Radiant Home Studio

8 Stylish Sewing & Bag Making Supplies on Etsy

October 25, 2018
Posted by Sara
October 25, 2018
2 comments

Would you like to improve the quality & style of the bags you are sewing? If you are going to take the time to make your own bags, you need to invest in high-quality bag making supplies and fabrics. The best materials aren’t usually available at the craft store chains, but you can find great bag making supplies on Etsy!

Did you know there are hundreds of Esty shops that sell sewing supplies? I always sort the search results to find shops in the US. Most of them are small family businesses, so you can feel good about supporting them. I order from many of these shops on a regular basis!

8 Stylish Sewing & Bag Making Supplies on Etsy | Radiant Home Studio

To sew durable & stylish bags, you need professional supplies like brass hardware, waxed canvas, and leather accents. These materials can really elevate your bags, taking them from “homemade” to “handcrafted”.

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!)

Here Are 8 Stylish Bag-Making Supplies You Can Find in Etsy shops:

Zippers from Zipit

This is my go-to zipper source! They have high-quality YKK zippers in every option you can imagine. I really love the modern autumn color palette on this set of 9″ zippers. These would be great for zipper pouches. Shipping is always fast and they usually include extra goodies in your order!

Brass Hardware from The Buckle Guy

Brass hardware really elevates your bag quality and adds a cool vintage vibe. I use hardware from The Buckle Guy for my Retro Rucksacks. The prices are great and there are tons of size and color options.

Leather Straps from Sew Hungry Hippie

Leather accents can really make a difference on your handmade bags. There are lots of options on Etsy for straps, but Sew Hungry Hippie is a shop run by a fellow bag pattern designer and she has other great patterns and fabric you should check out too!

Custom Leather Bag Tags from All This Wood

Custom tags are a great way to add a professional finish to your bags. If you sell at craft fairs, these awesome laser cut leather tags could add value and rustic sophistication to your handmade goods.

Suede Bag Tassel from Lindsay Streem Designs

I love the idea of a colorful accent on a plain canvas or leather bag. These suede bag tassels would add an upscale boho vibe to a simple slouchy purse.

Teal Waxed Canvas from A.L. Frances

Waxed canvas is my favorite material to use for handmade bags. It’s durable and easier to sew than leather. This shop has more color options than I’ve seen anywhere else! Plus, they carry waxed denim and waxed linen—something I haven’t tried but will soon!

I have more information about sewing with waxed canvas in this post.

Woven Cord from Easy Village Supply

This beautiful woven cord from East Village Supply could be used for embellishments. Two or three strands together would make a really unique strap on a bag. You might also find some pretty tassels and charms for your zipper pulls in their shop!

Brass Spring Snap & Snap Setter from Springfield Leather

Brass spring snaps can also add a really professional touch to your bags. You don’t need expensive tools to apply then, just the setter above. For a helpful spring snap application tutorial, read this post from Anna at Noodlehead.

Patterns, Sewing

Handmade Potholders from the Flower City Pattern Testers

October 12, 2018
Posted by Sara
October 12, 2018
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As always, pattern testers are amazing! They really help clarify instructions and perfect the pattern. The Flower City Potholders pattern is better because of their hard work and ideas.

They have some great creative twists, with patchwork and paper pieced sections. I hope they inspire you to try the potholders and add your own creative ideas!

Here are a few Flower City Potholders made by my testers:

This beautiful set was made by Colleen. Her quilting lines are perfect! You can see her other sewing projects @skootchover on Instagram.

Flower City Potholder Set | Kitchen Gifts | Radiant Home Studio

Margareth made her square potholders with some beautiful paper pieced designs from Lori Holt’s Farm Girl Vintage quilt book. (that’s an affiliate link) And then she used some hexie flowers from her unfinished project pile to embellish the double-pocket potholder, which you can see @maggiemadebags on Instagram.

Flower City Potholder Set | Kitchen Gifts | Farm Girl Vintage Quilt Blocks | Paper Pieced | Radiant Home Studio

Kristin made a lovely set of coordinating potholders and oven mitt. I love the autumn tones and contrast binding she chose. She also took a great side photo of the oven mitt so you can see the thumb joint. You can see more of her pretty sewing projects @watersidehearth on Instagram.

Daryl is always quick to finish her sewing projects. I love how she matched the fabric to her bowls perfectly! This is the best part about making your own kitchen linens…you can always find the perfect match! See more of Daryl’s sewing @patchoulimoonstudio on Instagram.

Julie used this “eye-catching” fabric for a fun take on potholders. I like the contrasting white binding on the dark fabric. You can see more of Julie’s makes (clothes and kids stuff too!) @isewdoncjesuis on Instagram.

Margaret used a solid blue linen with some pink and orange accents. You can see her lovely quilting and sewing projects @mcglen on Instagram.

Laura made these pretty potholders that will add some fun color to her kitchen. Laura shares her sewing projects @stitchesbylaura on Instagram.

Flower City Potholders | Radiant Home Studio

Susi sewed her potholders using some fun scraps she had left! Maybe the soccer mom in your life would enjoy a themed oven mitt like this one. Susi shares more projects @junglepearls on Instagram.

