Kwik Sew 3749: Cats Out of the Bag

Amanda — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:00:23 +0000

I took a little break from garment sewing to make this bag for a little girl’s birthday present. It’s a miniature version of Kwik Sew 3749, a pattern I’ve made a ton of times but have never shown on the blog. That pattern makes a HUGE bag so I scaled down the pattern pieces to make it “little girl” friendly.

The print is so sweet. I scooped it up the second I saw it because the black cat reminds me of the little girl’s cat! I figured she’d get a kick out of that. The fabric is a sturdy cotton, which works perfectly for a bag and whatever Care Bears or Rainbow Brite dolls she’ll carry in it (or whatever the kiddies are into these days ;)).

There are six pleats at the top, just below the band, and I added extra pleats at the bottom. I had fun placing the band pieces in such a way that the cats look like they’re popping up from the seam! Another slight variation I did this time around was use a decorative stitch at the top rather than a straight stitch.

Look, I even inadvertently created “Cyclops Kitty” with one of the pleats. See her there, the orange one in the center?! The black cat, on the other hand, is peaking out of the side seam, which I think is cute. :)

Here’s a peak inside the bag. I used leftover chambray from my 1920s Tulip Kimono – don’t you love when you use up your scraps? Totally justifies keeping them around all this time! Originally I thought of going with a fish print for the lining with the idea the cats on the inside band would be amused by the swimming fishies below. In the end, I thought it would get a bit too busy for all that and remembered this chambray at the bottom of my scrap pile.

The inside includes a large pocket for holding Play-Doh…or a smart phone (yikes!). I used the same decorative stitch on the pocket as the outside band – that’s called tying it all together, people! :)

Oh, and I’ve named this miniature version of Kwik Sew 3749 the “Darla” bag. I’ve also made an even smaller version that I’ve called the “Daisy Dimple” bag, reserved for the littlest of little rascals! Bonus points if you know where these two names come from, although I did just give it away, didn’t I?

And that’s all she wrote! A great bag pattern that you and every other woman in your family will love again and again. No, seriously, if you don’t want to make this pattern again and again and again then don’t show it to any female you know. ;)

I hope you’re off to a great week, world!

Lullaby Lamb Felt Doll

Amanda — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:37:00 +0000

Wow, it’s been too long since I last posted. Sheesh. Anyway, I am *this* close to completing a second Colette Oolong dress so hopefully I can include it in this week’s Sew Weekly “Do Over” challenge!

I shared this Lullaby Lamb felt doll project over at the Crafty Christmas Club blog and have the all-clear to post here since I gave it to the little girl recipient on Thanksgiving (won’t be able to see her on her birthday, which is around Christmas). She’s turning 1 so I wanted to make her a doll for the special day! The pattern is a design from Gingermelon, an Etsy shop with a bunch of adorable doll patterns available (I want that owl doll. I mean, can you go wrong with an owl named Orlando complete with spiffy hat? Genius.). She’s based in Canada, but her patterns are sent through e-mail and I received mine almost right away. Must give credit to Paunnet for featuring her as part of her Etsy shop series.

The lamb came together pretty easily and I’m very happy with how it turned out. Basic embroidery stitches are used to join the pieces. The original doll height is described as 3.5″ (~9 cm) sitting down so I doubled the size of the pattern pieces to get a larger doll. Most pieces are whip stitched together and then stuffed with polyfil, including the wee snout.

Materials include:

High quality woolen cream felt for the body from Purl Soho in New York. It doesn’t pill like cheaper felts and has a smooth feel (though I admit using cheaper felt for the flower at the head and the pillow.)
Leftover fabric from my first-ever skirt for the foot pads and inner ears.
Seed beads at the center of the flower.
Silk satin ribbon at the neck, also from Purl Soho.

I attached the pillow to the body of the lamb so it wouldn’t get lost. My sister chimed in, “Yeah, you know she’s going to rip that pillow right off.” Little Riley definitely went right for the pillow, but – in round 1 at least – she was no match for my threading skills, aha!

I’d love to make this again or try some of her other patterns. I know it’ll go a lot faster now that I’ve done it once. I hope everyone celebrating had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Sewin' in the Rain » children

Kwik Sew 3749: Cats Out of the Bag

Lullaby Lamb Felt Doll