Revisiting the MyTie Makeover Mini Bag

To mark the one year anniversary of the release of my MyTie Makeover Mini Bag pattern, I would like to share some of the projects that I have had the pleasure of seeing over the past twelve months.

This first one is from my tester Nekane, who originally made all three versions of the MyTie when she tested for me. The ironic thing is that this ended up being the first project she ever sold for "real money"! (Long before I ever sold anything for real money, I might add. Although in that vein, I am thrilled to report that the two MyTies that had been growing old on my friend's market table have been sold — yay!)

Nekane's MyTie...

Here are a trio of MyTies from Lucie M. She said that this was her first attempt at sewing anything other than a patchwork quilt, so she was quite pleased with herself. This is a good representation of the results that you can achieve based on the type of tie design... from classic to whimsical.

A trio of MyTies from Lucie M...

These next three elegant looking MyTies are from Kathie L., who took the time to share a lovely story about them with me.

Three keepsake MyTies from Kathie L...

"I'm sending you a photo of the purses I have made from my late father's ties. I'm making one for each of his granddaughters. I'm using some of my mom's costume jewelry attached to a magnet in place of the button closure. This way they will have something from both of their grandparents. I've done three so far and I have four more to go. They have all been silk and I learned after my first purse to adhere the interfacing before I cut the silk as the fabric is so much easier to cut! The red strap I took off an old purse, the black one is a repurposed blingy lariat I got from Michaels for about three dollars and the chain with black ribbon was a headband I also got from Michaels cheap. I love to improvise and use objects on things for which they were not intended."

---

---

And last — but certainly not least as I am sure you will agree — here are three fab MyTies by Alice Moroni from way over in Italy. She says, "I love ties and I love bags, so your amazing project is perfect to me. I can't stop sewing MyTie Minibags."

Alice's white dots on black with black and white geometric lining MyTie...

Alice apparently got into sewing not very long ago although her family has a history in the craft. I think she shows a natural talent for it, don't you?

Alice made use of both ends of the tie for the flap on all of her MyTies...

These were shared via Craftsy, which I was very grateful for since the platform used to allow many people to see the possibilities. [edit April 2019]

I love how the lime green lining pops out of this bag...

The most common sentiment I have received from those who have purchased this pattern is how great the project is for creating a meaningful and unique gift out of something that is usually one of the first things to be donated. We all have important men in our lives who are no longer around and the older ones usually had a lot of ties.

With the holiday season right around the corner, might there be some ties that you can turn into an unforgettable present? If so, go to my pattern shop and grab the PDF. You'll get a pattern featuring three different designs — resulting in three different bag shapes — that you can create from a single tie (along with some lining fabric of your choice), so it is very versatile.

And yes, each bag is truly unique.