Rubie by Moments Designs

It's been a while........it's been a long and beautiful summer........sewing came to a halt while I went on holiday but now I'm back.......and here is my first offering of the Autumn.....

Rubie is the new design from Liz at Moments.....Liz claimed in the first instance to be creating a 'simple quick sew'........and so she was in the beginning. Like all good things they evolve. Whilst Rubie is still a pretty quick sew she now has several options, something for every taste, and better still, two ways to wear her.

So lets start with my first offering.

All in faux leather and following the pattern (well more or less)

Rubie is a stylish sassy cross body bag with an unusual cuff at the top that can be worn rolled over, or if you have more to carry you just roll it up and the bag capacity is increased by almost 1/3.......clever idea eh? The pleated front panel add interest to the design.....especially when accented with rivets or decoration of some sort.....

There isn't anywhere obvious to add embroidery on Rubie......but there is a really useful little invisible pocket tucked under the cuff. I couldn't help myself, as soon as I saw that on the pattern I knew I had to use a 'chad'..........CHAD??? yes Chad or as Liz calls him Kilroy..I guess it depends where you are in the world, I call him chad, others call him other things........but he looks fab just peeking out from on top of the pocket.

I love that Liz designs bags that can be turned through the pocket, it's so much neater inside when you don't have to stitch up the gaping hole you turned through.......this way it's all at the bottom of the pocket so nobody can see....I added a large slip pocket to the back of the bag rather than doing pleats front and back.....oh and did I mention the strap hardwear?  don't even get me started.......Liz is using a clever threading system suggested by another of her testers.....you don't use a traditional slider for the adjustable strap.......I can tell you it took me several attempts to get it right.....but once I had it sussed, it seems really easy. A great trick to keep in your tool box for those days when you don't have the slider you need!

For number two I decided to try and change it ip a bit and piece my front panel....black and gold......I love the way she looks, again I added a tall slip pocket to the rear......and changed up the hardwear as this was all I had in gold that suited... 

Number three is a classy little number in cork and indigenous fabric..........keeping it really simple with no additional outer pockets just the beautiful cork. I love this combination.

It all goes a bit 'off piste' at this point. I decided that those pleats could perhaps be zippers...........and I probably should have stopped at that thought, but something kept me going......and I added a long zipper right around the top of the cuff.......without any thought to how practical that would be at all......so if the cuff is up....I can use it.....if its down and I open the zipper I'll be leaving a trail of odds and sods behind me as I go......Hansel and Gretel fashion.......at least ill be able to find my way home!

It was while I was hunting down my long zippers for number four that I stumbled across my prized piece of Alison Glass ExLibris fabric........and suddenly I am inspired. Ok so lets confess here and now....im a hacker.....its what I do. I love following a pattern, but I love not following it better. And it is with this in mind that I decided to make Rubie as 'I' would wear her. I'm not a little bag kind of girl. I carried my Isobel on holiday and I enjoyed the freedom of a smaller bag but for everyday use I really need something bigger. Rubie is a  good size, but for me I really like her with the cuff up........so there seems no point in making a bag where the cuff can roll down.......once ive got this idea inot my head it opens up all sorts of ideas. So here she is, my number 5 Rubie

Yes this is heavily hacked... I missed off the pleats as they would have spoiled the fabric.......and I straightened out the cuff as it doesn't need to roll down for me........and I used some strap hard wear from Emmaline bags.....add a funky welt pocket to the outside of the cuff and a whole load of zippered and slip pockets inside and she's custom built to suit me and my needs......

So there we have it.....Rubie in all her glory and several ideas for additions that aren't on the pattern as if you need more.

The pattern is well written, with all the tips you could ever need for sewing with faux leather, and additional ideas for fabrics.......pictures all the way through for those of us who don't read.........and so many options to customise the design to suit you.......

She is on sale for the first few days........so there really no good reason not to go and buy her now.....

https://www.craftsy.com/…/patte…/rubie-cross-body-bag/459748

bet you cant resist eh???

