I showed my first Snappy Wallet a while back as a new go-to gift for birthday parties for my six year old son, and now I have a tutorial for it. It's a simple design, and you can add to it, I've really just done the math for you! I think it's great for little kids as their first wallet, just enough room for a library card, a gift card, and some cash. You could easily add a zippered pocket on the back. 

I'm also happy to share that Melissa at Funky Monkey Fabrics has agreed to sponsor a giveaway. This kit includes everything you need to make a couple kid friendly Snappy Wallets. The prize pack includes: 4FQs, enough fusible fleece, Craft Fuse, and Peltex to make 2 wallets, and even a few coordinating snaps! Details at the end of the post for how to win.

Start by cutting: 

• exterior fabric 4" Hx 8" W
• fusible fleece 4" x 8"

• interior cotton 14"H x 8"W,  
• Craft Fuse 2.25" x 8" 
• Craft Fuse 2.75" x 8"
  
• Peltex 3" x 7"
• 2x exterior or interior fabric 1.5" x 3.5" (for snap tab)
• fusible fleece 1" x 3.5"



Fuse fleece to exterior fabric and set aside. Take both snap tab pieces and place right sides together. Cut one short end of the tab to create rounded corners. Fuse 1" x 3.5" fleece to wrong side of one snap tab. Sew snap tabs right sides together with 1/4" seam allowance, making sure to backstitch at start and stop. Here's the trickiest part of the whole wallet: turn right side out, using a chop stick or similar object. Topstitch with a 1/8" seam allowance and set aside.

Take interior fabric, fold and press one 8" edge up by 2.25", then fold and press again, accordion style, so the folded edge is 2.25" from raw edges of piece. Then repeat these steps, but create a 2.75" crease behind the 2.25" crease. So you should have a piece like in this diagram.

Now insert the craft fuse pieces in the corresponding creases and fuse. 

Then flip over and fold the 4" high piece down and out of the way and draw a line 2.25" up from bottom edge and 4" from side edges. Stitch along this line, starting 2.25" from edge and going toward bottom, backstitching at start. Only sew through most of the height of the bill slot and the entire height of the card slot, leaving the interior back out of the way. This creates the card slots.

Place snap tab on one side (4") edge of right side of interior assembly, tab facing inside, and place exterior piece right side down on top of snap tab and interior piece. Pin/clip edges, leaving a turning hole at the top of the wallet. Make sure to backstitch at start and stop.

Trim seam allowances to reduce the bulk, especially at the corners. Turn wallet right side out, using a turning tool to make corners as crisp as possible. Install the stud/cap snap on the snap tab. Fold the wallet to mark where the other half (socket) of the snap should go.

Use awl to make snap hole through exterior fabric and fleece only. This part is a bit tricky too: place cap and pliers inside wallet through turning hole and install socket/cap.

It should now look like this.

Now insert the peltex in the turning hole and smooth out evenly inside the wallet. Fold in edges of turning hole and press entire wallet well. Pin/clip turning hole closed and topstitch all the way around wallet.

You're finished! Put a gift card and/or some cash in there and you have a wonderful gift that is sure to be well received.

To enter to win the prize pack, simply comment with who you'd make a Snappy Wallet for. Giveaway open until 11:59pm PST Saturday June 6, 2015. A random winner will be announced after June 7. Open to US and Canadian residents.
Bonus entries for following me onInstagram or Pinterest, or following Funky Monkey on Instagram, just make sure to leave a separate comment for each bonus entry

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the Sitka Fabrics giveaway. I really enjoyed reading everyone's comments. Don't forget the discount code HAP10 good for 10% off until June 20, 2015 in the Sitka Fabrics online shop.

I used Random.org to help me select winners. Courtney's comment won her the Heavy Metal from Camelot Fabrics FQ bundle. Congrats Courtney!

Gwen won the Acorn Trail from Birch Organics FQ Bundle. Way to go Gwen!

Thanks again to everyone else, stay tuned for another giveaway soon; they're so fun! 

The Hyacinth Bag, bySew Sweetness, is the February bag from the Bag of the Month Club. I'm trying to catch up. The club has one more month, and I have 4 more bags to go, yikes, I better step it up! 

The Hyacinth has a front flap covering card slots and a zipped cash pocket. The flap is closed with a magnetic snap, and the pattern offers an option for an invisible snap, or the regular magnetic snap option. The pattern also has an adjustable strap so the bag can be worn over the shoulder or cross-body.

