ChrisW Designs Global Blog Tour – Serendipity Hip Pattern

~ Michelle

Welcome to my little corner of the blog sphere from here in Canada!

I was asked to be a part of the Chris W Designs tour, and I couldn’t resist!

 It was one of Chris’ designs I first fell in love with that made me want to make my own bags. I’d been searching the internet for handbag patterns to sew myself, and I found this:This is Evelyn. Isn’t she lovely? I love everything about this. If I could only find this same material. I’ve kept this photo on the wall in front of my desk for sewing inspiration!

A Journey to Get Here

My bag-making has taken a round-about journey to making a Chris W Designs (CWD) pattern though.

After that initial searching, my first and second bags ended up being made following video classes. Being a very visual learner, it really helped me to start that way.

After both of those, I felt ready to tackle a pattern without a video. I chose an easy bag, and made a few of them. With a few successes behind me, I felt ready to branch out. It was at that point this tour was mentioned to me. Perfect timing! I really do feel like I’m coming full circle.

My Tour Make

 For my make on this tour… I’m still not making an Evelyn! Can you believe it? No, this time around I’m making a bag for a friend. She loves cross-body bags, so that’s what I’m making her.This is the Serendipity Hip bag. CWD graciously gave me this pattern to make for the tour. I think my friend will love it!

The Materials

This year marked Canada’s 150th birthday. To celebrate, there were lots of Canadian-themed fabrics. My friend has family members who are RCMP. Do you know what the RCMP are? They’re the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, often referred to as Mounties. These are our police.

So, seeing as my friend has a close connection, I couldn’t resist this adorable Mountie motif fabric, after all, I Am Canadian.Along with the Mountie material, I chose a dark red that coordinated, and a Native print to contrast for the lining.

How Did I Do?

  So after following videos and only making an easy bag pattern, are you wondering how I did? I found CWD patterns to be very well explained. Whew. That was a relief for me. Each step is not only well explained, but most steps come with a photo to show the step as well. Oh, I love photos to help me understand.

Something else that impressed me were there were even pattern pieces for rectangles. I can’t tell you how many patterns don’t include those, and I find them really helpful. I can get numbers mixed up sometimes, so I’m always double and triple checking them, so having that pattern piece instead of simply saying a 20″ x 8″ piece or whatever – it makes a difference for me.

My Finished Bag

 Here’s my finished bag:

I really think this is charming with all those little Mounties. The pattern front features a large slip pocket with a cell pocket inside, as well as a front zippered pocket. That’s three pockets before you’re even inside the bag. I was impressed.

Here’s a photo with something in each of the front pockets. The inside has another zipper pocket, and a card pocket with a small slip pocket behind it.There are lots of pockets! That seems to be a theme of CWD’s bag patterns.

Here’s the back of my ‘Hip Mountie’ bag.No pockets here, just Mounties! I really love this bag.

Bling

I had to do a few little bling things for this bag too. A little Sewn zipper pull.   And a leather tassel because I made an extra one with my last bag and it matched this bag too! My hardware came from Emmaline Bags.

Those Straps

For the straps, I used something I’d read on Chris’ blog: Jazzy Straps. This style of straps have made an appearance on a few of the bags in this tour. They give more of a pop to an otherwise basic part of the bag. Here are mine from the front:And from the back:I love these straps! Adding that extra bit of color takes them from basic and functional to not-at-all-plain, and makes them another feature of the bag.

Something For You

  Chris has also given each of us bloggers two of the patterns we’ve made to give to our readers. So, I have two Serendipity Hip PDF patterns to give away! Thank you, Chris! Not only is Chris giving each blogger 2 patterns to give away, but all her patterns are on sale this week! 20% off. Check out the code below.

 So for my give away, I want to make this fun. I mentioned a well-known line from a Canadian commercial. What commercial is it? Comment on my blog, and Marsha (Flying by the Seam of my Pants) will randomly pick two numbers out of how many have answered correctly. I’ll announce the winners tomorrow when I post tomorrow’s blogs for the tour. As well, I won’t approve correct comments until after the draw is finished. (This draw is closed now, but if you want to still comment, please do.)

If you don’t know the answer, I’d still love to hear what you think of the tour, and my Hip Mountie bag.

If you love all of the designs you’ve been seeing of Chris’, check her out on Instagram, and on her Facebook group.

Below are all the details on what you can save now, and the prizes to be won! Those prizes wouldn’t be there without the amazing generosity of our sponsors.

Thank you!

Tour Discounts

  • ChrisW Designs is taking 20% off all patterns until end of day (Australian Central Standard Time) November 21. Code GlobalBlogTour17 (applied automatically with this link. Buy without fear: If you purchase during the tour and then win a pattern, your purchase price will be refunded.
  • Handbag Hardware Australia (aff link) is offering a 10% discount for the duration of the tour. Use code: CWD10. (Excludes interfacing and Emmaline Bling.)
  • Bobbin Girl has a 10% discount using code BLOGTOUR17. (Not to be combined with any other discount or rewards points.)
  • Gold Star Tool is taking 15% off for our tour readers. Use code chriswdesigns.
  • Zipit (aff link) is also offering a 10% discount on shop items. Use code chriswdesigns. As well, you must be signed in and the discount is applied to your cart after you add your items.

