Ho ho ho

 Christmas Eve is coming soon and with a ho ho ho I'm ready for gifting.  

The last presents on my list were to sew book bags for my two grandsons.  Their ages are 3 and 5.  I was inspired to make these bags when I came across fabrics for their favorite toys.  One loves Thomas the Train and the other loves dinosaurs.  Every holiday and gift giving opportunity I give books to the kids. 

I couldn't give them an empty book bag, so to make these gifts fun I needed to find books with matching themes from the fabric.  On one of my shopping trips I was able to find a Thomas the Train Book and matching stuffy.  I also found a stuffed dinosaur and a book about trucks that are dinosaurs (my grandson loves trucks too).  

The book bags measure 14" by 12".  These bags are lined and reversible, but the lining fabric is plain and not the same fun print.

I'd like to say that my sewing time is done for the year, but I'm picking my daughter up this weekend and I'm sure some creative time with my sewing machine will be on our agenda.  Ho ho ho.

Oh Christmas Tree

I'm always looking for new ideas for giving little gifts.  Scrolling through Pinterest I saw many postings for a fabric Christmas tree gift bag.  I was hooked.  

I was able to find several sites that explain how to draw your own tree bag pattern.   The finished bag measures approximately 10" wide on the bottom (which is the widest part) and they are 8" tall. 

I did some  tweaking of the pattern, so after a little trial and error this is what I decided to do.  With the tree having pointed ends I felt that lining this bag made it too bulky.  So my bag is unlined.  No lining keeps the tree points nice and crisp. With this change I adjusted the top casing by reducing it by I/2" on the top and 1/4" on each side.  No lining also saved on fabric,  I only needed to cut and sew the outside section.   And let's face it, how long will someone really use these bags.

I was able to whip up 14 tree bags in no time at all, taking approximately 15 minutes per bag to make. One of my time saving shortcuts is to lay the top drawstring in the casing before it is sewn shut.  This step saves a lot of time from trying to feed the drawstring through the casing after it's sewn.  I added a jingle bell on the center top of each tree bag. 

I think they came out adorable.  They would make unique little treat bags for those who make and give homemade fudge or cookies.  

My Christmas tree bags will be used for my stocking stuffer gifts.  Time to fill them up with some special treats. 

I have another sewing project gift to complete in the next few days.  I'll be back soon.  Ho ho ho.

Here Comes the Sun

I was traveling with my daughter  this past month and she pulled out of her suitcase a couple of lightweight woven plastic travel bags.  Great for carrying sundry products.  They are waterproof and wipe clean with a dam cloth.  The material they are made of instantly made me think of the material sunflower seed bags are made of.   

A lightbulb turned on.  I have used these sunflower seed bags to make shopping totes, they work great.  So why not make myself some travel sundry bags from them.  From previous posts you know I'm always on a mission to recycle, repurpose or reuse.  I measured her bags and when I returned home found a couple empty seed bags and got busy.  

Here's my version of her travel bags.

I fussy cut the bags so the sunflower would have the zippers run through the center of them. Being fond of the bees I loved that they were part of the flowers.  In fact, the side tabs of the tall bag were cut to include the bees on them.  This bag measures 7" tall by 8" wide with a 3" boxed bottom.   The long bag (measuring 11 1/2" long by 5" wide and 3" tall) has two charms on its tabs, one is a sunflower and the other one says "Here Comes the Sun".

These bags were a quick sew.  I can't wait to pack them the next time I travel.  Here comes the sun!!

Paw Patrol

My last post was for Kitty Pouches I made for my granddaughters.  I figured that my grandsons wouldn't be interested in Kitty Pouches.  Well... I figured wrong.

As soon as I gave the Kitty Pouches to the girls my grandson was quickly snatching it and checking it out.  My granddaughter came up to me a few times asking for me to get her Kitty Pouch back.  Opps...   I should have made the boys a pouch too.  With that in mind when I came across Paw Patrol fabric, and knowing that they love Paw Patrol, it was a no-brainer to make their pouches from this fabric.  I have a bg of zippers on hand so also a great way to use them up.

They are a hit and yes there was cash inside so they could go shopping too.  I think they were more excited about the money than the pouch.  Being preschoolers they do have fun with the zipper!

Well the "S" word (snow) is upon us which makes outdoor activities coming to a slow down.  But on the bright side "S" in my world also means sewing.  I have a few quilts waiting to to be quilted and of course there are always projects on my to-do-lists.  It's time to put the pedal to the metal and  I'm off to my world!  I'll be back soon.

