Emmaline Spring Sling Bag Release & 4 Prize Pattern Giveaway!

Hey there sewing friends!  Love making bags, quilting or putting your own spin on a design? Then I've got some pattern news you're going to love!  There's a brand new bag pattern in town, and it gives you all of those things in one.  You can find all the details about it below and, thanks to its designer, you'll have a chance to win it here! 

Emmaline Bags  a collection of unique, modern, and easy to follow PDF patterns designed by the talented Janelle McKay.  Her shop also offers companion bag making supplies designed to create gorgeous handbags and purses:  

Emmaline Bags has just released a brand new pattern that's perfect for this time of year: The Spring Sling Bag Pattern.

Designed for the intermediate to advanced level sewer, this quilted, barrel shaped bag brings together quilting and bag making for a colorful, standout purse. 

Create different looks by changing up the fabrics and prints.  Try a light body with bright spring colors, or rich jewel tones with a dark main fabric.  It's easy, fun, and very fast to make up.

The finished size is an ideal 11 inches wide by 7 inches high by 3 inches deep and includes a zipper pocket (which also creates a bonus second divider pocket) and adjustable cross-body strap.  Classy hardware like grommets, rectangular rings and turn lock add beautiful detail:

And Emmaline Bags also offers bag making notions, interfacing and hardware kits to correspond with each bag pattern so you can easily get everything you need in one spot. The hardware kit for The Spring Sling has a choice of 3 cute closure shapes (I really love the heart!):

You can also buy all the hardware separately too for all your other bag making projects.  To give your bags a really professional finish, she also has these fantastic zipper pulls and metal bag labels.  I've had my eye on these for a while - they add such a high end feel to your bags:

Here's Your Chance To Win Some Emmaline Bags Patterns:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck Everyone!!

I Made It! Using Tags & Labels To Show Your Handmade Pride

Do you sign your handmade items?  I don't mean actually sign them, but adding a label or tag to show it was made by hand.  If you put in effort, time & love, to make something, doesn't it deserves to get a shout out when finished?  Here are a bunch of great ways to share that handmade pride:

Go the twill tape label route.  These Zakka and Sweet Heart styles have multiple designs by the yard:

They can be used to tie up a handmade gift or cut apart to make separate labels like this:

Embellish It.  These Wooden Handmade tags come in a 10 piece assortment (I'd already used two on projects by the time I took this).  I like that you can just glue them in place or use the holes to stitch them on.  

I stitched one onto my favorite bag (from my original free Off To Market pattern).  Even though it's been 2 years since I made it, I still hear compliments on it when I'm carrying it, so it feels good being able to add a handmade tag for a little extra polish.  

And there's the added bonus that the bird version was a perfect match to the fabric design:

Sassy Stitched Labels.  If you're feeling more cheeky, these fabulous labels from Sublime Stitching express the true sentiment behind some of those more pain-in-the-backside projects:

Metal Accents.  Go all sleek with some metal handmade tags & zipper pulls for a more upmarket finish:

There are even functional ways to add the handmade message, like this handmade snap fastener:

The custom label route is always an option too, but it can get pretty expensive per piece or require a lot bigger quantities than these options.  In my personal crafting I like to use different labels on a pair of kid's pajamas than I would on a swanky handbag or a gift to a sassy friend, so it's nice to have a lot of options that are budget friendly so I can keep a bunch of styles in my stash.

An artist wouldn't leave a painting unsigned to get lumped in with machine made prints, so why shouldn't a crafter add a little handmade flourish too?

I was not financially compensated for this post.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experiences.   I selected several items from my Sponsor, Wholeport, to review and am also sharing information on products from other sources I happen to like.  For my complete disclosure policy, click here.