A Quartet of Minikins

I simply love, love, LOVE Sew Sweetness's Minikins collections. Sara's designed 4 volumes of these so far, I've sewn a lot of them over the years, and I look for excuses at every juncture to make one. In fact, I get excited when the need for some kind of mini bag or case comes up, because I then dig through the patterns to find the Minikin that's appropriate for the item I need a cover / case for.

The first item I finished is the Friesian Pouch. I used up some of my precious Avant Garde (from Art Gallery Fabrics) fabrics that I've been hoarding for years, along with some rainbow zipper tape to make this. The bag has a beautiful structure, and it was surprisingly easy to put together!

Here's a peek at the inside: the mesh pockets and 3 separate compartments makes this bag very practical.

The second project I finished recently is another Partridge Bag. I previously made a Partridge Bag and though I made it just to make it, over the last year it ended up being one of my most surprisingly useful bags. It's small but mighty, truly! Even though my first bag is still working great, I decided to make another one because I love it so much, and it's a really fun sew.

The third project is yet another Grab 'n Go case. This is my 3rd one, because I decided I needed yet another laptop case. The first one I made is still going strong, but at the time I picked a fabric I was only so-so about as I wasn't very confident I wasn't going to mess it up. But now that this is my 3rd, I feel pretty good about this project, so I decided to remake it using a fabric I actually am crazy about!

The last Minikin is the Enigma Pouch, which has an interesting shape. When I was looking for makeup pouches on Amazon, I realized that the one I was eyeing is almost the exact shape and size as the Enigma Pouch, so of course, I had to make my own!

I love how this bag can open up and lie flat, and it is a great organizer! I mostly use it to store makeup for travel.

Finally, I can't resist a beauty shot of all the items together:

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I always get excited when Sara announces a new Minikins collection, and though I don't know when she'll release the next volume, the 4 she's released so far has given me many hours of joyful sewing, and I know I will make many more in the years to come.

Cruise Wallet & Jewelry Organizer

I'm going on a cruise with my family this summer, and it's my first cruise post-pandemic. Of course, I had to make something for it. Or, as it turns out, somethings.

I made a Turnpike Convertible Wallet a few years ago, but I've been itching to make another one since then.

It's not as practical as other wallets I've made (it doesn't hold as much), so I haven't had reason to make another one until now, but I figured for the cruise, easy and relaxed is what it's about, and this wallet is just perfect for that. Hands-free with the strap (which is removeable as well), with just enough room for my phone, and just a few cards. Plus, it's absolutely adorable!

The other item I made for this cruise is the Calliope Jewelry Organizer. I was fascinated by this pattern as soon as I saw it, as I just loved all the little bits and bobs and compartments this organizer had. Also, I was dying for an excuse to use this turquoise vinyl fabric I had in my stash. It was a bit of a pain to cut all the pieces for this project though, but once the sewing started, the real fun began. I won't pretend this wasn't a challenging project with very thick layers, but once it was done, I was so happy with it ... even if I put in one of the panels upside down, but hey, it still functions just fine!

Both the Turnpike Convertible Wallet and Calliope Jewelry Organizer are patterns by Sew Sweetness. I've become completely addicted to Sara's video workshops, and I just find myself finding excuses to make more!

Minikins: Turnpike Convertible Wallet

The Turnpike Convertible Wallet is my 4th wallet of the year, and one I can close out my "year of wallets" with. When the year began, I wanted to make a few wallets and I had 4 patterns in my collection. Now I'm done with all 4!

This wallet is from Sew Sweetness's Minikins Season Two collection. I used a black and gold fabric that was probably a Harry Potter print, and the cool thing about this wallet is that there's a removable shoulder strap that is fastened on by snaps. I didn't think I would like or use the strap, but it's actually quite adorable when being carried as a mini purse! The inside of it features a cell phone pocket, card slots as well as a zippered pocket.

Now that I'm finally done with my wallets, I can say that my favorite of the lot is actually #3, the Charm School Wallet. In daily use, it is the most practical and easy to use, and it was also the most enjoyable to make. (This one probably ranks at second place, though.)

Minikins: Charm School Wallet

The Charm School Wallet is my 3rd wallet of the year, and possibly my favorite so far. It is designed by Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness as part of her Minikins Season 2 collection. I absolutely adored the fabric I used, which is one of those rare finds in a quilting store when I wasn't even looking for it. It's from Starlight by Katia Hoffman, and my only regret is that I didn't buy more at the time. I paired it with a black Moda grunge, which is a lot more interesting than a solid black fabric.

Making this wallet was a bit of an exercise in frustration. The difficulty of this is probably beneath the Day Trip Cell Phone Wallet ... well, actually it is supposed to be a lot easier, if only I could stop and listen to the instructions. But I didn't, and I ended up putting the snaps in the wrong place ... twice. The 2nd time, I didn't want to rip it out again as I was very close to damaging the fabric, so I improvised a bit and trimmed some pieces. But it worked out, and at the end everything still lined up ... whew!

