Lastest Works....

I have had a couple of very productive days... even with all the other things going haywire in the house! Starting with the Plumber and the leak that was fixed last week ... which needed to get REFIXED Monday morning after it soaked the rug and floor in the basement! OK It wasn't that bad, the area rug got soaked and the hubby filed about 1/4 of the wet vac ....luckily the daughter found it before we all went to bed. We just don't know how long it was leaking! Then there is the never ending laundry stream... And I'm mean stream because that's what the hall way in front of my Laundry room looks like! Gees!


Well even with all this I got some Bucket Bags done.I Have completed 3 totally and have exteriors done on another 3!WooHoo.... and that's just 2 days of work!So check them out... will be getting better pictures for the site done later this week!

New from Last week!

I  have debating what to post today.... I have challenged my self in to posting twice a week, and It is challenge me today!

I have decided to post pics of the 3 bags I completed this past week.

First up Grandma Ethels' Bag
This is a similar design fabric to one of the previous
one only the colors are different. It has a brown/gold/orange  with it's geometric print with brown-blue solid and a gold Faux leather strip running around the top as trim.band around the top.

Than we have 2 Bucket Bags. The first has a red and Beige color going on in it, While the second has more of a Brown shade theme running.











I will be taking more Pics for the webs site later this week to list them. Have a great week!

Jacket to purse Act 1

Ok  i've posted on my fan page last week that I would tell you more about  the jacket purses I've been working on! Well here we go!

The before look ......

Front                                                 Back

It wasn't that bad of a looking jacket, but it was scream turn me into something else!
                                                             SO I DID! 
                                                               Drum roll please 
                    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


                               TahDah!

 

I got 2 purse for the price of 1 jacket and I still have some left over fabric!

What I found out after ripping it apart was that I was 1 drawn to the opposite side of the fabric. Yup the negative image is what you see here as the base of these two. I liked the stripe for some reason with the creamy white flower. It said spring in a suttle way.

  

The curve of the facing which made the facing up was the other interesting thing I liked. So I decided to incorporate into the flap and in the process decided I liked the shoulders as flaps as well! hence 2 purse came about.

This was the first one I completed I decided to use a belt as a handle that was woven. And a magnetic closure on the flap to hold it closed

 I also kept the Alfred Dunner label on it. Though I original had thought of using it on the out side I like the floral design better  the other way!
I top stitched the flap to give it a crisper look.
 This one as 1 zipper pocket on the inside!

Purse 2  I used much more of the jacket. The handles are from it as well as the button closure. The button was original to the jacket and the strap that it button into is actually the collar! I used a piece of leather  upholstery sample. It also has a zippered pocket on the inside!










I like the way they turned out! How about you! let me know what you think ---Kath

Small Scale Messenger Bag

I decided to day to show how I made my latest Small Scale Messenger  Bag.

                 First as always I choose my fabric color(s). These days I am piece more of my

                           samples  together, so once I decide on colors, I layer out how I  want to

see them combined and the sew.

I pine the exterior and cut the lining so it fits the exterior.

 

   In this case I have sides that are put in separate.

 

 Then I cut any pockets that I want added to the bag out of the lining fabric. And stitch.

 

                       before sewing the second side in I machine embroider  my twine Hearts in place.

                          I cut and sew the handle from a coordinating fabric  And the the appropriate

                          hardware in place and attach to bag . 

                          After attaching the handle  with the lining I put the buttonhole in and sew
                            the button on.

  

                               And Wholla  the latest and greatest Small Scale  Messenger Bag!
                                     Done and ready for purchase at Holsom Heart Designs!

Spring!

It's Monday and cloudy here. The first day of spring, yesterday brought rain which help melt most of our snow here. Well at least where we've plowed the driveway!
Spring has also brought some new fabrics into the mix at the shop! Here are several of the items I've finished this last week!

New variation on my Upcycled Shoulder Bag

2 more Upcycled Shoulder Bags The cream colored one is made from a skirt!

Red and Golden shades of fabric make this  Small Scale Messenger

Does your Purse say who you are?

