Little Owl Purse for Valentine's Day

        Lindsey and I were talking about Valentine's Day, (she has never been a fan), but I was trying to think of something to do for my grandchildren for the holiday and she remembered a time when she was little when I put little heart baskets by each of their places at breakfast.  AWWW! It did my heart good to think that she remembered that, even though she prefers to celebrate Arizona Statehood Day!  Well, that  motivated me to get to work making something for my grandchildren.  Since 5 of them live a number of states away, the earlier the better so I can get everything in the mail on time. 

          I am a sucker for cute fabric.  I went to Walmart and I love their little fat quarters that they have, all color coordinated starting at just 97 cents.  Look what I came home with!

          Of course, I had to get the owl fabrics! 

         I decided to use it to make my granddaughters some little owl shaped purses that I can tuck some Valentines into.
           I started by drawing the owl shape that I wanted to use.  I actually made it symetrical the old fashioned way, by folding the paper in half to cut it out like I would a heart.  Here is what I got.  It kind of reminds me of the owl rice bags I made  here.  My original drawing looks like this:

          Then I just copied the parts to make the pattern pieces.  You could do this with any animal or shape you wanted to turn into a purse or stuffed animal.  Here is the pattern for you to copy if you want to use it.  Just click on the button. 

Owl Purse Pattern

            Here is how I made the purse. Just click on the photos for directions.  

I decided to use the cute and colorful owl print for this first purse. VERY IMPORTANT, add a quarter inch all around as you cut out the owl, for the seam allowance.

I decided to use the gray owl fabric for the lining of the purse. So, I cut out a front and back of both fabrics.

When you cut out the pieces to applique the face and wings, you don't need to add a seam allowance, except on the long side of the wing, as I show here on this pattern, I went ahead and added it to the pattern when I cut it out so I wouldn't for get. I did this so that the wing would be sewn inside the seam allowance of the body of the owl.

I turned all of my pieces face down on the ironing board and pressed a piece of freezer paper, shiny side down, and then cut out the shapes with the freezer paper stuck to them. This will make your life so much easier when you are sewing them on. You could also use fusible web.

When I cut out the eye pieces, I used the actual eyes from the gray owl fabric to be the pupils. That really added some texture to the design. Choosing the fabric to use for the body and face pieces is fun. I had the polka dot fabric left over from a different project and thought it would go well with everything else.

Every machine is different, but you need to use a satin-type zig-zag stitch to apply the pieces. Do the eyes first since the pupil had to be added to the larger circle. Then apply the nose to help you see where the eyes go.

I put the nose where I wanted it and sewed it on first. It is a small piece, so I didn't pin it, I just held it in place.

Here are the nose and the eyes all applied. The stitching really helps to define the shapes and add dimension.

Make sure that you add the wings all of the way to the edge of the body with a straight stitch and then do the zig-zag around the rest of it. I used a script pattern fabric for the wings. I like how it gives the illusion of feathers.

Here is a close-up of the cute feet.

When the entire applique process is finished, put the same pieces together, right sides together, sew around with a 1/4 inch seam, leaving the top of the head open.

Here is how the outer portion of the purse looks when it is finished.

         If you want to remove the freezer paper from the back of the pieces, you can stop sewing when you are partially finished, and tear it out easily.  I just left it in, it adds body to the purse and doesn't hurt anything.  If you use fusible web, there is no need to do anything.   I love my cute heart pins.  Here are some similar to them.  They would make a cute little Valentine's gift to someone who sews.

         After you have sewn the body together, sew together the lining fabric in the same manner.

Fit the lining inside the outer bag, right side of fabric to the inside and match it to the top opening and pin it.

See how you can see the right side of the fabric inside of the purse? Now, stitch around the top.

I used a 12" x 1 1/2" strip of the script fabric cut on the bias to make the tip binding.

Press over the edges to finish.

First stitch the binding with right sides together to the wrong side of the fabric along the inner crease of the tape. Then fold it over to the front and stitch down all around.

Edge stitch for a clean finish. Be careful not to catch the back of the purse into the front as you sew.

I cut a 4" x 18" piece of the lining fabric to make the strap on the purse. I press finished the edges all around and then folded it in half and top stitched it on all sides.

I sewed the handle to the owls ears in a triangle to accentuate the ears.

Now he is all finished and I just need to fill him up with Valentine's Day treats!

         You can actually make the strap skinnier or shorter, I just wanted mine wide enough to show the owl print.  When I make the next one for my other granddaughter, I will mix up the fabric choices a bit so they will be able to tell them apart.  Also, because it is fun!  Remember, this is an original creation, so there are no mistakes!  Whatever you decide to do with your owl is up to you!  I know my granddaughters witll love them inspite of any flaws.  
          I am really happy with the results!  I hope you have fun with it! You could just stuff it and make it into a stuffed animal.  But I like the idea of putting in the  conversation hearts, stickers and other fun things that the girls will love.

      Now, I just need to make somethng for my grandsons!  I think I have a great idea!  I 'll whip it up and show you next week.
         Also, next Thursday, Lindsey will be starting her healthy menu choices segment, so watch for that!  The other girls have some great things in the works as well!  We are so excited!