Canada 150 — In the Emmaline Bags Bag

~ Michelle

Welcome to my stop on the Canada 150 — In the Bag tour.

This tour is a bag-making, bag designer, bag supplier tour, so by my title, you may have guessed I’m featuring a bag from Emmaline Bags.

Most of the bag patterns shown on our tour were donated to the bloggers by the designers. You will be able to buy them, and maybe even win one. (I’ll be giving away a pattern on June 10th, so keep checking in.)

Here are all our sponsors, but some of these are our Designers too. (At the end of this post there are links to all of our sponsors & designers)

All of our Designers offer great patterns you can purchase, however, I really wanted to show there are free options out there. We are celebrating after all!

The bag I’ve chosen is a pattern from Emmaline Bags – and it is free. In fact, the additions I’ve made to it are all from Emmaline Bags’ blog, so they’re free too. Well, you do have to buy your materials and hardware…

Here’s the pattern I made:

Isn’t that lovely? I’ve been admiring the Miss Maggie’s Handbag since it came out, and dreaming of a leather Miss Maggie. However, I found some perfect fabrics I wanted to use for my Canada 150 bag.

Here’s my Miss Maggie’s Handbag:

Oh, I love it! The material I used for this was created to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday this July 1st. This is Stonehenge Oh Canada by Northcott. I’m including a link for the fabrics just in case you love it too. Being Canadian, I was able to find this at my local quilting shop.

Here’s the back view of my bag:

Nice hardware, eh? Yup. I really do love this bag.

Pockets

The bag is lovely all on it’s own, but I wanted to add a few things. The first thing I added was a zipper pocket inside the bag.

This zipper pocket is the perfect size.

Here’s the tutorial for adding a zipper pocket to a bag.

SEW AN EASY ZIPPER POCKET METHOD 1- A TUTORIAL.

Janelle (owner of Emmaline Bags) says, ‘Everyone needs an internal zipper pocket in their purse or handbag…’ I felt the same way. I love to have a zippered pocket to keep things tucked away and safe. This tutorial was easy too. I had no problems with it whatsoever.

The fabrics I used for the inside of the bag are both special edition fabrics that were created just for Canada’s 150th. The maple leafs (part of the Canadian Sesquicentennial Collection by Northcott) inspired my maple leaf on the front of my bag, and the Canadiana quiz material (same collection as the maple leafs) was just too fun not to use.

More Pockets

The bag comes with one slip pocket included in the pattern.

That pocket is perfect for a cell phone, or anything else you want to keep separate in your bag. I’m thinking my cell and sunglasses!

You can also see in of all of these pocket photos that I’ve added a magnetic clasp for a closure. This closure is what the pattern suggests, and Janelle has a tutorial for that too.

How to Install a Magnetic Snap Closure

Janelle has some really great tips in this tutorial to keep that snap tightly secured, and I followed them.

Bling Bling

I had to add some bling to my bag.

Who could resist a Sewn label? Not me. Anyone who sees my bag will know it’s an original and handcrafted.

The Long John Strap Anchors, the handmade hanging metal tag, and the leather tassel are more bling. Well, the strap anchors are rather practical in that they attach the straps to the bag, but they definitely bring the bling factor.

So much more love!

To make my tassel, it was back to Emmaline Bags’ blog for another tutorial.

HOW TO MAKE A TASSEL: AN EASY BAG MAKING TUTORIAL.

I had so much fun making my tassel. It was extremely satisfying. Leather is so lovely to use. The leather I used for my tassel was from a second-hand score. A box of leather samples and a few other things for $5.

As well as making the tassel from my upcycled leather, I also made a gorgeous Maple leaf – the symbol on Canada’s flag.

Over the top love!

 All the beautiful bling I bought (commonly called hardware) came from Emmaline Bags’ online store. Unfortunately, it’s not free. But you do have a chance to win some.

Hardware Tip & More

In the Miss Maggie pattern, it’s suggested to keep the plastic protective covering on your hardware while you sew your bag. That makes a lot of sense, but some of my hardware didn’t come with plastic on it.

I used some Press & Seal to cover my hardware during the sewing process and it worked perfectly!