You know deciding or coming up with a name for an item is not the easiest thing to do. Oh I guess you could say Purse 1 or Bag D....but that just....well it doesn't have personality.

inside of  Grandma Ethel's Bag

You know a woman's purse of bag can say a lot about her.  True just think about it. With  small kids you have one big enough to hold a kitchen sink, well just about it seems at times. You seem to have to have everything with for just in case emergency pops up! I know been there done that!

inside Kath's Bag

Small could say your a minimalist or in my case as the kids got older, "I'm not in charge of it it belongs to you you carry it!" I know a few of you feel that way.

All in one Mini

There are the I don't want to carry a wallet, or the Let's just toss it all in and go.

demo of a Kath's bag design

I've owned enough purse to know what I like. And to know that when it was time to make my own to get what I wanted! I wanted unique, I wanted to be able not to haul a wallet always. I wanted to be able to find the small lip balm when I needed it and not have to dump everything out every time I needed to use it! Am I sounding Familiar to you.





I will tell you the first one I made was out of cotton quilting fabric and I loved the print! What I didn't like was the wear on it. So round 2!

                

 Thank You Chuck for the upholstery samples!    

My first "New Purse"

Second !

After covering nearly every cushion and pillow
in the house that needed to be recovered , I
started looking for other thing to do with the
sample pieces and Wholla new purses for me!




They are about 10 years old now and have been washed several times.And I may note that I still use them!  Right now I have my winter one in use. And I am looking at a forth one, but just haven't figured out which one I like. Yet!


Have you found yours?

Josephine's Purse of many colors

Do remember the Bible story of Joseph and His coat of many colors? I do  That's what partly inspired the name for this Purse! And not my Aunt.

 Over the process of making  the Bucket Bag and several other of my purse. I have had to trim down some to get the shape I need. And be related to a Grandmother, who saved almost everything,.... and I mean like the small containers that the gravy came in from KFC! (Don't ask how many my Mom through out when she moved Grandma out  off her house!)

She had lived through "The Great Depression". They saved things and found a way to reuse them. I happily used the plastic silverware she had washed and saved the one school with the kids lunch!

Well I'm not that bad. But I do have a hard time throwing fabric away. And if you are a quilter.... It can be twice as bad. Guess what. I am a quilter!

Well noticing how many odd pieces of upholstery I was having I started to think... Why can't I quilt it...so to speak. It's basically the same principle.Piecing. You cut different pieces when you are doing a quilt. Well instead of cotton It's upholstery and with a top stitch, walla! A side of a bag with detail is created from scraps that would have been thrown completely away!

Now If this isn't recycling I don't know what is!

I wanted this page to be different from some of the other I was doing. I decided, totally by an accidental screw up on my part when cutting, On thinner handles. Only they were not going to be as thin as they wound up being.

But the screw up was for the better and I was so pleased with how they turned out. This is the same handle that would be on Grandma Ethel's Bag!

I also had been wanting to do a
magnetic closure on a bag. This purse shape lent its self perfectly to doing
that.





A zippered inner pocket to hold

small/personal items as well as divide
the inside.

There You Have Josephine's Purse! ( And I really do have an aunt named Josephine!)

The Bucket Bag.... What exactly is it Part 2

My Bucket Bag Design is not necessarily new to me. I did it about 20years ago.

My original bag made from denim

Back then the one grocery store was trying to go with eco-friendly bags. Well like now I thought their bags were to small. So Being the little seamstress I am I decided to make my own!

 It wasn't that hard I took the pattern from what else.... The Paper Bag!

Yup, sliced it a part and made a pattern from it. I fact I made several dozen of these bags. Still use them to this day.



                                  

When I decided to make them this time around though I chose to change things a bit, and I don't just mean the fabric type!

What I did first was to change the bottom of the bag! Since I have upholstery samples that came in larger sizes this was the perfect use for them. No Bottom Seam!
Why do they double bag those heavy items?Most on the weight goes to the bottom of the bag. How many times have you had a bag blow out from the bottom losing everying across the floor.







I still have side seams, but  it's all about weight . Handles too. I stitch the Handles in once and then fold them like you wound be carrying your bag and top stitch. Each layer of color is top stitched for added strength . Remember I've had my original bags for 20 years. I've had to resew a few handles, but that's it!

Lining. Now this was a new Idea. I decided to line them because... well... The upholstery fabric colors and prints gave it a classier look. And if we're going classy you need to line. That and if you want to use it for over items other than grocery shopping you can. Who'd think that this was a grocery bag if you were wearing it on your shoulder?

