered and non-zippered pockets.  This large tote bag works well traveling, as it is designed to easily hang on roll-able luggage, making this bag perfect for many travel situations, and other uses, such as that four letter word "work".

I've seen classes, at various quilt shops, with this design and I decided to sign up and take a class with Jan Hayman, at Cozy Quilt Shop.  Jan had made this design many times, and had many tips to share.

It was a fun class and I enjoyed seeing a variety of fabric prints and colors used to create this tote.  And everyone's tote turned out beautifully.

I used some nautical fabrics, from my stash.

And I had fun finishing it at the Mogle Mountain Quilt Retreat in Truckee (near Tahoe), California this past week.

The Professional Tote is a very durable tote, which uses Decor Bond.  This was my first time to work with Decor Bond and I really liked using it and how it gives this tote a durable feel with sufficient body to stand on its' own.  I'm already looking forward to making more of these totes and giving some away for Christmas gifts. 

The pattern contains detailed instructions with good visuals.  There are many pieces, but the pattern contains tags to mark each piece and respective stablizer.  If you are new to making bags and not able to find a class, you may want to recruit a friend and the two of you make The Professional Tote together.  And you'll have more fun  making this beautiful tote together!

http://www.thecreativethimble.com/

Potato Chip Bag, by Paula Hughes

When I first heard about the "Potato Chip Bag", I wondered why anyone would want to make a bag to carry their potato chips.  Of course, I had to research to find out more.  A local store sold out of these patterns so quickly, it was like providing a bowl of potato chips to a group of hungry kids. Thus, I want to clarify that SewCalGal has not actually had an opportunity to make a Potato Chip Bag, nor read the pattern, but I'm passing on insights on what I think is a cute pattern that I think others would enjoy making for themselves, as well as for gifts.  And I wanted to share my insights on this bag and the designer, Paula Hughes.  And, this bag isn't designed to carry bags of potato chips, although it might just work!

When Paula  first designed the bag, she made several different colors to match her various outfits. Upon seeing a number of Paula's bags, customers at the Quilt Country  shop joked that she couldn’t make just one. Paula replied , “ Yeah, it’s just like the famous potato chips - you can’t eat just one; I couldn’t make just one.” Hence, the potato chip bag was named. Coincidentally, the purse is just large enough to hold a small bag of potato chips.

Paula shared that the most surprising thing about this bag is just how much it actually carries! Her friends and family are always amazed when she turns her bag upside down and tons of stuff pours out. Those four pockets really help keep it all organized!

This cute pattern, and several other new patterns by Paula Hughes, will be at Quilt Market in the Quilt Country booth.  Wholesalers can also order through Quilt Country, Checker or United Notions Wholesale Distributors.

Other patterns Paula has designed are:

• Paula’s Purse – A tote-bag with lots of pockets
• Charming Table Setting – A table runner and placemat set
• Friendship Paths - 3 quilt sizes and a table runner featuring the friendship star design
• Conundrum - 3 quilt sizes with easy piecing, but a complicated-looking design
• Over and Under - 3 quilt sizes with a simple, woven-look design

Paula also have 3 new patterns coming out - just in time for Quilt Market!

• Metro Bag- Similar to the Potato Chip Bag and a little larger, this customizable bag offers 3 different flap styles and encourages a place for personal creativity, or a place to try a new sewing technique. It’s large enough for an eReader. 

• Mini Messenger Bag - Similar in style to the Potato Chip Bag, but this bag is large enough to hold a NetBook, iPad or eReader. It also has a small accent strip for added style. 

• eCovers- This is a diagonally-stripped or simply-quilted fabric cover to fit over your eReader, iPad, or Netbook. It adds personalized style and extra protection!

Individual orders can be purchased from:

Quilt Country 701 S. Stemmons #60
Lewisville, TX 75067
972-436-7022
http://www.quiltcountry.com/

I hope you also like the Potato Chip Bag. I know I'm eager to make one, but anticipate I too will not be able to make just one.