#sewing: Travel Wallet

as a beginner in the sewing department, this next project was definitely a bit of a challenge for me to tackle. however i was determined that i could do it if i dedicated a little bit of patience and time... et voila! i have a finished project. sure it's a little rough around the edges, but i learned a few things along the way that should make the next one a little bit easier.

Pattern/Tutorial from not enough time for everything blog

Materials Needed:

* sewing machine
* scissors
* measuring tape
* iron & ironing board
* thread
* pins (to help hold fabrics in place)
* two fabric colours/patterns (i purchased a metre of each colour/pattern - and have tonnes leftover! if you're looking to use this fabric only for this wallet,  you're safe with 0.5m of each)
* thin infusible interfacing (i found mine at Michaels for $5 for a package that has way more than i needed)
* double sided infusible interfacing (all you need is 10 3/4" x 11 1/4")
* velcro
* bias tape

#step 1: cut your fabrics to the following measurements
1) body colour/pattern #1 = 10 3/4" (wide) x 23 1/4" (long)
2) body colour/pattern #2 = 10 3/4" (wide) x 11 1/4" (long)
3) infusible interfacing = 10 3/4 " (wide) x 5 1/4" (long) (cut two of these)
4) left side open flap colour/pattern #1 = 9" (wide) x 6" (long) *draw a curve in 1.5" x 1.5" on the upper right corner
5) right side angled pocket colour/pattern #1 = 5 1/4" (left side) x 6" (bottom) x 8.5" (right side) *make sure you do the measurements on the wrong side of the fabric so that the "left side & right side" measurements are reflected on the solid side of the fabric when you turn it over
6) right side small pockets colour/pattern #1 = 3 1/4" (wide) x 6" (long) (cut two of these)
7) velcro strap colour/pattern #1 = 1 5/8" (wide) x 8" (long)

#step 2: first you will use your iron & ironing board to attach infusible interfacing to the fabrics.
iron the second body piece to the first body piece. i recommend finding double sided interfacing for this part because mine only bonded the bottom fabric.
next, take your two interfacing pieces (#3) and iron them on each side of the body piece. it is okay if there is a little fabric on either end left over

#step 2.5: now grab piece4 (left side open flap) and cut a piece of infusible interfacing slightly smaller than piece 4. iron the interfacing onto the back of piece4. set aside to cool.

#step 3: now, including the interface edge, double fold the side edges of the body piece, and sew them.

#step 4: next we move on to constructing the pockets...
fold twice the upper edges of piece 5 & 6 and sew
fold the bottom edge of one of the piece6 and sew onto piece 5 (angled pocket)
sew the second piece6 along the bottom edge onto piece 5. there is no need to fold the bottom edge here because the bias tape will cover it in the end.

#step 5: pick up piece4 again and fold the curved edge and right-side, and sew (no need to sew the outside/left and bottom, i made that error and it caused the later attachments to be too bulky)

#step 6: now it's time to put the pieces all together!
take the body and fold the flaps inwards. lay the left & right side pockets on top of the flaps to line them up in preparation for sewing. this is where i used the pins to help me keep everything in place while i sewed.
*while you're sewing though, the body will be laid flat to sew the pockets on

#step 7: we're going to start with the right side pocket. take piece5 with the pockets - fold once the inner edge of these piece (the short side) and sew onto the body. next, sew the outside edge (the long side) and body onto the body.

#step 8: take piece4 (the left side flap) and sew the outside and bottom edge onto the body.

#step 9: take piece7 (the velcro strap) next and fold the long edges in once, then fold it over and sew all together around the edges. cut your velcro into a rectangle (make sure each side of the velcro lines up and is the same size). sew the velcro on the left side of the body and the other piece onto the strap. attach the strap to the right side of the wallet. make sure everything lines up.

#step 10: the final touches... attach the bias tape onto the outside edges of the wallet while it is folded up (to look like a wallet). i struggled a little bit with this step because the bias tape started to fall off while sewing it on. so if you can get bias tape with a double sided tape inside - that will make your life so much easier!

