A Facebook Page!

I'm super excited to invite you to my brand new Facebook Page! 

I realise not everyone is a fan of Instagram, or maybe you like both, either way, you can now find Pink Pony Design on Facebook too! =D

I will share what's going on over there too, so you can now easily follow what's happening here, both behind the scenes and on it =)

On another note, my Stockholm Bag is coming along very nicely! Love the whimsical Tula Pink print with the stylish black! <3 And that metal "handmade" sign is really just perfect! Love it!

Bought the sign over at U-Handbag, who managed to get my order to me from the UK to Malta in 3 days, super impressive!

A New Bag in the Works!

Sometimes you just need an extra kick in the butt to get working on a project right? I found the 2016 Finish-A-Long to be the perfect such kick, or, should we call it inspiration? ;) I decided on two projects for this, which hopefully should be doable.

I've been sketching on a new bag, namely a bag I can use when going to Stockholm. I needed a bigger bag with room for a sweater or a thick scarf, while still not too big to lug around all day while out on the town =) So the working name will be the "Stockholm Bag".

This is the sketch I settled on, a simple but stylish design with big pockets and not too much fuss, as us Scandinavians as you know, usually like the stripped down, simple but stylish, and that is just how I wanted this bag to be.

I've been pulling fabrics for nearly a week now, going back and forth, changing my mind a million times and more, but now I've finally decided on this pre-quilted fake leather and some Tula Pink, you can't go wrong with Tula right? ;D

The turquoise is actually a perfect match with the turquoise in the Tula print, however, it did really not photograph like that for some reason... I was actually inspired by my pattern tester for the Daytona Bag, Cate Sjöman to use the pre-quilted fabric =)

I also have another project in the works, one that has been a WIP turned UFO since 2014 to my great shame!

I got this adorable tiny charm pack by my mother, here. And it never got further due to my strong dislike for hand sewing... But now I decided that it will be done before Valentines day and I started working on it again. It'll be a table runner.

So, both of these projects are on my list for the 2016 Finish-A-Long! 

So much fun this! Can't wait to see everyones finishes! =D

There's still a 13 hours left to join if you haven't already! 

A Pink Pony Zipper Card Pouch!

I made myself a card holder from some of the lovely Tula Pink scraps I got from the super sweet @sewtiffany on Instagram, in the #getyourquiltywishesgranted event <3

I chose to combine my Nightshade scraps around the Pink Pony Design fabric I ordered of Spoonflower a while back, and it matched beautifully! So did the Michael Miller Cotton Couture solid. The pattern is from Craft Passion. I'm not 100% happy with this, the corner was darn near impossible to get nice (I only managed "acceptable"), the instructions where at times a little unclear and hard to follow, and I had to really zoom in on the photos to try to understand what I was supposed to do. As I actually tried to follow the pattern this once *lol*

The bulky visible seams takes up a lot of space. Also, the little fold that allows the bag to open up, tends to catch in the zipper when opening it. However, they have posted a new version of the pattern which shouldn't have these issues, but it involved a lot of hand sewing - so it wasn't for me ;)

Front:

The back, lovely big Nightshade scrap <3

The Craftsy Mystery Bundles

Some of you have contacted me about the Craftsy Mystery bundles I purchased before Christmas, and I'm finally back in Malta and have unpacked them =)

They where as I suspected not many "feature prints" or "focus prints" or what we should call them (you know what I mean, the pretty racoon print in Tula's Acacia line for example) but more of the fillers and blenders, which are absolutely great to have! But greedy me would have loved one or two more focus prints, and more pink, always more pink ;)

The Joel Dewberry Bundle!

The Tula Pink Bundle!

They came pre-packed from Freespirit actually to my surprise.

I was overall happy with my bundles, and I'm sure I'll make good use of them =)

On a side note, I took my newest pair of boots (oh how I love after christmas sales!) out for a spin for lunch today in the sun. And my original Bring The Basics Bag was just begging to be matched with them, so as I didn't need to bring a lot, it got to come along =)

Please forgive the poor photo quality, cellphone photo. 

Presenting: Daytona Bag Pattern!

I'm so very excited to finally be able to release this pattern! It's such a fantastic bag, so professional looking (if I may say so myself ;) ) and so much fun to make! I'm already itching to make a summer version!

Despite its relative small size, it has so much interior space! And the zippered divider pocket is fantastic, as it makes the interior split up and your things so easy to find. And it's perfect for holding passports and boarding passes when you fly, I just tried it :)

The exterior is made with just a single fat quarter, so its a great way to use that favourite fat quarter you've been saving for a chance to really display it.

Pattern available HERE on Craftsy!

