Cube Purse Class Samples

Whooo- class samples are done!

Wanna see them in person? come to Hen Feathers Quilt Shop tonight!

Cube Purse Class Samples

The Cube Purse CLASS!

Logo from www.henfeathersquilts.com website

Yes, its true. My local quilt shop, Hen Feathers, carries The Cube Purse pattern and has asked me to teach a class on it! So very excited about it. This will be the first sewing class I've ever taught of this pattern and the first in a quilt shop. Its broken down into two class sessions. The first class will be learning the elements of the bag, like the handles, welt zipper, pockets and magnet clasp. The second class will be the construction (including those pesky Y-seams).


The class is Monday evenings, June 14th and 21st. If you are here in Wichita and want to take the class, you should give Hen Feathers a call.

See you there!

The Cube Purse CLASS!

The Cube Purse

Hey, holy smokes- over on the QuiltWoman.com blog, my Cube Purse pattern is listed as the 4th top selling pattern of 2010. YeeEEEEeHaW!!!!! Yes, I write the QW blog, but all my information comes straight from the top. It's still quite surreal. Go Cube Purse Go!

The Cube Purse

Recycling!

Ok, now that I'm all settled into the new-ish house and the routine is coming back, slowly but surely. (Hey, stop calling me Surely.) I am doing some commissioned sewing. HOORAY! Here's a couple pictures for Karen-

And while we are on the topic of recycling uniforms- I want to give a big fat THANKS to my little brother (Active Duty USAF) for sending me a couple-a-three uniform donations. I'm always taking uniform donations, it seems. I'll have to show you how they are organized in the studio one day. Anywhooo- Thank you!!!

Those pants (with a stain on the left leg that I can totally work around) are going into a fresh little tote bag.

Recycling!

I finished!

Guess what?!!? I finished the 8 new bags for the shop. I'm exhausted. Thank goodness for the crock pot! The crock pot is a family friend when mommy becomes sewing obsessed. I do love sewing!And I have some great new bags for you. Drum roll please-

DESERT FLIGHT SUITS!

The 4 desert bags are all the same color family- I've used the green version of the very popular pink paisley Michael Miller fabric.

And of course, like the original pattern, they have 5 pockets, guaranteed. BUT the way the flight suits are made and used, they have more zippers than a little bit, so the odds are very good that your bag will have more than 5 total pockets, when you consider the ones on the bag exterior.


In my last post I mentioned some design variations. Well, let me tell you about them- I replaced the nylon webbing handles with 1 1/4" cotton woven webbing. Its softer. I already love it. I do still have some nylon webbing, though, should your custom bag require that.

Speaking of handles- I've also branched out with the ribbon adornment too. Check this out:

Eyowwwwwwser! Its awesome huge funky-chunky ric-rack. I LOVE it. BUT, of course, I'm not my customer, so I didn't include this bold ric-rack on all the bags. Only two.



Ok, so they are two minor detail changes, but I do think they make a big impact when added together.

Do you like the big chunky Prints Charming fabric as much as I do??? Pink, orange, aqua, and red! Its a party on fabric.

Yes, I've mixed floral and plaid. I'm happy I did. Both pieces are from Anna Maria Horner's Chocolate Lollipop collection for Free Spirit.



There are 8 total NEW FLIGHT SUIT bags over in the Etsy Shop. You'll have to drive over to see them all. And of course, if you want to make one for yourself, please check out my Cube Pattern over at www.reannalilydesigns.com -> the patterns.

~jen~

I finished!

The New Cubes are Almost Ready!

I'm so excited to be out of the sewing room for a little break right now. I've been in there working away on the 8, YES 8, new Flight Suit Cube Purses for the Etsy shop. I'm officially 65% finished, thereabouts.

These purses will be listed in my finished goods shop under my seller name, llyrric. If you'd like the pattern for The Cube Purse, you can find that on my website, www.reannalilydesigns.com or in my Etsy supplies shop under the seller name reannalilydesigns.

Here's a sneak peek at the fabrics:


And I have a few fun {minor} design changes to tell you about once the bags are finished and the pictures are up here on the blog.

The bags would not be complete, or hold their shape at all, without the inner construction. Here's a fraction of the small pile of 48 squares:

Ah... I love that batting picture.

Well, I'd better get back in there. Before you know it, Thanksgiving will be over and Christmas will be upon us. Or more accurately, BLACK FRIDAY! See ya soon, with pictures!

~jen~

The New Cubes are Almost Ready!

Upgraded

My friend, Adreann had the cutest little fabric flowers on her daughter's skirt. She was gracious enough to share with me how she made them. I think the flower is the perfect up grade to my quilt block sampler purse. {You can see the purse on that link in the previous sentence.}

This is my jazzed-up side of the bag. Well, I say "side" this is now, officially, the front.

I'll be carrying this bag at the Houston Quilt Market next weekend, so if you see it- say Hello! ~jen~

Upgraded

The Marriage

Ok, I just think this is the neatest development in The Cube Purse pattern area... I'm so excited about it!!! You've got to see this connection...

