June Stashbusting Pinterest Style

Hi Stashbusters,
 How's the organizing going? I decided to take June's theme and use it as an excuse to try several online tutorials I'd seen floating around.

1st: Cation's Collapsible Tote Bag

Boo Hoo for me I forgot to take a photo of it small.

I made this up for my Aunt out of a favorite piece of home decor fabric I'd been hoarding for years.  I think this is a fabulous idea and only made a few changes to her directions.

Attaching the handles after the fact instead of measuring and cutting the nubs on her pattern.
I finished the top of the bag then stitched my handles on.

I had no back and front piece so I sewed the triangles for the collapsible part
 together and centered them on the bag bottom. 

Verdict: This was easy and fun to make. I'm just kicking myself I didn't get a photo of it all stuffed inside itself and tiny. Since I had to send it off as a gift I didn't get to try it out for myself but hopefully it is happy in it's new home in California where plastic bags are a crime and only reusable shopping bags are allowed.

2nd: Japanese Granny Bag

 This was a fabulous, easy to follow translated tutorial. It was a three page PDF that was easy to print out and tape together. I'll bullet point my thoughts for a quick coherent review.

• This would be a great beginner's project for practicing darts since you sew eight of them. 
• Speaking of the darts I love the deep bottom they give to this bag. When you set it down it sits instead of tipping over and spilling your stuff all over the floor, table, etc. 
• For those of us not used to sewing with Burda, remember to ADD YOUR SEAM ALLOWANCE. 
• I'm not sure what cotton fabric tape is, I used some stuff I had laying around for the handles. It looks really nice together but it doesn't feel very heavy friendly. This isn't a bag I want to carry three books and a bottle of lotion around in but I think it will be perfect for a knitting project or gathering up all those little odds and ends. I do really like how these handles are attached though and if I make it again will do the handles in a heaver weight fabric.
• I also measured the handles to fit me not according to the measurements she gave in the directions.
• Buttons. This is what she meant. Took my a bit to figure out...

One on the outside and one on the inside to keep it strong.
The green button is a handmade ceramic button I picked up several years
 ago while visiting friends. I'm so glad to finally have a use for it and have it out and about.

• This was smaller than I expected but I guess I don't need to carry everything but the kitchen sink around with me all the time. It is still very roomy.
• No pockets. You could probably add some or just make my third project...

3rd: That Bow Pouch Everyone's Been Pinning

Front and Back

First off, if you haven't made pouches before you probably shouldn't start with this one cause all there is are tantalizingly cute pictures that suck you in and leave you figuring out the nitty gritty details on your own. (it's really not that hard though, don't let me scare you away)

Those are the pattern pieces they have you cut and you can see I cut mine
bigger. I wasn't sure what I was going to put in it and didn't want to limit
myself.  Maybe there's a mathmatical answer to these ratios but I can't even
spell mathmatical much less figure out the math...

Top Left: Reminder to topstitch before sewing up side seams. You can't make it into the corners
 and may break a needle. You have to topstitch otherwise the lining gets caught in the zipper.
Top Right: How I sewed on the "bow". Any other ideas on how to do this invisibly?
Bottom: Pretty insides...

Fill it up and the bow gets more bowy and cute! Part of me wants an excuse to make a jillion of these then my sanity returns and I realize I would get sick of making a jillion, maybe I'll settle for two or three. 

Fun Fact: this tweedy outer fabric came from the leftovers of the very first jacket I ever made when I was 16. I loved that jacket and wore it until I became too... womanly?.. and it wouldn't button up any more... I'm so glad to have a little piece of this fabric back in my life.

Well, that's all I've got for ya now, Friday we'll discuss my bigger organizing adventures so until then I'll leave you staring off into the sunrise with my fun new creations.