Some of you might know that making a new bag for myself every time I am about to travel has become a tradition of mine!
(Click "vacation projects" in the category search on the right-hand side to read about my other "vacation" bags!)
I will be leaving for a trip to the Southwest of the States on Wednesday and while I was going through my clothes last week to decide on what I am going to bring I noticed that I actually don't have a smaller handbag which is pretty enough to be used when going out at night. Unbelievable, I know...

I quickly decided to make a rose petal bag since it has the perfect size and looks classy enough to be used for either shopping or for a night out. I decided to go with a neutral brown cotton fabric for the exterior, which has a slight pattern to it (I don't like plain... boring!). For the rose petals I used that same brown fabric (but I folded the petals so that the plain side would be the exterior side) and added a light pink plus three petals made of a salmon colored chevron fabric.

This is only the second rose petal bag I have made so far. It is really quick to sew up (I needed about 5 hours altogether, cutting and interfacing all fabric pieces included). Again I decided to go with Roc-Lon Multipurpose Cloth to interface the exterior fabric pieces. This material is awesome, even though it is very thin it gives the bag great body and the bag feels and looks really good! It in non-fusible, so I had to baste it onto the two main body panels and the flap before I could start assembling the bag. I usually don't baste along all edges but just at some spots, to keep the interfacing in place.

I really like this bag! The colors match nicely with my favorite dress which I am definitely going to bring on my trip. If you like what you see you can check out more rose petal bag designs in one of my previous blogposts. This bag is so versatile and works for so many styles, it is really fun to look at all the different designs.

So I will be off on my trip with my new bag, yay! This is my first vacation since February so I am really looking forward to it (my trip to Germany doesn't count. That was going home :)). Enjoy the rest of the summer everyone! Have you been on vacation this past summer? I would love to hear about it, so leave a comment if you like :)

Yes, I'm in Germany to visit my family, yay! Haven't been there in a year, so it was about time.
As mentioned in previous blog posts, it just so happens that I like to make something new for myself every time I travel. Don't know why, but it is really becoming a well-loved habit of mine :)
(Read about my great getaway bag, my piping hot hobo and my mini travel sleeve to learn more about my previous pre-vacation projects!)

When I went to Germany last year I traveled with the great getaway bag as my hand luggage. I really enjoyed carrying that colorful happy bag around but eventually decided not to use it this year, but to use a small suitcase as carry-on instead. Main reason: My big suitcase will be way too heavy when I fly back to the US due to all the Nutella, chocolate and other vital stuff you need in the US as a foreigner :) Last time I had to make my mom send me a package with all the stuff I bought, so this year I will just pack a lot of it into my hand luggage instead. Problem solved, the only thing is that I need a suitcase to pull, I would never be able to carry those heavy things on my arm in my bag.

I quickly decided that to make up for the boring carry-on I would need an exciting handbag. So I made one!

I found this nice fabric and matched it with a burgundy colored lining fabric. I wanted a large bag that would carry all my essentials during the flight (you know, like phone, wallet, book, magazine, sweater…) and could be stored under my seat. My bag measures approx. 30 x 44 cm (12 x 17") and has a depth of 10 cm (4").

I put in a recessed zipper, since I like my handbags to be "hermetically sealed", especially when I am hanging around airports and other places with lots of traffic… you never know.
On the inside there is one relatively large zipper pocket and two slip pockets. The handles (faux leather) are used, coming from an old (and ugly) bag that I found at a flea market last year.

I love the pockets on the outside of the bag! They are basically made of one large piece of fabric, which is folded into pleats in the middle and then topstitched down onto the center of the main body piece of the bag. This creates two pockets on either side, each of which got its own flap with a magnetic snap! I found this kind of front pocket in my Lisa Lam book A bag for all reasons. She has a large diaper bag (called The Fashionista Baby Bag) in there that has those front pockets. They look super stylish but are really easy to make.
The bag is completely interfaced with "By Annie's Soft and Stable". It makes the bag look really professional, yet it it relatively easy to work with.

I love my new bag! My cats do too :-)

I promised to post this tutorial for my cute little travel sleeve before I go on vacation, so here it comes! It should be easy enough for a confident sewing beginner, but you should be familiar with the basic sewing terms ;-) Happy sewing!
This tutorial is free but if you would rather prefer to download this complete tutorial as a pdf file you may purchase it here for only $2.

