Stella Top Hat

I recently designed an oh-so-adorable Stella Top Hat which I had orginially intended to be a sun hat. However, the sun hat didn't work out and as you can see I created an even better crochet hat which little girls can wear at a barbeque or on the beach. It's also appropriate for a little boy in neutral colors minus the ribbon. I LOVE the ribbon on the hot pink hat my daughter is modeling for me. Doesn't the hat look absolutely gorgeous on her? And the white flower she is holding really makes this photo special to me.

I will be offering the pattern for sale in 9, 12, and 24 months sizes as soon as I hear back from my testers.

Sewing a lining to a crochet purse

As promised, I am posting a photo tutorial on sewing a lining inside of a crochet purse. I will make it as easy as possible to accomplish with step by step photos. This tutorial can be used on other projects which may require a lining.

A young child in the house prevents me from sewing during the day when there is better lighting so forgive the bad lighting. I selected a cotton fabric about 1 yard and cut around the purse while leaving about an inch on the sides. Make sure to trim the fabric a little closer on the top where the single crochet stitches begin so that there isn't any extra fabric. OK, for the top, cut the fabric about half an inch shorter than the actual height of the bag so you can easily fold the fabric back later.

When you are finished cutting the fabric, turn it inside out and carefully match the edges. Now, grab several pins and pin the right and left edges of the bag together. Once you are done pinning the edges, you can hand sew or use a machine to sew.

Here is a close up of a pinned side for better viewing.

Turn the piece right side out and this is what your seam should look like. After this it's time to turn your crochet purse inside out and slide the purse inside the fabric like sliding a pillow in a pillow case.

The photos above show the purse inside the lining. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone. :) Now is the time to fold the top of the lining and pin it in place before sewing again. As you can see, I had too much fabric at the top and had to trim it back so that I didn't have too much to fold. Don't worry if you make the same mistake. It's better to have too much than not enough.

I pinned the lining right under the first row of single crochet so that it covers the shell stitch. Making sure to keep the lining as straight as possible without stretching the crochet, pin all the way around the top of the bag

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I sewed the lining very closely and pulled a little on the fabric to keep it as straight as possible. I find it easier to pull pins out before the needle approaches so I don't accidently hit a pin. After you have sewed completely around the bag, the lining should look like the photo below. Turn the crochet purse right side out and your lining should go inside the bag.

Finally, it's done. If anyone is confused or I've done something wrong please let me know. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions you might have. I hope you enjoyed my photo tutorial as much as I do. Take care and have fun making your next project.

Another red purse

Here is another red purse I completed today. I was asked to make the flower and trim pink with a floral lining. I found the perfect cotton rose fabric to use as a lining for the purse.

Now here is the rose pattern lining, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.