Sew Meaning Into Your Projects Through Purses - Topic Overview

Hi Everyone! Let's talk about something meaningful... I love it when I find a way to use my skills and abilities to be a blessing to someone else. For many of us, sewing is a skill we've developed, a hobby that we love, and something that gives us confidence. That's great! There are so many opportunities to go one step further and use this skill in a meaningful way to bless others too! 

For this month, I wanted to share about the Sew Powerful Purse Project. This is a super fun opportunity to use your fabric stash in a creative and meaningful way! We've invited people from around the world to download the pattern, sew purses, send them in to Sew Powerful, and then they are shipped over to Zambia as part of a program designed create jobs for local women, to provide local girls with reusable feminine hygiene and the encouragement to stay in school. It's been pretty amazing to watch this little idea take flight and see so many people take ownership of the cause and make this project their personal mission! If your interested in learning more, check out the website www.SewPowerful.org as well as the Sew Powerful Purse Project facebook group, it's filled with seamstresses making purses every day - sharing their projects and encouraging others along the way!

Throughout this 4 part topic, we will go over a variety of sewing techniques used in the purse designs. 

Over the course of this 4 part topic we will cover:

• The Cross Body Purse For Girls Sew Along (Part 1)
• The Cross Body Purse For Dolls - Specific Tips and Tricks (Part 2)
• The Killara Fringe Bag (New Pattern and Tutorial) (Part 3)
• The Finishing Touches (Part 4) 

Part 1 - The first demonstration is using the brand new 2018 Sew Powerful Cross Body Purse pattern. The PDF sewing pattern is free! I've included it in the Bonuses section for you to download. It is sized for a girl/woman. It is a beginner level sewing pattern, teaching basic bag construction. Techniques covered include Straight Seams, Sewing with Lining Fabrics, Curves, Simple Slip Pockets, Sewing Box Pleats, and Making a Fabric Strap.

Note: If you're interested in adding more detail to this purse design, you can use the Flap Panel pieces from the 2015 Crossbody purse - it's still available through the Sew Powerful website.

Are you ready? Let's go...

In the videos posted below, I share with you an overview of the month-long topic and then take a deep dive into our first tutorial. These techniques are great basic skills to master! 

 

 

 

The pattern used for the sew-along:

• Sew Powerful Cross Body Purse For Girls (FREE) see link above.
• LJ Sew Powerful Purse For Dolls (all proceeds go to support the program, the pattern will be available on Pixie Faire later this week!)

 

   

Video Timeline:

• 0:00 - 1:18 Overview
• 1:18 - 5:57 Pattern Pieces, Fabric, Cut Pieces
• 5:57 - 8:00 Front Flap Panel
• 8:00 - 10:03 Fabric Strap
• 10:03 - 15:20 Slip Pockets
• 15:20 - 18:00 Purse Body Back
• 18:00 - 20:25 Purse Lining / Box Pleat
• 20:25 - 22:07 Purse Body
• 22:07 - 24:05 Attaching the Strap
• 24:05 - 29:29 Finishing the Purse!

Week One task:

• Get your pattern, find your fabric and supplies, and follow along with the sew-along tutorial! Let's make a purse together :) We'd love to have you join us in this program, but please don't feel obligated to donate your purse. You can sew as many purses as you like!
• Jump over the SWC Facebook Group for conversation and project sharing.

Next Tuesday - Week 2: A Closer look at the doll size version. Sewing things at a smaller scale can introduce challenges, let's solve them together!

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