CQJP 2014 January Block Purse

Small purse made from CQJP 2014 January block.

The January block I created for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2014 is now a small under-the-sea themed purse!  It is a tiny thing, measuring 7-inches long and 5-inches wide, but it turned out stinkin' cute, if you ask me. (I am biased, I know!)

If you have followed my blog for a while, you may remember I was very pleased with how well my little sea horse turned out, as I am not an artist, but I managed to sketch him and stitch him.  (A friend has asked me to share his outline.  As soon as I figure out which spiral notebook I drew him in, I plan to do that for her.)

Back of January CQJP 2014 January block purse.

Once again, I recycled denim from a good section of an old, very worn pair of jeans. Unfortunately, denim loops to hold the purse strap turned out to be way too thick for my machine to handle, so I went with blue cotton (matching the top section of the purse front.)

Inside, the lining is made from one of the sandy prints used on the front of the block.  The front pocket is divided into two sections.  One is smaller - to hold a couple of pens. The other side fits my phone or a pair of sunglasses. (Note: my phone is not a smart phone and is rather small.  I need to see if my hubby's iPhone would fit...)

The back pocket runs the full width of the purse.  A few people asked me if I added my name and the year to the purse I made for myself with my February CQJP 2014 block, in case someone years down the road may want to know who made it and when.  Of course, I had not.  For this purse, I thought of adding a label, but thought I would try using a Micron pen instead.  (I think I will go with the label next time.  At least this is hidden within the purse!)

Purse made from my CQJP 2014 January block.

I have been itching to make this little purse.  However, it took me a while to find a silver chain to use for the strap.  Well... I found several with much larger links, but they simply would not fit this tiny purse.  I could have made a different strap, but my heart was set on a silver chain. Why? Simply because of the silver chain I embroidered to hold the anchor.  It seemed a perfect fit.  One day, I was smart enough to look in the jewelry supplies - rather than the purse making supplies - at JoAnn Fabric, and I found this chain.  A couple of small D-rings, two metal clips on key chains, and this silver chain fit the bill perfectly!

This was truly a FUN project! If I ever start my own Etsy shop, I imagine this would be my first piece of inventory.  (Hmmm.... that would require putting a price on it though.  I'm not crazy about that idea - lol!)

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope your day is as beautiful and sunny as mine (even if it is a tad chilly outside.)  I do not know about you, but I will be thinking about the beach!