Cotton Cosmetic Bag Madness Construction

I'm making some special cosmetic bags for the Buffalo store out of cotton. The construction is very similar to the Asian silk cosmetic bags with just a few added steps. When I'm done, I'll have about 30 bags total in 13 different prints.

I start with some Warm&Natural batting. I bond Heat & Bond Vinyl to one side in large sheets. On the other side, I bond Heat & Bond adhesive in large sheets. I do this until I have a piece of Warm & Natural that is about 36" wide by 90" long, covered in vinyl on one side, and glue on the other. I then cut that into 36" by 6 or 7" strips.

I then select the fabrics that I'm going to make cosmetic bags out of. I cut 6" and 7" strips of each fabric by 45" wide. I peel off the glue paper backing off of one of the strips and then iron onto the glue side of the batting, one of my fabric selections. I then cut that finished strip of bonded materals into 6" x 8" rectangles, which will make the small size cosmetic bag, or 7" x 9" rectangles which will make the larger size bag. Once I have all my pieces bonded and cut out, I use my serger to overlock the edges.

Here are my completed stacks of overlocked pieces.


Next step is to pin the pieces together and sew a 5/8 inch seam using a basting stitch along the top edge. This is were the zipper will be sewn in. As you can see, I use binder clips to hold the pieces together when I sew. This means I don't have to puncture the vinyl with a straight pin.


The next step is pressing open the seams, gluing in the zipper and putting in a limited edition label on the inside of the bag. I glue in my zippers because it just makes the process go a lot faster.



Once the zipper and label are glued in, I choose a matching thread for the fabric and sew in the zipper.



I then pull out the basting stitch, fold the right sides together and binder clip the pieces again. I then sew the bag together.



Once the bag is sewn together, I clip all the corner edges and turn the bag right side out. Here is a photo of the cosmetic bags in various stages.


It will be a while before I'm finished. I am also making at the same time, some place mats and matching napkin sets out of some of these fabrics, and we are working on building some platforms on our roof so that Mr. Sprocket can work on our HVAC unit easier. Later this evening, I'll put up some more photos of that project.

The Donchais Tea Napkins

My Etsy Store has the last of my tea napkins in the CLEARANCE section.

Mr. Sprocket and I have been working every weekend on a very time consuming house project but I've finally had some time to get back to sewing. I'm gearing up for a big production of several items for the store in Buffalo that carries my western and wilderness prints. I haven't sent them anything in well over a year and I have a few new items planned in limited edition prints.

One of the new items I'm planning are "Tea Napkins." Some might call them a cocktail napkin but I like calling them Tea Napkins. Since my friend donchais suggested the idea of a small, dainty napkin, I'm naming them after her.

Here are some photos to give you an idea of what they look like. The donchais tea napkins are 10" square and are finished with a rolled hem. They will sell as a package of four, but a retail price has not been set yet. They will probably run about $12 for a set. Some of these prints are limited editions purchased just for these napkins.

These napkins are exclusive to the Buffalo store.



The napkins below are in new prints that are available to everyone.



You can order a set of the Donchais Tea Napkins in any cotton print I have in stock. All of my table linens are made from cotton or cotton and muslin are pre-washed before they are sewn, so the size you see in the image is the size you get.

And here is the complete stack of Donchais Tea Napkins I just finished. All of these are headed for the Buffalo store.

Christmas Stockings

Last year, I gave everyone on my list a polar fleece & flannel Christmas stocking, using a flannel print of something that related to them, or something that they really loved. Kitty lovers got cat prints, dog lovers got doggies, children got a related children's print, sports lovers got their favorite sports, etc. Because of that massive flannel shopping last year, I now have more flannel than I can every use for the next several years. The attic is packed with flannel.

Below are the stockings that I made for the store, Gift Baskets, Etc., in Buffalo, Wyoming, where you can find my Western and Wilderness lines of Market Bags, blankets, table linens and sachets. I still have some of the flannel prints below in stock.



I know I took some pics of the kitty prints, but I can't seem to find it right now. I have a print where the stockings are half finished, (without the cuffs), and if I can't find the finished one, I just might put that one up anyway.