by Kathy Cano-Murillo of The Arizona Republic

My respect for sewing came from my Nana Cano.

I was to be a bridesmaid at my brother's wedding. Like so many before me, I ordered my dress two sizes smaller, figuring I'd lose the weight in time. But 24 hours before D-Day, the zipper barely made it up my back. I felt like Liz Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Fine for Hollywood, not fine for church nuptials.

My mom and dad gasped in horror. "You can't go looking like that! Make it fit, Missy, or else!" my mom yelled.

"Go to Nana's in the morning, she'll fix it for you," my dad said.

The next morning at my Nana's, she whipped out her measuring tape, felt me up and down, and examined the dress.

"Everything will be OK," she said. "I'll just make it bigger. Come back later."

When I returned, the dress was a perfect fit. Well, except that Nana accidentally sewed the back side of the dress on inside out.

We had three hours for her and her beloved Singer to work some magic. Nana hopped back on the machine while I waited in my body girdle, chewing my nails. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she prayed and sewed, chanting, "Oh please sweet Jesus, pleeeease let my little mejita look beeeautiful for the wedding!"

Thankfully, her prayers (and mine) were answered.

Nana passed away in September, and naturally she was all I could think about when I received my own sewing machine for my birthday. After 10 years of serious crafting, I felt confident to confront the world of bobbins and foot pedals. I had her genes in me, after all.

However, rather than start with a high-pressure dress, my first adventure is a place-mat purse.

It's a success story for novices because it involves stitching straight lines.

Place-mat purse

What you need:

• 1 heavy-duty lined place mat
• 1 yard of solid-color trim
• 2 yards of colorful trim for borders
• Heavy-duty thread
• Straight pins
• Scissors
• Charms or fringe (optional)

How to make it:

There are many variations to this project, as you'll see once you've assembled all of your supplies. Here are the basic steps–feel free to adjust them as you wish.

1. If you'll be doubling up your trims for effect you'll need to pin the two trims together and then sew them together before getting started with the actual purse.

2. Next, pin the trim on your placemat where you would like it to go. You'll want to fold the placemat in half to get an idea of how the trim will look on the finished project. Sew on the trim.

3. Now you're ready to make the purse. Fold the placemat inside out and pin it together. The lining should be on the outside; the trim should be on the inside.

Sew it together. Remove the pins.

4. It's time to add the straps. For a more detailed strap, pin, and then sew some colorful trim to a solid color trim on either side.

5. Trim all loose threads then flip the purse right side out. To add more flair, hand sew charms or add a row of fringe to the bottom. Now put on that purse and head out to collect some complements!

Kathy Cano-Murillo thanks her husband for introducing her to their shared Mexican culture. After a first date centered on eating Mexican food and dancing to Latin music, her natural instincts began to come out. After marrying, she and her husband started a Chicano folk art business, Los Mestizos. For the past six years, she has also worked for the Arizona Republic newspaper, interviewing celebrities and writing a crafting column for the entertainment supplement. She and her husband Patrick have been married for eleven years and have two kids, ages eight and ten.

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