The theme for show 1210 is geared towards a weekend getaway. For many of us these bags would serve as great day-to-day totes as well. While many of my friends know that my standard purse is a teeny tiny shoulder bag, they also know I often carry an extra tote for the rest of my assorted and seemingly necessary "stuff!"

Watch this show and you are likely to find something you can use on a regular basis. You'll see a colorful bag for toting your tech device and a roomy weekender bag with padded handles. At the end of the show there is yet another tutorial in the serger tip series as Angela Wolf shares a tip for starting and stopping a serger stitch.

In the first segment Kay Whitt, owner and operator of Serendipity Studio walks you through the making of  one of her beautiful bags. Watch as she makes a divided bag for toting your tablet along with other items that you want to keep separate like a notebook, keys, or anything else that would not be travel friendly with a delicate device. You will practically feel like Kay is sitting in your sewing space tutoring you and guiding you from start to finish.  If you are a big time bag lover you will LOVE Kay’s other patterns for even more fabulous bags. CLICK HERE to visit her site and see all of her great bag patterns.

Interested in making a nice big beautiful bag that rivals designer style satchels found in gift shops? In the second segment Donna Babylon makes a weekender bag that will remind you of the pretty quilted bags you know by a familiar name that starts with a "V" and ends with a "B"! Donna delivers lots of tips and tricks in this show. You’ll get a mini lesson in monograms as she adds  appliqués for a traditional three-letter monogram. You’ll get tips for precision stitching to permanently attach the letters with a traditional “blanket style” appliqué stitch. Keep a notebook handy while you watch, you are going to want to use her helpful tricks and tips for many other projects. Want to make your very own weekender like the one you see on the show? The pattern for the bag is available for purchase from Donna when you CLICK HERE.

In the last short portion of the show Angela Wolf will teach you the ins and outs of serging curves, along with a tip for starting and stopping with a serger.

This show is currently showing online until Friday September 1st at noon EST. You can CLICK HERE to go and watch the show. Enjoy!

This fun and inspiring show begins with Donna Babylon making a portable pet blanket.

Donna is self-confessed passionate pet Mom, with a love not only for her own furry babies but also with a caring heart for abandoned and stray pets! But that's another story for another day ;-) Today I'd like to fill you in on Donna's travel ready Pet Projects, pun intended :-)

This magic tote that transforms into an easy to carry folding pet bed. Her added appliqué trims a pocket that's perfect for treats or other travel essentials.

The iron-on WOOF! comes from her variety of collections at www.sayitwithapplique.com. The outside of this piece features super cute novelty cotton from Ink and Arrow Fabrics. The inside is what might easily be called the softest fabric found in contemporary fabrics. Distributed by Shannon Fabrics, Cuddle® reminds me of baby bunny fur. Their motto is quiet descriptive of the variety of fabrics they offer . . . "Making the world a softer place." FABRIC.COM has a great selection of their soft fabrics if you can't find them locally.

You'll see the walking foot featured in this segment. It is absolutely ideal for stitching layers that are totally unlike one another, such as the combination of Ink and Arrow cotton and the textured chevron Cuddle® fabric.

Speaking of soft, Angela Wolf's project for this week's show is a hooded towel made from cotton and microfiber towels. Just like the previous project, this involves mixing two very opposite types of fabrics. This is often the source of a tricky sewing operation. When it comes to tricky sewing, one tool that will work for EVERYONE is a definitely a walking foot.

​Often relegated to the quilting category, in my opinion this foot is one of the best-kept secrets for those who sew anything and everything that fits into the category of "tricky." You can CLICK HERE to read and download my free tip sheet with information and ideas for taking advantage of the wonders of the walking foot.

In the final, short segment of the show you'll see me demonstrate fringe trim made with the Fringe Foot. This foot has been around for quite some time and makes it easy to add embellishments using nothing more than the Fringe Foot and thread, either ordinary or decorative. 

To form fringe I used a two-step process using two basic stitches. In step one the fringe is formed with a wide, short, loose zigzag stitch. In step two a triple straight stitch anchors the loops so they can be cut to form fringe.

Last but not least here is a cute bib project with textured loops made using the now Famous Fringe foot! Click on the image for complete instructions.

It's Sew Easy TV show 1208 is full of practical and secure ways to store your valuables when traveling. These same ideas are appropriate for home and everyday use too! In the first segment Rebecca gives you a large dose of good advice and do-it-yourself instructions for making a padded tech tote for your favorite device.

At first glance this looks like a typical envelope style organizer bag. It certainly could be used to store or tote just about anything you wish. With protective foam padding she designed it to be perfect for carrying something delicate like a tablet or e-reader. Easy to open and shut, it is ideal for those tech type items you want to have close at hand yet attractively covered and concealed.

