Child's Tote Bag

 M was invited to a birthday party of a classmate.  When it comes to gifts, I am fairly low-key.  Though I'd love to give handmade gifts all the time, you never know how someone will respond.

We love books, and we love to give books.  However, I only had one book that was appropriate in our gift stash.  I thought I might make something.  (The only other birthday party we've been to I made name pillows.  I knew I did not have time for that!)

Since M loves little bags and purses, I decided to make one for her friend personalized with her initial.  It's big enough for a couple of books.  Looking on-line, I didn't find any tutorials that were of a simple tote bag.  (I didn't want to fuss with a lining.)  I created my own little bag.  I won't pretend this is a real tutorial...because it isn't.  However, I will share how I made it.

 I cut the tote bag's fabric about 22x9 inches.  I used pinking shears for the sides so it wouldn't fray after it was sewn.  It will be folded to 11x9 to make the bag.

The handles are about 2 1/2x 12.  I would recommend going 3x12 if you are not used to making little handles.

For the initial, I used coordinating fabric  and cut a rectangle.  Then I followed the directions for Wonder Under which is great for appliqué.   After the Wonder Under was attached to the fabric, I cut the C freehand.  At this point, I also ironed the C to the tote bag using the directions for the Wonder Under.

I kept it as simple as possible.  Since there was no lining, I folded the top of the bag more than an inch to keep it looking good (plus another 1/4 inch tucked under).  This is pictured to the right.  Then I sewed along the bottom inch as well as a top stitch at the top of the bag to make it appear more finished.

Though I used the Wonder Under, I also sewed near the edge of the C to make sure it would hold up to washing the tote bag.

I turned the bag inside out and sewed the sides.  The bag is basically done now!

To make the handles, first I ironed a crease down the center of each.  Then I turned under the edges just enough to leave room for sewing.  Ironing these are so important!  Then I sewed along the edges.  Attaching the handles was rather easy.  I used the seams that were already visible from where I had folded down the top part of the bag to know where to attach the handles.

To complete the gift, we added a book, and M made her friend a bookmark.  Appropriate, we thought!

M absolutely loved this bag and was proud to tell her friend I made it.  She requested her own for her birthday.  It's not made yet, but when I cut out the fabric for the friend, I cut for M, too...including her own "M."  I just need some time to sew it.  Somehow, it's not a priority.

I have some sewing to do for M before her birthday in October...and the baby's arrival (and E's birthday).  I have a pattern and fabric to make a dress, and I may make a Statue of Liberty costume for M for Halloween.  (Though I like her using her dress up dresses to be a princess, I planted the idea of the SoL a long time ago on purpose.)

Stitched Valentine's Card

Two years ago I made this card for my husband for Valentine's Day.  It still hangs on our refrigerator with a  Bible verse inside that remains an excellent way to show love.

Though this is perfectly appropriate for a grown up to make, it is equally appropriate for a child learning to sew.

The idea and template came from Make and Takes.  She has other cute stitched cards, too.  She also inspired me to make my own template for a Housewarming Stitched Card.

Last year I made an Owl Valentine's Day card for my husband.  Do you make your own cards?  I would love to see your ideas!  Please inspire me!

Curious about the verse I chose?  I can be quite selfish, so it's quite good for me.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. ~ Philippians 2:3-4

Name Bean Bags

You might remember my thoughts to make several handmade gifts for my family.  Well, it was just a thought...not reality.  I still like the idea of trying to make fabric letters for my kids, but I after cutting out one letter's layers, I thought it was just too much.

Since I still wanted to sew a toy that had letters, I made bean bags for my children.  Each bean bag has a letter of the child's name.

These are rustic.  I know.  But they have great potential for throwing and word building.

You can create words other than their names, too.

VEGAN-for my friend Jenny

Silly Eagle Books first gave me the idea for name bean bags.  But she used fabric paint...and I did not want to buy fabric paint or freezer paper.  I had the thought to just use a fabric marker, but really I tried, and it didn't look good.  So I used applique.  I learned how to do it when I made the name pillows.