Danette tried out the extra patchwork directions and was able to use up some coordinating scraps to make these happy potholders! She shares more projects at Nettie Sews.

Embroidery, Sewing, Tutorials

Sew a Sunglasses Case with Scraps & Kantha Stitching

July 31, 2018
Posted by Sara
July 28, 2018
3 comments

Summertime means sunglasses! I usually have mine on my head, but sometimes I want to throw them in my bag with a layer of protection. This sunglasses case is a great way to use up scraps and practice some kantha stitching. (Kantha is just a fancy word for Indian style running stitches and they don’t even have to be perfect!)

Here’s a quick tutorial so you can sew a sunglasses case that will use up scraps and help protect your lenses. I made the pattern big enough for oversized sunglasses. If you have a slim pair or want to use it for reading glasses, you can adjust the size by trimming it down when you get partway through.

Remember that kantha stitching is meant to be quick and easy. You can thread the needle through 4-8 stitches before pulling the thread. Don’t worry about perfect spacing or alignment. The imperfections are what give it a beautiful handmade look.

This type of pouch is useful for other little items too, so be creative! If you change the size slightly, it makes a great little protective phone cover. Or you could make it bigger and use it to cover an iPad.

(This post contains affiliate links which means I make a small commission when you make a purchase. Thanks!)

How to Sew a Sunglasses Case with Scraps & Kantha Stitching

Finished size: approximately 4″ x 7″

Materials & Tools:

fabric scraps in coordinating colors (about ten 12″ x 1.5″ strips)
one larger piece of fabric about 10″ square for the lining
fusible fleece (about 10″ square)
coordinating embroidery floss (I like pearl embroidery floss for this project.)
embroidery needle (I like these Sashiko needles. They are long so you can make multiple stitches at a time.)
rotary cutter & mat (You can do without, but measuring and cutting are much faster and easier!)

Sewing Instructions:

1. Cut out several strips of fabric about 12″ long and 1-2″ wide. They can be variable widths and do not need to be perfect! If you like making improv quilt blocks, that’s exactly what you need to do here. In fact, you can be more creative and sew other shapes and designs if you like.

2. Lay out your strips in the order you want to sew them together. Place the first 2 strips right sides together and stitch with a 1/4″ seam allowance along the long edge. Press and continue to add the rest of the strips in the same manner.

3. Trim the sewn-together strips to about 10″ x 9″. Cut a piece of fusible fleece the same size and fuse it to the wrong side of the fabric. (Note: If you think the fusible fleece will be too thick to hand stitch, you can use a lightweight interfacing on this layer and add fusible fleece to the lining layer instead.)

4. Begin stitching across the vertical stripes, slightly off center with close rows of running stitches. Again, these aren’t supposed to be perfect. They are supposed to be quick! Fill in a section with about 1.5″ of stitching. Finish filling in the other sections with close rows of running stitches perpendicular to the first section.

5. Once you finish stitching, your fabric will be slightly smaller and probably not square again. Wrap it around your glasses and figure out if you need to trim the rectangle. To make it the same size as mine, it should be about 9″ x 8″ at this point. Be sure to leave about 1/2″ of seam allowance on all sides. (Below, I had already trimmed the corners…this is in the next step.)

6. Cut a solid piece of fabric to match the size of the quilted rectangle. (If you prefer a more sturdy case, you can add some medium-weight interfacing to this layer as well.)

7. Place the quilted rectangle and the lining right sides together. Fold in half. Trim off one outer corner about 1″ from each edge.

8. Stitch around the outside edge, pivoting at the corners, using a 3/8″ seam allowance, leaving a 2″ opening on one side. Trim the bulk from the corners and turn inside out. Press.

9. Fold the lining sides together. Whipstitch across the bottom and side near the edge, pulling tight as you stitch. Finish just below the angled corner with a small knot. (You can also machine topstitch, but the thickness of the fabric may be too much for some basic sewing machines.)

That’s it! Make beautiful gifts for your friends, use up scraps, and enjoy the sunshine!

Also, linking up with: Sew Can She, Saturday Sharefest, & Craftastic Monday

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Sewing

Chambray Ogden Cami

June 20, 2018
Posted by Sara
June 28, 2018
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Another Ogden Cami…this time in scraps of chambray from my Marigold Dress. I think I only had about a yard left, but I was able to cut out a size 4 with no problems. (You may have noticed it in my previous post about the wide-leg rayon pants…)

I already reviewed the pattern in my Rayon Ogden Dress Post, but it’s obviously a good pattern when you make it twice in one week!

One thing I learned from making the dress is that it is essential for moms to reinforce their straps. The first time I wore my cami dress, my 9-month-old managed to rip the strap out while struggling to get out of my arms. That and the stress of holding her on my hip all day was too much. Thankfully, I had a second layer underneath!

I went back and repaired the strap, plus I reinforced all of the strap ends with some medium weight interfacing and another row of stitching. On the second chambray cami, I just went ahead and reinforced everything the first time!