There were no scratches to any of my hardware this way. Not only does Beverly Johnson (The Fairy Bra Mother) tell us how to clone a bra with Press & Seal, but now I can see another great reason why we all need this in our sewing rooms! You can see I started by covering my hardware with a bit of felt. The Press & Seal was faster and no pins.

I have one more little tip for you. To attach the magnetic clasp, I needed double-sided fusible interfacing. I know I had some, but I could not find it anywhere. I happen to have lots of single sided interfacing though and more than one sewing machine.

I sewed a strip of interfacing together with the glue sides out. It worked perfectly under the magnetic closure.

How to Win

For my give-away in the Canada 150 – It’s in the Bag tour, I’m giving away a PDF pattern from Emmaline Bags.

Comment on my post about your biggest sewing failure for a chance to win. Marsha (Seam of my Pants) has already picked the winning post number for me. All you have to do is post. The winner will be announced on the 10th.

As well, on the 10th I’ll be sharing my project that didn’t work out for this tour.

Enjoy the rest of our tour.

Happy 150th Canada!

&

Happy creating!

Each blog has an exclusive giveaway, so be sure to visit them all.

Tour Discounts

  • 10% off!
    Tangled Blossoms Design     is offering 10% off anything in stock for the duration of the tour. Offer expires June 10, 2017. Use discount code HAPPYBIRTHDAYCANADA
  • 15% off!
    Bringberry Handbag Hardware and Design     is offering 15% off anything in stock for the duration of the tour. Offer expires June 10, 2017. Use discount code LOVECANADA150

Tour Stops

(These links will be active on and after the day they are scheduled.)

June 4

Emmaline Bags

June 5

Tangled Blossoms Design ◊ With Love in Every Stitch ◊ Happy Okapi

June 6

Michelle’s Creations ◊ Barabooboo ◊ Soca Sewing

June 7

Glitter in my Coffee ◊ Michelle’s Creations ◊ Seam of my Pants

June 8

Seam of my Pants ◊ Creative Roots Sewing ◊ Happy Okapi

June 9

Seam of my Pants

June 10

Giveaway ends at midnight EDT (North America)

July 1

CANADA DAY 150

Giveaway Prizes

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please join us in thanking our tour sponsors by visiting their websites.

* Jewellery is the Canadian spelling.

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71 thoughts on “Canada 150 — In the Emmaline Bags Bag”

  1. Super bag, I love your fabric! I can see you stashing a picnic and a book in that bag for Canada Day.

    I couldn’t help but notice the quiz question next to your perfectly installed magnetic snap, has a mistake in the question. The black bear was found in White Rock, Ontario. The doctor who rescued him was from Winnipeg.

  2. My first sewing failure taught me to carefully read the pattern! I cut my fabric on the line that said ‘place on the fold’. I was 11 and my girlfriend and I were teaching ourselves to sew. Your bag is gorgeous! I have a selection of Canada fabrics and I’m tempted to make a bag with some of them now.

  4. Great blog posting! My biggest sewing failure (since age 7) was this past summer…I made way over the top flower girl dresses for my granddaughters to wear at MY wedding and did not do a last minute check on sizes/measurements….my beautiful dresses that were fussy cut and perfect DID NOT FIT the week before…online shopping to the rescue…I was so sad! ROFL

  5. Fab Michelle! Great hints and I love the bag. I have the pattern and it will be on the list!

  6. Fantastic post, Michelle!! Thank you so much for all of your hard work and thank you for linking to Emmaline! I am very appreciative!

  7. I started a quilt about 5 years ago and finished half the top. I recently started sewing the other half, and thought I remembered the order of fabrics in the chevrons. I was about halfway through the second half when I realized I had done it a different way. It was too much work to fix it, so now I will have a quilt with half of it done one way and the other half done another way. I should know not to rely on my memory!!!

  8. thank you for so many great tips in this post. Love all the hardware! I recently jumped into garment sewing and my first attempt was an utter disaster. Neck stretched out, shoulder seams too long. But I adjusted my muslin and tried again and second attempt was great. Loving it.

  9. My biggest goof was cutting the collar for a dress out of the front of the dress

  11. just a stunning Canadian themed bag. I have a lot of the Northcott Fabrics Oh Canada line and have made a number of totes, wallets and bags using them. It has been so much fun celebrating Canada with these items.