I have always had a thing for lettering.  I cut these letters fully free-hand.  (When I was in high school I used to draw the names of my favorite bands on my book covers and notebooks to look like their names on my cassette tapes.  I was pretty good, too, at Poison and Cinderella.  Though my taste in music has changed, and I pay much more attention to lyrics than I did then, I still like to play with letters and words.)

If you are interested in cutting letters from fabric or paper free-hand, I totally recommend it!  To keep the letters all the same height, I first cut a long rectangle of fabric.  Then I cut that rectangle into smaller rectangles, always keeping the height the same.  It is not necessary to have all the rectangles the same width because some letters should naturally be wider than others.  (W takes up much more width than I.)  Then I just cut.  Of course you could draw the letters on the fabric, too, but this worked great for this project.

I appliqued the letters to the top of the fabric squares and then sewed them, leaving a small opening for the beans.   (A funnel is helpful!!)  We learned that Roman beans are much too large, dense, and heavy to be in a bean bag.  It would have been a weapon for my children!  We changed to a smaller black-eyed bean.  They turned out well enough for our family.

If you decide to make name bean bags, I'd love to see your result!  Paint sure would have been simpler, but these work, too.  I didn't have any masculine small-print fabric, so I used the navy stripes.  I really liked the feminine purple with multi for my daughter though.

Patchwork Purse

I finally did it...I completed the patchwork purse for my sister, using a very much enlarged free Buttercup Bag pattern.

Amy chose ten different fat quarters and what she thought was a solar system fabric for the lining.  (The other side has the other fabrics, plus some of the ones on this side.) Was I surprised to see pirates?  Not really.  Amy's kind of funny like that.

I put in two bits of fabric on the inside to form pockets.  The long rectangular pocket is actually divided  into two pockets.

I had had this project hanging on my to-do list for many months.  My daughter even did some cutting of the patchwork fabric.  Thankfully I recovered.

This sideways photo shows you my Buttercup Bag compared to hers.  (You can see different one I made here.)  Yes, this is BIG!















This was a gift to Amy for her birthday.  The children also gave her a book called Tickle Monster since, well, Amy taught them all about the Tickle Monster.

I am so happy to be taking a sewing break!  I still intend to make some Christmas gifts, but for now, I am done with bad bobbins and seam ripping. 

Name Pillows

This past week was very full for me.  You might remember that I had fabric letters cut.  Well, this is the final result!  Two name pillows!  They were gifts for two friends who shared a birthday party on Saturday.  They girls loved the pillows which made all the hard work worth it!

I think they are supposed to be pretty simple to make, but anything related to the sewing machine is complicated for me.  But really, if you can sew a semi-straight line, you can make this.

If you are interested in a really well explained pattern to make these, it is from You Can Make This.  You can also see my initial review here.

Fabric Letter Fun

I had these fabric letters completely cut and backed with paper that prepares it to be appliquéd.  M saw them and claimed them for her own!  Since they were stiff, she couldn't hurt them.

Very soon (before Saturday) they will be part of two gifts for two friends that are celebrating their birthdays.  Any guesses?  I've shown it before on this blog!

I'm glad we don't go to many birthday parties!  I don't have much time to sew!  I actually looked downtown (small town) in the card and gift store for something appropriate, but I didn't find anything.  So I resorted to sewing a gift.  Doesn't make much sense, huh, especially since it won't be great quality.  Well, I figure if I can steal 15 minutes here and 30 minutes there sewing, it will be better than trying to shop at a store which, with the drive, would take almost 2 hours.

I already have the fabric purchased to make this fabric letter alphabet!  The Activity Mom has a different version, too!  I can't wait to make those!  Apparently, they will be a big hit when completed!

I Was Wrong...And It Is Bad

You might remember how I showed strips of fabric that I was trying to make into a patchwork purse for my sister.  My little girl had cut it.  Oh yeah.  Though frustrated, I was very thankful that the damage was minimal and would be easy to fix.  See here.

Well, last night after the children were to bed, and Derek was doing his schoolwork, I went up to work on the purse.
What I found shocked me.  

Now, before you think that M had returned to the spare room and found the scissors again, let me assure you that I am certain THIS horrible mess happened at the same time as the last one.

