#SewPink 2021 Blog Hop with the Christine Sling

October 14, 2021

It’s October again and I’m so pleased to be a part of By Annie’s Annual #SewPink Initiative for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is my second year in a row participating in the blog hop to help bring attention to this initiative within the sewing community. If you want to check out what I made last year, you can find my 2020 post here.

With this past year, I feel that the effects of Breast Cancer are hitting even closer to home ever than before. I made the milestone birthday of 40 years and made sure to get an appointment for a screening. But the harsh reality of getting older is also seeing more friends diagnosed with breast cancer and then seeing them go through treatment. The story that hit closest to me this year was hearing about my “big sister” from my college sorority start her fight to battle breast cancer. We are the same age and she has four young children to care for. She is such a strong and beautiful person inside and out who is staying so positive through her care. It’s truly amazing to see what she is overcoming.

For the #SewPINK blog hop, I wanted to make my latest pattern, the Christine Sling (which was released just less than a month ago!) You can read up all about her features here. And of course, I couldn’t help but pick out some fun PINK fabric for the project! I found this gorgeous Crane fabric by Teresa Chan and it’s symbolism really spoke to me. In Chinese culture, the crane is the prince of all feathered birds only second to the Pheonix. It symbolizes longevity and peace – which is what everyone is searching for when struggling through cancer. They want a long peaceful life and these cranes will hopefully bring that to my “big sister.”

Since I’m using quilt cotton (and NOT following my very own fabric recommendations) for the bag, I had to make some construction adjustments. Luckily, I knew I could use some Soft & Stable foam to help build in some pliable structure to the Christine Sling. I fused woven interfacing on all the quilt cotton before basting it onto Soft & Stable, and then cut out my pattern pieces. In addition to Soft & Stable, I used the following By Annie products in my bag:

I love all of the black accents to contrast with this soft pink fabric. The strapping is wonderful to speed up the making process and is durable for everyday wear. Who doesn’t love how easy nylon is to keep clean as well?! The antique hardware helps to bring out that ochre outline of the cranes and brings depth to the bag. I think these elements all help to keep the Christine Sling fresh and modern. What do you think?

The Christine can be worn over-the-shoulder and across the body. But for those whose chests maybe tender post surgery, it can also be worn as a fanny pack! The strap just needs to be adjusted to reflect your waist size when you make it. I love wearing the Christine this way and the wide strap makes it so comfortable!

The Christine Sling is a great compact bag to carry all of the essentials — especially for doctor appointments and running errands. In addition to the use of Soft & Stable foam and using the nylon webbing for the strap, I also omitted the back zipper pocket since I knew this bag would be worn more around the waist. But to add visual interest, I added a 3/4″ accent stripe with faux leather on the front and the back of the Christine. I also used the same faux leather to bind the front slip pocket. With the use of quilt cotton, these little additions help to keep the bag elevated. What’s your favorite detail from this bag?

Don’t forget to check out all of the other #SewPINK Blog Post participants listed below:

✂ Oct. 1 (Fri):Fat Quarter Shop – The Jolly Jabber

✂ Oct. 2 (Sat):Sallie Tomato

✂ Oct. 4 (Mon): Hugs ‘N Kisses

✂ Oct. 6 (Wed): Sewfinity

✂ Oct. 11 (Mon):Beyond the Reef

✂ Oct. 13 (Wed): Great Heron Thread Co.

✂ Oct. 15 (Fri): Love You Sew [You are here!]

✂ Oct. 15 (Fri): Emmaline Bags

✂ Oct. 16 (Sat): Meadow Mist Designs

✂ Oct. 18 (Mon): OklaRoots

✂ Oct. 20 (Wed): Suzn Quilts

✂ Oct. 20 (Wed): Teresa Coates

✂ Oct. 22 (Fri): Knot and Thread Design

✂ Oct. 23 (Sat): Shannon’s Studio

✂ Oct. 25 (Mon): The Littlest Thistle

✂ Oct. 27 (Thur): Mister Domestic

✂ Oct. 27 (Wed): Sookie Sews

The #SewPink Initiative was created by ByAnnie.com LLC to raise awareness for breast cancer throughout the year. Our efforts culminate in an annual blog hop during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month to promote self-care, awareness, early detection, and support for those affected by breast cancer.

To learn more and see the calendar of events visit: https://www.ByAnnie.com/SewPINK

To find screenings available near you:

In addition to participating in the #SewPINK Initiative, Fat Quarter Shop invites you to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation with the goal of raising $10,000.

To find the Fat Quarter Shop fundraiser visit: https://fundraise.nbcf.org/FatQuarterShop

To learn more about the Breast Cancer Research Foundation visit: https://www.bcrf.org/

I hope you all take the time to check out these links and check into your own health.