The bag is slim, but roomy, with a large divided interior pocket and a zippered exterior back pocket. 

I chose Melody Miller's Mustang line from Cotton + Steel. The arrows and horses were from Fabric Spark, and the matching border print was a lucky find in my local quilt shop. I was also happy I had all the coordinating gold-finish hardware and zipper pull to match the metallic in the prints. 

The Hyacinth Bag is now available from theSew Sweetness shop.

What kind of giveaways would you like to see? Patterns? Fabric? Let me know in the comments. Are you in the Bag of the Month Club? Are you up to date, or behind, like me? I've already started cutting my Manhattan Mama, so watch for that soon.

I'm so excited to share my recent projects with you today, and introduce a new online Canadian fabric shop! I'm also hosting a giveaway and have an exclusive discount to share. 

Do you use Instagram? I find it's a great way to get inspiration and to see what's going on in the fabric and sewing world. I follow Camelot Fabrics on Instagram and saw a teaser image of the Heavy Metal line months ago. Immediately I knew I was going to make the Sew Sweetness Rockstar Bag with something from this collection; I just had to wait patiently for it to arrive in stores. I've had the Rockstar pattern for a while, but wanted the perfect fabric for it. I really don't think I could have found a better match for this bag!

I didn't make any interfacing changes on the bag, and used a mix of new and reclaimed hardware to get a perfect match to bronze-gold stars. I think the metallics match nicely with bright solids, but really you can do so much with them!

Lisa from Sitka Fabrics sent me some fabrics from the collection and gave me carte blanche to make some pretty things with them. It was so much fun!

I love making cup cozies and glasses cases, so I made one of each with the dots. I tried out a free pattern for the dumpling pouch and I love the bright pink peeking out with the silver stars. I also made some keychain wristlets and tried the contrasting strip on Dakota for the first time. I think the silver lattice was just the right touch for a fancy Coraline.  

Lisa at Sitka Fabrics was enrolled in private sewing lessons when she was 9, and "never looked back." She's made everything from clothes, to toys, to bags, and even her own ski bib pants! She also owns her own sewing business Kenzie & Co, so she understands what other sewists are looking for. She also understands that it's not always easy to find exactly what we're looking for locally, so wanted to have and create more options for Canadian sewists. She's working on building up her stock, and would like to have a variety of fabric available. She currently carries some amazing Euro knits, and gorgeous wovens as well. Her plan is to have a good selection of "geeky" prints (don't we love those?!) and Canadian fabric too. She's open to suggestions, so send her a message, or even let her know in the comments on this post, which brings us to our giveaway!

Lisa is generously giving away 2 fat quarter bundles! One winner will receive a FQ bundle of Birch Fabric Acorn Trail prints, 100% organic cotton poplin. Another winner will receive a FQ bundle of Camelot Fabrics Heavy Metal prints. She has also given us a discount code, good for 10% off , just use code HAP10 at checkout. To enter, simply comment below, letting Lisa know what you'd like to see available in her shop: your suggestion can be a specific print or collection, or even just a type of material you'd like to use. 
Bonus entries for: 
following me on Instagram or Pinterest
following Sitka Fabrics on Instagram
please leave a separate comment letting me know that you follow for bonus entries to count.
Giveaway open to Canadian residents only. Giveaway open until Monday, May 25 at 10:00pm PST. 

I feel like the fabric world is exploding with fabulous new design and colour combinations and wonderful geometric patterns and shapes. Right now there is so much on my wishlist and in my virtual shopping carts. I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you.

I've only recently heard about Alison Glass, but she is quickly becoming one of my favourite designers. She has several current collections, with many prints available at Fabricspark.com, some are even on sale. 

Her latest collection, Ex Libris, is truly a stunning masterpiece of colour and shape. Keep watching Fabric Spark for it to arrive. 

Lizzy House is another designer that is relatively new on my radar. Her latest collection, Natural History is fun and pretty without being too cutesy. She also has another line, Mini Pearl Bracelets, which work perfectly for interior fabrics and offer a great punch of colour, or work as a low volume volume print, depending on which colour you choose. There is a good mix of availability for both lines at Fabric Spark online, and at Satin Moon Quilted Garden, either in store or by phone/email. 

I have been anxiously awaiting these since I saw my first peek at it on Instagram. Camelot Fabrics is a Canadian company, too! Keep an eye on my blog for an upcoming post using this line in a number of different items. They are so much fun to work with! Available now from Sitka Fabrics.