And for those wondering, yes, the exterior is made with the same fabric I used as a focus fabric for the Circles of Time Table Runner =)

It matches one of my favourite pairs of boots perfectly! <3

Don't they look great together? ^^ You can read more about the first version (the black one) here.

It's fits so much more then you'd think, the iPad with cover fits nicely, or a pocket book, however I naturally forgot to bring both for this photo session  =)

Thank you!

I want to give a big shout out to my wonderful pattern testers! They did amazing work, corrected issues, helped me with spelling and grammar, made fantastic versions of the bag with and without tweaks and personalisation. Please enjoy these beauties!

By Anne Verberckmoes - She made her divider pocket 2" shorter then in the pattern (like suggested in the pattern step 22) and got this lovely result! That pink plaid is just so stunning!

By Cate Sjöman - You can find her blog here. Who made note one but two bags, one basic and one really cool over the shoulder version too! Love the use of the pre-quilted fabrics here, such a cool look!

By Jennifer MacWilliams - You can find her on Instagram: @thisgirlissewdestructive and on Facebook. She also made her divider pocket 2" shorter for the equally gorgeous tucked in sides look, such happy colors, lovely!  I also love her use of rivets for the handles and the side tucks. =)

By Saar Mertens - Made a lovely all black version with a lovely, contrasting red inside! Love the black zippers contrasting so nicely against the red.

By Noor Raats - She made a gorgeous brown and mustard one, it's so classy on the outside, but so happy and colorful on the inside, I love bags like this! Look at all the lovely little details, like the matching  fabrics and the little lace zipper!

By Jill Dalrymple - She made this lovely Tula Pink version, I love her fabric choices, as a big Tula fan myself it was right up my alley =) I am so involve with the moss green vinyl, I had to pick some up myself when I was in Sweden. she left her sides un-pinched, and that's a great look too!

By Gun Ottosson -  She made her great bag from a thin home dec fabric with books on (such a lovely choice says book lover me) and fake leather, and I love her choice for decor hardware, such a nice addition.

Thank you lovely ladies, your work was so very appreciated!

Linking up with SewFreshQuilts:

And with Crazy Mom Quilts for the very aptly named "Finish it up Friday" linkup =)

Recommended Pattern on Craftsy!

I'm super happy! Just found out my Bring the Basics Bag is a recommended pattern on Craftsy! Number 8 in the sewing category to be exact! Such a wonderful Christmas gift! =D

Thanks to everyone who's purchased it! <3 If you've made one and shared it on social media, please feel free to add the #bringthebasicsbag hashtag so we all can see and enjoy it! =)

I also hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I sure did! =D

We celebrated with both our families and we also hunted down and sawed down own, very first real christmas tree, we named him Grenar and I think he's so very beautiful, he's so lush and has such amazing shape! =)

Beloved Notions

After hosting the giveaway and reading up on everyones most beloved notions, I just had to share my must haves. Like most of you, my trusty seam ripper is very high on that list =)

Here are my most trusty companions that alway are within an arms reach from my sewing machine. <3

From left to right:
Mechanical Pencil - For marking on dark fabrics.
Frixion pen - For marking on light fabrics and for making notes and sketching for pattens.
Sewline Gluestick - For all troublesome things that need a little temporary hold, like when sewing zippers it's such a good tool!
Gütermann Glue - For evertying that need to stick and stick permanently, I glue everything when I make bags, totally my best friend this one! <3
Bent Tweezers - for everything from turning fabrics, poking out corners, holding fabrics when sewing and for cleaning lint out of the machine.
Clover Seam Ripper - So very sharp and nice to hold.
Clover Awl - For guiding fabric.

Top row:
Clover Clips - Big and small clover clips I just can't live without! I love how they're marked on the see through side for folding, hems and the like - fantastic! And when sewing bags they're invaluable for holding fabrics you can't pin and for seams that pins easily would distort due to many layers.
Metal Thimble - Can't hands sew a single stitch without this one!

And the Winners are...

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway! 
This has been so much fun! But I'm very sorry I haven't been able to reply to each comment with an email like I usually, do but there was just too many of you and I've had too little time this close to Christmas. <3

The comments lead to quite a bit of research on my part trying to learn about a few new notions and it will absolutely result in som shopping, I just have to try a few of these things! Like the Bloc Loc ruler, how awesome doesn't that look? Had no idea it existed!

I had quite a good laugh at the fact that the by far most common notion was the seam ripper, all of ours trusty friend when in need =D

The winner of the gorgeous Bali Pop is Kim! 

KimDecember 10, 2015 at 5:16 AM 

I love my 2 x 6 ruler. I use it to make sure my seam allowance is accurate and for placement on other sewing projects.