Giveaway (This giveaway has ended.)

Prizes:

a Rafflecopter giveaway (wait for the end of the tour for this!)

Tour Schedule

(Australia Central Standard Time)


// Please note that none of these post links are available before the scheduled date (ACST). If you click on one too early, you will get an “Error 404: Page not found.” You know about those, right? //

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Sunday, November 12

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Monday, November 13

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Tuesday, November 14

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Wednesday, November 15

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Thursday, November 16

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Friday, November 17

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Saturday, November 18

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Tuesday, November 21

  • Giveaway winners announced on all the blogs:

ChrisW Blog, Glitter in my Coffee, Michelle’s Creations, Flying by the Seam of my Pants, Serial Bagmakers, Tiger in a Tornado, Vanaehsa, Judith Stitches and More, Doctora Botones, Sewsewilse, Suck It Up Buttercup, Vicky Myers Creations, Marvelous Auntie M, inspinration, Fée bricolo, Trisha’s Craft Corner

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55 thoughts on “ChrisW Designs Global Blog Tour – Serendipity Hip Pattern”

  2. Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder. I love seeing and reading about all the talented bloggers on this tour.

  4. Thank you for the tour. I love see completed bags and the thought so those who sew them. Responding to your question “I AM CANADIAN” – Molson Beer commercial.

  5. The Serendipity would make a good travel purse and how great to have rectangles to cut instead of hoping you measure correctly and make a straight cut. I always check, recheck and check again…it’s crazy.

  6. I noticed here and on another blog there are questions about something in your blog but I don’t see it… is is just anywhere on your blog or on this particular one?

  7. Your Canadian comment from commercial “I Am Canadian”!
    And love love the bag! I too bought some of the Canadian 150 print and I made a few
    Travel bags for friends with them.. they were lined with Canadian moose!

  8. Molsons’s…I am Canadian…..commercial….and I’m not a beer drinker….Great bag..I haven’t seen this fabric anywhere!

  9. I live in Alaska, not Canada but I think the line from the commercial is “I am Canadian.” …which is a much repeated line from the Molson Canadian beer fridge commercial!

  11. “I Am Canadian”, a line from the Canadian Molson Beer commercial.
    I love the Mountie print, your bag is perfect! It is great fun to meet all these bag making bloggers…what a lot of talent packed into an exciting week.

  12. I’m not a Canadian and don’t see your commercials, but I’m thinking its to do with the Canadian Mounties being a hip lot. While making a reference to your hip bag. Which is lovely by the way!!

  15. Love the Mountie fabric. This bag is on my list as well to do for my daughter.
    More fabric to be on the look out for. “I am Canadian”. The famous line/poem from The Molson’s beer commercials.

  16. Love that mountie bag, very sharp. I am Canadian. The actor who did that commercial Jeff Douglas now co-hosts a radio show on CBC “As it Happens”. Just a while ago they had a look back at things that celebrated Canada before the 150 party. That commercial was one of the things. I didn’t realize it was that long ago (1994 – 1998). Fabulous bag, love this tour.

  17. Great bag, love the design and the fabric used but a shame that the giveaway has basically been restricted to Canadians!

    1. Hi Chris, Thank you! I’ve had non-Canadians guess the correct answer, so it wasn’t restricted, but perhaps it did favor Canadians.

  21. From one Michelle to another, I am in love with the Evelyn bag too! But your take on the sling is perfect. I’m a Canadian by immigration but have been in this country 20 years and love, love, love it!
    I was always wondering what people could make out of those canadian mountie fabrics and here you “jazzed” it up for us! Super fabric combo. I’d want one even though I have nothing to do with mounties 🙂

    But being a Canadian, I must not watch enough tv because I don’t know the commercial your referring to. The only phrase that sounds Canadian is “my corner” reminds me of the old show Corner Gas, and the phrase Full circle is in a lot of shows, but commercials hmmmm…..

    Anyway, loving this post. Thanks for writing it.

    1. Hi Michelle! I’m so glad you love this home and native land of mine, and my bag! It’s an old commercial, but at the time everyone seemed to know it and love it. Last I saw, the Mountie fabric is now in the clearance at Fabricland…

  22. Already have/made this pattern so don’t enter me, I just wanted to tell you how great your bag turned out!

  23. Hmm…I have never seen Canadian commercials but my guess is….”after all, I Am Canadian”.

  24. I love this pattern! I have been debating on buying it since the blog tour started…I think it would make the perfect travel bag! I haven’t really used a pattern before though, so I am hesitant.
    I am Canadian! Molson beer commercial, definitely a memorable one, too. ?

    1. Thank you Charlotte! It’s a great bag, and very well explained. If you don’t win the pattern, it’s on sale for 20% off (I’m told sales are a rare event).

  25. Just read my post and I realized it needed proofreading 🙂 Here is what I meant to say:

    Thank you for being a part of the tour. I love seeing completed bags and reading the thoughts of the people who sew them. You bag is lovely. Responding to your question “I AM CANADIAN” – Molson Beer commercial.

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