Sewing Project: Orange Pouch

In this simple, but practical pouch I repurposed the mesh material from a bag of Trader Joe’s oranges. The green cotton fabric lining and blue zipper make for a bold contrast.

Sewing Project: Zippered Pouches 6

Sewing Project: Zippered Pouches 5

My new patchwork pouch creation.

Of Nature and Handmade Items 4

This is the last one of four pouches, along with the ones featured previously in my series ‘Of Nature and Handmade Items’, that I made for a group of friends and beautiful, young female professionals in San Francisco, California. The pouches are now on their way to their new owners. I hope that they’ll enjoy having and using them as much as I did creating them!

Of Nature and Handmade Items 3

Of Nature and Handmade Items 2

Another nature-inspired handmade pouch of rich blues and warm gold which reminds me of water, the sky, autumn leaves, and everything natural and organic.

Of Nature and Handmade Items 1

Here is a little picture story of my Sunday. The weather was very mild and sunny. I went for a long walk through old rice fields. It was so still that I could hear the rustling of birds in the dry swamp grasses. Bare and bony trees framed the rice fields in the distance. An afternoon full moon, almost at its peak, was my steady companion. It felt good being out in the fresh air.

On this weekend’s walk there was a lot of blue – blue skies and blue waters. This morning the sunrise was exceptionally red. I noticed that I tend to respond to my nature impressions with something creative. When I spread out my materials in order to select fabrics for my next sewing project, immediately blue leaves (for trees and blue skies and waters) and contrasting white polka dots (for the full moon) on a red (for the sunrise) background jumped out at me. The result is this little cotton pouch.

Sewing Project: Zippered Pouches 2

After mastering the smaller cotton pouches, I ventured out to make a medium size linen one. The pattern for this pouch is just slightly different. I like the fact that the end of the zipper is on the outside. It allows for the pouch to be opened wider. The little fabric cover over the zipper end adds an elegant finish. You don’t see it here in these photos, but the lining of this pouch is of the same dark brown fabric as the zipper cover.

Sewing Project: Zippered Pouches

This weekend it was raining in Charleston, SC, and I took a vacation from my usual activities of photographing and drawing. Instead, I sewed some pouches. They are fun to make, and a good project to use fat quarters (a term used in quilting for square pieces of fabric measuring 50 centimeters along each side) or for left-over materials from previous sewing projects.