If you have been following on here or facebook, you will know that I have listed some new large metal "handmade" hanging tags for your bags & satchels. These will hang from a leather lace, cord, or fabric loop that co-ordinates with your handmade bag.


Yesterday I put up a mini-tutorial to show you how to sew up your own fabric loop. You can find that tutorial HERE. Or, you can PIN it for future reference by clicking HERE!!


I am pretty proud of this design, and I consider these "Bag Jewellery". They are like a shiny broach, that gives any handmade bag a nice shiny focal point, while boasting "handmade".  You can read more about how awesome I think they are in the tutorial, this post is about a GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to all of you. Watch here for more prizes and new products and sewing patterns.
Thank you!

 

I am so thrilled with these bag tags!  They are going to look awesome hanging from a bag strap ring on any medium to large size bag or even from the strap loops on The Totes Ma Tote bag pattern. They are shiny nickel and HUGE. Handmade is something to be proud of and share!

Metal Hanging Tags from emmalinebags.com

At first, I just designed these because I love the sparkle and shine and the addition of a focal point, that is often missing on a bag, but then I realized that these will actually help custom bag makers attract customers too! If you sell gorgeous looking bags, sometimes its hard to carry your own and advertise at the same time, because they look so professional. Customers will first love the bag, see the tag and probably ask you if you made it yourself.

I don't sell bags, but I love to carry handmade and I don't think the commercial bag designers should be the only ones to make and carry something shiny.  I like my bag jewellery!

You could hang them from a leather cord, some recycled vinyl or leather straps or make some professional looking fabric straps from some fabric that coordinates with your new handmade bag.




Here's a quick and easy tutorial on how to make a slender fabric strap of your own.  It ends up only 1/4" wide!

Fabric Requirements & Cutting: 

Cut 1 rectangle 1" x 14" of coordinating light to medium quilting weight cotton, decor cotton, or sateen.

Instructions: 

Press your fabric strip like you would for an open-ended 4-fold strap.
1) Press the the strip in half, wrong sides together, down the length of the strap.
2) Fold the outside edges to meet the center at the fold line you created in step 1.




**Alternative for Joining:If you are using thicker fabric, or want a smoother joining seam with less bulk, join the ends of the strip using a 45-degree seam. (This would be the same method you use for joining bias binding strips.) Fold the strip so that the ends are crossed at a 90-degree, right sides together. Make sure the ends of the strap extend about 1/4". Sew across the straps at a 45-degree angle starting and stopping where the strips meet at the edges - not at the end points of the strap. See diagram (1) below. Trim off the corners, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Press seam open and refold strap.


6) Sew the open edge of the loop closed, edgestitching about 1/16" away from the edge. Go slow and make it neat! If you are uncomfortable being so close to the edge, you could always move over ;).

Perfect Edgestitching!

8) To attach this to a strap ring on a bag - repeat Step 7, inserting the end of the loop without the tag through the strap o-ring, making it big enough to allow the hanging tag to go through, and pass the hanging tag through the loop.
I hope you love this bag bling as much as I do. They are so luxurious and professional looking, but also a great way to brag out your amazing handmade project.  Handmade IS chic and professional TOO!




Make sure you join the Emmaline Sewing Patterns Group to get some great bag inspiration from items sewn from Emmaline patterns. It's such a wonderful group!

 

There was fabric, there were sewing notions, and there was an explosion - perhaps several small explosions. The result was this:

Please DON'T click to enlarge ;)

and this....


It's terrible. Shameful.

There have been times in my life when I have been fortunate enough to have a sewing room, and times when I haven't. The sewing room has been the kitchen table, a desk in my bedroom, or in the home office. Currently, it's a small bedroom. It's not a large, "pinterest inspired" sewing room with clever ideas and matching motifs, but I am lucky to have it - so I don't complain. So why do I not take care of it?

Because creativity is MESSY business!

I couldn't even sew in it anymore.
And SEW I fixed it. It didn't take long, only a few hours of folding, sorting and dusting and it is beautiful again!

My desk found a nice sunny spot by the window, so I can spy on my son and the neighbourhood kids. (A great spot for sewing machine photography too.) The iron found a necessary spot away from the curtains.


My fabric is folded, and the shelves are clean and organized.


Best of all, Lady Liberty has found a great spot between Pinky and the Juki. The Brain, my Pfaff, stays packed in her travel bag for sewing guild meetings so Pinky and the Brain are not a duo any more. Juki has taken center stage!!


It have to say, it feels AMAZING to have a clean room to work in again. Going through all of my fabric enabled me to sort it so I know where everything I want is. I did realize that I really don't have that much fabric, and that is soooo sad... but easily fixable !!

After it was all done and sorted, I made up a cute little coin purse with a purse frame, and I sewed up a quick and easy fabric strap to hang my new round handmade bag labels from. I intend to put up a little blog post to help anyone that wants to make a fabric strap for them. These suckers are HUGE. A bit larger than I had intended when I first designed them, but I think they will look pretty amazing hanging from a strap ring on a large bag. Watch for them in the shop November 3rd!


How have your sewing rooms been looking lately? Lost your sewing mojo? Clean your room!! I am ready to go work on a quilt AND a new bag pattern.