Happy Sewing,

Cristy

All By Annie’s products used were gifted as part of participation in this blog hop.

#SewPink Blog Hop with the Erin Backpack

October 25, 2020October 26, 202019 Comments

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and with 3.5 million women in the US with a history of current and/or past treatment, we all have someone close to us who has been affected. Unfortunately, I’ve seen my aunt suffer and pass away from this disease and also continue to see more and more friends go through their own personal battles. It’s so difficult to see anyone suffer and knowing that I am personally at higher risk – as an aging woman. That is why I’m SO proud to be part of the By Annie #SewPink Initiative to bring more awareness to this cause.

The #SewPINK Blog Hop has been taking place all this month to raise awareness for breast cancer and breast cancer prevention. You can follow the hashtag on social media to follow along! By Annie’s is even running a photo contest here and released a great FREE pattern which you can find here. These are great ways to get involved and the pattern is a nice and easy sew with your friends and/or guild. On top of all of these activities, By Annie’s has graciously offered to provide a $30 shop credit to one of you!!!! (Details are below.)

Earlier this very year, my OB/GYN told me I’ve hit the age where I need to start getting mammograms. (‘Nothing like getting older, right?) 85% of new cases happen to those who have NO prior family history (due to genetic mutations) so early detection is key! (Source: www.breastcancer.org ) But just like everything else that has also happened this year, my appointment was put on hold. Getting the call to be part of the #SewPink Blog Hop really gave me the push to get a screening back on my schedule and I am so very grateful! I hope you do the same and check out available screenings below:

Project

For my Blog Hop project, I made the (soon to be released) Erin Backpack. This is a design I’ve been working on and off again for over a year — OK, it’s been more off, then on but it will be released by end of year! This is a spacious backpack with a half moon design that also converts to an over-the-shoulder or crossbody bag. It is large enough to be used as a diaper bag or just for some day-tripping.

I wanted, of course, to make my backpack PINK! This is not a color I use often in my sewing and definitely not as a focused hue. So, I chose this great Tula Pink quilt cotton for it’s beautiful marbling of pinks and purples balanced on a natural background. The lining is also from the same collection and I just love that deeper shade of magenta with the swans. Who wouldn’t love some swans?!?

The structure of the Erin Backpack is based on By Annie’s amazing Soft and Stable product. I’ve been such big fan of this stabilizer for awhile and appreciate the firm shape it creates beyond other interfacing — especially when using a lighter substrate like quilting cotton as seen in this kid’s bag here and should bag seen here. Soft and Stable is also wonderful in how it provides great stability but is also soft and pliable. Most domestic machines can sew through this quite easily! The last thing I’ll gush about is how I love the loft of this product and how it could also provide so much great texture. I used it on my favorite duffle bag (EVER!) you can find here.

By Annie’s also has so many other great purse accessories. I knew I had to try out some of the hardware! The swivel clasps and triangle rings in the antique brass finish were perfect for my project. They went well with the leather details and balanced with the metal zippers. The hardware is nice and sturdy and definitely feels like it will hold up well over time.

For the strap, I use my Guitar Strap tutorial and FREE pattern templates you can find here. (You’ll notice I made a change for this strap to be adjustable…which is the addition of an extra rectangle ring.) Inside the strap, I also added By Annie’s 1.5″ wide Strapping to add more strength and heft when wearing this backpack. This is a nice large bag and I wanted to make sure the weight when filled up doesn’t make the straps dig into my shoulders.

Inside Erin, there is room for a large zippered welt pocket and 5 separate slip pockets. Since this bag can be used for virtually anything, I wanted the lining to serve as more organizational than just storage. This way, you can hold larger snacks water bottles, books and even craft projects inside!

But in a large backpack, it can be hard to see all the contents which is why the By Annie’s Lightweight Mesh is so wonderful. You can check out everything in your pockets at a glance and I love that there is a little stretch for anything you may want to carry. The top edge is finished with Foldover Elastic and was a breeze to sew with my coverstitch, but any zig-zag stitch would work as well.

I hope you enjoyed my PINK Erin Backpack for the blog hop. Its pairs perfectly with my rose gold phone and hacked Tiny Sophia Bag, don’t you think?

Contest

For your chance to win $30 shop credit to By Annie’s, please comment below. I’d love to hear your connection with breast cancer. If your own story is too personal, let me know how you like my project or share your own bag-making journey.

Giveaway will be open until 10/31/2020 and open internationally.

