Did you know that at Sallie Tomato we have our own month long holiday? You didn’t?! Well, then you must add Faux Leather February to your calendar! We schedule a tour of handmade faux leather projects to parade through the “streets” of the internet during the month of February to inspire and show what can be made with your domestic sewing machine at home.
This year we launched three new lines of faux leather - shimmer, rugged and basket weave - that our tour participants created with and we were blown away by what our makers made.
Take a look below at all the beautiful projects that our Faux Leather February team made.
Reen Wilcoxson: Embroidery Garden
Project: In the Hoop Anna Lee Purse & Mini Marie Wallet
Materials: Lunar Shimmer Faux Leather
We loved the stunning embroidery that Reen added to her patterns! The Anna Lee Purse and Mini Marie pattern and great projects to highlight quilting, embroidery and beautiful fabrics. So versatile!
Meet Reen: Reen Wilcoxson – Creative force behind EmbroideryGarden.com. I’ve been designing and selling my original ‘in the hoop’ designs for machine embroidery since 2001. As an author I’ve written several blog posts and magazine articles. Being an independent educator, I traveled and taught my designs for events at numerous stores and venues. I’ve been instrumental in developing new techniques for machine embroidery and products to make 'in the hoop designs' turn out looking professional.
Kat Riley: Sew Original
Project: Carrie Baguette Bag
Materials: Lunar Shimmer Faux Leather
The Carrie bag has so much potential! Not only is it a classic baguette bag, but it provides a beautiful template to quilt, use unique fabrics, and really make your hardware stand out. The options for the Carrie bag are truly endless. From our full sequin version to Kat's classic quilting - it can be made to fit your style!
Meet Kat: I'm Kat, and I am the sole creative mind/maker behind Sew Original! I have always been a crafter and have particularly enjoyed cross stitching since I was about 10 years old. As an avid needlecrafter, sewing came as a natural progression - but not until years later! I taught myself to sew in 2016, beginning with quilts but soon moving on to small bags and pouches. Eventually, I found my niche making statement handbags and accessories. I am inspired by all things bright and quirky, and firmly believe that life is too short for boring fashion. True to the name, every piece is one-of-a-kind and handcrafted in my Kingston, ON home studio. I hope you find something you love!
Lina Owen: Blue Bell Designs
Project: Silvia Coin Purse & Heidi Wristlet
Materials: Bronze Rugged Faux Leather & Lunar Shimmer Faux Leather
The Heidi wristlet and Silvia coin purse are great additions to your bag collection. Lina's Heidi wristlet is a great bag for an evening on the town! Shimmery, yet simple, it adds a little pop to your outfit!
We all love those little bags to sort out all the goodies in your purse. Lina's Silvia coin purse uses our buttery new rugged faux leather, which beautifully highlights the antique finish hardware.
Meet Lina: BlueBelle Designs was born due to the love I developed for bag making and quilting. 2020 was a pivotal year worldwide, and to me, it provided me the opportunity to learn how to use a sewing machine and fell head-over-heels in love with the art of bag making and quilting. For this reason, BlueBelle Designs was created to be my vehicle to contribute to this wonderful sewing community.
Jesy Anderson: Needle, Ink and Thread
Project: Smith Organizer
Materials: Mustard Legacy Faux Leather & Black Pebble Faux Leather
The Smith organizer can handle all your technology, cords, notebooks - you name it! Jesy did a beautiful job with this black and mustard leather version! This pattern can be made for all ages and provides an all-in-one way to keep all your must haves with you whether you are traveling or on your daily adventures.
Meet Jesy: Anderson owns Needle, Ink and Thread - A Sewing School. She has been sewing professionally since 2010 and has been teaching her community to sew since 2012. She has taught over 4500 students, scouts, library customers, and more. She loves to try new materials and fabrics, draft patterns for her students, and create fun events and lesson plans!
Claudia Aranda
Project: Paloma Bag
Materials: Cow Cream Faux Fur & Black Legacy Faux Leather
Claudia joined our tour for the first time, and it was also her first time sewing with faux leather! She did an incredible job sewing our Paloma pattern. We can't wait to see what her next faux leather adventures will bring!
Meet Claudia: I am Claudia Aranda. Fashion Designer, Artisan and Quilter and I love creating sewing projects, combining techniques and materials to create unique projects.
Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCfjxYDeXM2qiShkRFrq6lIw
Jessica Dayon
Project: Magnolia Bucket Bag & Lora Bag
Materials: Bronze Rugged Faux Leather, Cedar Rugged Faux Leather & Natural Rustic Cork
IG: @jessicadayon
Jessica made one of our first patterns, the Magnolia, and one of our most recent patterns, the Lora. Both made in a stunning palette of browns! The Magnolia and Lora patterns both provide classic shapes with a really nice amount of storage for all your daily needs. We truly love the combination of leathers, cork and hardware that Jessica chose!