This time, I am thankful that it was not a finished or semi-finished purse or my stack of new fabric that was also on the bed.  Last night I spent a couple hours taking apart the patchwork squares.  Notice that eight of them had to be removed.  Soon (maybe) I will replace them.  And I hope this is the last post about the purse until it is completed!

Now I am thankful that I have fully lost the motivation to work on this.  Amy's birthday is in October.  Let's hope it's done in time!  (In addition to the lesson of keeping scissors away from  my fabric, I also learned that I do not like patchwork.  I am not skilled enough to make the lines match well.)

(And if you don't believe me that it was 8 blocks, please just trust me!)

Three Year Old + Scissors=UGH

Our spare bedroom serves many purposes: exercise, desktop computer, crafting, sewing, guest bedroom.  It also lets me be lazy.  Sometimes (almost always) I have the bed covered in a "project."  Sometimes I do not put away my tools properly.  We have a childproof door knob, and we keep the door closed most of the time.  It shouldn't be a problem, right?

Well, we all know that a pair of scissors left less than five feet off the floor will cause trouble.

Here's a glimpse of my newest sewing project.  It is going to be a patchwork purse for my older sister.  She has such unique taste that I asked her to pick out the fabric for me.  She chose a pirate print for the inside!

Here's a closer look.  Amazingly, I can actually just tear out that ruined strip of fabric, cut and sew a new one, and continue the project.  But this setback along with MY own setbacks (seam ripping, bobbin issues, procrastination), means that this is a very discouraging project!

For the record, I do know that this post could have an alternate title of "Mom's Laziness+3 Year Old=UGH."

When I went to iron this bit of the project, I found it as you see it.  I went directly to M's room, where she had just been tucked in, and asked her if she knew who did it.  She was truthful.  I was curious when it happened, but knew it could have been any time in the last few weeks.  I asked if I was sleeping when it happened (meaning in the morning), and she said no, I was downstairs.  That means she did it during nap time or after bed time.

New Home Stitched Card

Stitched are pretty simple to make. Marie at Make and Takes has lots of patterns available and I was inspired to make my own.

I created this little house pattern on my own though. Next time I make a card, I think graph paper would make it a bit simpler instead of just eye-balling it. Our friends had moved into a new home and I wanted to welcome them with a card.

To make your own design, you may first want to look at Marie's basic instructions post for stitched cards.  No fancy equipment is needed.  I used a push-pin, cork from a trivet, and embroidery floss with needle.  

I tend to make cards for birthdays these days with my Cricut though, and we still purchase some, too.  Last Christmas I tried to make our Christmas cards, but made less than a third of what I needed.  Lots of people still appreciate a handmade card!  

No Sew Tutu

I made this tutu for M.  Isn't it giant?  A friend gave me some of her leftover white and pink tulle to do this.    The tutorial suggested a ribbon for the waistband but I used elastic.  I would suggest the ribbon, too, especially if your child has any sensory issues!  I intend to make another tutu using the ribbon for the waistband instead of elastic.  You can check this tutu video tutorial  for instructions.  (I did sew the elastic waistband, but the rest was completed without any sewing.)

It was a great tutorial for me.  The tutu took me 1-1 1/2 hours to make-while watching television.  Imagine if I had concentrated!  The picture above doesn't really show the colors well, but I used a 2:1 ratio of white to pink tulle.  The tulle crinkled on its own to create a nice "poof"!

M does love the idea of the tutu...she just isn't ready to wear it on a regular basis yet!  She doesn't like the feel of the tulle on her legs because it is itchy.  She put her little feet in a ballerina pose without any prompting or suggestions from me!

When my husband knew what I was making he asked me why.  I explained how much fun M had at our friend's house wearing a tutu.  It may sound like a weird question, but, I have to say that we have never encouraged/emphasized the love of pink, princesses, or ballerinas.  Girly is not bad.  We just don't really emphasize it.  (Hopefully we are finding a good balance for our son, too.)

As I said, I intend to make another tutu for M.  Since I am almost out of the pink tulle, I think I will add color using ribbons hanging down from the waist.  Do you think it would work?

