Debra Valencia - Sewing Pretty Bags: Boutique Designs to Stitch & Love

To my mother, for purchasing my first sewing machine when I was thirteen years old and purchasing fabric for everything I wanted to make. And to my paternal grandmother, Socorro del Rosario Valencia, for inspiring me during my teenage years to be creative, follow my dreams, and see the world.

Debra

To those who have kept an eye out for me and those who have always believed in me.

I wouldnt trade you for the world.

Thanks for checking in.

Cheyanne

Cheyanne Valencia

Debra Valencia

Debra and Cheyanne come from a long line of creative womenyou might say sewing is in their blood. Their maternal great-grandmother and paternal grandmother were both skilled sewers who used their talents to make clothes, quilts, and other fabric items for their families. Debra received her first sewing machine at the age of thirteen and was soon designing sewing patterns for herself, making her own clothes and room dcor. Cheyanne blossomed as a seamstress later as an adult, launching her own business that features her handmade needle art crafts. In 2011, the sisters started working together, with Cheyanne designing and sewing fashionable projects to showcase the fabrics from Debras successful fabric lines. This book is a culmination of their work together, featuring twelve of the projects they designed and created.

Debra Valencia is a visionary artist, designer, and entrepreneur with a passion for world travel, artisan traditions, and popular genres. Her designs take a fresh approach to creatively blending florals, paisleys, geometric, and decorative motifs, appealing to women who love bold color, fashion, and femininity. Debra is currently licensed with more than thirty product manufacturers in the gift, stationery, textiles, home dcor, fashion accessories, bath/body, and cosmetics industries. Her designs have sold as quilting fabric collections for Blank Quilting Corporation, David Textiles, South Sea Imports, Wilmington Prints, and Spoonflower. Debra graduated with honors with a BFA from the University of Arts in Philadelphia. Sharing her knowledge with others is very important to Debra. She teaches art/design studio courses and art-related business courses at major colleges and universities, as well as seminars for creative professional organizations. Join her mailing list for sewing tips, patterns, freebies, and fabric source information at debravalencia.com.

Cheyanne Valencia is the sewing project designer and co-author of this book. Owner of Prairie Pony Mercantile in Montana, Cheyanne believes in doing things the old-fashioned wayby hand. She is carrying on the traditions of sewing and needle arts, creating hand-stitched, one-of-a-kind crafts to sell at local farmers markets, craft fairs, quilt shows, festivals, and online. Learn more at prairiepony.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JESSICA CHAVEZ.

Weve loved working together and have had the opportunity to create some amazing projects. See for a variation of the Retro Ruffles Purse shown above right.

Inside this book, youll find twelve designs that weve created in collaboration. They are fresh, modern, and just a little sassy, but come together in a snap. We hope you are inspired to pull out the sewing machine and get creative! These pieces dont require a lot of fabric, so use them to clean out that fabric stash or to play with different combinations of pattern, color, and texture. If fabric selection seems daunting, try using fabric collections or precut bundles of coordinating fabrics to take the guesswork out of the process. Look for some tips on to start selecting your color palette and fabrics.

The simple construction of these pieces ensures fabulous results every time, with straight seams and minimal patterns. With detailed step-by-step instructions and photos, you will be guided through every step of the process. There are no specialized techniques or complicated procedures, so once you have your sewing machine set up and your fabric selected, you are ready to dive in! If youd like a little guidance before you start, check out for loads of helpful hints and tricks for success in the sewing room.

Each project has been set up to be super simple to use. At the beginning of each one, you will see a Materials & Tools list and a Cutting Chart. Use the Materials & Tools list as the shopping list for your projectit will tell you the amount of fabric you need to buy off the bolt in the store, as well as any additional supplies you might need. Then, once you have your fabric, follow the Cutting Chart to cut all the necessary pieces for the project. You will see the charts have been organized by fabric, so you can cut all the pieces from a particular fabric at once instead of going back and forth between fabrics!

These projects are made for you to stitch and lovewhether youre looking for a sturdy grocery tote or a unique shoulder bag. So take the plunge and get sewing! We know youll love the results!