Marsha (follow her over on Instagram @cutestuffinside), lives close to us here in CT. She is a long time fan and makes the most wonderful things using Sis Boom fabric plus so much more.

Sew4Home Totes and Bags by Marsha of Cute Stuff Inside

One of my favorite new books for bags and totes is this book by Sew4Home.

I first made the Easy Wave Top Shoulder Bag and I have to say, I love this bag. Following the excellent directions from the book, this bag went together super easy. It’s roomy with two pockets and has a great strap that feels secure. I made this purse out of 2-1/2″ squares from Jennifer Paganelli’s Hotel Frederiksted line of fabric. I chose 15 different fabrics from this line and sewed each square together with a 1/4″ seam in horizontal rows of 6 squares each. I made a total of 16 rows for the purse body and sewed them altogether, top to bottom, to create my fabric.

Following the directions in the book, I fused my batting to the quilt fabric and then proceeded to machine quilted in a cross-hatch pattern diagonally across all the squares. I did have to draft a curved shape for the top of this bag, but following the instructions and diagram, it was a piece of cake, even with my limited drawing skills. For the lining of this purse I chose Hotel Frederiksted Krysta, in white.

After completing the body of the purse, I decided to go ahead and finish off the top with a bias binding. This was just an extra step I took to finish off the quilt look I was going for. I chose Terrie from Hotel Frederiksted, lighter blue, for the finishing touch. This fabric makes a great binding and I have used it on lots of projects. In keeping with the theme of this bag, I chose to make a strap from additional squares. Making two long strips of 24 squares (one strip for each side of the strap), I fused batting to each side and again, machine quilted through each square. Then, wrong sides together, I basted the layers together and applied binding all around, and continued with the instructions for attaching to the purse. The instructions also suggest putting a label on the front of your bag. I love this touch. I took a Sis Boom label, applied it to a square a felt with a pinked edge and added it to the front of the purse as a finishing touch. Love It! The best part of all, is that this purse is just the right size for a laptop, and since it can be carried cross-over style, it makes for perfect hands-free carrying!

The second bag I made from the book is the Boho Shoulder Bag. I made it for my daughter, Frannie, and she loves it. Christie in blue, also from the Hotel Frederiksted line of fabric, was the perfect choice for this purse. Although the directions for this purse suggest using two different fabrics for the body, my daughter Frannie requested just one, and the look came out just the way she wanted.

We added Patrice in Pink for the lining of the bag and strap so just enough of it peeks out while carrying to complete a young, hip look. I found the red with white polka-dot foldover elastic on Amazon. It really looks great against the blue fabric, makes everything pop! As expected, the instructions for this purse are perfect and it went together so easily. I love that there are no pattern pieces, just measure and cut! The strap is adjustable with a D ring which means you can wear it short or carry it long across your body. Fits a laptop and the outer pockets are great for tucking in your phone or keys. Another great, easy to sew bag!

Sunny Isle, due out in May, is the next collection from Sis Boom and we couldn’t be more excited. Sunny Isle can be any island, maybe your favorite that conjures up relaxation and well-being. The sand, water, pool, flip-flops, the striped umbrellas – it all adds to our experience of heaven on earth. Islands are those places that give us momentary pause and helps us shift our priorities and give us new perspective. An island, like our fabrics, give you that ability to unwind. Fabrics elicit the emotion of happiness and help us escape to far-away places. Sunny Isles is the happy place you dream of…wind-blown hair, lots of suntan oil, sand in bathing suits and buckets of sea urchins collected. These are the days that made up my childhood and the place I call home. I love this collection, the red which I tend to shy away from has that classic vintage feel. Let me know your thoughts, I’m listening.

I’d like to introduce you to some of the special people I named this collection after. They are old friends and new friends, family and people who help make sure my vision is perfect before it’s printed out on fabric and shipped to all my fans around the world.

Alberto, from the FreeSpirit corporate offices, is my very talented friend who makes certain that my designs look their best and achieve the look I am after before they leave North Carolina enroute to Korea for printing.

Kat is a very special niece.

Dawn is a wonderful Facebook and Instagram friend. I’ve made great friends on social media over the years and it’s always fun to honor our friendship with a fabric in their name.

Garen is a quilt designer who I adore and Christie’s Quilting Boutique has her quilt kits for sale.

Claire is also a very special niece.

Jenna, who works along side Alberto at the FreeSpirit corporate offices, is incredibly talented on the CAD machine. She also helps refine the look and feel of my designs for FreeSpirit.

Amber is just a wonderful name I chose randomly from my Facebook page for all the beautiful amber souls out there. You know who you are!

I hope you have enjoyed this preview. Remember to follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more sneak peeks of the fabric.

If you havent had a chance to join the UpCraft Club Sewing Hunt, get to it. Lots of fabulous prizes from many different vendors including us! I’ll give you a hint on where to find the hunt icon on our site. Its in the section where you’d find out about the history of Sis Boom.

Details on the scavenger hunt can be found below:

The UpCraft Club Sewing Hunt is an online scavenger hunt bringing you a FUN way to connect with the sewing industry and WIN exciting PRIZES! (Plus find out more details about our PAPERLESS sewing technology! Be part of the Hunt to be the first to get details!)

For two weeks the sewing community will participate in a virtual scavenger hunt. Sewists can register for the hunt and visit sponsor websites, searching for a hidden hunt icon. Every time you find an icon you are entered to win fun prizes!

The hunt is FREE to participate in and prizes include: fabric, a sewing machine, notions, PDF sewing patterns, and more. Over two thousand dollar’s worth of prizes will be given out during the Hunt.
How does it work?

First register for the Hunt
When the Hunt begins they’ll be able to log into UpCraft Club and see the Hunt Dashboard.
The Dashboard will provide links to each sponsor’s website where you will follow clues to find the Hunt Icon. Once found and clicked you will receive one entry to win fabulous prizes for each icon you find.

Sewing with Just for Me January
by A Crazy Craft Lady

Sadly, it seems like the only time I get to sew lately is if I sign up for a blog tour or to do testing! My job keeps me pretty busy during the day and my kids’ activities keep me hopping at night. I have to admit though that I’ve started to sew a few things for myself, but this may in fact be the first thing I’ve completed for myself in the last 10-15 years!

The only thing keeping me somewhat same from working the crazy hours this past month is crafting, but sewing isn’t very portable so I’ve been doing a lot of crochet work. I’ll have to share some pictures of those on here next time!

I honestly hate pictures of myself since I still have 30 more pounds I want to shed, but I am super happy that I did finally finish something just for me!!

This is the SisBoom Dana Pattern and I made it as dress length. I used every piece of the two yards of the Black Damask fabric that I had ordered from One Red Blossom back at the end of August. It’s actually pretty speedy for me to use something from that recent of an order and not stash it in my hoard!

Continue reading the post on A Crazy Craft Lady…