Embellished Bag of the Week - Zippered Pouch by sewartsy

Hi, my name is Katherine and I am so excited to be a new contributor to the Carried Away Etsy Bag Maker Team Blog.  Just a little about me and then on to the good stuff. 

I have been sewing for as long as I can remember.  I started in high school and instantly fell in love.  I didn’t really take up sewing though until I had my children and began sewing for them.  One thing led to another and before long I was making handbags.  I loved it so much and all my friends wanted one so now I  have a shop on Etsy, Katy D’s Handmade. 

So, when I was looking around Etsy for a bag to feature here I wanted to find something unique for my first post.  I have to tell you it wasn’t easy.  There are so many great bags and great bag makers that it was really hard to decide.  But I narrowed down my selections and decided on this Zippered Pouch by sewartsy.  I really liked Amy’s creative use of the zipper and beautiful fabric peeking through the solid (plainer) fabric.  I asked Amy about her little “zipper” bag and what inspired her…

“So I love fabric, obviously, but I'm also enamored with little embellishments and making my bags into artsy creations with buttons and crystals and appliques and the like. When I started playing around with this design it was because I was thinking those little zipper teeth are so adorable - not just functional. I'd seen those great little pouches that look like the teeth of an animal or a monster, and came up with the idea of creating an artistic "unveiling" of a beautiful or interesting print - kind of like drawing back a curtain! The inside is a regular, fully functioning zippered pouch, but the outside will make you smile!”

And it does make me smile Amy.  It’s almost as if a secret is being revealed.  Amy has other great bags in her shop too so be sure to check them all out. 

Thank you so much for reading my first post here on Carried Away.  I hope to post a new featured bag every Tuesday.  Please leave a comment and let me know what you think and if you would like to be featured here please contact me and let me know.  The link to my shop is above, just send me a convo.  You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.  I would love to talk to you about your bags.

Iraqi Bundles of Love

A few days ago, I posted about the Iraqi Bundle of Love Project. That's my daughter's cat, Shiara bemoaning that she doesn't get to go to Iraq with my bundle of love. Apparently cats the world over are REALLY annoyed by the fact that they don't get to go.

Inside my bundle is a pair of Fiskars scissors that were a bit worn, but still useful, several reels of YLI quilting thread that I won in a raffle years ago and never used, more thread, 2 unfinished quilts that I am DEEPLY grateful to not having staring at me, and more fabric. It's wrapped in a tye dye sheet that was one of my brothers early practice pieces before he became the master he is today.

LOOK! ART GOT MY bundle in yesterday's mail! You can read more here.




Of course, now that I have packed & sent one box ... I keep finding more stuff to send. So onto box two. This one has a huge can of buttons wrapped in fleece, a bundle of white lace fabric from my daughter's graduation dress, a package of yellow lace trim and lots more fabric plus more of that sheet to wrap it in.




But that's nothing compared to my mom. She has 4 boxes ready to go and says she might need to send another. She found several large pieces of wool she bought in Chicago that have zero use here in the desert. However, winter is COLD in Northern Iraq where Art's unit is and they will certainly find a good use for them. She is also sending some of her overflowing stash of yarn and quilting magazines. Although they can't read English, we all speak pictures :)

If you want to participate, boxes must be in the mail by September 7th so as to arrive before Ramadan and before Art's unit is rotated out of Iraq.

Remember, you will need delivery confirmation and a customs form. It's $12.65 to send each box. You can ask at your local Post Office for an APO Flat Rate box or just make sure the clerk gives you the APO flat rate if you use a standard large flat rate box. I have Art's address and if you want to play, please email me for it as he has asked that it not be published on the web. DO NOT SEND IT from a contract post office. Go to the actual Post Office to make sure the delivery tracking is done right.

Art said he got 6 more boxes this weekend and he and the unit are happy to have the problem of where to keep them all! So ladies, what are you waiting for? Surely you have extra fabric, yarn, sewing supplies and $13 for a good cause?