Selfish Sewing Week

Last week was Selfish Sewing Week in blogland. It also happened to coincide perfectly with a sew along in a Facebook Group I'm in. It was fate.

Remember when the dog ate my wallet ? I'd solved that particular mishap with a new wallet - The Necessary Clutch Wallet by Janelle of Emmaline Bags. I really love the wallet. It's everything I hoped for and more. It really is as roomy as Mary Poppins carpet bag. I can fit just about all but the kitchen sink in it. But as luck would have it, a couple months ago, it fell on hard times. Nothing so drastic as being eaten (thank goodness or the dog would have had her bags packed and looking for a new home), but rather an egg. A very large, very messy egg was accidentally broken all over my NCW. All over the truck too for that matter, but really I was more concerned with the wallet. I have my priorities after all. Anyways, I needed to wash my wallet, but felt it best that I make a new one first before popping the original in the machine. (I can justify almost anything, don't you think?)

So I started the search for fabric finally settling on some beauties - that just so happened to be on sale - from Bobbie Lou's Fabric Factory. I've ordered from Chelsea before and have always been really happy with her selection, prices and top notch customer service. I really do recommend her shop. And oh dear me! Someone hide my credit card. I went to make sure I had her shop URL correct for you and spied three fat quarters I think I can't possibly live without just on the first page alone. I may have a problem... Anyways, I'm getting off track. I chose Floras Oasis and Windmarks Mirage by Leah Duncan for Art Gallery Fabrics. I decided to pair them with a bright orange solid quilt cotton  that was in my stash and I adore the result!!!

I really did think that the purse flap was going to be the death of me! I took a good hour trying to get the outside edge of my flap trim absolutely perfect. And failed. Then decided to try it the alternate way so ripped it all out and redid it. And failed. Finally got it done and realized the orange trim that I thought would look so fantastic didn't. It just looked weird the way it was covering the flower. So I took it all apart again. Fused some stabilizer on the lining, some fleece on the other piece, sewed them together, turned, ironed and top stitched. Yay! Sweet, sweet success!

Then I started inserting the locking clasp. Why do these darn things torment me so? Seriously! The last time nearly drove me to drink and this time was no different. Between dropping it, glue side down (of course) on my fabric, having my little guys wandering off with bits and pieces, and me crawling around under my desk trying to locate roll away screws... Well. It finally got put in (a bit crooked, I think) . Then I took a break. I think maybe I panic when it comes to cutting a hole in my wallet, then I stress out and it all goes downhill from there. I must learn to be zen like. Ohmmmmmmmm.

I did add one extra modification, (besides the removal of the decorative strip on the front flap) to my wallet that I really wished I had done on my first one. Using Janelle's tutorial on her blog I made a wristlet strap. I'm so happy I took the few minutes extra to do that step. It makes the NCW even more practical when it can be used "hands free".  (I bought my locking clasp as well as a swivel snap hook from Emmaline Bags, which has become the only place I purchase bag making hardware from.)

Now that I have a pretty new wallet, I set my sights on a pretty new bag. I didn't get it finished in time for Selfish Sewing Week, but hopefully I'll get time to finish it over the next few days so I can let you know what I think of the pattern I am using for it!

The Dog Ate My Wallet...

Really. She did. Actually it was a few years ago now that she chewed the corner off of it and it's been a source of embarrassment since. Nothing says classy like a wallet with a big bite out of it. Good grief!

I've been looking for a replacement for a long time, but never found one in the stores that I liked enough. So then last year I started looking at patterns and tutorials, but I always found something I didn't quite like about them. Fast forward to a little while ago when I found the Necessary Clutch Wallet from Emmaline Bags.  I was completely taken with it. Roomy, oodles of spots to put things and it looks darn good as well. I was sold.

It's taken me a little while to sew, mostly because I had to make the boys' knapsacks, my swap gift and the Halloween costumes. It was also a bit daunting to tell you the truth, only because I've never made anything quite like it yet.

The instructions that Janelle provides with the pattern are excellent though. Clear as can be, lots of photos, and really thorough. I was quite impressed.  I had cut out one set of fabric for it, but then going through my cottons fabric bin one night in search of something totally unrelated I came across the left over fabric from my Working Girl Laptop Bag and knew I really wanted to make a black and white wallet instead.

I started out one evening with great gusto. Well, that is until I got to step three where I had to put the locking clasp in. Eeek! Somehow it was more stressful than the one I did on my laptop bag.  I think the instructions should come with the first step of having a stiff drink! Cutting holes in fabric, fumbling with teeny tiny screws that are nearly impossible to find when they fall under the sewing desk, glue running everywhere... Yikes! But I had my trusty assistant Fluffy the kitten to cheer me on in his own special way of climbing on my head or sitting right on top of it all. Maybe stiff drink should also be the final step of that part too.  In the end I managed to conquer the locking clasp and oh what a beauty it is. The screw in plate, despite all my trials and tribulations, makes such a nice professional looking finish.

Look at that locking clasp looking all innocent
and not at all like it almost drove me to drink!

I had a few moments of frustration along the way, but nothing to do with the pattern. I tried several times to put in the card slot section of the wallet. My BFF the stitch ripper was my constant companion. After several tries I gave up. There's only so much I can take in one sitting. After I felt a little less like tossing the whole thing out the window, it occurred to me that maybe I should double check my measurements. Guess what?!? Even though I use a rotary cutter, ruler and mat with grid lines I had somehow cut the whole piece almost a quarter of an inch too narrow. The mind... It boggles. I cut a new set of pieces and lo and behold, problem solved.

I finished my wallet yesterday afternoon and I LOVE it! I transferred everything over from the overstuffed,  chewed up one to my brand spanking new Necessary Clutch and would you believe I have tons of room left in it? It's kind of like Mary Poppins' carpet bag. It doesn't look overly huge until the lamp gets pulled from it.  I won't likely carry that much in it, but nice to know I could easily stash my phone  right in my clutch wallet if I wanted to! I just can't say enough good things about the Necessary Clutch Wallet pattern. 

The Mary Poppins carpet bag of wallets!!

See, what did I tell you?! Look at all that room! There's a slip pocket on either side of each card slot section - which, by the way, has a total of twelve slots - then there's the zip pocket you can see there with the zip opened to give you an idea of size, and lastly a section in the middle that is roomy enough for my cel phone!  But even with all that room inside it all compacts nicely into an "easy to pop into your purse" size!

The Necessary Clutch Wallet

I wonder how many wallets a girl can have? I'm already thinking about that other one that's already cut out...