Meet Jessica: Jessica is a self- taught quilter. Quilting is Jessica's passion and she loves sharing it with others. Jessica is the author of 3 quilt books- Season to Taste: Quilts to Warm Your Home All Year Long, Precut Parade, and A Year in Solids and she has contributed to numerous quilt books. Jessica also shares many free quilt patterns and free quilt alongs on her blog and YouTube channel. You can also find Jessica on Instagram @jessicadayon where she shares her daily work, current projects, inspiration, patterns, and designs.
Sarah Thomas: Sariditty
Project: Zippy Wallet Pocket Pouch
Materials: Moonlight Shimmer Faux Leather
IG: @sariditty
Look at that rainbow! Sarah did an amazing job of highlighting our new Moonlight Shimmer faux leather with a breathtaking rainbow of quilting cottons. She created a fun on-the-go bag for her QuiltCon adventures and we sure hope it caught everyone's attention!
Meet Sarah: Sarah Thomas is the creator, owner, designer, and all things frantic behind the scenes of SARIDITTY. Officially a licensed (and retired?) commercial pilot, she graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. in Aviation Technology where she then went on as the chief pilot of an engineering firm in the Midwest for a couple years. Once she married a military man, she was whisked away from her Indiana land of corn and soybeans to start the next chapter in her life. Now three moves into her marriage, which meant figuring out a career that worked for a lady-on-the-run, she's thankful for her geeky affection of algebra & geometry (and calculus…yep, #MathNerd) and a keen eye for design & color.
Sarah learned to enjoy crafts at a very young age thanks to her Gramma Dittman and mom — crocheting around age 4, beadwork and wire art from age 5/6, and cross-stitch was second nature by the time she was in 2nd grade. Add in her piles of notebooks filled with doodles, it was only fitting she discovered the wild, wonderful world of quilting...where art meets math & magic happens! Sarah is currently a licensed surface pattern designer for Moda Fabrics, and her third Moda collection ships this May. She also has a collection of machine and longarm quilting templates, engraves beautifully-made oak clappers and block presses, and creates quilt and embroidery patterns.
Follow Sarah online: IG @sariditty FB @sariditty www.sariditty.com Etsy: SARIDITTYshop
Beth Ruiz:
Project: Jessica Baguette Bag
Materials: Lunar Shimmer Faux Leather & Black Pebble Faux Leather
IG: @sew_country_
Beth's color combination on this Jessica is *chef's kiss.* How fun! The lunar shimmer faux leather with the black pebble creates a super modern look on the baguette shaped Jessica. Super creative and shows how versatile the Jessica pattern can be!
Meet Beth: I have been sewing bags for over 10 years. My sewing began with my grandmother teaching me to sew and has developed into a means of therapy for me. I teach in person classes but also have a YouTube channel where I share my beginner friendly sewing techniques. I love to help others find comfort through sewing and hope to continue to help others to create in their own sewing room! https://youtube.com/@Sew_Country
Pia Sirvent:
Project: Back to Basics Tote & Carry Along
Materials: Navy Pebble Faux Leather & Fuschia Legacy Faux Leather
We love the blue and pink color combination of Pia's projects! Our free Back to Basics tote pattern is a great project for beginner or experienced sewists and the Carry Along pattern (now discontinued) provides great organization for any tote or purse!
Webbing is all the rage! That pop of webbing on the Back to Basics tote really bring a new element of customization to this pattern.
Meet Pia: My name is Pia and I am the person behind Mrs. Ginger Handmade. I am Spanish and I have sewn since I was little but it was while I was studying my PhD that I began to seriously sew for a wedding dress house and for the theater. I lived 14 years in Peru and finally arrived in the USA in 2019. Since I was little I have liked to play with textures, color, fibers, hence I always look for the explosion of color in sight. I go with the faux leather tour: a solid color on the outside but you open the bag and boom! Explode the color of the flowers. I am fascinated by the fact of seeing how from a piece of something (faux leather, cotton, vinyl, etc) something not only beautiful but also practical and useful can come out and make those who see it smile. Mrs. Ginger Handmade worked for two years as a hobby but was officially born as a company in 2020 in the midst of a pandemic. My Instagram page is: @mrs_ginger_handmade
We hope that these amazing projects inspire you and your next faux leather projects! Make sure you follow our incredible makers and give them some love!
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