Day Twenty, Bag Twenty

Moonlight Masquerade, Evening Bag

I love this new bag! I know I keep saying this but, this one is definitely a favorite! I guess this is why I am making 365 bags, if I was buying that many it would be very pricey! The main body is made from a 2-tone purple satin with black velvet details of moons, stars, and circles (planets?).The velvet detailing has a little glittery sparkle to it, not much it is very subtle. 

The bag also has accents in just a single shade of deep purple satin. This is on the base of the bag and also the straps. The bag has a magnetic closure on the flap, and is also accented with a rhinestone button detail just to give it a little more sparkle and bring the focus down from the bow detail. 

Here is a closeup of the rhinestone detail on the clasp, there is a magnetic closure under that. 

The bag is cinched together using the wraparound bow. It feeds through the loops on the front and back of the bag to hold it like a pouch style, the ties can be loosened or tied differently to open up the topof the bag into a wider style. 

Here is a shot of the backside of the bag, you can see how the scarf on top cinches it in very well in this picture. 

All in all this was a gorgeous bag, I love the fabric, the color and the style. The solid purple is the little bit leftover from a set of custom pillowcases I did for a client just last week, She loves Purple too! And the star fabric is the little bit leftover from my bedroom curtains. It is a seasonal fabric sold only around Halloween so I am hoping to get my hands on some more later this year. Until then this bag will be a one of a kind, but it will be available on my web store later this weekend. You can always find that here;

https://www.etsy.com/shop/IvoryTowerDesigns

You can also check out my blog archives for the past 19 bags, and keep coming back to see what else I'm working on, I picked up some new fabrics today and I can't wait to dive in to them this weekend for some new bags! 

Day Nineteen, Bag Nineteen

Flames Envelope Clutch

This is similar to the Chinese Chrysanthemum clutch except it has an angled front flap and the frog closure is set at an angle across the flap closure. It gives a little bit of an X shape to the front. 

Next picture is the back side of the clutch, sadly my daughter did not take any wide shots of the front only a closeup of the frog closure. I'll have to add a new picture to this blog once I have more photos done. 

I also have an open shot of the front so that you can see the angle cut on the flap and the red lining.

This is a roomy, flat design clutch, good for nights out or even to stuff into a larger tote to keep smaller items together. It wll be available on my web store sometime later this week, I have a bunch of new bags that need to be added and a few i am still working on. Thanks for checking out day 19, see you tomorrow!

Day Eighteen, Bag Eighteen

Under The Sea Tote

I bought this fabric about 12 years ago and made a really cute backpack out of it. I used the backpack as an emergency kit in my car for years, it was my backup diaper bag. I had just a little of it left and I thought this tote was a great use of it. Most of the sand design was used up in the backpack so mainly I just had water and fish left.

I did have enough fish left to match the little fish on the pocket to the exact same fish in the same place on the back side of the bag. The straps and accent fabric is a little of the blue swirl print I have.  This print is one of my favorites and I use this design a lot in the five different colors it comes in, it is good for a large scale block and it also works well on a small scale block so it is great for quilting.

Below is a close up of the happy little fish. And you can see the design in the trim very nicely. 

So, that's day 18 thanks for checking in, see you tomorrow with a bag I have been working on today, it's taking longer than expected so it wasn't done yet, that's also why this post is so late, I got tied up at my sewing machine!

Day Seventeen, Bag Seventeen

Moon Silhouette, Embroidered Tote

The embroidery took just over 40 hours to complete on this bag. After a few days it got harder to do, just white on black is really boring, but it looks great! As I mentioned before I love anything with Witchy hats on them or Witches in general. I may do this same embroidery design again with some glow in the dark filaments for a pillow. 

Anyhow, this is a two layer tote bag and is close in size to my small line of tote bags. There is a small inside pocket which has a little surprise on it for this bag, a happy little ghost!

Here is a closeup of the embroidery detail, the witch really jumps out from the moon. Thanks for looking at day 17, I am still down with a cold but hopefully I'll be back to myself again soon, see you for day 18!

Day Sixteen, Bag Sixteen

Celestial Tote, Small

Remember with my totes, small does not mean it is small it is just the smallest size I make in this line! The Celestial Beach Tote has been so popular I thought I'd showcase the same design in an everyday size!

As you can see from the picture, this is the exact same design and style as the beach tote, all of the color selections and style are the same, except there are slightly shorter straps, 2" removed from the depth at the base, and a few inches off the sides and height of the bag. It is a small adjustment but it makes this bag much more practical for day to day use. It still has the outer pocket on the front, and the heavy duty, 3 layer construction of the beach bag.

