Blossom and Handbag

So I've been wanting to make a flower out of fabric scraps... I have lots of scraps, even from hemming pants. That's how this first blossom came to life. It was the 1.5" hem off the bottom of some grey pants that I hemmed. It worked out perfectly. I wanted the edges to be raw and curl just a bit. It's hard to see in the picture. For this project, I did a loose baste stitch across the bottom and pulled to gather. then I wrapped it around starting at the center of the circle. I then stitched it together by hand. To add a little more flair I used a button from that "extra button" pouch that came with a suit I have. VERY FAST project.

That blossom was the perfect complement to this handbag I created. It's from Martha Stewart's website and is INCREDIBLY easy to make, less than 1 hour easily. I made 2 of the same in about an hour. I used a pretty wool plaid in pink and grey, which I'm in the process of making myself a poncho. To line, I have yards and yards of a gorgeous dark grey material that I'm tempted to make a suit with, but haven't started because I like quick projects. It is, in fact, reversible. And it's so cute, I've added pics of the handle untucked and tucked below.

You have to print the template and then zoom to 200%. The easiest way to do it is to cut the original printout into 4 equal parts and then expand each to 200%, then cut out and tape together the final template. The rest of the instructions and tips are on Martha's website, including the clip from her show when they showed how to make it.

What a cool idea for gifts!!! Even without the blossom this handbag is the cutest.

More to come soon!