How could I do fabric post without mentioning the queen herself? I'm so drawn to Tula Pink's artwork and her use of colours is captivating. Stay Home Fabrics and Fabric Spark both have large selections of her fabric from Free Spirit, including a few older collections. Here are some images of the Elizabeth collection. I cannot wait for True Colors, and then Eden! 

Cotton + Steel is a collection of 5 designers, each with their own fabulous style. The collections are too numerous to list here, but I have to mention Mustang, Playful, and of course their "basics" collection, which is my favourite basics collection ever!

I don't think I'd describe my fabric taste as big on florals, but there are some florals I really love. I always love Joel Dewberry's florals, whenever someone tells me they don't have enough florals in their stash, he's the first one I recommend. Bari J is another newish to me designer, and I really love the jewel tones she works with. This last print I've chosen is now out of print, but you can still find it and its coordinates around.

I love science!  I also love fabric, so science inspired fabric is right up my alley! Funky Monkey Fabrics has a great selection of fun geeky prints, and Fabric Spark also has some wonderful science loving prints available.

I don't do a lot of sewing for kids, but these fun prints are so tempting and make me want to make more lunch bags, pillow cases and wallets. The new Color Me line from Michael Miller is amazing! Kids can actually colour it in! Funky Monkey has one of the prints in stock right now, and is expecting the other one in as well; I think it would make a great gift as a pillow case, or an art tote, with a set of markers to colour in. Some of the licensed prints out right now are a lot of fun too. Ann Kelle is without a doubt, my favourite designer of children's fabric. She has such cute designs in a wonderful array of colours.

I've been a fan of Anna Graham of Noodlehead for a while now. In fact, the first PDF pattern I ever purchased was her 241 Tote. I love her elegant, simple style, and was so thrilled when I heard she was coming out with a line of fabric. It is not available for purchase yet, but you bet I will be filling my virtual carts when it hits online shops in a couple months. It's called Rain Walk, and will be from Cloud 9. There will even be a few canvas prints available.

I think I may need to have a part 2, haha! See what I mean about all the amazingness going on right now?! Did I miss one of your favourites? Or did you discover a new love? Let me know what you think, and tell me your favourites in the comments.

I love taking usable pieces and parts of older items and turning them into something new and functional again. Here is a picture of my recent thrift store purchase. I bought these bags and belt for $5. My local thrift store has rotating sales and I can often get a really good deal. This latest score was to harvest the hardware. Just look at the antique brass clips, rings and slider on that bag! The buckles and rings from the small white bag are specialty items I don't have the easiest time finding new, so it felt like a bonus finding them for such a great price. 

I know other people have great success buying old leather jackets and skirts and using that material as well. Sometimes it takes a bit of looking around, but there's a sense of satisfaction in a great find. I also like that many thrift stores support good causes, so my purchase often goes back into my community.

Just make sure to inspect the hardware, and give it a good clean before using it on your bags. See below for how I used the belt. 

Recognize that buckle? This is my second Liliane Buckled Hobo bag from Delinda Boutique, and I think I like the pattern more this time around. As I mentioned in my initial review of the pattern, the instructions were a bit too detailed for me. Since I was more familiar with the construction of the bag this time around, I was able to just refer to the pattern instructions quickly for reference and not follow each individual step. The pattern really does create a great bag. So many great features! The roomy exterior pocket is so unique, and a defining style feature on this purse; a great place to stash quick-grab items like hair ties, lipstick, or pens. 

I added piping on the front exterior pocket. I think it adds an extra pop to the fun prints chosen for this bag. It only needed a small amount of piping and was an easy place to add it. If you're looking for an opportunity to try piping for the first time, I recommend it here. This Timeless Treasures print was originally at Funky Monkey Fabrics, and is out of stock now, but Melissa from Funky Monkey is expecting more in stock soon, so keep checking; it's such a fun print and works well with many bright colours. I was brave and tried white contrasting thread for my stitching; the effect was exactly the result I was aiming for.

For interfacing, I used Pellon Shapeflex 101 on my exterior fabrics and Pellon Craft Fuse 808 on my lining, resulting in a bag with body, but now quite stiff enough to stand up on its own: just right for a hobo bag. 

I found the handle on my first bag was a nice size, but I prefer to have the option of adjustable straps, so I added some O-rings and a slider, and changed the strap to create an adjustable length. 

The pleats on the exterior of this bag allow it to be a fancy purse with the right fabrics, but I think fun prints work too! 

Have you done any upcycling in your sewing? I'd love to hear about it!