I made some small purses with my beaded appliques on them. My sister wanted a small purse/wallet to use for the summer. She only carries a debit card, cell phone, and a small amount of cash. In the winter it goes in her coat pocket, but for summer she wanted somthing with a long handle that could be removed.
I sew an outline of the motif in chain stitch on the fabric before I bead it. So I trimmed to about 1/4 inch from that outline, clipped the curves and folded the extra fabric to the back and basted it to the back of the beading.
Then I appliqued the motif to the front part of the purse, sewing through the chain stitch so the applique stitches dont show.
After that I sewed in a zipper, added a lining and a handle. I put two pockets inside. I think they turned out ok.
This is a bag I beaded on a dark blue velvet. It is lined with a sparkly blue satin.
These are a couple of purses I made from my stash of fabrics.
And here are some flower dolls.
My sewing machine tension went crazy, so I had to take it to the repair shop. I was in the middle of a new project. About 2 years ago I bought a reproduction treadle sewing machine, but I had never used it. So I opened it up and figured out how to make it work after a little trial and error. I have a lot of admiration for the women who sewed on these machines. After about 30 minutes, my legs were getting sore. I didn't finish my project, but now I know I have a resource if the power goes off and we need some sewing done. I got my machine back after 3 days. Joy! It's not the best machine, but it is way better than the treadle.
Happy sewing.