2020 Blog Hop info:

Schedule –

✂ Oct. 1 (Thur): Mister Domestic
✂ Oct. 5 (Mon): Sewfinity
✂ Oct. 7 (Wed): Great Heron Thread
✂ Oct. 9 (Friday): Knot and Thread
✂ Oct. 12 (Mon): Snuggles Quilts
✂ Oct. 14 (Wed): A Bright Corner
✂ Oct. 16 (Fri): Suzn Quilts
✂ Oct. 19 (Mon): HUGS’N KISSES
✂ Oct. 20 (Tues): Sallie Tomato
✂ Oct. 22 (Thur): Masterpiece Quilting by Nancy Scott
✂ Oct. 23 (Fri): Meadow Mist Designs
✂ Oct. 26 (Mon): LoveYouSew
✂ Oct. 27 (Tue): Teresa Coates
✂ Oct. 31 (Sat): Sookie Sews of Sue O’Very Designs

Message from By Annie’s: “The #SewPink Initiative was created by ByAnnie.com LLC to raise awareness for breast cancer throughout the year. Our efforts culminate in an annual blog hop during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month to promote self-care, awareness, early detection and support for those affected by breast cancer.”

To learn more and see the calendar of events visit: https://www.ByAnnie.com/SewPINK

Bag making products, as mentioned, were provided for this post By Annie’s as part of the Blog Hop. The Erin Backpack is my own design. All reviews and opinions are my own. For my full disclosures, you can read about them here.

Minikin Sidewinder Review – Plus Drop-In Lining Hack

March 26, 2018June 21, 20184 Comments

It is no secret I love Sew Sweetness patterns by Sara Lawson. I’ve come to really trust her instructions and I love all the innovative ways Sara constructs her bags. She has written quite a few patterns and has a nice variety of large bags down to small accessories. You can read about a few of my makes below:

Aeroplane Bag – here
Crimson and Clover Traincases – here and here
Trompe le Monde Bag – here
Appaloosa Bag – here

Right before Halloween, Sew Sweetness released a whole collection of 12 small accessory pouches and bags called the Minikins. These were all designed to be quick sews which use mostly fat quarters. There are many bags patterns out there which can take several hours and even days to complete. Sometimes you just need to be able to complete a project in one sitting to feel accomplished and these definitely do just that.

The real bonus is that this pattern collection also comes with 12 step-by-step videos! How amazing is that?!? These are great if you are a novice or even like me, who may need help around a few steps. It’s great to watch them just to pick up some of Sara’s tricks.

It was so hard to pick which Minikin I would make first. But since I was heading into heavy craft market mode, I wanted this project to be THE quickest. So, I selected the Sidewinder because of the curved-no seam-bottom. This looked perfect for someone short on time and you just need non-directional fabric. (For these unicorns, I did piece together the exterior because of the direction.)

For all of my Sidewinders, I used the recommended Annie’s Soft and Stable, but also interfaced all the quilt cotton (exterior and interior with Pellon SF101 for added structure.) The Pellon SF101 on the exterior fabric helps prevent extra stretching and puckering when basting with the Soft and Stable.

For all of the gussets, I used either cork or faux leather, all found in the Sew Sweetness shop. It’s nice to find so many substrates all in one place. (Gotta love that flat-rate shipping too!) It helps amplify the bag design and really make them look professional with cork or faux leather. The corners get a little tricky, but you can muscle through it and use Sara’s technique in her video.

This pattern and some of the other Minikins make use of a drop-in lining. This is when the lining and bag exterior are constructed separately and then joined together (usually through top-stitching around the zipper.) Even with all the bags as I have made….I’m terrible at attaching drop-in linings! I can’t get my seams to match up so my stitching consistently catches all of the lining…grrr… I tried pins and even glue basting the linings. But when I have to maneuver around end of the zippers, something always manages to shift. I’ve also spent an absurd amount of time trying to hand-sew in the linings…and this girl just doesn’t have time for that! So, that’s why I devised my own lining hack.

{Edited to reference the step #’s per Sidewinder instructions.}

In step #5, skip the top-stitching. Complete step #7 per instructions, stopping before you top-stitch the Lining Side Panel down. With left over scraps, I cut approximately (2) 3″x1.5″ rectangles and folded each in half lengthwise. Each rectangle was centered and placed behind the zipper openings as shown in the red oval. Continue with the instructions to top-stitch the Lining Side Panel, along with these extra rectangles.

This method provides me with about 1/2″ of extra lining for my stitching to catch on either side of the zipper. The rest of the lining and exterior are completed as instructed.

As personal preference, I glue baste the lining to just barely covering my zipper stitches and use clips to hold them into place until the glue dries.

There is no such thing as too many clips, right?!?