 

*Update: I gifted this very "sun-vacation" patterned wallet to my Mom for Christmas and she loved it! It took it's first voyage to Cuba over the Christmas holidays... and I also made a lovely green floral print wallet for my boyfriend's mom and it traveled with great success to Florida this past February!

happy trails to you!!!
<3 awaLL

#sewing: easy tote bag tutorial

my very first sewing project with my sewing machine was a tote bag. i had it all cut out and ready to go back in late summer, however i couldn't figure out how to get the machine working... so after a brief hiatus (had to cool off from the little storm i had with the machine) i attempted to finish it again - this time with a great teacher and some guidance.

it's a lovely little tote that now holds some of my extra fabrics for sewing projects on-the-go:

the original pattern & tutorial for reference can be found here at: Needle and Spatula blog

Materials Needed:
* thread (in corresponding colours to your fabric)
* scissors
* pins
*sewing machine

For the body of the bag:
* 1/2 yard of fabric (or slightly less, depending on the size of bag desired and whether the print has a directional orientation that you wish to maintain).

For the straps of the bag:
* Two 3"x24" strips of fabric and two 3/4"x24" strips of light weight fusible interfacing (easy), or
* 1 and 1/2 yards of 3/4"-1" double fold bias tape (easier), or
* 1 and 1/2 yards of cotton webbing (easiest).

I chose to go with option 1 for the straps, but at the time had no clue what "light weight fusible interfacing" was so I chose not to use it and my bag still holds up just fine. :)

#step 1: for a bag with a directional print, to make a bag with finished dimensions of 11.5" wide and 13" tall, cut the main fabric (body of bag) into a large rectangle measuring 24" wide and 16" tall (or 12" wide when folded in half).
* If you wish to make a different size bag, just add 3/4" to the width at each side for the side seam (or a total of 1.5" for the entire width of the fabric), and 3" to the height for the bottom seam and the top edge. Adjust accordingly for the size of bag you wish to make.

#step 2: the straps - iron each long handle strip in half lengthwise (wrong sides facing) to create a crease down the length of the strip.
*if you decide to use the interfacing (which i didn't for this bag): open the strip and put interfacing on one side of the crease, then iron to fuse it to the fabric. This will create a more sturdy handle in the long run.

#step 3: the straps - open up the strap and fold again on both sides towards the crease you just created. it will look like this:

Credit to the original blog instructions to create this bag: Needle and Spatula

#step 4: straps - as shown above, keep the straps in this double-fold position and top stitch along both edges of the strips (or use bias tape, if you're using it) about 1/8" from the edge.

#step 5: body of the bag - open your folded piece of fabric and fold down the top edge by 3/4" to 1" and iron in place. then fold down once again and iron into place. if you wish, you can also pin down the top edge to hold it in place while you complete next steps.   

#step 6: to determine the placement of the handles/straps, fold the fabric back in half along the original fold (where the side o the bag will be) and then fold it in half again - but do not fold it all the way - the folded edge should be 3/4" in from the raw edge, as this excess will ultimately become part of the seam allowance, so if you don't account for this - your handles will be off centre. 

along the upper edge of the fabric that you just folded and ironed in place, place a pin at the approximate midpoint of the top layer and then again in the layers below - the pins should be lined up on top of each other. you should have 4 pins in place.

#step 7: then unfold the fabric and you should have four pins across the top edge. (if you prefer to measure the placement, on the 24" wide piece of fabric my pins were placed at 3.5", 9", 15" and 20.5".) then, take ends of the straps and tuck them under the top folded edge at the spots where you have marked with pins. pin the straps in place.

#step 8: top stitch 1/8" from the edge along the bottom folded edge. this will secure the handles in place, and then iron the handles to face up. (not a necessary step if you pin them in place if you don't have an iron handy)

#step 9: top stitch 1/8" from the top edge to secure the handles in place

#step 10: Fold your bag in half with wrong sides together (aka turn the bag inside out)  (along the side) and line up the edges at the side and bottom. Sew across the bottom with a 3/16" seam (or you can eyeball it like me...) Next sew the sides of the bag together before turning it back "inside right"

and your bag is done!! 

<3 awaLL

best friends and tutus

i'm not sure i know many 20-something females that can say that a common bond shared between their best friends is a bunch of tulle and whole lot of twirling... yes ladies & gents, i am talking about tutus. after my best friend and i graduated from university, we decided that the best way to embrace an ending of an era would be to get together at her family cottage and make tutus. we went a step farther to photo-journal "all the things you can do while wearing a tutu"

we provided endless entertainment (and perhaps a little embarrassed wondering) to her parents as we pranced around the island and in the boat rides in our tutus.

the best part of this little story is that the fun did not stop on that one awesome weekend at the cottage. we proceeded to create a tutu for our other girlfriend and wore them to the Britney Spears concert in Hamilton, ON Canada (August 2009) to celebrate kat's 23rd birthday...

tutus are a wonderful addition to any girl (or guy's) closet at any age. since our first adventures i also created a spirit tutu to show off my Gryphon pride when i worked at the University of Guelph. i wore this tutu to every conference, RLS training/event and even in the office for fun. it's not every day you walk into work and see someone wearing a tutu - and that's the best part of it! just have fun and embrace your inner child some days, rock the tutu.

so wanna make one of your own? it's easy.