Here is a closeup of the strap and pocket design on the front. As always this bag is available on my web store. Thanks for checking out bag 16 and we'll see you tomorrow for bag 17! 

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Day Fifteen, Bag Fifteen

Green Leaf "C" Wristlet

Wristlets are convenient to carry and small so keeping bunches of them doesn't take up much space at all! This is one of the oldest initial fairies I made. I was happy to find this fabric with the variety of greens in it to match the fairy. The inside is lined in the same fabric as the outside, and the strap is a generous size.

Next photo will be a closeup of the letter embroidery on the front side.

I've spent the last week working on some new embroidered designs, but this is all I have completed for now so we'll be back to un-embroidered bags for a bit.Thanks for checking out day 15 and I'll see you tomorrow! Again, this will be made available on my web store, and custom orders are always an option!

Day Fourteen, Bag Fourteen

Witches and Pumpkins Tote

Happy Holiday weekend, Today was a busy one for me, I had the in -laws over and the triplets for a visit! I've been looking forward to it for a week, so of course I woke up with a sore throat today! 

Well enough about me, the bag for today is another small tote, and by small I mean purse sized not duffel bag sized! I love Halloween and anything with witchy hats on it so I just had to snap up as much of this fabric I could get my hands on last year, the grey trim is a brocade I had left over from a Rennaisance Faire dress I made for myself about 12 years ago. I think they went well together.

The lining is purple cotton, there is no purple in the design but it goes well with all of the  greens and deep blues, so I used it, and I like purple!

Here's a closeup of the  witch hat and the corssetted broom stick which I think is awesome!

Here is a closeup of the pocket on the front with the double Jack O'Lantern design. You can also get a good look at the brocade trim. This bag as always has three strong layers and is available on my web store. Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow to see what else I have in store for the holiday weekend!

Day Thirteen, BagThirteen

Yellow, Butterfly "I" Wristlet

I am stuck on fairies this week! his one is a letter "I" in gold and yellow tones. The fabric is a buttery yellow with assorted colored butterflies and dragonflies. I bought this fabric specifically for this cross stitch  I am not a big fan of yellows and oranges so I don't buy a lot in this color, though I know some people really like yellow and orange so I decided to branch out a bit. 

The lining is the same print as the outside, and the wrist strap is a generous length. The letter is stitched with metallic gold floss and the fairy is done in satins. 

Here is the closeup on the fairy, these will of course be available on my web store, check it out. I will be making new listings available over the weekend, Doing both web stuff and spending time in the studio on the same day is a bit of a challenge, plus my nieces and nephew are visiting this weekend. See you tomorrow for bag 14!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/IvoryTowerDesigns

Day Twelve, Bag, Twelve

Fairy Logo Tote

Today's bag will be different, it is custom made for me and will not be a bag I will make duplicates of or sell in my shop, It can be used as an inspiration if you want a custom bag but seeing as it is made with a hand stitched design of my old web store logo, it  is unique!

The main fabric is a deep purple rose print. The cross-titch embroidery is done on white Aida cloth. The lettering is Gold Embroidery floss, and the fairies are done in metallic floss for their dresses, and satin floss in 3 colors each for the wings. 

The inside is a funky stars and planets print and has a huge interior pocket, you can see my daughter's hand showing it off! 

Here you can see how wide the straps are, and the rose print sews up really well in this shot. 

I started to make this bag for a couple of reasons, I wanted a logo bag to carry with me during craft shows and such to advertise my shop. I also needed something to do with the wording I had stitched out. I made this to photograph as my shop banner which it used to be, and I didn't want it to go to waste. So, even though it is no longer my shop name I still have a pretty good representation of my work, in two areas, and I have a really strong tote for carrying supplies at a craft show, the large side pocket inside the bag is stitched against one side of the bag so it will hold papers very securely. I have an unusual habit with all of my cross-stitching, quilting and embroidery crafts, I don't like making useless things. I know a lot of other stitchers and crafters will make wall hangings or frame their work but you run out of space after awhile and I like to be able to use the things I make so that is why I put quilting and stitching in things like handbags and pillows, usable art!

Day Eleven, Bag Eleven

Tropical "T" Fairy Wristlet

This week I am going to showcase some of my other talents along with the handbags. This wristlet features  a 4" hand embroidered  fairy sitting on a letter T. The colors in her dress and wings are repeated in the colors of the fabric. It has a very tropical feel. The inside is fully lined in the same fabric as the outside of the pouch. The strap is generously sized, it fits over a wrist with room to spare, you can even sling it up to your forearm. This is similar in style to the cross body pouches.