With a larger needle (16,) I top-stitch around the zipper with the exterior panels facing out. You can see how it catches the lining below. Using a thread to match the lining helps to hide any wonkiness 😉

I use this method to have one line of stitching versus the method in the pattern. Personally, I like the cleaner look, but there is no structural difference. I’ve seen others create two parallel lines of stitching for a nice detail as well.

You can see at the zipper ends, my sewing isn’t perfect, but I am able to always secure the entire lining no matter how much wrestling I have to do with a bag. The extra lining fabric give me a nice cushion!

I finished the Sidewinder with just a rivet to add a little extra polish to the pouch. A little hardware goes a long way to make your project look professional.

This is great fast sew that has so much visual appeal for being a “pouch.” It definitely set my products apart from other craft market vendors and I’m SO happy for that! Check out a few of my different versions below.

Project Details:

All pouches are the “Medium” Sidewinder Pattern
Fabrics: Unicorns by Sarah Watts, Rifle Paper Rosa Canvas, Art Theory by Alison Glass
Black Cork and Gold Faux Leather from Sew Sweetness’ Shop
Thread: Gutermann 100% Polyester

Have you tried out the Minikins yet? I hope you like my drop-in lining hack and let me know how it works for you, if you decide to try it out!

Keep Sewing Along,

Cristy

Please note this post DOES include affiliate links and I have received the pattern free as part of being a Sew Sweetness bag tester. I was not required to write a blog post and you know all words are my own.

Tiny Explorer Backpack Review

August 21, 2016October 21, 2023

Its’s back-to-school season and that was enough motivation to [finally] get me to blog about the Tiny Explorer Backpack I made all the way back in June for my niece. I wanted to make something special for her first birthday which she could grow into and use for awhile.

This toddler-size pattern by the fabulous Erin Morris of Diedel*Bug Handmade, was exactly what I wanted. If you’ve been sleeping under a rock and don’t know her work, you’ll have to check out her Facebook and Instagram pages. She makes the most amazing bags and because of this, I knew her own pattern was going to be well written with lots of pictures. There was no disappointment here!

From the get-go, I decided to use Soft & Stable instead of the recommended fusible fleece. I was inspired by some store bought backpacks to quilt the back for a nice feature but to also cushion the back. Plus, how can I ever pass up the opportunity to do a little quilting, right?!?

TIP: Cut the back pattern pieces a little larger and quilt. Then use the pattern template to cut to size since you’ll lose some area depending on how much quilting you do.

Red pandas are my niece’s favorite animal and I could not resist snatching up this MinShan fabric by Lewis & Irene. The woodgrain is Gentle Forest by Tea and Sympathy for Studio E Fabrics.

TIP: To keep the fabric nice and tight on the Soft & Stable, baste with 1/4″ seam allowance. Gently tug on the fabric as you sew to keep it smooth.

Aren’t these little guys, the cutest? All hardware was from Emmaline Bags and the webbing was from Joann’s Fabrics.

TIP: Heat seal the ends of the webbing with a lighter before sewing. My webbing had unraveled at the edges and pulled out after being sewn. Sealing will prevent this from happening.

I also used Soft and Stable for the side panels of the bag to keep it’s shape. As a little toddler, I figure it would be easier to find toys that way. I added this key fob to the interior in case mom and dad ever need it 😉

TIP: Add zipper pulls to help little fingers open and close pockets. I use some leftover suede to complement the fabrics.

As I assembled the exterior, it was difficult to stitch close enough to the piping through all the layers. I had to hand-stitch these bottoms corners a little bit to clean them up and make them match. It might have been a little OCD, but since this was a gift, I just had too!

With this directional print, you do have to account for a little extra fabric, especially fussy-cutting the shoulder straps and side panels like I did.

TIP: The entire lining is drop-in. I used lots of clips to keep it centered and secure before top-stitching it into place.

With kids, there are always spills, so I used some vegan leather on the bottom to help with easy clean up and for better wear and tear.

TIP: Pull the lining up to just barely cover the zipper stitches. This way you’re guaranteed to catch it as you top-stitch.

There were three additions made to the front of the bag — Two D-rings were sewn on with leftover webbing so toys could be clipped on. I also added a snap to the main exterior pockets to keep little treasures safe. The most noticeable are my niece’s initials. I used my Silhouette Cameo machine to cut the gold heat transfer vinyl.

TIP: If you would like to add a snap, place it centered 1″ down from the top of the pocket and secure into place before sewing in the lining

Since I used a long-pull double zipper, I decided to to exclude the zipper tabs. I also omitted the side pocket binding just to streamline the look a little bit. Don’t leave the pockets off entirely though…they are great for holding drinks and snacks!