Friday, July 29, 2011

The Courtney iPad Purse


This past week I made the Emroidery Garden's iPad purse . It is a fast and easy purse to make.
As shown in the photos my iPad2 extends just a tad beyond the edge of the purse which has nothing to do with the pattern/directions. I made a mistake in measuring to compensate for the iPad cover I had made about a month ago for my iPad2. 






The Courtney iPad purse has a rear outside pocket which I made as a split pocket. It can easily hold a cell phone (unless you have the phone app on your iPad2!) and keys.

I think the possibilities for this iPad purse extend beyond an iPad which is great for people who don't have an iPad. Although designed to hold a covered iPad 2, I can see this bag also being worn as an across the chest bag which would would make for hands-free shopping.
 Needless to say, the Courtney iPad purse can be made up in any of the fabrics shown on my web site and in my etsy store.
Price: $30 + S&H when applicable

The 2 Jeans Wallet

Last night I finished making the Presto wallet I bought from Sewspoiled's etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/Sewspoiled?ref=seller_info. It's been awhile since I have made &/or used a wallet as large as this one. I must say it is nice to have some room in my wallet.
The wallet has an outside zippered pocket, 4 inside credit card slots and a pocket for currency. It closes with a magnetic clasp.
The wallet makes up pretty easily. The directions are good and include a lot of colored photos.
Price: $20 + S&H when applicable
For a great look combine this wallet with the Winnie Bag shown in an earlier post:
 http://arlenesbags.blogspot.com/2011/03/winnie-tote-bag.html

Monday, July 11, 2011

The Farnell iPad (Shoulder Bag?) Case

As many of you know, to put it mildly, I have been obsessed with my iPad2 since buying it in May.  I regularly search for new iPad accessories I can make.   Thus far the Lisa iPad foldable cover and the new Farnell Case are my favorites.
 After making the Farnell Case I realized what a great shoulder bag it would make.
The bag has an adjustable, detachable shoulder strap and an outside zippered pocket.
Although it easily holds my iPad, I have been carrying the bag as a shoulder bag. Luckily I have because someone ordered one the first day I wore it. No work in that sale!
For the order I did add a zippered inside pocket as the customer requested.
The bag also has an adjustable shoulder strap.  I would avoid an inside zipper if using this case strictly for an iPad.
I used one of my newest fabrics, Oasis, to make the case and accessories.
For accessories I made a tissue case, eyeglass case and the ITH freebie wallet from the Purple Hat. The 2 wallets in the second photo were an order. I made one of them a tad deeper than the other and widened the tab closure so it would look more balanced.
Price for Farnell Case/Bag: $35 + S&H when applicable

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Lisa iPad 1 or 2 Folding Case/ Notebook/ Stand

In January I began my quest for the perfect tech 'toy'. I bought & returned 6 tech gadgets since January. I really thought toy #5, a Motorola Xoom was a keeper. For any # of reasons,I returned it.
Finally, in May, I tried out the iPad2 and OMG, I was blown out of the water by what it can do. The iPad2 is a definite keeper.  I just love it.
However, I thought my iPad needed a cover that was both pretty and functional.  Luckily I found the perfect pattern for a cover in sewspoiled's etsy store.  The pattern is designed to fit both the first generation iPad & the iPad 2.
What is great about this cover is it has 2 viewing angles, one for using the virtual keyboard and the other for viewing photos, recipes, reading e-books,etc.  Typing is so much easier when the iPad is in one of these covers. 
The cover folds closed like a book when the tablet is not in use.
The cover can be made from single weight or quilted fabric. I used prequilted fabric for the ones shown below.
Don't have an Ipad??? Think gifts!!!!!
The introductory price is $30.00 + S & H when applicable.

















Sunday, March 13, 2011

The Winnie Tote Bag



On Thursday I found a new-to-me bag site, http://ithinksew.com/. I fell in love with the Emily Bag which I think is an awesome alternative to the standard rectangular shaped tote bag. Needless to say,I bought the pattern and made my first Emily Bag on Thursday.
The first time I make a new bag I follow the pattern directions & I did that for my first Emily Bag.  Although I love the pattern I decided some changes were needed. Today I made another one and made several changes to the pattern. I lengthened the shoulder strap. The original size is way too short for me and as a result, my first Emily Bag is a handbag.
I also added 2 outside pockets which are wide enough & deep enough to hold water bottles and even my Nook.
In addition to the zippered inside pocket that the pattern calls for, I added slip-in pockets all around the inside lining.
Because the pleated front & back are the same, I added a removable fabric pin to the front on both the bags.
The bag has a magnetic snap closure.
This bag is huge which makes it the perfect bag for shopping, school, the beach and work. The finished measurements are:

12 ½” high from the center front to the bottom X 17" across from the top of one side seam to the other X 6" deep(bottom)  
The shoulder drop on the pink paisley bag is 9". 
The shoulder drop on the multi-colored bag is 14" from the top of the shoulder strap to the center top.



 The bag at the top of the page is available for sale.  It also has a removable fabric pin. The second bag shown is a one-of-a-kind as I have no more of the pink paisley fabric.  The 2nd bag, as shown, has sold but can be ordered.  Of course, the Winnie Tote can be ordered in any of the fabrics shown on the fabric pages on my site, http://www.arlenesbags.com/  
Price: $60.00 + S&H when applicable
Please contact me with any questions and thanks for looking!


Monday, January 17, 2011

A Cover for My Friend's Nook

My friend asked me to make her a cover for her Nook.  I made it today.  She chose the beautiful Urban Garden pre-quilted fabric for her cover.
I hope my friend likes her Nook cover!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Another Cover for My Nook

Today I made another cover for my Nook.  Did my Nook need another cover??  Hardly.  But do we really need several pairs of shoes when one pair will do?  Same thing!

I love, just love, my Nook.