This is definitely my most practical wallet so far, as it's able to fit a lot of cards, and there's a zippered pocket for my phone. And though it wasn't part of the pattern, I had to add a wrist strap to make it really useful for me. I used some leftover cork that matched the grunge pretty well, and any excuse to pull out my rivet press is a happy occasion!

I'm so in love with this wallet, and it is such a great way to show off a piece of fabric that otherwise would be hidden in my stash. But now, back to quilting!

Minikins: Day Trip Cell Phone Wallet

I've been on the hunt for a cell phone wallet lately, so I gathered all my patterns and decided that the one that fits my needs the most is the Day Trip Cell Phone Wallet by Sara Lawson from her Minikins Season 2 collection.

However, I was a bit scared to make this because I've heard quite a few comments on Facebook about how this project is challenging for a domestic sewing machine. I even looked into commissioning someone else to make it, but it'd take a few months and I wanted it now, so I decided to try it myself.

A few hours and one broken needle later, it was completed. Was it hard? Actually, it wasn't. But I modified the pattern a bit to make it easier and to fit my needs better. First of all, I didn't want the long strap so I made a wrist strap instead. I also eliminated the front pocket and changed one of the accordion pockets to a regular pocket.

I'm so happy with it! It's not a great sewing job, not by a long shot, but I think it looks nice still (from the outside at least) and by the time it falls apart, I'd probably be ready to make another one. I can't wait to use it on my next night out!

Minikins: Metro Double-Zip Pouch

In January, I decided to participate in the Minikins challenge run by Sew Sweetness. Last year I made a few minikins (and they turned out really well) at my own pace, but since the January challenge is the Metro Double-Zip Pouch, something I'd been wanting to make anyway, I decided to do it in time for the challenge.

And can I just say, yowza. That was really, really hard. But it wasn't the zippers that gave me trouble. Or the hardware. Or even thick layers this time. No. It was the fact that there were parts of this bag that required a super narrow foot (like a zipper foot) and mine wasn't working well. In the end, I had to hand-sew some of it.

I love the finished result, though. I used a canvas fabric which gave the pouch a nice texture, and found a light teal print for the lining that matched the exterior well. I love the double zippers and the wristlet, and how lucky that I found 2 zippers in my collection that matched the color of the fabric perfectly?

And then ... the next day I went online to find a new zipper foot for my machine, and discovered that I had been putting it on backwards all along, and that's why it didn't work! Oops.

Minikins: Desktop Cubes

Several months ago I was in Walmart with my husband and sister-in-law and I saw a little black / gold fat quarter bundle that I was immediately attracted to. But then the snob inside me came out and said, "Walmart fabric? Really?" But they were so pretty and shiny ... and pretty cheap, that I couldn't pass them up.

When I was auditioning fabrics for making a trio of nesting Desktop Cubes from Sew Sweetness's Minikins collection, these immediately started screaming, "Use me! Use me!"

I made 3 of the cubes, one in each size, because I figured making 3 is about as much work as making 1. Well ... that wasn't entirely true, but once the cutting (the worst part ...) was done, the rest of the steps I did in an assembly line style, and pretty soon I had a set of nesting cubes.

Well, I really love them. Black and gold is one of my absolute favorite color combinations, and I think these are just so glitzy and glamorous looking. This is my 3rd Minikin, and so far I've been incredibly happy with all my Minikin projects. Previously I made a laptop bag and a vinyl pouch, and I use them pretty much every day. I'm sure these will get tons of use, too!

Minikins: Grab and Go Sleeve

For my second minikin, I chose the Grab and Go Sleeve. I figured I'd finally make a pretty case for my trusty laptop, it really deserves it!

While the I-Spy Pouch was pretty easy and quick, the Grab and Go Sleeve took me several hours to do because it was essentially a bag. The construction was interesting and at times confusing, but I followed Sara's video very closely and I was quite amazed when everything worked out at the end. Some of those instructions feel like they shouldn't work, but they do!

I really like this fabric too, as it's such a bright and happy print. I completely forgot I even had this fabric until I saw it buried in the back of my stash, and when I saw it, I knew it was the perfect fit. Turns out I had just the right amount, too!

I think I've grown addicted to making bags. Who knows, I might make a handbag soon!

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I am currently on vacation and I may take awhile to respond to your comment. Thanks for reading!

Minikins: I-Spy Pouch

When I saw the promotional video that Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness put out about the Minikins, I was pretty excited. Minikins are a 12-piece collection of accessory pouches, like pencil bags, makeup pouches, and even a lunch bag, and they're as adorable as their name implies. I'm always looking for video workshops to help me gain confidence in sewing, so I was happy to sign up!

My first minikin is the I-Spy pouch, which is a zippered vinyl pouch. For the fabric, I'm using some rainbow fabrics from a Kim Shaefer bundle. I also found a purple zipper in my zipper collection that I thought would complement nicely!

True to name, this minikin came together in 15 steps or less ... 9, in fact. All in all it was really fast and easy to put together. I made mine the large size so it's the perfect size to hold colored pencils!

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I am currently on vacation and I may take awhile to respond to your comment. Thanks for reading!