Unforgettable Sewing Experience: Passion Flower Tote Class

Posted on April 27, 2025 by SewFunLOL

On March 22nd, My Handmade Space once again proved why it’s a beloved creative hub by hosting the Passion Flower Tote Bag Making class featuring the Passion Flower Tote by Blue Calla Patterns. This special class was led by the amazing instructors Emily and Suzanne, who brought their expertise, patience, and energy to the room, making the experience unforgettable for everyone.

We arrived fully prepared — all of our vinyl and lining fabrics already cut out — ready to dive into a full day of sewing magic. The class started with learning a new technique for making handles, which was a great way to ease into the project and pick up fresh skills. From there, we moved on to constructing the interior pockets, getting excited as our totes began to take shape.

Midday, we took a break and enjoyed a delicious lunch provided by My Handmade Space, giving us a chance to relax, recharge, and get to know one another better. It was such a joy to meet many new friends, all sharing the same passion for sewing and crafting.

One of the highlights of the day was seeing how every tote looked completely different — thanks to the variety of vinyls, linings, and hardware selections. It was inspiring to see sewists of all skill levels working side by side, each adding their unique style to their projects.

Once again, My Handmade Space has truly outdone themselves. Every detail, from the welcoming environment to the thoughtful instruction, made for a perfect creative day.

If you haven’t been to My Handmade Space yet, you need to go! Their classes fill up quickly, and it’s easy to see why — the experience is one you’ll want to repeat again and again.

👉 Here’s the link to their site and class page:
My Handmade Space Classes

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Explore My Handmade Space: The Ultimate Bag Making Shop

Posted on April 27, 2025 by SewFunLOL

Last year at many ladies I met at sewing retreats kept telling about this amazing shop focused on Bag Making. All the sewists and bag makers couldn’t believe I had not heard of it. So I did some research and decided it was worth a visit.

My Handmade Space is located at 126 Merrimack Street, Methuen, Massachusetts.

https://www.bing.com/search?pglt=297&q=my+handmade+space+information&cvid=0f3c1d449c14472ca3d5fea9cb920d80&gs_lcrp=EgRlZGdlKgYIABBFGDkyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQABhAMgYIAhAAGEAyBggDEAAYQDIGCAQQABhAMgYIBRAAGEAyBggGEAAYQDIGCAcQRRhA0gEINDUyN2owajGoAgCwAgA&FORM=ANNTA1&PC=NMTS#:~:text=About%20697%2C000%20results-,www.myhandmadespace.com,-My%20Handmade%20Space

They are your partner in creating beautiful, handmade bags! Their motto is “we believe every great bag starts with the right tools and supplies. Explore our premium selection of zippers, fabrics, hardware, and more—designed to help you craft bags that are as unique as your creativity.“

Their tools, supplies and selection of vinyl, cork, webbing, hardware and so much more is beyond imagination. Each sewist gets their own assigned Juki Machine and cutting space and tools. When you take a class, you just show up. They provide everything you need plus lunch.

It is the ultimate in bag making for new and experienced sewers. Here are a few quotes from their Facebook page:

“We took a little road trip from Conn. to your storefront yesterday. We were totally blown away with your wonderful notions for bags. Can’t wait to visit you again!

Wow! Went to My Handmade Space today and what a great experience! I love the fabrics, patterns and all the accessories needed to make beautiful bags. They also have a ton of bags on display so that you can see what is involved and what they will look like after they are finished. And, finally, everyone who works there are super friendly and very helpful!!

“This place is amazing! I’ve ordered for shipping twice and both times I received my order within a couple of days. The are pretty local but due to my work schedule I can’t get there before they close and need material fast so it’s super easy to place the order online when I need it before the weekend. The actual store is a delight! So many bag making materials and patterns to choose from and the owner is extremely nice! Will continue shopping here for sure.”

While I was there I decided to sign up for a class. I registered for the Bag called Lola Domed Handbag by Swoon Patterns. I was assisted by one of the owners, Jorge, who knew every item needed, he was unbelievable at helping color coordinate for the main fabric, accent fabric, lining and of course all the hardware and other notions needed.

I took the class and the two instructors were fantastic, it goes without saying that all the staff and the owners Annabelle and Jorge are super nice, knowledgeable and all about the customer being completely satisfied.

When I showed up for class I was surprised to see a few friends who were also knew to the store. I had not seen Maureen and Jenn in a number of years. We began our bag making adventure and all finished perfect bags. Here are a few photos from that day.

Needless to say – it was an amazing adventure and the perfect place to learn and create wonderful handbags. I couldn’t wait to take another class so I signed up for another with two other friends Sharon and Sue. Stay tuned for the next post.

Thank you Annabelle and Jorge for creating this amazing place.

Lorrie

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DIY Cord Keepers: Quick Sewing with OESD Designs

Posted on April 11, 2025 by SewFunLOL

April OESD Spree Club came out with these In-the-Hoop Cord Keepers. There are three different designs to choose from, Oval, Round and Rectangle with rounded corners.