And the 2 random winners of the 2 Bring the Basics Bag patterns are: 

AlidaPDecember 10, 2015 at 12:42 AM 

I follow on gfc thanks for the chance!!

Happy Cottage QuilterDecember 9, 2015 at 11:28 PM 

My rotary cutter is my favorite gadget. Next to that would be pins. I might only use a few, but pinning helps me keep things straight :-)

Then I just had to add 2 more winners of the Bring the Basics Bag pattern, as they both posted so many good notions and tips in their comments, thank you both! 

JakeDecember 10, 2015 at 3:26 AM 

I found your blog about a month ago and went thru ALL the posts to the end! I love your new little purse pattern too. CANT LIVE WITHOUT MY GLUE. Yup, I'm a glued. Mostly use glue sticks, but there are some occasions where liquid glue is a better choice...so that is an item I cannot live without. As for new tools, for FMQ, why pay the outrageous price for a Supreme Slider when you can get HUGE Teflon sheets for a few dollars? I have two machines sunk into a table made from a sheet of plywood and I have covered the whole table with Teflon...total cost of the Teflon? $22...yeah, take that SS! And for ruler work...expensive rulers? I think not! I cut my own from foam board...cheap cheap cheap! And I also have a few cut from Lexan so I can use the lines. And for my bags, I just cannot live without rivets and studs. They add soooo much to bags. As for regular purchased tools, besides the basics of course, I'd have to recommend titanium needles. They really do last longer and stitch better in my opinion. Hope you like some of these thoughts. 

RobynDecember 10, 2015 at 8:03 PM 

Hmm... sewing notions I can't live without... I LOVE my hand-turned wooden seam ripper and stiletto I purchased on Etsy. The stiletto is pretty much a part of my hand when I sew, and the seam ripper is incredibly sharp... so much so that I have to be extra careful with it. (I posted about them here http://hoopsandthimbles.com/another-seam-ripper-my-magic-wand/ & http://hoopsandthimbles.com/i/)
My Karen Kay Buckley Perfect Scissors are also gush worthy Especially the curved pair, which are SUPER sharp and perfect for debulking seams when sewing with thick interfacings. I have all four sizes of the scissors! The medium size git my hand great, and are my go-to pair when I don't need the length of the large size. (They're 40% off on Massdrop right now btw; if you want to use my referral link... https://www.massdrop.com/r/RXSVMZ)
Best Press is definitely something I can't live without... hmm, what else... Oh! Tulip's Size 10 Milliners/Straw needles are THE BEST for binding quilts. They glide through the fabric like butter, and I swear I bind faster since finding them. I don't even use a thimble with them most of the time because they go through the fabric so easily I don't really have to protect my finger when pushing.
And for EPP on the go, Clover's Petite Cut threader/cutter combo is awesome for tiny sewing kits.

I hope all of you will enjoy your winnings! Congratulations! =D Emails are going out right now!

Giveaway Day! Win a Gorgeous Bali Pop or a Pattern!

Sew Mama Sew is having their lovely Giveaway Day again! Make sure you don't miss out by visiting their page and find out who else is hosting giveaways this week =)

I'm giving away a lovely, Brown Sugar Bali Pop!

I'm also giving away a 2 PDF versions of my Bring the Basics Bag Pattern:

How do I enter?
This giveaway is open to anyone worldwide, and it closes on Sunday 13th December, 5 p.m. PST.
3 random winners will be chosen among the comments and they will be notified by email, so please make sure you're not a no-reply comment blogger or include your email in the comment if you're unsure =)

You have a chance for two entries. It's really very easy =)

1. Post a comment on this post telling me which sewing notion you just can't live without. I'm hoping to find some new cool tools ;)

2. My followers (as I love you all so very much!), old and new get a second chance to win! Make a second comment and tell me how you follow.

Best of luck and and have fun blog hopping! <3

Bring the Basics Bag - How to Fold the Card Holder

A few people have been confused about how to fold the card holder (the first steps of making the bag) and as it clearly was a little tricky to show this with photos, I decided to make a little video showing exactly how it's done, please enjoy and try not to laugh to hard at me ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbBhkx6f07o

However, while my skills in this department isn't quite up to par, and my english accent changes according to whom I last spoke to (terribly embarrassing but I just can't stop it!), I found this really fun and such an easy way to show off a technique, so more videos will for sure come =)

I also just have to show you this beautiful Bring the Basics Bag made by one of my amazing pattern testers, Thisgirlissewdestructive on Instagram and you can also find here here on Facebook, isn't it gorgeous!? <3 Love the fabric choices!