You need:
Exterior fabric
Lining fabric
Fusible fleece (thin)
Fusible interfacing
1 button
1 snap hook
1 piece of elastic string, approx. 8 cm (3.25”)

Cut:
Note: these measurements are for iPhone 5 but you can adjust the size to your phone:
For the case take the measurements of your phone and add 5 cm (2”) to both length and width. Cut out your main fabric piece according to this size.
For the flap subtract 1 cm (3/8“) from the width of your main fabric piece. The length should be a little more than the third of the length of the main fabric piece.
For the front pocket take the width of your main fabric piece. As with the flap, the length should be a little more than the third of the length of the main fabric piece.

All measurements are length x width and fit an iPhone 5
exterior fabric:
for the case (main fabric piece): 1 piece of fabric 18 x 16 cm (7.25 x 6.25”)
for the flap: 1 piece of fabric 8 x 15 cm (3.25 x 5.75“)
for the front pocket: 1 piece of fabric 7 x 16 cm (2.75 x 6.25”)
for the strap: 1 piece of fabric 8 x 27 cm (3.25 x 10.75“)

lining fabric:
for the case (main fabric piece): 1 piece of fabric 18 x 16 cm (7.25 x 6.25”)
for the flap: 1 piece of fabric 8 x 15 cm (3.25 x 5.75“)
for the front pocket: 1 piece of fabric 7 x 16 cm (2.75 x 6.25”)

fusible interfacing:
for the lining case: 1 piece 18 x 16 cm (7.25 x 6.25”)
for the exterior flap: 1 piece 8 x 15 cm (3.25 x 5.75“)
for the lining front pocket: 1 piece 7 x 16 cm (2.75 x 6.25”)

fusible fleece:
for the exterior case: 1 piece 18 x 16 cm (7.25 x 6.25”)

Instructions:
All seam allowances are 1 cm (3/8“) unless stated otherwise.
Interface all the fabric pieces with the respective interfacing and fleece pieces.

1. Make the strap:
Fold the fabric in half lengthwise and press. Open up again and fold the two long edges towards the center crease. Press again. Put the two long edges on top of each other and press again. Now topstitch along both long edges, approx. 0,3 cm (1/8“) from the edges. Slide a snap hook over the strap and set it aside.

2. Make the flap:
Take your elastic string, fold it in half and put it onto the center right side of one of the long edges of the exterior flap fabric, with the loop lying on the fabric, and the open ends being aligned with the fabric raw edge. Baste in place.
Put the two flap pieces (lining and exterior) right sides together. Stitch along both short edges and the long edge on which you attached the elastic string. If you like, you can try a shape with an angle like I did (see first picture below).

Trim the seam allowances, turn right side out and press. Topstitch all around the edges of the flap, except for the raw edge, with a 0,3 cm (1/8“) seam allowance.

3. Make the front pocket:
Put the two front pocket pieces right sides together and stitch along both long edges. Turn right side out and press. Topstitch along one of the long edges, with a 0,3 cm (1/8“) seam allowance. Place the front pocket with its wrong side (lining side) onto the front part of the exterior main piece. The bottom edge of the pocket should be aligned with the middle crease of the exterior main piece (see picture below). Sew the pocket onto the fabric by topstitching along the bottom long edge of the pocket.
Put the strap onto the exterior main fabric like shown on the picture and baste in place (it should be positioned approx. 2,5 cm (1“) down from the bottom corner).

4. Make the exterior case:
Fold the exterior fabric piece right sides together and stitch along both short edges. Make sure the strap is hidden between the two layers. Turn right side out and press.

Take the flap and put it onto the back of the case, right sides together, with the raw edges aligned. Check the lenght of your flap by bending it over as if closing your case. If it appears too long, shorten it by cutting off from some fabric from the raw edge.
Pin in place and stitch with a 0,5 cm (0.25“) seam allowance.

4. Make the lining case:
Fold the lining fabric piece right sides together and stitch along both short edges but leave an opening of approx. 7 cm (2.75“) on one side. Leave wrong side out.

5. Assemble the case:
Take the exterior case right side out and put it into the lining case. Both right sides should now be touching. Pin in place and stitch all around the top corner. Make sure the flap is tucked inside and hidden between the two layers.

Take your button and handstitch it onto the center front pocket.

...And it's done! Have fun with this cute iPhone sleeve/travel case or whatever name you think fits best! ;-)

I ended up using this little sleeve almost everyday.. and not only on vacation! I love the fact that I can carry it around as a small yet stylish purse but still have all my essentials with me. How did your "travel sleeve" turn out? I would love to hear your feedback on this tutorial!

If you would rather prefer to download this complete tutorial as a pdf file you may purchase it here for only $2.