Here is a closeup of the embroidered design. The initial is stitched from gold metallic embroidery thread, it looks beautiful and it's  a pain to work with. I love including specialty threads but they do take about twice as much time to work with because they tend to bunch, knot and break much easier than regular floss.

This is a great on the go style of bag when you only need a few small items, it also can stuff into a larger bag or tote to wrangle small items or cosmetics inside your gym bag or diaper bag.

As always s this bag will be made available on my Web store. You can have one made to order in your initial or colors, I can also create a larger bag with the initial panels on them.That's the fun thing about handbags, the possibilities are endless!

Day Ten, Bag Ten

Pink Bow Skull Tote

Yes, I have been on a tote kick this past week and a half! I love totes they are great catch all bags, roomy and with the pocket on the front they still keep your keys and phone easily accessible. This bag is three layers of 100% cotton with a heavy canvas center layer for strength and structure. the lining is black cotton, the trim is made from a navy blue fabric with a glittery star print. 

I bought this fabric when my daughter was about 4 years old, so that's 12 years ago. I intended it to be the accent fabric on a Christmas dress and at the last minute she decided to wear a dress my Mom bought for her, so the fabric has sat waiting to be used and I thought it went well with the pink bow skull fabric that I have been sitting on for a number of years as well. 

The straps are 28" long so it makes a good shoulder bag, but at the same time it is not too long to carry in your hand or over your arm. Thanks for checking out day 10. As always, this bag is available for sale at my Web store, see you tomorrow!

Day Nine, Bag Nine

Hearts and Cherries Cinderella Bag

Another from yesterday's style. This type of bag is really easy to throw together so I cut out the fabric for about 10 bags at one time. This one has a small Cinderella slipper charm hanging from the front, purses and shoes, two great things together!

The inside is completely lined in the cherries and gingham fabric. This is a great Rockabilly style that looks good with everything. The zipper pull has two ribbon colors attached to make it easier to grip. The Cinderella slipper is made from pewter.

Here is a closeup on the shoe and cherry lining details. The strap is made from pink parachute cord so it's super sturdy, and it also includes the strong metal zipper.

As always this bag is available on my web store. Thanks for checking out day nine. I'll be back tomorrow with some new styles!

Day Eight, Bag Eight

Skulls and Roses Cross Body Pouch

   I live in Las Vegas, Nv and every year around our anniversary my Husband and I stay at one of the big resort hotels on the strip for a few days, I cal lit our second honeymoon, but we have been married over five years now so it really is just an anniversary trip. On our trip this year I took a bag that is in this exact pattern but the red bandanna fabric. It was the best thing ever for walking the Las Vegas strip. It was large enough for a small wallet, cell phone key to the room, lipstick, and a mirror. It made date night very easy. 

   This bag has the black bandanna fabric with the skull print, and a lining of red swirls with some gold accents. On the zipper pull I put a cute black rose charm that is dangly and has a little rhinestone as part of the design.

   Here is a close up of the rose on the zipper pull,you can also see the red swirl fabric and gold accents. The zipper is an 8" metal teeth zipper that would probably have been for a pair of jeans. A friend of mine gave e a huge stash of assorted vintage zippers about 8 years ago, and they are the perfect size for these little body pouches. The strap is made from parachute cord in a light grey color. These are a great style for outings where you want to be hands free but need to carry a few essentials with you, they hide well under a jacket, and you can turn them around to face the zipper toward you if you are concerned about theft, just like my night out on the Las Vegas strip!

   That's all fort this week, keep coming back to see the new designs I have been working on, and as always you can find all of my bags for sale at my web store. See you on day nine!

Day Seven, Bag Seven

   Rose Quilted Beach Tote

For the weekend another large beach tote. This one has a quilted design with multicolored rose prints, and accented with cotton canvas in an antique gold stripe. The rose prints I have had sitting around for about 11 years. I made a handful of cute little backpacks for all of my nieces out of these just this past Christmas. This is what was left over, just enough to make a crazy quilt design.

The canvas is an outdoor fabric I found for a steal about 8 years ago, I bought it in three colors, with the intention of making cushions and curtains for a large sun room I had at the time, but we moved and I have been carting about 20 yards of canvas around with me since.