I actually gave this to a friend to try and she absolutely loves it! The one I gave her has an optional zippered pocketed. You don't need to haul your purse to go shopping all the time that way. You can put several in to one and head off to get groceries.

So Order one or two for your self and get Shopping!

The Bucket Bag.... What exactly is it

beige/rust/tan colored Bucket Bag

I am going to try and describe to you what
the Bucket Bag is.

Well it is a tote bag,....but more
than a tote bag.

The Idea for the name , Bucket Bag came
from,...well....what do you  use a bucket for?!
There are so many things  that you can do with
a bucket. So why not a bag?!



 

lite brown/red/blue colored Bucket Bag

While you may not be able to fill this bag with water like a bucket, you could fill it with water bottles!

You wouldn't necessarily fill it with rocks, although how much does a bucket of rocks weigh compared to a bag filled with canned soup and fruits and veggies? Think it might be close.

butterfly print in alternating cream and blue

dark beige/green/rose colored Bucket Bag

You can store knitting or magazines, for around the house or to take with you when  you are waiting for that child at practice or for game intermission.






  
 
These are just a few Ideas for using the Bucket Bag. I bet you can find more!

Heidi's Bag

 Heidi's Bag.
Well first off it isn't so much a bag as it is a purse......a purse with a lot of pockets... and a lot of  personality like the daughter it's named for. This is the reason I started selling bags and purses.

Heidi had wanted a purse made for her to take with to New York when she went the one summer while she was in High School, with the drama department. She wanted it to be able to go across her shoulder, so she would have her hands free when taking pictures.She also needed it big enough to put a light weight jacket into ( in case of rain!), they were touring during the day and doing the theater at night.She wanted pockets on the inside to put her sunglasses ,camera, wallet and phone! She also wanted room for her friends stuff. (Ok he' a guy friend and he didn't want to be carrying his sunglasses and camera all the time!) She Also wanted sequins and this applique on it that she had picked out. So you know mom. I sat and made it for her.

Newer Designs Inter space for items

Anyways she comes back home and is telling her Dad and I about how people are coming up, total strangers in NY and asking where she had got this bag from. When she would tell them that I made it, they would ask is I sold them. She said Mom you should try selling them.

One of my newer Heid'is Bags

Well I was A little hesitant about doing them, it wasn't where my vision of what I thought I should be selling was. It actually took 3 years before I finally decided too. So I made up about a dozen bags and took them to the show with me. I came home with only 1. ( I was selling them at half the price I am now!)
 The next year I raised the price and made about another dozen and a half bags and came home with 2.
I've been sewing and trying to come up with a new design every year....til this last  summer. That's when I decided to go on line and get the bigger market. And while the sales have yet to take off , My designing  inspiration has!

Josephine's Purse

Josephine's Purse....Of Many Colors... is based, yes on the story of Joseph's coat of many colors.

I hate to throw away fabric, especially when it's large enough to still make something out of it. When are children were young I used to buy end of bolts a lot of time. If I needed a yard and there was an 1/8 to a 1/2 of a yard left that  I'd take the whole thing, I figured it was easier for the the girl that was cutting it. Well it would accumulate and eventually I would make doll clothes or quilts using it.

  18" Pajama set that fits dolls like the
 American Girl    Product #AJPJ
       



and  15" doll Jumper that will fit dolls like Bity Baby
     Product   # BBD11E
(Both dolls  are from the Pleasant Doll Company)

 

 Blue Patch Quilt  Product #QlB1  a 34" X 42 3/4" quilt.

Well The same seem to hold true upholstery fabric, which I use in making my purses and bags. They come from furniture upholstery samples that would have been thrown away after the season was over. And I have quite a stash of them. On occasion on only needed part of one to finish what I was working on and I 'd have these 5 or 6 inch pieces left. Waste not want not..... I started thinking, (Which for me can be dangerous), and thought.....quilting blocks! Piecing these scraps together like I would be making a quilt, only I'd be making me a custom piece of fabric or an new bag! Hence Josephine's Purse is born!

                              

With the idea in mind and plenty of brown paper bags I came up with a design to fit this new found patch work creation. Thinner  double handles and a magnetic closures to finish it, with a zippered interior pocket!
It's cute and cool and will keep things organized all at the same time!
Check out more of her at http://www.holsomheartdesigns.com