If you've watched my friend Rebecca in the past you know she always comes up with clever fabric and added details to make the project fun and full of learning opportunities. Her "envelope" pouch is put together using a novelty postal print fabric with a bold contrast binding. Not only is this a clever looking piece, her lesson is loaded with tips, tricks and techniques! While watching this segment I made note of at least a half dozen inspiring ideas she shared. Watch from beginning to end and you'll learn something new that you can apply to many other projects.

Up next in show 1208 . . . Functional, fashionable, and expandable cargo pockets.

Shop around and you are sure to see these pockets in abundance in ready-to-wear. They are a hot fashion element and prevalent in the casual wear section of many stores and catalogs. However, most of the pockets I see in this style are either very bulky, or they are what I would call "faux" cargo. They look like they would expand but in fact the pleat are just there for good looks and not for true function. I can assure you the two pockets demonstrated here are the real deal. There's even a FREE pattern download for the pleated pocket I stitched on the show.

There is a lot to tell about the larger pocket and the featured garment. First lets talk about the pattern. It is yet another one of my favorite Folkwear offerings, Pattern #130:  the Australian Bush Jacket. A true classic, I would define this as a safari style jacket/shirt. Visit the Folkwear website and you'll see a few additional photos that help you visualize the possibilities with this pattern. 

As you can see,  depending on the fabric you choose it can be worn all buttoned up to look more like a shirt than a jacket. The one you see here is made from a shirt weight fabric called Burma silk. It was one of those "collectable" pieces I had in my stash just waiting to come alive at the right time for the right garment. Most any shirt weight fabric will do. Designed for intermediate sewing skills, keep in mind the pattern is not designed for heavy jacket weight fabrics. 

Back to the pocket topic, between the time spent explaining construction on the show, and the downloadable instructions that coordinate with the segment, I'm confident you'll be able to make this yourself. Either of these pockets would also work for totes and bags so don't think they're only fit for garments. Here's a fun little behind the scenes tidbit for you - the pocket shown at the very end of the show is an original sample I made in fashion school in the 80's! Who knew that someday I would be able to share this great sample with all of you?!? This only proves that the skills you learn while sewing someday will surely be put to good use!

At the end of show 1208 Angela gives a quick lesson on stitching a blind hem with the serger. If you would like to see a complete project using this technique you can click on the image below. This will take you to a recent Brother blog post I submitted with step-by-step instructions for putting this skill into practice while making an attractive T-shirt with a basic serger. 

CLICK HERE to purchase personal copies of It's Sew Easy TV shows.

​Hope you enjoyed this post. Be sure to leave your comments!

Travel can mean a literal change of the seasons as you move from point A to point B on the map. Coping with weather and changing temperatures can be challenging. This week you’ll get ideas for making your journey more comfortable and therefore more enjoyable!

The show starts with this Trendy Topper made from a basic pashmina scarf. This segment is also on YouTube so you can watch it over again whenever you like. ​Click on the image here and it will take you directly to the YouTube channel for It's Sew Easy TV.

I have to admit I have pashmina mania and simply can't get enough of these wonderful rectangles! I guess you could say pashminas are a cross between a scarf and a shawl. I've been collecting them for years "as is." I've also had a lot of fun turning them into something more than what they are when you bring them home from the store. To date, I've added bands of embroidery, embellished them with bobbin work and beads, stitched rows of silk ribbon and synthetic ribbon to dress up plain colors, and most recently made this one that is almost a jacket but not quite so I'm calling it a "topper."

If you suffer from the hot - cold - cold - hot and not sure what's coming next syndrome, you'll appreciate having something like this to pop on or slip off in a hurry. Perfect for travel yes, but for me having a wrap is the next best thing to a security blanket since it ups the comfort level when I have no control over the internal or external thermostat! In almost any season I rarely leave home without a wrap!

You'll hear me mention several of my favorite sewing techniques as I make the topper.

One of them is the use of this handy combination of a ruler and pressing tool. It's officially called an ​Ezy-Hem® Gauge and made by the notions folks at Dritz. Click on the image to learn more.

Complete instructions are on the website so be sure to download the PDF after you watch the show. You can CLICK HERE for the direct link.

In the second half of the show Angela Wolf takes you through her method for adding a pocket when none exists. This tutorial is useful for so many different projects. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to add zipper pockets to existing patterns.

At the very end of the show Angela shows some quick tips for saving serger edges that go astray. If you have a serger you have likely learned a lot already during this series. And, if you don't have a serger yet, you may be considering adding one to your sewing space. My advice would be to visit a goo sewing machine dealer and let them show you your options. Like anything sergers vary in price, quality, and capability and you need to find the one that suits you best. 

If you're ready to watch the show you can CLICK HERE. This show currently airs until noon EST, August 11th.