Happy sewing

The Reversible Hobo by Mrs H

 

I decided it was time to retire the bag I've been carrying since the summer last year and make myself something new. I've been hoarding some fabric for a while by a designer called Alison Glass, as far as I'm aware its not available here in the UK. I got my panel from the USA some months ago and had not seen the 'right project' to show of its beauty. http://www.andoverfabrics.com/SingleDesignerNew.php?Designer=Alison

 

Now the time had come!

 

The pattern I choose to use is by Mrs H www.mrs-h.co.uk .........a British bag designer. I've made only two of her bags before but found her patterns to be well written with lots of detailed instructions. This pattern didn't disappoint. Mrs H......or Samantha , has a Facebook page so if you need help with a pattern either she or one of the other makers on her page can usually help.  She has followers world wide so it wont mater what time zone your in, someone will usually be there to give advice https://www.facebook.com/groups/1682705708624802/

 

I'm usually not a fan of bags that don't use foam stabiliser, I like my bags structured, but this one uses fusible fleece, its a hobo bag, so designed to be slouchy. I toyed with the idea of using foam instead For my first effort eventually used the instructions as they where. 

As the song goes.......'the first cut is the deepest'...........and it was..........anyone who sews will have fabrics they just want to own, you want it to look at, to stroke, to just say you own it........I was the same with my beautiful Alison Glass Ex Libris panel

 

 

 

The picture doesn't do it justice, its rich in colour and the pattern just draws you in, every time I look at it I see something different, this is my kind of fabric........colourful, abstract and beautiful.

 

Choosing a pattern to show off the fabric is important, but when you only have a small panel it makes it hard to find something that doesn't have hundreds of bits to cut. I knew I was on the right track when I saw another bag maker make a bag using the same pattern from another fabric from this range.........so the decision was made for me.

 

 

The bag is designed to be reversible, but I just knew I would never turn this fabric to the inside so I left out the straps inside that would allow you to use the bag both ways, and teamed my fabric with plain black.

 

Don't be alarmed by the lack of pattern pieces, this bag is made mostly with rectangles of different sizes, so there are only two pattern pieces to print out, the rest is done with a ruler and scissors or rotary cutter.........

 

What a fab quick sew, I know I sew quickly anyway, but even for me this was a quick one. From cutting the pattern to completion, about 3 hours. For a first attempt at any bag that's fast. I added a couple of bits inside to use up the last few scraps of fabric.........a double welt zippered pocket.

yes that's a 'double welt'.............not something I would usually do inside a bag as its really not seen, but I couldn't waste those last scraps. More fiddly to do than a standard zipped pocket but the look is so smart it was worth it. I used this tutorial to show me how to do it the first time.......... https://playfulstitching.wordpress.com/2013/10/04/double-welt-zipper-pocket/

 

Once you've done it once, you wont find it so challenging.

 

The bag went together beautifully, the instructions are clear and concise, there are lots of diagrams to use if your a visual learner. The bag you end up with is HUGE! I love the short strap, it sits just perfectly on the shoulder and allows you to keep the bag cradled under your arm, I wasn't totally convinced by that to start with but having tried it,,,,,, it works. The bag is perfect for those that carry a lot of stuff about, like me........

 

So the bag is done, what do you do then??? Yeap, you got it, make another...

 

So buoyed by the success of my first hobo, I went searching for another panel of fabric that I brought some time ago, another piece that I had to have but really had no idea what id make with it. and without too much trouble a second hobo was born. again not reversible.

 

 

This one went together even more quickly, I'm blessed with a good memory, so once I've followed the pattern once I can usually do a second one without looking too much at the instructions... This one will be my holiday bag, The fabric just screams 'take me somewhere sunny'......and its big enough to get all those holiday essential's into with ease.

 

Try the pattern, you wont be disappointed by the results, or if you would like a bespoke bag made from this pattern contact me through my page at

 

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