Flip Flop Wallet

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been working on testing another pattern. Testing is over, the pattern has been released for purchase, and now I can show you my version of it. It's called the Flip Flop Wallet, and here is mine.

There are 3 closure options (or no closure), and I chose to make one with the strap that has hidden magnets in it to hold it shut.

There are also options for adding card slots, a clear ID pocket, and/or a zippered key/coin pocket. As you can see, I chose the three card slot option with the zippered pocket.

Every version has a cash pocket.

It folds up very flat, no matter which version you choose.

I made mine with vinyl and Jess's Holding Pattern barkcloth, so that it would match my Sunrise Saddle Bag. (If you recall, I'd made a different wallet to match, too, but I found that it takes up too much of the bag, so this is a better size.)

If you guessed by now that the pattern was written by Erin Erickson of Dog Under My Desk, you guessed right! She really outdid herself with this pattern, because she had so many requests for wallets with various options, and she managed to cover them all. It's a long pattern and looks somewhat intimidating when you first open it (but not as intimidating as it did before we testers got through suggesting improvements here and there, heheh), but it's all organized and indexed, and it's very easy to follow. The hardest part is choosing which fabrics you want to put where!

Check out the pattern description here to read about all the options, etc. If you're interested in purchasing it, it happens to be at a discount price through this Friday, April 6th - yay!

It was so fun to make, and Erin came up with a way that almost seems magical when you turn it out and have a completed wallet! It was so fun, in fact, that I already have another one in the works. I'll show you that one soon, too.

Triple Pouch

I made another pouch. It seems I just can't resist a good pouch. After all, I'm a bag lady, right? And this looked like a rather unique pouch. Not so much from the outside, ...

... but take a look at the inside.

Yes, that's two zippers and three pockets, right? No, wait... it's actually five pockets! There is an optional slip pocket on either side of the center zip pocket.

So it's really a 5-pocket pouch!

I love how it can stand up by itself, even with nothing in it, as below.

I forgot to take a photo for size reference, so here's one I shot later. It measures about 7½" high by 9" wide, so it can hold quite a bit of stuff.

The pattern is the Triple Pouch from the book Stitched Sewing Organizers by Aneela Hoey. Fabrics are from Cloud9 Fabrics (and they were not designed by Jess - heheh). It was somewhat tricky to sew, as you might imagine, but I love how it turned out! Thanks to Rochelle of eSheep designs for pointing me to the pattern.

Now I'm off to do another pattern test.....

Bunny & Coat

I made a bunny! A few months ago my friend LiEr of the IkatBag blog asked me if I wanted to test her latest pattern, which was a bunny softie. I wanted to, but unfortunately I was busy testing a pattern for someone else, so I wasn't able to do it. However, I was able to proofread it for her after finishing my other test. It was a beautifully written pattern (and had been tested by several others) and I knew I wanted to make a bunny when I had time. Christmas happened and other things like some sewing for Courtney's birthday, and then I finally got around to making my own bunny. Here she is!

Isn't she adorable? The pattern was great - clear and understandable with attention to every detail, which made everything very doable. The only part I found challenging was embroidering the nose, but once I trimmed out some of the bulk from those intersecting seams, it went pretty smoothly.

Here are some progress photos that I took along the way. The bottom right shows attaching the butt/legs to the upper body.

The arms were stuffed before attaching, but the rest got stuffed at the end. A forceps was very helpful in getting that stuffing in there. The feet have poly pellets in them for a little weight, as does the butt via a little pouch. It makes the bunny able to sit nicely.

The pattern comes with a carrot costume for the bunny, but I didn't make that. Maybe for Halloween? ;) But being somewhat naked, Bunny needed something to wear. LiEr also posted a tutorial on her blog for making a bunny coat. There are two options for the hood - one with ear holes and one without. Of course I had to have ear holes for my bunny. Here's the hood in progress, with the ear holes completed. The pattern made sure the seams are finished very nicely.

LiEr had a very detailed and ingenious way of constructing the coat so that it ended up all in one piece and when turned right side out, there were no raw edges. Below is a pic of the turning (a.k.a. "birthing") part. Looks crazy, huh?

But voilà! It ended up a beautiful little hooded coat!

Fully lined. No raw edges. Fabulous! The sleeves are sewn together such that the outer fleece goes to the inside to form its own cuff so the lining doesn't peek out. Like I said, ingenious!

Here she is, in her cozy warm new coat.

I know someone who has fallen in love with this bunny. It's my favorite model, and here she is, giving you a little size reference.

Last Tuesday when I went out to feed the cats, this is how I found Courtney and Bunny when I got back in.

Bunny is obviously very cuddly.

I think it's true love for sure. :)

If you're interested in making a bunny (and maybe a carrot costume, too), you can find the pattern here. The tutorial for the coat is in two parts and begins here. I highly recommend them both!