My New Blog - Come Visit!

Hello Everyone!


Just wanted to quickly let you know that I have a new blog - www.sewingjulie.com. Please come visit and say Hi!

Best regards,
Julija

Made by others!

Hello my dears!

Firstly, I should probably explain myself for not updating for so long. But the story of lack of posts is just too simple - my sewing machine is in the closet for the last half year. I guess the inspiration for sewing is on vacation (haven't we all been there?)...

Anyway, today I'm updating to share with you a very special creation - a bag made by a blogger Rita!

Click here to see the post on Rita's blog!

Rita contacted me a few days ago and showed me the photos of the bag she made by following my A Bag from a Jacket tutorial. To be honest, I was stunned when I saw the photos of this bag - it's simply amazing! Can you believe it's the first bag she made? Very inspiring!

Thank you once again, Rita, for sharing with me - I'll be looking forward to more bags from you!

P.S. If any of you have made a bag according to my tutorials - please don't hesitate to share them with me, I'd love to see them! :)

Have a nice day!

The Making of Famous Bags...

I must admit - I haven't used my sewing machine since I made the bag from a jacket (mainly because I use that bag almost everyday and I just can't think of a new bag I need), therefore I don't have a bag to share with you. But hey - it's a perfect time to make a second entry on luxury handbag making!

Here you can find the first entry on this subject (I talked about Hermes Kelly and Dior Lady bags). 

I'd like to start with a bag that I bet everyone has heard about or seen - even I have seen this bag in magazine pages long before I became interested in bags. Can you guess what bag it is? The answer is Chanel Classic flap bag. It's an iconic bag that didn't loose it's popularity decades after the release. 

Here you can find photos of how the classic version of this bag is made (due to the popularity and classic design this bag has a lot of versions):

The Chanel Classic flap bag making (photos)

Though I am not a huge fan of the Chanel Classic bag design, I think the craftsmanship in this bag is simply stunning and each step in the making process is eye catching. And the story behind the bag is worth reading - Coco Chanel herself designed this bag and gave each and every detail a meaning:

The story behind the Chanel Classic bag and the making of the Chanel 2.55

And finally, let's move on from one classic brand to another: from Chanel to Louis Vuitton: the making of Louis Vuitton Monogram Empreinte Bags (I wish there would be more LV videos like this one, but I guess the company tries to keep the process a secret because, unfortunately, there are so many fake LV bags in the market...):

Have a nice weekend! :)

My Sewing Machine

There is one question that I get asked quite often when I post a tutorial: “Do you use an industrial sewing machine?”. And today I’d like to answer this question: No, I don’t. I use my very simple domestic sewing machine – Bernina Bernette E55, which I’ve been using for the last 3,5 year. It’s a very basic sewing machine with 13 stitches (though I have never used half of them) and probably the cheapest Bernina in the market. 

The reason I’m posting this is that people sometimes think that their sewing machines won’t handle the task (like won’t sew stretch fabrics or faux leather), but the thing is that nowadays there are a lot of domestic machines that can handle difficult tasks and yet don't come with a huge price tag. So, here you go – if my sewing machine can handle my bag making - yours probably can too :)

Have a nice weekend! :)

Tutorial: How I Made a Bag from a Jacket

A Jacket + An Idea = A New Bag

As I promised, today I'm showing how I made a bag from a jacket you saw in my previous post. The bag is not hard to make and does not require a lot of skills, so don't hesitate to make it even if you never made a bag before! So, let's move on to the tutorial :)

The Bag From A Jacket

Hello Everyone!

Note: the tutorial for this bag is going to be up in a couple of days, so be sure to check it out! Update: the tutorial is now here.

Today I’d like to share with you my latest bag – a bag made from a thrifted jacket. The design is a combination of my previous bags: the handles (I find these handles the most comfortable to carry) and the square shape is from the Simple Bag, the construction is basically the same as in the Day Bag, the ends of the handles are from the first bag I made. The long zipper was inspired by Celine Luggage Tote, which allows carrying a lot of things in a bag when opened.

Despite small imperfections (like a zipper that opens a bit too hard. But with a bag color like this I couldn’t be picky), I really like this bag and I think it’s probably the best bag I’ve made so far. It will be a good substitute to my current everyday bag.

A couple of modeling photos to give an idea about the size