Jacquard ribbons are exquisitely woven, richly colored and simply beautiful. Today’s sponsor, Renaissance Ribbons is known throughout the industry for supplying some of the loveliest and most unique Jacquard ribbons available. A number of them are imported designs from France; many others are created by some of your favorite designers, such as Kaffe Fassett, Anna Maria Horner and Sue Spargo. Designer ribbons are a wonderful way to instantly add intricate style to a project. Today’s unique barrel tote, with its detachable strap, uses them to their best advantage, adding just the right dash of drama. Don’t go overboard - too many ribbons is like too much whipped cream... sounds like a good idea at the time, then it smothers the taste of everything. Use them to accent not overwhelm. This bag would be considered an advanced project, but as always, we’ve included detailed step-by-step instructions and lots of helpful photos. Read through the tutorial a couple of times before you start, and we know you can do it! 

At Sew4Home, R&R doesn't mean Rest & Relaxation, it means Get Up & Go: Re-imagine & Renovate! Just like a fresh coat of paint can transform a room, brand new fabric can completely change the look of a project. We're celebrating the final week of National Sewing Month by putting a new twist on some S4H sewing classics. Today, we picked adorable sewing motif fabric from the good folks at Fat Quarter Shop to recreate our sewing machine and serger covers. Your hard-working machines make so much stuff for you, the least you can do is make some little outfits for them!  These are perfect projects to spruce up your own sewing room, but would also make wonderful gifts for all the sewers and crafters on your holiday lists.

Reusable shopping bags are everywhere these days. In fact, in many towns and cities, plastic and even paper bags are simply no longer available in the check-out line. I love the sturdy fabric grocery totes you normally come across, and we've made a number of them here at Sew4Home (I've included links below). The only problem with the larger, heavier bags is remembering to bring them with you to the store! Today's final project in our Simply Color series with Vanessa Christenson and Moda Fabrics is a set of foldaway bags in their own carrying case. It's compact enough (just 5" x 7" x 2") to throw in your purse or keep in the car's glove box. But it still holds two generously-sized shopping duffles that will carry an amazing amount of stuff! The carrying case even has a handy front pocket to hold a shopping list, cards, keys and more.

Sometimes you need a lot of space... sometimes just a little. This versatile bag gives you the best of both worlds. Open it up to its full 18" height and use the riveted carry handles when you need a full-size tote. Fold over the top and use the shoulder strap to create a compact, purse-size carryall. The combination of Simply Color fabrics makes it beautiful in any configuration. This project makes great use of one of the signature components of the Simply Color collection by Vanessa Christenson for Moda: ombre solids. Ombre is a subtle shift from dark to light, and this collection has both solids and print motifs that create the ombre effect. As Vanessa describes it, "I believe there is real beauty in simple designs, and when you incorporate different shades of the same color in one project there is a subtle radiance that can make a very simple project look breathtaking."