Here is my cutting file for a t shirt i had planned. Sometimes my span of attention is short, and it is a running joke that I don't always finish my projects. So I thought I'd make fun of myself with this t shirt. As you can see, it is in reverse. In order to cut out the iron-on vinyl so you can read it properly, it must be flipped horizontally, cut by the cutting machine this way, weeded, flipped over, and then ironed on.
I got my machine in 2014 , and although there was a bit of time I had to invest in learning the software, it was worth it in the end. My first project was designing t shirts that I printed out iron-on transfers with an ink jet printer. The kids in my family loved it, and were impressed. I mostly use it for scrapbook pages, but surprisingly it is quite versatile, and was definitely worth the investment. I have since used it for journaling on my scrapbook pages, as my writing is horrendous. In order to make a map of Stonehenge, I plotted the stones and printed out a template so I can make a to scale model. So there are many applications for the Silhouette cameo.
Decided to make a Harry Potter item - Hermione's Beaded Bag and thought others would like to see how I made it. After a lengthy illness, I now have the energy to do a project. With the help of my Mom I am making the circular drawstring bag with some nice purple material, and beads i already have. I first decided that my bag would be more detailed and have different material than the movie prop and the Barnes and Noble collection bag. First and foremost, as a scrapbooker, I decided to make a paper pattern with my Silhouette Cameo. I decided how big my circle bag would be,
and then divided it into 8 pie sections.
Then, I offset for a quarter of an inch for a seam allowance. I cut out a paper pattern and pinned to material, then cut it out. As I am planning to put a 6 inch circle of material in the centre, I don't have the pie sections meet in the middle, there will be a space. My Mom was consulted on this project, and recommended we (meaning her) should sew the pie sections together, rather than sewing them individually on the lining. I agreed, as the pie sections have to be precisely sewed so that they would form a circle, not an oval.
I also had a beautiful ribbon I purchased at Michaels, and will sew this on one of the solid pieces.
My Mom sewed these pieces together, and i am hopeful it will turn out into a circle!
Ta da!
And I couldn't resist adding pics of our photo bomber! She will jump on whatever I'm taking a pic of!
I added some embroidery with gold embroidery floss (3 strands) and used grey embroidery floss to sew on the purple ribbon.
Here is my inner 6 inch circle. I should have used plastic canvas as it has holes but will still give my bag support. Instead I used a plastic pie plate and made my own holes with a pin that had been heated with a candle flame. Now would have been a good time to make holes for the tassel. I did it later.
doesn't it look good so far? I will attach more beads and a tassel before sewing in a liner.
Next is making of the tassel. I am going to use pom poms, but should really use styrofoam balls or wooden beads so it will keep it's shape better. However, I want a soft feel.
Then, I will measure and cut out drawstring holes. I want one inch of material above the drawstring, Thankfully, I had ironed all my pie sections along their seam allowance lines for my Mom to sew, and that is helpful to measure where my drawstring channel will be.
That's all for today, I must get off to work.
Well, I have been working on the bag quite a lot and have it almost completed. The bottom tassel was fun to work on, and don't worry, I will cover those raw edges with rows of beads.
I used some satiny cord for the tassel, and wound a little embroidery floss around the top to secure it. Thread was used to attach it and I will continue to reinforce that attachment as i thread strings of beads to the tassel. I chose seed beads as the others were just too big for the delicate strands of the tassel. I also strung the beads with thread and not the slippery tassel cord, as I felt the knot at the end would never hold, and I don't like using glue.
After cutting and sewing the button holes for the drawstring bag, I cut out another circle of fabric for the inner lining. I chose the dark purple as it was my favourite (and I had a lot of it). I put the right sides together and sewed the circle almost all the way. Then I turned it inside out.
I baste stitched a channel for my drawstring. My Mom thought it was silly to put in the cord as I did this, but I thought of having to do it after was a chore, so I did it as I was sewing, and it worked out alright. The cord I'm using is just a stand in until I can find some gold or grey cord at the store. So all that needs to be done is making the cord ends. I will be making decorative ones like this blogger kfsfindingmyway.blogspot.ca Gotta go for now!
Here are some more pictures and my progress on the bag. I am really enjoying this project, it is quite relaxing. Also, there are lot of beads that have just been lying around and I am glad to be using them.
Adding beading was fun and really added to the look of the bag.
For the drawstring ends, I got inspiration from the blogger kfsfindingmyway.blogspot.ca
and embroidered a pretty pattern with beads in order to make them attractive. It also made use of the scrap material from cutting out the circular liner. I freehand drew a circle with chalk and 4 circles outside the inner circle, and then used a golden orange embroidery floss to embroider stitches and the beads. These will cover my pom poms at the end of the cord that is the drawstring.
It's hard to see the beads in this photo, but they make the design pretty.
And this is how it will look when attached to the cord which I have yet to buy. I would like to buy either grey or lavender coloured cord.
I hope to be done this bag soon as I have a million ideas of other projects I'd like to do! It would also be nice to try making this bag in a tube form rather than circular form. It seems too full at the top for me when it is gathered up. Have a great day!
Well, I did find some golden cord that would work for the bag, and although it wasn't my first choice, I think it looks good, especially with pretty cord ends. Thankfully, I was able to thread my cord through the drawstring channel because I had a stand in cord already there. I tried to melt the cord ends, which didn't work, and sewed them to keep it from fraying, and then knotted it. The knot is enclosed in felt, and then my pretty covers are sewed on.
It doesn't matter what colour the felt is, it will be covered
.
Not liking to use glue, sewing is the answer for me, so the felt is sewed on and then my cover is sewed on top of that. I did take the time to sew over the sides so there is no fraying.
Then I dug my beads back out and threaded a few strands around the cord ends. Then because I had enough cord to use, finished the ends with another knot.
Here is the finished bag, I hope you like it. Maybe it has given you some ideas and tips to start your own project. Ta Da! I finished it!
Check out my YouTube Channel to see a picture video of me making this bag. My channel is:
