Small Purse Patterns Offer Opportunities To Experiment
by admin — 10 Comments » Lazies, Beginning today, you can watch me demonstrate the Chloe Handbag purse pattern on KayeWoodTV.com. Chloe is a small handbag, made with three fat quarters of fabric, and offers a wonderful opportunity to try working with fashion handles, a magnetic snap closure and try new embellishment techniques.
Click here to watch the Chloe Handbag episode at KayeWoodTV.com.
In this episode of the Kaye’s Quilting Friends program, Kaye and I walk through the construction of the bag as well as share tips along the way. We wrap up by sharing lots of pretty Chloe Handbags.
Chloe Handbag, LGD120
The Chloe Handbag LGD120 is one of my favorite handbags. She’s perfect for embellishing. In fact, I designed her to be easy to embellish. And don’t let the word embellish scare you. Embellishing can be as simple as piecing some scraps together, or couching some fibers, or adding buttons. In short, Chloe was designed to be a small billboard for your embellishing talents. Don’t think you have any of those? I beg to differ. Perhaps Chloe can be a confidence-builder for you
Click here to read about this crochet or knit mock felted Chloe.
Show Me What’s What
Chloe contains what I call a ‘MasterPiece’ pattern piece. The MasterPiece is actual size for one half (front or back) of Chloe. It shows the embellishing zone or ‘marquee’ area of the cut fabric so you know exactly what will end up on the front of the finished bag. The MasterPiece locates seam allowances and makes suggestions for placement of embellishments. Including the BBB’s – buttons, beads and baubles. The MasterPiece locates the top edge of the bag and placement for a magnetic snap closure.
Click here to read about using your scraps to make a designer Chloe.
Unconventional Seaming
On Chloe, one inch of the cover fabric wraps over the top edge of the bag and dips into the bag where it is then pieced to the lining. Since the cover fabric is backed with batting, this means batting wraps over the top edge of the bag and dips into the bag as well.
This lip of cover fabric around the inside top edge of Chloe offers a stable place to install a magnetic snap closure. By moving the seam at the lining down into the bag, it also creates a nice smooth clean looking edge to the top of the bag.
Click here to read about weaving a new fabric for Chloe.
Choosing Fashion Handles
The back of the pattern contains a handle guide. Click here to see the pattern back. The top edge of the finished bag is just over 11 inches wide. Handles with ends that are approximately 6 inches apart will work well for this bag. Your handle will work if the ends fall within the two boxes toward the right edge of the pattern back.
Click here to read about this patchwork and crystals Chloe.
The video demonstration for Chloe will air for the next year at KayeWoodTV.com.
Enjoy!
Joan
The Chloe is the very first Lazy Girl pattern that I bought and I’ve made at least 20 of these bags. I’ve made them by the pattern, and I’ve made them taller; made handles and bought handles; added embroidery and added applique. The bag I carry the most is from this pattern (a taller version with removable bamboo handles so I can throw the purse into the washer). I made one in black velveteen and added crystals for a one-of-a-kind evening bag. I bought the pattern after seeing it demonstrated on Kaye Wood’s show – went immediately to her site and placed an order. Needless to say I’ve bought many more patterns after discovering Joan’s Lazy Girl approach.
I just love these little cuties. They are sew easy to make , I think I have 4 or 5 under my belt now. But I love the video with all your great tips. I think this would be a wonderful smocking canvas (I have enough to do!). Thanks for the special viewing!
Penny D in Chesapeake
i loved your video, joan and, as i was watching you place your handles on the bag, matching them to the bag edge, i thought of this great tool i have that can help determine *centers* …. it’s called a *center-finding rule* … i found it at my local stationary store (great place for french curves, too) … it’s 18″ long, metal, and it cost under $6, and i love it and it’s fantastic for everything from finding centers on fabric for shirt fronts, even placement of purse handles, quilting, anytime you want an exact center, and cardmaking and scrapbooking too …. because the ruler is metal, if you want, you can glue flannel or very, very, very fine, light sandpaper to the bottom so it *holds* to your fabric without slipping … oh, yea, it has a hole in one end for hanging on your wall …
hardware and stationary stores rock for all your *needs* … LOL … just a thought ….
Joan, I just love your patterns! Now this is one that I don’t have and now will be ordering it. I love the comments before me, I kind of do the same things and see that the Chloe will be my next STAPLE pattern to have.
Have a great day, you have made mine one!
Hi Joan,
Great video, I really enjoyed it. You and Kaye film well together.
Michele
http://www.artstuff.net/lance_center_finding_rules.htm
I found this site “Googling” center finding rule after reading Darlene’s note. Great little tool and inexpensive! Comes in multiple sizes. Might as well order a longer one, right?!
Thanks a lot for the suggestion. Linda
I have totally forgotten my password to get into the downloads. How can I retreive that??
I love this bag – but I’m not a sewer. I’m a wannabe. I was wondering if starting out if this is a good bag to start with or is there even an easier one.
The video make is look so easy. I would love to be able to be like Phyllis and be so comfortable making them that I could adjust the sizes and handles.
I have a friend who has a new sewing maching still in the box that she has never used that will let me borrow it to “try” and see if I like it or can even do it.
Any “beginners tips” would be awsome.
Thanks
Pingback: Handbags Collection » Blog Archive » Chloe.jpg - 6th Edition
Very creative design!