Buttercup Bag (#3)

I have now made my third Buttercup Bag.  It's simple enough for me to sew, though I have modified it to better fit my personal needs.  It's a free pattern that I definitely recommend.

Since the Buttercup Bag was designed to use just two fat quarters, it makes a pretty small purse.  I made my first a year ago with an orange outer fabric, and followed the directions.  Since it was a bit small, last fall I made a larger bag (115% enlarged) and included a dividing pocket and a little pocket for pens.  I also added interfacing to the outer bag and handle.  I made this bag the same way.  You can see the other bags here.














My daughter is modeling it for the picture.

When my husband saw that I had made a purse for me, he asked if I would tell my older sister.  You see, she requested me to sew her a bag last year.  Yep, for Christmas.  BUT my dear sister does not have my taste in fabrics and designs.  I gave up looking and asked her to buy her own fabric!  Pathetic, I know.  Since our visits are short, it wouldn't even be easy to get together to shop.  (We live hours apart.)  The good news is that she found some fabric...lots of fabric, actually.  She wants a patchwork style bag.  I just hope her expectations are low.  :)

So I will work on her bag after I get the fabric, and attempt another wallet for myself.  I also have intentions to use the pattern to make a couple for Christmas gifts for 2010.  Maybe if I start now it will happen.  Just don't hold your breath.

Unsuccessful Wallet

Yesterday and today I worked hard on this wallet.  The exterior is the blue floral pattern that coordinate with the stripes.  Though it may appear to function well, it does not.  It is my fault, not the pattern.  The far right pocket can hold stamps, but not a credit card.  I hate how the edges are crooked and mostly not lined up.  And it doesn't even fold evenly in half.  The picture doesn't show just how bad it is.

However, I am not through.  I will try again.  But a different pattern this time!  Maybe two!

The picture above is the Easy Peezy wallet...a free pattern I found.  I like the pattern, and might even try it in the future if I buy some good felt.  If you look at the pattern, it calls for felt and fabric.  Silly me wanted two fabrics. (You know, to match my new purse that I haven't started yet...and yes, these are the fabrics.  I did use interfacing to give it some extra form.)

So instead of a quick and easy wallet, I have a wallet that doesn't quite function.  And it was NOT quick (due to me and my sewing issues and complicating the pattern with two fabrics).  Unless one of my readers has a use for a , it will become my three year old's wallet.  If interested, leave a comment telling me you have use for a wallet that is unloved by its maker, but have no expectations!

I have a pattern to try out and am trying to make my own, too.  (CRAZY, huh?  I have such limited sewing skills...)  But I will ask you a question.  Have you ever heard of the Wonder Wallet?  I'm intrigued, but don't want to spend $7 on a pattern when there are free and less expensive ones out there.  I'm also looking for a daily wallet.

Absence Makes the ♥ Grow Fonder

If you are a regular reader you may have noticed that I have not been posting as often recently.   Though this post may be titled poorly...oh well.  I am still going to share good books, resources, and fun ideas, but I am trying to be better rounded and more purposeful with my time, which means not posting daily.  Please don't get me wrong; blogging has great purpose: learning and sharing ideas and developing relationships (that is MY short list).  

I am trying to spend more time with the children when they are awake and more time cleaning and organizing when they are napping.  I also want to be more purposeful in my Bible study and even recreational reading.  After they go to bed, sometimes I will blog as I watch television with Derek...and sometimes I won't.  

Other than some serious cleaning and organizing, I have some sewing to do.  The first is a spring purse for me.

Here is a taste of the past.  I love the fabrics for this spring bag, however it is too small.

This is the bag I made for fall/winter.  It is the same pattern, just a bit bigger.  You can see and read more here (including a link for the free pattern).

 I purchased the fabric this weekend.  Does anyone want to guess what color it will be this time?  

Dish Towel Apron

 This is a repost from our family blog a year ago!  I am happy to share that she still loves this apron and it still fits her well.

Here is the dish towel apron pattern I made for M. You truly only have to sew a a couple of straight lines to make it.  To make it fit an older child, you could just leave off the folded pocket area. While shopping for the dish towel, she chose the blue stripes.

