The Bow Tie Bag by Allie Ann Designs

Hi readers!

I am so excited to share my own design with you all.  My favorite part of this bag is the bow :).  Lord willing, one day I hope to design and sell patterns, so this is something I want to share.  I hope you all like this design.  I made it an over-the-shoulder bag because they are my favorite. It also has inner pockets.  I love the way it looks it Tula Pink's acacia fabric.  I know I've now used these two acacia fabrics in all three colorways, but once I used the first two I thought it was only fitting to use the third as well.  I really love those raccoons! ;)  These fabrics can be found here and here. P.S.  If you, too, are a Tula fabric fan, check out her upcoming line, Fox Field.  I'm really excited about this one and note that it looks even better in person.

-Allie Ann :-)

The Rainy Days Hooded Raincoat

Hi all!  I'm back to share my Rainy Days Hooded Raincoat, a great pattern by Amy Butler.  This was such a fun project to sew.  It all started when I saw this gorgeous laminated cotton fabric by Kaffe Fassett.  I thought it would make a really cute and colorful raincoat.  Once I bought the fabulous fabric, it was automatically one of those "just can't cut it" fabrics because it was so beautiful!  I wanted to make the raincoat with it though, of-course.  First I spent some time finding all the special tools one needs when working with laminate fabric.  I got a teflon foot for my sewing machine and clips to act as substitute pins(I couldn't pierce the laminated fabric with actual pins because I wanted it to remain water-proof).  I also couldn't iron the laminated cotton so I did a lot of hand-pressing.  I know it sounds like a lot of work, right?  It's worth it!

Once I got all the supplies and finally cut the fabric, the raincoat sewed up great!  It was so fun to sew and I definitely recommend this pattern.  It was really great to get to wear my raincoat on some really rainy days!  Here it is...

and with the hood...

I hope you like my raincoat and are inspired to make your own!  Happy Sewing!

Here is another cute Kaffe Fassett laminated cotton fabric and there are many more beautiful laminate fabrics that would make great raincoats! 

-Allie Ann :-)

The Crestwood

Hi all!  Quite awhile ago, I made the crestwood purse.  I really enjoyed sewing up this purse, so I decided to make another.  One of the reasons I like this pattern, besides the ruffles of-course, is the use of batting instead of an actual interfacing.   It makes the purse very soft.  I had been staring at two neatly folded fabrics on my ironing board for awhile because they were gorgeous and for that very reason, difficult to cut.  Then I remembered this bag and knew the fabrics would be great for it.

The first purse

&

The second purse

The second purse was made using Tula Pink fabric. You can find the flower fabric here & the raccoon fabric here.  

The inside of the bag looks like this:

Here you can see the top and side panels as well as the pocket and bottom of the bag. The other side also includes a pocket the same size.

I like both purses, but the second is my favorite right now because I just finished it!

-Allie Ann :-)

DIY Quilted Coupon Pouch by Allie Ann Designs

Hello readers! I'm back with the first DIY I'll be sharing with you. It is a coupon pouch or it could also be used as a wallet.

To start, I sewed (24) 2.5 inch squares together with quarter-inch seam allowances. It will be a rectangle that is 4 squares by 6 squares.

Next, add batting and backing then quilt as desired. I quilted straight lines a quarter-inch on both sides of every seam of the pieced block. You'll notice I serged the edges of my block, but it isn't necessary.

Now you will need to cut out as many 1.5 inch stripes you need to add binding around the block depending on the length of the fabric you're using(I used extra scraps).

Sew your binding around the block with a quarter-inch seam allowance, mittering the corners with care. Then fold the fabric other and hand sew the other side of the binding to the "mini quilt."(Bind it the same way you would bind a quilt). With the binding finished, you will have a mini quilt like the one below.

Fold up the piece with right side up for the pocket and sew it down a quarter-inch in from the edge, then hand sew velcro to the top of the pocket and the bottom of the flap that folds down to creat the pouch and you're down.

 Now fill it up and enjoy!

-Allie Ann :-)

The Birdie Sling

Hi all! I'm finally back and this time I'll be blogging at least once about every two weeks because I have a commitment. I'm going to start by sharing my favorite pattern. The Birdie Sling pattern is a long time favorite of mine. It is an Amy Butler bag pattern and a great bag to carry around.  This bag gives you the freedom to be creative with your fabric choice, just choose three gorgeous fabrics that will come together to create an awesome bag.  I have made this pattern many times, this time I chose to make one for myself and one for a gift. This time I made the bags out of Tula Pink's most recent fabric line, Acacia.  I think this is a beautiful fabric line and the raccoons are just too cute.

Take a closer look...

I hope you enjoyed my first sewing project post. I'll be back again soon to show you another fun project with more great fabric from my favorite designers. Happy sewing!

-Allie Ann :-)

First Blog Post!

Hi! I'm Allison and I've started this blog as an attempt to get to know others in the sewing community. Lord willing, I'd like to pursue a career in pattern and textile design and I think this blog is a great place to start.