We are so excited to participate in the Bits and Pieces Blog Tour to showcase Sherry Shish’s beautiful new Bits and Pieces fabric for Island Batik.
This fabric collection includes twenty fabulous batiks prints in colors ranging from cool, easy-on-the-eyes greens and turquoises to rich and vibrant pinks and purples. A variety of geometric and circular designs make each fabric a delight. Naturally, we wanted to experiment with these luscious fabrics by sewing something fun!
Clam Up
We started by making a colorful set of Clam Up bags as we knew that would give us the chance to play with LOTS of the fabrics.
Easy and fun to make, these bags in five sizes are perfect for storing and carrying make-up, sewing supplies, tech gear, and more.
The pattern includes complete step-by-step instructions for making the bags with or without quilted fabric and for adding optional iron-on vinyl laminate to make the inside easy to wipe clean.
For this set, we quilted the fabrics for the extra-small, medium, and extra-large bags.
On the small and large bags, we skipped quilted and added Slicker iron-on vinyl laminate to the lining so that they can be easily wiped clean.
Double-slide zippers and handy grab tabs make the bags easy to open wide and attached side panels prevent contents from falling out.
We used a different main fabric for each bag but used just two fabrics for linings — a bright green for the three largest bags and a cool turquoise for the two smallest bags. To tie things together, we used just one fabric for the grab tabs and side panels — the dark purple geometric.
We added a strap with a swivel hook to the extra-small bag so that it can be easily clipped onto another bag.
When empty, the bags nest inside one another to save space.
Finished sizes of bags are as follows:
- Extra Small (XS): 2¾"H x 3½"W x 2⅝"D
- Small (S): 3½"H x 4½"W x 3⅜"D
- Medium (M): 4¼"H x 5½"W x 4"D
- Large (L): 4⅞"H x 6½"W x 4⅝"D
- Extra Large (XL): 5½"H x 7½"W x 5"D
All Aboard
We had so much fun making the Clam Up bags, that we decided to also make a set of All Aboard bags to carry larger items.
Whether you're globetrotting or touring closer to home, you'll love these stylish cases for carrying cosmetics, jewelry, first aid supplies, and more
Each bag features an easy-to-open zippered top with a handle for carrying.
Inside are two mesh pockets which are easily bound using fold-over elastic. The mesh gives great visibility and a bit of stretch for holding bulkier items.
ByAnnie’s Lightweight Mesh and Fold-over Elastic come in 14 fun colors which match our zippers of the same name. Use our Mesh Sample Pack which contains swatches of all 14 colors to choose just the right color for your project.
A stabilizer may be inserted into a sleeve in the base of each bag to give a sturdy base to the bag.
Use the larger case for extended vacations and the smaller cases for a quick weekend getaway. Throw in your glam and you're ready to go anywhere!
And, just like Clam Up, empty All Aboard bags can be nested inside each other for convenient, space-saving storage.
Finished sizes of bags are as follows:
- Small: 2.75"H x 8.5"L x 5.5"D
- Medium: 4"H x 9.5"L x 6.5"D
- Large: 6.5"H x 10.5"L x 7.5"D
ByAnnie has a wide range of handbag zippers that look fantastic with this line! We have single slide 24" zippers, 30" and 40"double-slide zippers, and 144" Zippers by the Yard that come with 16 extra zipper pulls.
To make things really simple for you, we've put together a list of colors that go well with Bits and Pieces:
- Chartreuse #198
- Apple Green #200 (mesh and fold-over available in this color)
- Crazy Plum #255
- Emerald Green #204
- Lipstick #250 (mesh and fold-over available in this color)
- Parrot Blue #214 (mesh and fold-over available in this color)
- Raspberry #252
- Tahiti #245 (mesh and fold-over available in this color)
- Turquoise #212 (mesh and fold-over available in this color)
- Wild Plum #258
For a full list of zipper colors, be sure to look at our zipper color card.
Conclusion
We hope you’re as inspired as we were by Bits and Pieces. Let us know in the comments which fabrics in this line you’re excited to work with, or which project you’re ready to begin!
A special thanks goes to Sherry Shish and Island Batik for including us in this blog hop. We had a lot of fun making these Clam Up and All Aboard bags using the fabric.
Catch the other blog hop posts here for an extra dose of inspiration:
March 24 - Sherry Shish of Powered By Quilting
March 25 - Jennifer Thomas of Curlicue Creations
March 26 - Jennifer Fulton of Inquiring Quilter
March 27 - Elizabeth DeCroos of Epida Studio
March 28 - Sally Williams of Paleofishdesigns
March 29 - Annie Unrein of ByAnnie.com Blog
March 30 - Tammy Silvers of Tamarinis
March 31 - Laura Piland of Slice of Pi Quits
April 1 - Kate Starcher of Katie Mae Quilts
April 2 - Melissa Marginet of Melissa Marginet
April 3 - Brianna Roberts of Sew Cute And Quirky
April 4 - Sherry Shish of Powered By Quilting
BITS AND PIECES BLOG HOP