  13. I LOVE your bag, the Maple Leaf on the front is a great touch. Thank you for the tip about the single sided fusible interfacing.

  14. Oh, dear. I’ve been sewing for so many years I’m not sure I can come up with my biggest sewing failure To me, mistakes are just a way to learn for next time. I know I’ve had many “fit failures” when sewing clothing for the first time from a new pattern. Thanks for your great post with lots of good pictures, ideas and techniques. PS I love press and seal for many things as well.

  15. Your bag is fabulous!
    I cut the zippers to short for a bag I was making and had to get more. Not only that, the fabric got cut too short too so I decided to start another bag from scratch. I liked the fabric of the second one better than the original.

  16. Your bag is beautiful! My most recent sewing mistake was cutting out a jacket late at night, and not noticing that I cut one of the front sides upside down. (didn’t work on wool with a nap). I now remind myself that late night cutting is not a time (or $$ saver) in the long run if I’m too tired to get it right.

  17. Last week I was working on a cross body bag for my granddaughter and I was using pretty, directional fabric. One side of the bag was fine and the other side was upside down. Oh well, I learned from my mistake. Your bag is gorgeous and I love the fabrics and the maple leaf is the perfect accent. I’m working on a Canadian Quilt and I guess I’ll add a Canadian bag to my list. Thanks for sharing.

  19. Love bags but keep cutting more than I sew. Need to label the prices better…lol.

  20. Way back in the Ice Age, when sewing classes were offered in school, it was required to make a lined wool jacket and skirt. We chose the pattern size by the pattern measurements (this was told to us by the teacher). When the garments were finished, we were required to wear them on the same day. The outfits on every single girl were huge and looked awful. Needless to say there were some very angry mothers who just wasted a lot of money for something which could not be worn.

  21. When I first started sewing I sewed a simple gathered skirt. Somehow I starting sewing on the bottom of the skirt and ended up sewing the top. Did this twice before my mother sent me to see my aunt who knew how to sew.

  22. Honestly, I can’t remember any epic failures (thank God for selective memories lol) so I’m gonna share a fun story instead. When my daughter was an infant, I bought a length of pink plaid seersucker fabric without knowing what I was going to make. Eventually , I decided to make her a summer dress with matching diaper cover. About the time she outgrew the dress, she was out of diapers, so I removed the elastic from the legs and she had baggy shorts. She LOVED those shorts! She wore them all the time! Seriously all the time, until she was like 9 years old! Gotta love seersucker! She was very sad when she couldn’t squeeze into them anymore, but then she found the original cut of fabric. She asked if there was enough to make her another pair? So I made her the largest pair the fabric would allow, and once again she had baggy shorts lol Fast forward to when she was about 14. We went to visit her uncle who lived out of town, she wore the now nicely fitting shorts for the trip. She gets out of the car and her uncle totally freaks out! He thought those were the exact same diaper cover shorts!
    Lol who’d of thunk an uncle would even notice? Like I said, she wore them all the time lol
    When I was helping her pack for college, she took the shorts. They were too thin and tight for wearing in public, but they were great for sleeping!
    The shorts met their final demise one week after college graduation. The shorts, along with her car and 96% of her worldly possessions were stolen.
    Here’s hoping those shorts found their way to another little girl and even today bring her joy!

    1. Rochelle, that is a great story! Her uncle is the funniest. Yes. Who’d think an uncle would notice kids’ clothes.

  23. Biggest sewing failure? Hmm… only one? I’ve had many. Lots of sewing for charity. Meaning I make something for myself, it doesn’t fit, and gets donated to Goodwill. Cutting 2 left fronts of a jacket out of very expensive fabric and not having enough extra fabric to recover is up near the top of the list!

    1. Oh, Kathy. That was like when I cut two left camisole tops and still to this day don’t know how I did it because I cut them at the same time. I didn’t have enough to recover that either. 🙁

  24. That’s such a cute bag, I’ll have to get that pattern! Thanks for the great tip about using press and seal to protect your hardware! My biggest goof so far was this weekend when I used fusible foam for the first time. I had an unusually large, thick seam allowance and I never considered that I needed to trim it back to prevent it from showing through. And of course I didn’t notice until after I had spent all afternoon hand sewing beads onto the bag. I had to cut all the beads off and then separate the fabric from the foam to fix the seam, then re-add the beads. My fingers are so sore now ?