Materials Needed:

* at least 1 metre of each colour of your choice. the more tulle you have to work with the fluffier it will be
* elastic band (found in the sewing section of any store)
* tape measure
* scissors

#step 1: measure around your waist to cut the appropriate amount of elastic band for your waistband. tip: leave an extra inch or two to compensate for tying the knot.

#step 2: cut your tulle into strips. no particular measurement required - it's up to you if you want to have tiny strips or big chunky ones in your tutu.

#step 3: once your strips are all cut, you're going to attach them one-by-one to the elastic band by using a loop knot. not sure what that is? my BFF gave a great analogy for this: it's the same loop knot you would use to tie your bathing suit to the pool fence. where you make a half loop with the material folded in half, go underneath the elastic, and then pass the remainder of the material through the loop.
Here's a helpful YouTube link to show you what i mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AClxhwSGjGQ

#step 4: have some fun mixing up the colours, layering and adding whatever extras you would like (like ribbons, flowers, etc.)

<3 awaLL

#sewing - infinity scarf

welcome back followers!

last night i finished my second sewing project and i am feeling so proud of myself! i have managed to complete a small tote bag (project #1) and now an infinity scarf. for those of you joining me as beginners to the sewing world - these are two easy projects to start with.

credit to: Eat.Sleep.Make blog for the instructions to get me started (found on Pinterest)

Materials needed:
* 2 yards of plaid fabric (aka 1.90 metres for my fellow Canadians)
* thread
* sewing machine
* scissors
* pins (to help secure your folds until fastened/sewed)




#step 1: As the blog above indicates, cut your fabric into 22" wide and 72" long.

*Note: depending on the type of fabric you purchase (i.e. the weight and style), you may only need to use half of the 2 yards like I did. I would recommend if your fabric is solid on one side and 'white' on the opposite side, then use the the full 2 yards and sew along the open side of the fold. That way your scarf is the same solid pattern/colour all the way around when you wrap it.

#step 2: I folded the edges along each of the length side of the fabric and sewed a double stitch to prevent fraying

#step 3: turn the scarf "inside out" (I chose to determine the softer side of the fabric to be "face up"), gather the two short ends together and stitch. Again I chose to use a double stitch to secure the fabric.

Et voila! You have your very own infinity scarf, perfect for the Fall/Winter weather (even in Canada)

<3 awaLL

#baking - the BEST chocolate chip cookies recipe

#bakingwithawaLL definitely initiated this idea of blogging because i have so many friends who are avid followers (and i often think droolers) of the hashtag on Twitter.

so for tonight i wanted to share with you quickly a recipe for chocolate chip cookies (to die for!)
you know how sometimes chocolate chip cookies can be chewy when they are fresh out of the oven and lose that "cookie dough" taste a couple of days in? well these guys hold that taste and are awesome for a couple of weeks - if they manage to last that long in your household.

this recipe is most definitely #bakingwithawaLL approved

Here is the link to the recipe (credit to Pinterest posts for initially sharing this with me): 

http://www.aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com/chocolate-chip-cookies/

welcome to my thoughts

hello world! thank you for stopping by.

i thought i would jumpstart my previous attempts at blogging with a new topic. currently i am unemployed and desperately seeking work. not because of the obvious reasons, but because i'm so bored! thankfully i have a bit of a crafty side and it has helped ease the pain somewhat. but for all those new to DIY'ing, here's a little secret - it still costs money! and a lot of it, if you're starting up in a new area and need to purchase all of the essentials.

anywho that's the rant but here's the positive! if you like to follow my adventures in baking, sewing, knitting and general crafting - I'm hoping to keep it all here. this blog will house a variety of entries from completed projects with the tutorials and my tidbits of info, to reposts of my favourite attempts at Pinterest ideas, to general ramblings.

follow me on:
Pinterest
Twitter @awall13
Instagram @ashleywall13
I will often link to Pins or refer to hashtags I may be using on Twitter/Instagram

that's all for now, i'm going to refocus my attention on the current sewing project at hand... a passport wallet!

<3 awaLL