Here is a close up of the rose print, they make something that I think is similar still but it is not this print. I like how subtle it is. The quilting added about 3 extra hours of working time to the this bag design from the basic 2 color bag. I do love the look it gives the bag though, it is kind of country chic, Romantic.

As always this bag is available on my web store;
https://www.etsy.com/shop/IvoryTowerDesigns

And thanks for reading my blog, have a fun filled Saturday and I will see you back here for Sunday's bag!

Day Six, Bag Six

Victorian Garden Tote

In honor of the Summer weather coming around here in Vegas, I thought I'd switch us back to totes for day six! 

I bought this fabric 12 years ago to make a dress for a wedding, I bought a dress instead and I've been sitting on this great Victorian garden scene fabric ever since. The green accent color I have had for about 10 years, I don't remember why I bought it but I have an entire bolt of it, and it went really well with the garden scene.

A great weekend bag, this is light and airy, made with 3 layers of cotton again,like my other totes. It is smaller than the large beach tote, only 4" deep instead of 6". It's a few inches shorter across the width and about 2/3 the height of the beach bag. Very light weight with a good sized front pocket. As much as I love a structured bag nothing beats a tote for running errands or trips to the park.

As always you can find this bag available on my web store;

https://www.etsy.com/shop/IvoryTowerDesigns

Have a great weekend, I'll still be here posting and making more bags!

Day Five, Bag Five

Red skull Bandanna Clutch

   I know, again with the clutch style! Bag five is another variation on my clutch design. The ruched top on this bag was done entirely by hand and uses 80" of fabric around the top! For size comparison, when I make full length curtains 80" is usually the dimension of the length. Here is the first pic;

The red bandanna fabric is something I bought 6 years ago to make myself maternity dresses. I was pregnant with my son and Summer was coming, so I made one maxi dress in the black version of this fabric and a short version in the red. This bag used up the very last of that fabric, s it is a one of a kind!

Here is a closeup of the front flap. I used a vintage button from the stash I got from my Great Grandmother over 20 years ago. This is from the 1960's and has a pearl sheen to it. It is very cool and retro.

Here is a shot of the back so you can see the ruching that goes all the way around. That was done with a red scallop design that looks like scales. I bought it also 6 years ago to use in the Dragon quilt I made for my son's crib. You can see that on my website available to be custom made.  I love the way the variance of reds looks over the skull bandanna print. It is lined with red, made from 3 layers of 100% cotton, interfacing,and includes a pocket inside from the bandanna print. As always you can find this on my web store! 

Have a happy day Five everyone!

Day Four, Bag Four

Skulls and Roses

Bag number four is a modification of the clutch pattern I made for day 2. Everything is the same except for the size of the clasp flap, it has a magnetic closure, and I added straps. That may not seem like a big difference but it really makes it a whole new bag! 

   Here is the picture! Again sorry for the dimness, doing my own photography is not the usual!

Picture 1 is the backside of the bag;

 This is the front. It looks pretty seamless where the flap crosses over the front panel. The extra width makes it a little more secure on top as well.

   I used two different prints for this bag. The main body of the bag is a skulls and rose vines print that is actually pretty large scale. I bought this about 7 or 8 years ago to make a crazy quilt comforter for my daughter who is now 16, and I bought a huge amount of fabric because I had never made a crazy quilt before. The small scale skulls on the handle are a Pirate skull print that is also part of the crazy quilt blanket I made my daughter so it was nice to incorporate these into the same bag together. I will have this available on my web store but I loved how it looked so much that I am actually keeping this one for myself, I took it out shopping for more bag materials with me today!

As usual this bag is three layers of 100% cotton fabric, interfacing for stability, and on this design there is a magnetic closure. Thanks for sticking with me for day four I'll see you all on day five!

Day Three, Bag Three

   Chrysanthemum Envelope Clutch

   Bag number 3 is an envelope clutch made with a sage green cotton lining, Chinese Chrysanthemum print, and golf frog closure detail. I also used a cotton base layer for stability and interfacing. I did take some photos of the process this time so I will start with some of those.

This is my diagram and measurements;

Here are all of the pieces together waiting to be sewn.

And last, here is the finished clutch! The Chinese Chrysanthemum print is on 100% cotton fabric and it is a remnant that was left from a dress my friend Connie made  well over 10 years ago. I have one long skinny piece that I have been holding on to waiting for the right project to use it on and the frog closure is also something I have been holding on to for about 10 years. 

