October 5, 2012

New Fall Collection: Meet Madison!

The Madison wallet bag is the next new design in the fall collection that I would like to share with you today. While I was on the dreaded crutches with the Great Toe Incident, I needed a cute bag that held all of the essentials without the hassle of trying to carry it around. Designing the bag was just the distraction I needed while I was healing! I love this bag so much that I am still using it, even though my toe is healed! It is perfect for quick errands and has a place for everything, including a zippered outside pocket for your phone.



The front of the bag has a wallet flap to hold your ID and credit/debit cards so that they are at a fingertip's reach. This flap is held secure with a magnetic snap so you don't have to worry about it coming loose if you need something from the inside of the bag. The interior is roomy for a small bag, with a zippered pocket on the inside to keep other items organized.


 
Michael Miller fabric, houndstooth. Other fabrics are Millie's Closet from Riley Blake.

 
Moda Fabrics, Simply Color

I know that some of you cringe when you think about installing a zipper. I PROMISE...these zippers are a cinch to install and you will love the professional finish once they are part of the bag. Give it a try!

I designed the handle to be adjustable with a double loop slider, one of my favorite pieces of hardware. This enables you to lengthen or shorten the handle at will so that the bag can be comfortably be worn cross-body or over the shoulder.

I know that many of you are always looking for good bag hardware, so I am including two of my favorites here. www.buckleguy.com is my number one favorite. I visit this site first when looking for my hardware. If for some reason you can't find what you are looking for, take a look at www.strapworks.com. They have some great stuff also.

The overall dimensions of the bag are 8" wide x 6" tall x 2" deep. I have offered several variations to mix up the look. You can choose several coordinating fabrics or just a few of your favorites. I have included a variation to use leftover 2 1/2" wide strips that you might have lying around for the main exterior flap and body of the bag with a few matching coordinates. You can even opt to add a collage style applique to the exterior of the bag. This was influenced by the decorating I did to my cast. You just never know where inspiration will come from!

 
Michael Miller Fabric, tiny houndstooth.
 I added motifs from other scraps I had to make the collage style applique.

This little bag is easy to stitch together. I used a new Pellon product for the stabilizer in this bag and am super pleased with the result. It is Pellon 520 Deco-Fuse. It is fusible on one side and is about as thick as construction paper. Don't let its thin nature fool you. This stabilizer has a nice firmness to it. Other benefits are that it is easy to sew through multiple layers and it does NOT crinkle when you are turning pieces right side out! I highly recommend this stabilizer. I think you will love it once you give it a try!



I know that some of you will notice the adorable zipper pull I have added to the exterior zipper of the bag. These are made by Inazuma. You can purchase some at http://store.atelierdehappa.com/zipper-pull.html. There are also sellers on Etsy who are selling them. Just put Inazuma zipper pull in your search and you will find them.

 
The two bags in the foreground are Moda fabrics. The one on the left is Noteworthy by Sweetwater (not yet released) and Mama Said Sew, also by Sweetwater.
 
This pattern will be available mid-October for purchase.
 
Until next week my friends, Happy Sewing!