It has three pockets, though they are difficult to see. More obvious is her hippy headband that she likes to wear.

When I was making zucchini bread she came running as soon as she heard the mixer! (I shred zucchini in the summer and freeze it so we can enjoy bread all year.) She loves to help me bake. I have learned that she always enjoys it, but it is best for me to be prepared with all the ingredients ready at my side.

Mommy and Meghan (and a cluttered fridge). We use this step stool for baking, but most often it is used at the bathroom sink to help Meghan wash her hands easily.

Felt Pattern Giveaway!

Just in time to treat your little sweetheart to a ♥Valentine's Day♥ surprise, Little Crickets Felt Fun and I are ready for a giveaway!

Last spring I purchased the Little Crickets mailbox pattern.  Well, I have just now gotten around to making it!  The pattern includes more than just the mailbox (with working flag!).  Also included are a shipping box, mail bag, envelopes, stamps, cookies, and shortbread.

I really like my finished mailbox!  I'm not into pink (and I have a daughter and a son), so I change the coloring of the mailbox's details to better fit our family.  I also made it gray, but only because I didn't have white felt on hand, and I wanted to make the mailbox sooner than later!  You might notice my lettering is a bit different than in the other photo.  I would have enjoyed purple lettering with a green blanket stitch, but wanted to use what I had (again), so I went with blue lettering accented in the pink blanket stitch. Though the pattern includes letters, for this I had fun just cutting them out myself.  I have not yet made the rest of the items to go with the mailbox.  Soon, right?

Little Crickets has some cute patterns!

What about you?  Do you like to make felt toys?  Would you like to win a pattern of your own?  Great, because one reader will win one!

To Win:
Mandatory Entry:  Go to Little Crickets shop and leave a comment here telling which pattern you want the most. Make sure I have a way to contact you through your blog or leave an email address.


Additional Entries:  Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry!
If you make a purchase from Little Crickets by February 2~5 entries
If you follow my blogs using Google Friend Connect (in sidebar)~1 entry each
If you left any comment on my felt teaser post (before reading this post)~1 entry
If you left a comment on my felt teaser post saying it was a mailbox~bonus 1 entry

Giveaway ends at noon (EST) February 2 so that the winner has time to create a felt toy by Valentine's Day!  The winner needs to reply to me within 48 hours or I will choose a new winner.  Happy sewing!

Finally! (How I Spent My Weekend)

This weekend I finally made myself a new purse. I made one in the spring, but it was definitely a summer purse in a bright orange color. It was also SMALL. Too small for a daily purse. I like a small purse. For the longest time (maybe the first 30 years of my life) I pretty much just used a wallet or even a wallet/keychain combo. However, now that I wear glasses daily, I MUST have my lens cloth to clean them at all times. Dirty glasses are annoying and they give me a headache. (I also like a clean windshield, if you care.) So here it is. A buttercup bag! Again. It's the same pattern as before, but this time I enlarged it by 15%. The handle is a bit too long, I think, but it will fit better with a winter coat. (My winter coat does not match the purse at all. I don't care though.) I love the fabrics. I have several more yards of the liner since it was a good price and quality. I like the outer fabric even more, but I only bought two yards because of the price. I added interfacing to the handle, outer purse, and the divider that I put in myself. I'm not sure the divider needed the interfacing, but I don't think it hurts either. I also added a large pocket to the divider. It might be too large; I'm not sure.

Here is the old purse (same pattern) and the new. You can see the size difference.

Just to give you an idea of how small the orange purse is, I will share what I keep in it that stuffs it FULL. Wallet, lens cloth, cell phone, lip balm, keys, pen(s), and a checkbook-size calendar. I found that if I put in more than two pens, closing it gets really tough! Isn't that funny!? Although in full disclosure, the magnetic snap I placed in it was placed too low so it took away room in the purse.

It's a pretty simple pattern. I'm a beginner sewer and I think it's doable, though I spent a lot of time (and wasted thread) seam ripping. If you are interested, the buttercup bag pattern is free, but if you want to sell them, the pattern is just $10. Too bad sewing is so stressful for me, otherwise I would love to sell something like this! (Not that the craftsmanship is great, either.)