I am finding that I really like using vintage, saved, discontinued, or unique fabrics for my bags. There is a downside that I have very little of it in most cases so I can get as little as 1 bag from each fabric, but that does make every one unique, and special. I know when it comes to handbags I have been chased through the mall by women wanting to know where I gt mine at and I have never seen that happen to someone carrying a Coach or other mass produced bag. So, that said, don't let it scare you when you are sitting on just a small amount of fabric or one of a kind decorations, unique bags are awesome and they are always attention getters! 

Envelope clutches are very popular on the red carpet at Hollywood events and make a great evening bag. Perfect sized for a lipstick, cell phone, small mirror, and your house key.They do look small but they can actually be pretty roomy inside. 

Day Two, Bag Two

Pink Skulls Clutch

   Ready for day two? This bag...

is made from some fabric I have been sitting on for about 5 years. I love the mix of girly cute with the skulls and crossbones. It made perfect sense to pair it with the pink glitter bow skull button I came across recently. It is like the two were made for each other!

Here is a shot of the inside. More pink and a great decorative pocket!

That's my daughter's hand inside the pocket. She does all my photography and photo editing for me!  

This bag is a clutch style, it has a small flap closure on the top, and is sort of casual in style. It is 100% cotton and is also 3 layers of fabric with a heavy canvas as the center layer for stiffness and durability. Here is the design sheet;

And the fabric measurements and items needed are as follows; 

Canvas or muslin Base......................... 19" X 15"   -cut 1
Lining...................................................... 15" X 10"   -cut 2
Pocket (inside)....................................... 8" X 5"      -cut 2
Interfacing.............................................. 3" X 12"    - cut 2
Base Fabric ............................................ 15" X 5"    - cut 1
Side Panels (Main design fabric)......... 15" X 9"    - cut 2
Small Clasp Flap.................................... 5" X 5.5"   - cut 2
Clasp Flap Interfacing ......................... 4" X 4.5"    - cut 1

This design also calls for a decorative button, Magnetic closure, twist lock closure, Velcro, Snap, or other closure/clasp of your choice to be inserted into the front panel of the bag and the flap closure. Again, I leave a gap in the bottom lining seam to turn the bag once it is finished, I also mark out my placement lines on the muslin/canvas base before starting so that when I sew the side seams together everything lines up perfectly.

As before this and my other bags can be found on my Etsy page!

Day One! Bag One!

Celestial Beach Tote

   Today is the start of my blogging venture. I am going to create 365 handbags in 365 days. Yes I know that's sounds like a lot but really, what woman doesn't want a new bag to go with every outfit and a new bag for every day of the year. Talk about accessorizing! I will be posting photos of the finished product, always, photos of the design and pattern page, when I have one, and photos of the creation process when I remember to take some. 

   You can always find my bags on my Etsy page and yes, they are all for sale except in the case that they are made from a fabric that I have a limited amount of and what I have made is sold out. I will also be making some one of a kind art bags and those will be for sale but they will of course be one of a kind, so first come first served. If you do not find something you are looking for I can work on a custom order for you, and maybe it will go in my blog. 

   Now let's get on to the first bag.

   This is a large Beach tote made from 3 layers of canvas, it is super strong! I love this fabric, these are the leftovers from the crib set I made my daughter when she was a baby. I love the design, and the colors go really well together. She is 16 years old now so I have been sitting on this fabric for quite some time and once it's gone it is gone! The outer fabric is a heavy canvas outdoor fabric, it is durable and strong, which made it perfect for a very large tote bag or a beach tote. It is washable, and though it is not water proof it is perfect for a day at the beach or pool, and with summer coming I thought this was  a perfect start for my blog. 

   Here is my design sheet, this is the closest thing I use to a pattern when I am working with straight cuts and easily measured out dimensions. As you'll see on future bags I actually have a few different variations on this same design sheet, the main difference is in the dimensions. 

   I know it is a little hard to see so I will give the measurements for this bag;

Canvas or Muslin center piece ..... 49" X 21"  -cut 1
lining................................................. 21" X 25"  -cut 2
pocket............................................... 9" X 10"    -cut 2
Interfacing....................................... 14" X 6"    -cut 2
Straps (same as base fabric)......... 3.5" X 45" -cut 2
Base Fabric ..................................... 21"  X 18" -cut 1
Top Accent (same as base fabric). 21" X 3.5"-cut 2
Center panel.................................... 21" X 15"  -cut 2

These are the cut sizes and fabric pieces needed to complete this bag. zooming in on the picture will give you an idea of placement. I leave a large opening in the bottom of the lining and use that to turn the bag once it is finished.