  25. My biggest failure? Oh my, to me it was the end of the world at the time. I was making a fancy blouse to match one I had seen in the store. I was using my serger and being fairly new to it, I guess I should have been paying more attention to what I was doing. My husband came into my sewing room, startled me and made me jump! He just wanted to know how things were coming along. So I went back to my sewing and my serger sounded a little weird. Took the blouse off the serger and found that I had cut a huge hole in the back of the blouse in a triangular shape! I cried and cried. My husband felt so bad that he had wrecked my train of thought. The blouse was irreparable.

  26. I’ve been sewing so long that now I have memory loss and can’t remember the flops. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Mistakes are just creative design opportunities.

    My husband just had surgery and his nurse told us to put a sheet of Press & Seal over the incision to keep it dry when he showered. Now we need a roll for the bathroom too.

  27. Your bag is lovely! I love that you made it your own with all the extras. Emmaline really does have great tutorials on her blog. My biggest sewing failure… oh my goodness – it’s sew embarrassing.

    I was making my daughter and her friend a matching top. They were from a custom knit fabric I’d purchased and the fabric was no longer available and had been very expensive. It was a knit top with a empire style top and gather bottom. I went to serge the bottom to the top part and I got the top bottom caught in the seam in one section so I had to unpick the whole thing. There was a little hole where the serger blade has cut in – no big deal, I cut off the top edge of the gathered piece – it would be a 1/2″ shorter but no problem….except I did the same thing TWICE more on the same top. I swear, I must have lost my mind that day. My daughters top ended up being about 3″ shorter than her friends but they loved them anyway. Lesson learned – PAY ATTENTION!

  28. What an awesome bag! I especially love the maple leaf fabric on the inside! 🙂

  29. Love your bag! A quilt I made for a cousin – I was almost finished quilting it when I noticed one of the pieces was set in the wrong direction and it was red on black. I missed it when I put the top together, my husband missed it when he was looking it over for me also. I lamented for weeks over it; it kept me awake at night for not having fixed it, but we gave it to her as is and she loved it anyway. It’s only fabric after all.

  30. Oh my goodness, I love that bag!! That does it, I need to get me some Canada fabric. 😀

    Biggest sewing goof (so far since I’m very new to it) has to be my very first project. In hindsight, I should have chosen a simpler pattern but I decided to sew a flip front case for my Kobo. Somehow my measurements were way off and it ended up way too small! So then I tried again and managed to make it too big! Now I am much more careful with my measurements. 😉

  32. after a trip to alaska i was so excited to make a quilt kit i bought in skagway; as i finished quilting it i saw one of the blocks was turned wrong! it was a kit so i had no extra fabric to fix it. i drape the quilt over the back of a chair and turn that side under.

  33. Hello from Calgary! I’m loving this all-Canadian bag tour.

    I took a sewing class for adults, and we learned to make a tote bag (I think this is a rule somewhere?). I didn’t know anything about fabric, so I didn’t realize my fabric was printed off grain. Then I forgot to factor in seam allowances when I made the pocket & it ended up being too small.

    And after I cut everything out & made the straps, I decided that I wanted longer straps. Luckily I had some extra fabric, so I was able to re-cut the new straps. I was feeling pretty proud of myself for this, until it was time to do the bag lining. Turns out that “extra fabric” wasn’t extra at all. Oops!

    1. Hey Billie! Nice to meet another Canuck on the tour! Oh, that is disappointing about the tote. There’s a lot to learn making something for the first time.

  34. love what you did with the bag, i love bling, more the better. lol i can’t think of my biggest mistake, i’m always making them, then they become a ‘design’ intent, make a mistake, make it look like it was on purpose.

  35. Sewing flops…my first attempt a bra making…followed the measuring instructions exactly and still wound up with a bra that was pretty, but way too small. *sigh* One of these days I’ll work up the courage to try again.

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