You know how the Cube has square sides AND quilt blocks are square...
Yep!!! Those two ideas got married.
They said their vows, gave a big mwuuaaah,
and look what they've produced together:

aawwwweeee....

I spent a little time the other day surfing around Marcia Hohn's Quilter's Cache website. On there, if you don't already know, she's got a catalog of every quilt block... EVER. and on her site, she has a category for block sizes (as well as having them alphabetized) so I clicked on the 10" finished blocks, chose a few I liked, sorted the fabrics, stacked the squares, sorted the squares again, and voila!


You can click that little picture above to see a "straigh-on" picture of each of the blocks. Yeh, I couldn't commit to just one block, so I made a sampler quilt purse of sorts... ... but then the ideas kept coming...

4 blocks on the outside, and two scrap blocks on the inside... {Yes, I did put a zipper pocket right through my pieced block, on the inside.}

That would be 6 total pieced blocks. How fun would this be as a Block Of The Month (half year) with a Super-Cute-Cube-Purse class at the end of the 6mos, at your local quilt shop???!! If the demand is there, I'd love to package up a BOM + Purse Class for shops. {not necessarily the same sample blocks in this quicky sample.} Not too mention, the potential we have here for the orphan blocks... Oh man, I'm so happy those two ideas got married and made all these other little fledgling ideas!

Ask your local quilt shop if they have The Cube Pattern for you. If not, please ask them to stock it.

And as you just might have already guessed- The fabric in this bag is by Art Gallery Fabrics. The pieces I used are scraps from other sewn samples that will be in their booth (#936) at the Houston Quilt market in a couple weeks. The line is Ahambra II. Its absolutely lovely. This one print, especially is my fav - in case you were wondering.

So blogland- would you be interested in a Block Of The Month + Purse Class option from your local quilt shops?

The Marriage

Another Cube Purse

I wanted to show you this "all fabric" Cube Purse. The fabric is by In The Beginning. This collection launched this past spring at the Pittsburgh market. The fabric is called Proud designed by Keri Beyer. I love the fabric and the bright color party going on.

Super fun bag! It will soon be living in the Land of Aloha on the island of Oahu.

Another Cube Purse

Labor Day

I hope you are having a GREAT holiday weekend, if you're here in the good ole U S of A.

I'm getting some sewing done for the Art Gallery Fabric booth at the Houston Quilt Market. Man, I cannot tell you how crazy excited I am about this. But, unfortunately I cannot be too big on the details yet. Just know those pictures above are part of the ... um ... display samples.

I've also finished up some custom orders here at ReannaLily Designs.

My first ever Coast Guard uniform order! Its already in the hands of my client in Hawaii. {THANKS!} Of course, this is The Cube Purse pattern, which just released this past Tuesday. Don't forget to check out this post for the give away information. I'll be drawing on Sept 8th.

I also did a custom diaper bag. Yes, believe it- its a diaper bag.

Its has two sippy cup elastic pockets on the right and left sides- its got a wallet pocket and the secret zipper pocket. The entire purse is only about 10" tall and 14" wide. Its cute, small and trendy and the prefect size for the mom-of-toddlers who ordered it. The Alexander Henry Fabrics she picked turned out excellent with the solid red. This bag is loosely based on my Gathered Bag from the ole' recycled uniforms catalog.


So that's all the news worth tellin. Thanks again for all the support with my big layer cake + pattern give away. You guys rock and roll!

Labor Day

Knock Knock...

Knock knock.

Who's there?

ITS THE CUBE PURSE PATTERN!!!
#RD2019

Updated to add: My mom says this post is too long. So the short version: I'm releasing a pattern to my best selling military uniform purse and I have a give away to celebrate, scroll down to see how to enter. *love ya Mom!!!*

The, ahem, "Long" version:

Many of you have asked for a pattern to the best selling bag and my response always seemed to be "I'm working on it." From the writing with the pencil, to the transcribing to the computer, to the lovely illustrations done in Illustrator, to the photos, the pattern testing, on and on... its FINALLY HERE!

click to enlarge

This is the first handbag design from ReannaLily Designs to feature recycled military uniforms for a sewing pattern. It started as The Army Cube, but has taken on an all-branches life of its own. Yes, you can use the retired, phased out, worn uniforms to sew. Don't trash them! If your hubby's current uniform made it through the wash/dry with an ink pen in the pocket- this is your lucky day. There's a pattern for you. Don't trash the camo! Save the BDU or ACU uniforms. I do not recommend sneaking any uniforms out of the closet while the military member is deployed... turns out, they don't like that. ;) Even if someone in the fam would LOVE something made from his uniforms. heheheh.




Those of you following my blog/site know that I sew for people. The most popular thing I sew is military uniform bags on commission. You can see many more pictures here. (I don't sew many quilts on commission, but I do sew tons of quilts.) This design is the one that started it all, and now you, too, can make it. The pattern includes special details and tips for working with a military uniform and it also includes basic rotary cutting directions.

