At the last Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day the way to gain entry into my giveaway was to tell me a favorite recipe or favorite free pattern or tutorial and I believe that the most common favorite sewing pattern was Noodlehead’s Gathered Clutch! Now this pattern has been on my radar for awhile. I mean, c’mon, it’s super cute, simple to put together, requires very little fabric and yet would be a perfect gift! So, at the last Sewcial, I finally took the time to sew one of these little clutches up.

Of course I had to use some scraps of some of my favorite fabrics. You might remember seeing them in a new mama set awhile back and I held onto the scraps of Patricia Bravo’s Paradise – Pond in Twilight and Oval Elements in Green Apple. I just adore them together. I mean, look at this fabric:

It reminds me a little bit of paint by number. But better.

The inside has some spots for the essential cards and a little more. And just to give an idea of the size of this little clutch:

It is great for a little date night, but maybe not an everyday purse (although your ‘everyday’ may look quite different than mine!). I think it could be a great little wallet as well – just add extra card pockets. All in all a great little sew – would be a great gift.

Have I ever mentioned that I have a twin? Well, not a real twin, but a blog twin. It’s funny how the blog world brings people together that otherwise would never meet. To be honest, I’m not quite sure how we ended up following each other’s blogs! We have strikingly similar interests and sons that are just a couple months apart. Needless to say, having little boys about the same age brings our worlds very close. Monica blogs over at Deliberately Domestic and has a fun etsy shop where she sells some of her handmade goods!

And for the giveaway part of this post? Monica graciously donated a fun little snap clutch purse for one of you readers to win! I love the fun pleats and great floral print.

I’m completely feeling this purse as a date night purse. Just the essentials in the bag and go! Perfect!

No baby items necessary in this purse!

So how do you enter for Day 5? Three different ways:

• Scadaddle right on over to Monica’s shop and tell me your favorite item or an item you would love to give to someone special in your life.
• Reblog the giveaway and leave me a separate comment with the link.
• Subscribe to my blog via RSS Reader or e-mail and leave me another separate comment saying you subscribed (top left corner of the blog) or tell me that you already subscribe.

What are you waiting for? Enter now because this giveaway will end on Friday, December 10th at 10pm. This item will only be shipped to a winner within the US.

Good luck!

Now that I’ve got some shop sewing out of the way, stay tuned for some fun, silly sewing!

I had a hard time listing this one, I kinda want to keep it. Still. Don’t be surprised if it disappears from the shop. The fabric is Erin McMorris Wildwood Collection – Checked Floral in Green.

Another one I had a hard time listing. This fabric is Michael Miller Brown Disco Dots. Why do these fabrics have to be so beautiful?

And I didn’t even get to blog about this purse before it sold! The fabric is Michael Miller Yellow Best Friend Summer Soiree. I made two, one was a gift for a friend’s birthday . . . and the other was sold in the shop. Hooray for making sales to people I don’t even know!

And another custom order New Mama Survival Kit in Valori Wells Del Hi, Tango – Ruby and Flora – Blossom. Fun, bright fabrics for a sweet little girl and her mom.

Can I just say that I love getting to play with such great fabrics?

I have a custom order that I’m almost finished with that I’m so excited about! It is turning out fantastic – another fabric set that I am so thrilled with. And I do have some sewing going on that is for me (well, Jude actually) and I’ll be sharing that soon.

I whipped up this little beauty as a gift for my mother-in-law’s birthday. The clarity of writing in this pattern is fantastic although I think it helps to have sewn a few purses already to understand where the steps are taking you. Best of all, this pattern is free from artsycraftybabe! Click here for the free PDF pattern for the Phoebe Bag.

I really like that this bag fits perfectly under your arm when you wear it on your shoulder and I think it’s a good medium sized purse, just perfect to carry what you need, but not big enough that things get lost. The thing I would do differently if I made this again… I think it might be nice to add a zipper to the opening in addition to the flap and magnetic snap. Overall a fun little sewing project! I hope she likes it!

She’s going to be the talk of the school when they all find out that she sewed that nifty little bag! We didn’t follow any pattern, just sewed together the rectangles, made handles and put it all together. She did such a great job picking up how to sew in a straight line, I’m pretty sure we’ll have to do another little sewing project soon! Way to go Amy!

So Anna Maria Horner just released a new purse pattern that reminds me a lot of my new free pattern just without straps! I thought I’d show it to y’all because it seems easy enough to make a few small modifications to my pattern to emulate her new clutch!

So remember this purse and my promise to give you a free pattern?

Download the Pattern on 11×17 Format

Download the Pattern on 8.5×11 Format

If/when you do make a bag from my pattern, please post it in the flickr group! http://www.flickr.com/groups/dianahobo/

Also this should go without being said but I’ll say it anyways: please do not sell items made from this free pattern and do not claim it as your own design!

I will try again though, I like the concept and I think it would be cute in a solid color. It was also my first time to make something with ruffles, which was surprisingly easier than I thought it was going to be.

I did finish up some earrings that are really simple gifts but I like them anyways.

And lastly, I am working on getting together some more generic gifts that I can make in mass quantity. Typically these are cookies, but I’ve decided I don’t think I want to make mass quantities of cookies this year. . . so I thought this could be fun and maybe easier!

I’m reusing mason jars from pasta sauce to fill with the dry ingredients for Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Brownies. . . I’ll attach a tag with what remaining wet ingredients need to be added (like, oil, butter or eggs) and how to cook. I think that’s a fun idea! I know I’d like something like that if I was the recipient.

I took Monday and Tuesday of this week off to finish up some Christmas crafting and I FINALLY finished these potholders that I made for my Mom’s Christmas gift to match the apron I finished a long time ago. The pattern is from In Stitches and.  . . I don’t think I will make these again. Ever. They were not so much difficult, just. . . monotonous? Quilting just isn’t for me. I don’t know. Ellie? How would you describe your experience with these?

I also finished a couple no knit scarves as Christmas presents for some friends. I think I may still have a couple more to complete, but I really like the colors of these all together.

The most exciting thing that I finished was the Diana Hobo Purse! I designed and created the pattern for this bag. I’m thinking I’m going to post the pattern for free on my blog here shortly. Would anyone commit to making one to let me know how the instructions and pattern translates from my brain to the general public?

I was so happy with the way it turned out! I made it for my cousin, Diana, who asked me to make her a hobo bag for Christmas (specifically, she asked for this one). I asked if I could design her one of my own creation, thereby making it much more exciting for me to sew! So, ta-da! I made this and designed this myself! I’m not sure that it actually qualifies as being a ‘hobo’ bag, but that’s what I’m going to call it. I think the size of the purse is really usable, and the way it sits on your shoulder and under your arm – I couldn’t have asked for it to work better! Now, there are a couple things I know to do different next time, but it was user error more than pattern error.