Wednesday, February 29, 2012

On My Messy Purse & Sewing with a Zipper


My life is a mess.  I don't mean figuratively.  Literally, I'm a mess.  Jesse is constantly picking up after me.  I'm just messy and always have been.  I try to fight it, but I'm just not naturally a neat & tidy & organized person.  And at the center of my chaos is my trusty (& battered) Longchamp purse.  At any given time, it's full of pens, notebooks, hairbands, business cards, lip gloss, & and at least one pair of sunglasses.  I just inventoried now for the sake of this blog post and found two empty water bottles, one glove, three Kind bar wrappers, two bracelets, a ticket to a whale watch, & the menu from brunch at Huckleberry.  Among many, many other things.

The point is, I'm realizing I need to actively work on my organization.  It makes me crazy when I can't find something I need in there (like my AmEx card, tossed in the bag haphazardly, or a pen when I know there are five in there... somewhere).  The first thing I need to do is toss all of the extra paper and trash.  That part is tedious and isn't any fun.  The second thing I need to do is wrangle my day-to-day items.  And since I am trying to teach myself to sew, I figured I'd make a sturdy little bag within my purse to keep the things I need but can't always find in the handbag hodgepodge.

I was inspired by this blog project, which I've had pinned on Pinterest for ages, but also wanted to sew in a coordinated color lining.  I figured I'd make a little bag that I could keep my makeup, Chapstick, & sunglasses in.  It was my first project with a zipper.  It turned out pretty sweet.

I started with laminated cotton & a matching fabric from Z Fabrics, plus a zipper, scissors, & straight pins.  And my sewing machine, though you could totally sew this by hand.



I trimmed down my fabrics to the size I needed for the bag...


...and pinned them to one side of my zipper.  First I pinned on the lining fabric...


Then I flipped it over and pinned on the laminated cotton:


I turned on my sewing machine (a Brother cs6000i, for those interested) and stitched the zipper & fabrics together.  Then I repeated the entire process with the other side of the zipper...


Then, with the fabric facing inside out, I sewed the other three sides of the bag closed, flipped it inside out and voila:



I'm pretty obsessed with it.  I love the colored dots on the inside and I think the bikes are so funky.  Here's to getting organized, tackling a Pinterest project, & staying homey!

19 comments:

  1. Where did you find Laminated Cotton?

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    1. I bought it at a store called Z Fabrics in Portland, Maine... they had a great selection. But since you're probably NOT in Maine, here are some cute patterns you can order online:

      http://www.fabric.com/quilting-fabric-shop-by-designer-amy-butler-designer-cotton-print-fabric-amy-butler-love-laminated-cotton-fabric.aspx

      I went to my local JoAnn first, but they had a lame selection... mostly picnic table covers, etc.

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  2. Great idea!!! I am in need of a new makeup bag... I have some material I can use already too. Thanks for sharing! P.S. Love the material you used!

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  3. I have a to-do list with a bag just like this at the top. I love your fabric choices! Great job!

    -sara @ applestonedrive.blogspot.com

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  4. This looks great! I am a novice sewer, but it seems like something I could do.

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  5. i love your tutorial, it makes it look so easy. i wish i had a sewing machine so i could whip this up tonight. great job!

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  6. Ummmmm so flippin cute......and because I'm nosey and love me some makeup!! Whats in the Nars case?!?! :0) Joanna

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    1. It's blush... I'm obsessed. Though Jesse always goes "you have sparkles on your cheeks again".

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  7. Great post! I recognized the fabric right away. I'm a Portland resident too and love Z fabrics! I've made several rain jackets from their laminated cotton. I think I'll have to stop in tmrw despite the storm :) thx for sharing

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    1. I think they're moving super soon, so maybe try a call first? I LOVE it there and need to make another run soon!

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  8. This laminate is super adorable! I love that you made a makeup bag out of it :-D

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  9. I'm IN LOVE with the bicycles!! and the polka dots!! Great pattern matching! I wish I could sew zippers ;) haha
    Lots of Love
    Ashli

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  10. To be fair I love the sparkles I feel like we are going to the clerb

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  11. What I really like is how you took a problem and came up with a cool solution. I would have just dumped everything out and started over! You have such great ideas!

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  12. oh I love it! And it seems so simple...I'm really terrified of zippers! I make have to give it a try this weekend! Great job!

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  13. The patterns are awesome. You did a wonderful job!

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  14. It was an outstanding week of talent at Rook No. 17. Thank you for being a part of the creative energy and spirit that gives “A Little Birdie Told Me…” wings. Hope to see you again at this week’s party!

    Jenn

    P.S. Love the bicycle fabric. What a great way to mobilize yourself toward organization!

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  15. Oooh, I envy the sewing ability! This turned out so super adorable, I LOVE it!

    Thank you so much for linking up and sharing!

    xoxo,
    Jen

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!