AND THE TWIST

I've authored the pattern so you can make it with a uniform- OR without, using a layer cake. "Hum... hold the phone, what's a layer cake? I got to your blog doing a 'military bag uniform recycle' google search." Well, a layer cake is a pre-cut stack of unique fabric squares, generally 40 to a package, with each square measuring 10". The layer cake product is, I believe, the brain child of Moda Fabrics. One layer cake will make two bags. How fun is that?!?!?!

THE PROMO GIVE AWAY

I've been telling you that I had a big exciting give away to promote the new pattern, right? Well, thanks to an ordering error on my part, I have an EXTRA complete layer cake to give to YOU along with a free copy of The Cube Purse. The layer cake is Basic Grey Sultry, by Moda. Its the same layer caked used in the fabric purse on the cover.

Here's how to enter:
1. Leave a comment telling me who you know or know of in the military. Seems like everyone knows someone these days. Even if its your great grandpa from WW1, that's cool too.
2. Blog, tweet, or Facebook about the new pattern & give away AND leave a comment to let me know you've done it.
3. Of course, follow the blog site and get entered a third time. leave a comment to let me know you follow or just started following.

WHEN 2 WIN

I'll be drawing a winner using random number generator on Sept 8th, 5pm Central time, right after our Labor Day festivities. (aka grillin' fajitas) If you don't win, you can always buy the pattern at ReannaLily Designs, The Patterns link.

Thanks for all your continued support. Go forth, spread the word. If you'd like to see The Cube Pattern in your town quilt/fabric shop, simply ask the shop owner if she carries ReannaLily Designs patterns.

~jen~

Updated to add: I'm excited to report that Pink Chalk Fabrics, Grace Full Creations, and Lone Star Quiltworks will also be carrying my pattern.

Updated to add: Thanks for the tweet, sewmamasew! "ReannaLily Designs is giving away a complete layer cake and NEW free pattern." The pattern is for sale $9, ea- but one copy will be given away free with the drawing on Sept 8th.

Knock Knock...

A glimpse-

I'm putting the absolute finishing touches on The Cube Purse pattern! The pattern testers have blessed it, and I cannot wait to release it. But I do also need to get the toner for the ole faithful laser printer. I need to be able to fill the orders with the first batch of printing. Whooohooo. It will probably be early this week. The pattern is based on my best selling recycled uniform design, and also includes directions to make the purse using all traditional fabrics.

there will be a BIG give away very soon!

A glimpse-

GiveAway Time!

I moved from Korea to Oklahoma a little over 1 year ago. On August 1st, I went to the Oklahoma "county office of all things official" and got my business information all squared away. I have officially been in business one year as ReannaLily Designs.

Big things have happened this past year, from Seamingly Accurate to a line of quilt patterns, and I've got a few irons in the proverbial fire for even bigger things on the horizon. I'm officially working with Art Gallery Fabrics! I'll have pictures for you after market. For now, the projects are all top secret. Also, after years of sewing commissioned The Cube purses, I'm in the final stages of getting that pattern ready for the retail world. The Cube purse pattern made with recycled uniforms is currently AT the pattern tester's. There's a special twist with The Cube purse pattern and you'll have to just check back to see what it is. AND when that baby releases, I'll be giving away something super special along with the pattern. *stay tuned*

I want to celebrate my first year with a give away. Scratch that- TWO giveaways! Each giveaway will receive a charm pack and my free-with-purchase Headband pattern.

These are charm packs, of course. They are both from Benartex. The one charm pack is Victoria by Nikki Russell. The pack includes 2 squares of each of the 28 different prints. You can see them all here, at the Benartex site.


The second charm pack is Fossil Fern. Are you sitting down for this- its 100 pieces! One of EACH Fossil Fern print. (Thumb not included.)



To enter the giveaway here's what you need to do:
Leave a comment telling me which color is most dominant in your fabric stash- or heck, just let me know what your favorite color is. (and make sure there's some way for me to contact you.)

To be entered twice:
Blog, tweet or otherwise (web-wise) mention this post. Leave a second comment with the link.

To be entered a third time:
Subscribe to my blog feed (by email, or bloglines or reader, or whatever you use) and leave a comment letting me know you subscribe. If you are already a subscriber, leave a comment to that effect as well.

I'll be throwing all those comments into the hat and drawing out two lucky winners on August 7th {lucky #7!!} 5pm CDT. Good luck to you and thanks again for subscribing & showing all your continued support.

~jen~

updated to add- This giveaway is officially closed. "winners" post, coming right up!

GiveAway Time!

They've Arrived

The brand-spankin-new pattern Woven Comfort is for sale in paper format from my website (patterns tab), but is also available for pdf download and is LIVE LIVE LIVE over at YouCanQuiltThis.com.

The new flight suit bags and uniform bags are officially listed over in my Etsy shop. Check them out to see which ones are still available.


What a week! I have some crazy exciting news to share with you this coming week. Stay tuned. ~jen~

They've Arrived