Edit: find the free sewing tutorial here :)
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It seems like every time I get ready to go on vacation I feel the urge to make a new item that I can take along:  first my gorgeous travel bag for my trip to Germany last spring and then my super practical handbag, which I took to Berlin. This time I came up with an idea that is clearly related to my (slightly exaggerated) fear of pickpockets… but in my defense: I’ve been there, I know what it feels like to notice that your wallet is gone... and the thief even had the audacity to tie the strings of my backpack in a bow after taking out the wallet!

Anyway, I tried to think of some case or sleeve that would carry only my essentials, since I hate being stuck with a heavy handbag when I do sightseeing or go on a hike. Apart from my phone these essentials turn out be only my driver’s license/ID, green card and credit card plus a little bit of cash. You might even recognize the pattern, it's a mini version of the laptop cases I sell in my charmed Liebling Etsy shop. I basically made a cell phone case, measuring only 8 x 14 cm (3.25 x 5.5"), but I added a strap with a snap hook, so that I can put the case into my pocket and tie it to the belt loop of my pants! Pretty smart, huh? Ok, seriously, I have no idea if this is going to protect me from being robbed. But at least there won’t be any bows as a farewell greeting this time! AND this mini sleeve just looks really cute ;-)

I really feel like talking a little bit about my favorite handbag today. It just passed its first real „stress test“ on a trip to one of the most amazing cities of the world: BERLIN!!

It was one of the very first handbags I made and again I used a pattern of Lisa Lam from her book “The bag making bible”. It’s called “the piping hot hobo” and really versatile. It is expandable since it has two popper snaps, one on either side of the bag. I never carried more than a wallet, a case for my glasses and my cell phone in it, so until a few days ago I really had noooo idea how much it could take. Now I can tell you: A LOT!!
So here’s what I wanted to put into the bag. Quite a few things, huh?

Here’s a picture of what it looked like when I went on my trip!

Isn’t that amazing? I put the above mentioned essentials in it plus: a travel guide, a book, headphones, my camera, a chapstick, a calendar (do people still have those, or am I the only one..??), a manicure set, a magazine, my train ticket, tissues (yeah, I know, that’s supposed to be a German thing, always carrying a bag of tissues with us. They have four layers btw, I never get tired of mentioning that ;-)) and I even thought about putting a small bottle of water in there too but decided against it, since it wouldn’t have kept its nice shape.
I attached a long leather strap on the bag, so on my long walks through the city I could wear it like a cross-body bag which I prefer to carrying it on one shoulder especially when the bag gets heavy.
Anyways, I was really surprised about how convenient this handbag is and I’m definitely going to make more of those to sell in my shop as well!

Btw, this is what it looks like with all the stuff in it! Didn't go out of shape at all!

I finally finished my biggest bag project so far. I decided to make a bag for myself for a change and my ambitious goal was the „great getaway bag“, a travel bag from „The Bag Making Bible“ by the fabulous Lisa Lam. It is my favorite bag making book, I love her patterns and instructions and during the last few weeks that book has literally become my bible as I had it on me almost everywhere (well ok, with a few exceptions maybe).
So back to the great getaway bag:
The finished bag measures approx. 11 x 18 x 9" (28 x 46 x 23 cm). I'm planning on using it as my hand luggage on my flights to Europe, I can’t wait to use it for the first time when going home to Germany one week from now. I bet I'm gonna have the prettiest bag on the plane!

I used home dec fabric (100% cotton) and I just loooove the colors! I’m usually not the pink loving kind of girl but in this case I had to make an exception. I found the exterior main fabric first, thought it would look great for this type of bag and then started looking for a perfect match to use for the trims and handles. Found the one with the pink flowers. For the lining I chose a light beige.
For extra convenience there is an additional pocket on the outside, which closes with a flap and an attached magnetic snap.
Inside the bag has two large pockets to keep your stuff organized and a zip flush pocket.
A big plus is the adjustable strap. In Lisa’s original version the strap is attached on top of the exterior of the bag. I found another version by a fellow crafter online and followed her suggestions. You can find it here. Great idea, thanks Kristien! ;-)
She made a good point in claiming that those would be the weak points of the bag, since the strap has to hold all the weight of your luggage. So she decided to sew the handle loops in between the seams of the front/back part of the bag and the side panels (that hold the top zipper).  
It took me a while to finish the bag, altogether I guess it has been, like, ten hours of work (I needed three hours just to cut the fabric and the fusible fleece/interfacing). There is quite a few pieces to this bag, so if you ever think about making it, make sure you label everything, otherwise you will end up being lost in a huuuuge pile of pattern pieces!
I hope you like the bag as much as I do!