The dark fabric just doesn't photograph well for details, but you can see enough.

Stitched Card

I made this card in the spring when our good friends moved to a new house. It was inspired by Marie at Make and Takes. She is yet another great source for inspiration and has many stitched cards designs available and a good tutorial. This little house was my own design though. One thing I learned was that next time I design my own stitched card, graph paper would be very helpful! Recently some people we care about have moved. I'm not sure if I will manage to make another stitched card or if my Cricut will help me. I still wanted to share this though!

These are pretty simple to make. To make the template was pretty simple. I first sketched the house. Then I used a push pin to put holes in the template. I used the cork on the back of a trivet to protect my kitchen table.

Next I placed the template on cut cardstock and pushed all the way through the cardstock. Then I used all six strands of embroidery floss to create the card using the back stitch. Just don't tie knots or you will have bumps where you don't want them! I just used the needle to thread the floss back through some of the stitches on the back side of the card.

You will want an accent color, too. It will give you added assurance that the backside of your card won't show through! Marie recommends spray adhesive. Since I didn't have any, I just used what I had on hand from my scrapbooking supplies.

(And I will apologize now for the crooked picture!)

Name Pillow!

I am really trying to make an effort to get off the computer during my children's afternoon naps.  This week this is how I did it.  I made this pillow for M's birthday.  (With all the personalized things I post on this blog, her name is no secret...)  An experienced sewer/appliquer could probably whip this out in one nap...but it took me three or four.  It was really good for me to get off the computer, too.  Healthy, you know?



















It was my very first time using applique.  It's obvious (especially if you blow up the picture).  There are all sorts of puckers. Corners and points are where there should be curves.  One of my seams wasn't really a seam, and I didn't notice until too late...now I have to hand-sew it. 

(If you care, the orange fabric is from a purse I made.  It turned out well, but now I need to make something different for the fall/winter...and larger!)

Since this is for a child, I made the pillowcase removable, which wasn't part of the instructions.  I thought that part turned out well.   I had never made a pillow before, let alone a removable pillow cover that can easily be washed (if it doesn't fall apart due to my lack of sewing skills).

















Pretty cool, I think.  You might disagree, but that's probably because you noticed my lack of sewing skills.  I must have been in a hurry because I can't stand that the pink border is next to the pink M.  It just is not as well balanced as I would prefer.  The overall size is 10x20.  I am pleased with how it turned out, especially since I had not used a zig zag stitch before.

Next time I would:

• chose a variety of prints in one or two colors
• make the pillowcase removable again
• check all seams again...and again...before adding the next step
• make two inch square corners in matching fabric
• and make the borders match, but maybe contrast the square corners
• hopefully sew a straight line
• hopefully cut a straight line

You can buy the pattern at You Can Make This.  It's a great resource, and you get free patterns for signing up for there newsletter.  View the information for the Personalized Name Pillow here. 

Even if you have a lack of sewing skills, like me, You Can still Make This.  Ha ha!  I just came up with that!

Three Little Pigs Puppets

This past spring I made these finger puppets for M. She had really been enjoying the story of the Three Little Pigs, and I thought it might encourage some speech and eventually storytelling.
I had so much fun designing the puppets. They're my own design, but I did look at other puppets and drawings of pigs and wolves to try to get an idea of how to best portray the pigs and wolf. The little pockets on the pigs have hay, sticks, and bricks in them.
Each of the Three Little Pigs characte's puppet is completely hand-sewn. They're about 1 1/2 by 3 inches. Obviously, I am not good at French knots, but I got the blanket stitch down! Not including the designing time, I have six to seven hours of sewing involved in the four puppets!
I wanted to share these for the storytelling theme over at ABC and 123. Though M isn't interested (probably due to her limited speaking abilities) in storytelling, she does like it when I tell stories using puppets. I suspect other children might embrace little finger puppets more than she has! If you have any questions about how to make finger puppets, I'd be happy to answer them! You're welcome to imitate my design, but I'd appreciate the credit since I put a lot of effort into the design.