These were so very quick, fun and easy to do. I used Cork on one of them. I used Vinyl on the other two. I chose different thread colors to show off the design. I also used a magnetic snap to keep them closed. You will see in the Blue Vinyl an apple phone cord. It fits perfectly for the regular 2 foot cord. However, if you have anything longer than 2 feet, use a regular snap. The amount of cord is too much for a magnetic snap to handle.

I hope you are inspired by this project and want to make some for yourself and your friends and family. Should you want help, register at http://www.nashuasewandvac.com to take one of the OESD spree classes.

Happy Sewing.

SewFunLOL

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OESD Freestanding Lace Cross

Posted on April 6, 2025 by SewFunLOL

I bought the pattern a few years ago wanting to complete the cross by Easter. Good news is I didn’t say which Easter.
Yesterday I loaded the files and did all the embroidery. Washed out the stabilizer and let the pieces dry. Today I pressed them flat and assembled the cross.

A few tips when doing Freestanding lace:

  1. 1) have the proper tools – alligator clamps, button clamps
  2. 2) do not over wash your pieces – you need some stabilizer left to stiffen the project
  3. 3) read the instructions carefully for assembly
  4. 4) save all extra stabilizer, dissolve and dip you finished project in it to stabilize further

I love ❤️ how my cross turned out. On to my next project!!!

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From Innkeeper to Sew Studio: My Creative Comeback

Posted on January 27, 2025 by SewFunLOL
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

So it seems I come and go to my WordPress blog site. Everytime I think I will commit to keeping it up to date life gets in the way. The last few years have been a bit crazy.

When Lindsay got hurt at the end of 2016 our whole world came to a halt. Life was uncertain for two years. The first year while she fought for her life in a comatose state and then the second year when she came back and had to fight to regain all functionality. You can imagine not a lot of sewing happened and when it did, it was typically focused on things for her or the nursing staff that supported her.

I moved back to the USA and decided at that time to buy an Inn. 3.5 years of owning Blue Bear Inn was both rewarding and 24/7 work. I met so many people and made many new friends. The last year I hosted 29 sewing retreats at the Inn. Ladies I loved each and everyone of you and now while I won’t be hosting I will be attending.

So why am I back on here. It is time to reset and restart with a brand new sewing studio. I am building a house in Tyngsboro, MA (my age in place house) and am making the walkout basement my oasis, my sewing heaven. It is so much fun redesigning and taking what I learned from my last two studios to create the perfect space.

The move in date is around end of summer and I just cannot wait to unpack my 70 sewing boxes that have been in storage. It will be like the best Christmas ever. My plan is once ready to invite my sewing friends over, celebrate and then have sew togethers. I will be building on this site dates and events, so stay tuned, you will be invited.

In the meantime I am teaching for Ruthie at Nashua Sew and Vac – go her website at http://www.nashuasewandvac.com to register for my classes. I am also working on building a You Tube site and will share once I have things posted.

Pictures of the new studio are forthcoming. Looking forward to updating this site on a regular basis.

Happy Sew Year my friends.

Lorrie

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OESD Santas Workshop

Posted on March 1, 2019 by SewFunLOL

OESD Santas WorkshopIn summer of 2018 I want to a Quilt show and saw this magnificent tiled scene.  I instantly knew I had to make it.  I purchased the OESD pattern and the thread kit.  It was important to purchase the kit as there are 16 gray colors and it was next to impossible to match them to any other brand than what OESD was recommending.  There are 32 tiles that needed to be stitched and then assembly.  It was amazing to see the scene unfold as each block was created and then assembled.

I decided to have it frames as it clearly stood out as a Masterpiece in my eyes.

 

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#quiltsforbroncos – Humboldt Hockey Players

Posted on May 1, 2018 by SewFunLOL

We had an amazing day.  Studio62 hosted a sewing bee and brought together 10 wonderful ladies to create quilt tops for the Humboldt Hockey quilt initiative.

Helen, Ginette, Robyn, Sue, Davina, Sharon, Michelle, Davina, Jeannie, Carolyn and myself created 7 terrific quilt tops using the colors that were requested.

Take a look at these amazing results, quilt tops we sent to Humboldt, Saskatchewan.  Many thanks to these incredible ladies.

 

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Studio 62 – Version 2

Posted on April 5, 2018 by SewFunLOL

Finally have been able to unpack all my sewing boxes and get organized.  Makes for really efficient sewing when you can see everything.  I have a bit of an OCD complex and like my stuff organized.  So this is version 2 – similar to the one I built a number of years ago, much smaller but equally efficient….

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A bag for Lindsay

Posted on April 5, 2018 by SewFunLOL

Made this cute bag for Lindsay’s wheel chair.  A bit blurry but it is very functional and she can put her things in it when  she goes for therapy or Bingo…..

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Wallets and More

Posted on April 5, 2018 by SewFunLOL

Wanted to do something nice for all of the people at Lifecare that help Lindsay every day.  So I made about 18 wallets.  She gave them out just before Easter, well unfortunately there were more people than wallets so I am making 15 more.  Pics will be added when complete.

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