Kitty, kitty

My two granddaughters love kitties so when I saw a post on Hello Sewing's website for Cat Pouches I knew I had to make them.

I've seen posts to make this cat pattern as potholders.  I've even saved the pattern for sometime in the future when I needed new potholders.  But when I saw that they were also made into Cat Pouches it was time to go through my stash and supplies and make the girls their own Kitty Pouch.

The pouches were a quick sew.  The finished pouches measure 8" across by 7 1/2" tall at the ears.  Just the right size for preschoolers.

I'll stash some cash inside each pouch so they can "go shopping".  What girl doesn't like to go shopping.

As I was winding up this project the thought came to me that a pumpkin shape could be fun for Halloween, a heart for Valentine's Day, an egg for Easter.  Oh my, there are so many possibilities.

It's a cover-up

In 2015 I purchased a Handi Quilter longarm quilting machine.  I absolutely love it!  I've used a twin-size sheet to cover it when not in use.  Back a couple years ago I came across directions to make a HQ Longarm Dust Cover.  I copied the directions to my laptop and there it has sat.  I thought about it several times and even purchased the 2 yards of each fabric for the top and lining.  Evidently I needed to be challenged to tackle this project.

When I made my UFO list for this past AuSable Quilt Guild year I included this dust cover as one project to get done!  I'm glad to announce - it's done!

Actually a pretty easy process - sandwich two pieces of fabric with batting in-between and quilt as desired.  Cut dimension as instructed in directions.  I did slightly change the back opening that wraps around and is held together with velcro.  

There was still plenty of quilted fabric leftover that I made a dust cover for the bobbin winder that came with my longarm.  Measuring the height, width and length I used the same idea as the longarm cover.  Presto a cover for my Bobbin winder.

There is still some leftover quilted fabric.  Either I'm pretty frugal in cutting these patterns or there was supposed to be quite a bit of extra fabric.  I don't want any extra pieces hanging around - should I throw what's left in the garbage and call it a day.  But it's a nice size and I'd hate to waste it.  I decided it was going to be made into a bag.

This bag measures 9" high by 11 1/2" wide at the top.  The bottom is boxed measuring 6 1/4" by 5 1/2".  It has a double zippered top and on one side a "D" ring with a handle.  Great little bag for carrying supplies.  Smaller rulers can even fit in it.

Living in Northern Michigan is wonderful, but has its challenges when trying to find supplies for my projects.  Our two hardware stores have limited selections.  The next closest stores are half an hour away by expressway, but that is even a limited selection.  The largest city is about an hour away and chances are that you can usually find what you need.  I wanted a "D" ring for this bag - not available at the local hardware stores.  The next closest store didn't have what I needed.  I passed a quilt shop on my way home - she wasn't open.   Could I use something other than a "D" ring, probably, but that wasn't my plan.  I hate ordering online:  First it's a small item, shipping will be more than what I'll pay for it; second most the time it's not what I thought I was ordering; and third who nows how long it will take to get shipped.

Yesterday as I was running into the local grocery store I decided to stop next door to the Dollar Tree store to see if I could figure something out.  Low and behold I found a dog harness with web strapping, plastic closures and several "D" rings.  Bingo and only $1.25.  This project can finally get finished.  Now I even have a stash of "D" rings, plastic closures and webbing from this harness.  In our small town we have five Dollar Stores which makes shopping challenging, but I have been able to find random things that can be repurposed at an affordable price for some of my projects.

So this project is all covered up.  I'm ready to jump onto my next project - that is when the sun is not shining.  

Tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun

The Dog Days of Summer are here and Northern Michigan is having a wonderful summer to splash in the waves.  Of course, there are supplies to tote along - sun screen, sunglasses, beach towel, drinks and a snack or two.  Here is the perfect beach tote.

One of the ladies at quilt guild was making a mesh screen beach tote.  She asked me for help to figure out the directions.  I made that tote ( the pattern is called "Tote It") back some years ago so I was sure I could help.  Reading the directions was confusing, so I went home and grabbed my previously made tote for reference.  She borrowed my tote and the next month brought her newly made tote.  Great job Penny.  It has a screen bottom made of vinyl coated polyester mesh called Screen Play.  It's perfect for use at the beach.  All the sand in the bottom of the tote just slips away through the screen, but the holes are small so your goodies won't fall out.

It doesn't end here.  Today has been a humid, rainy day and a perfect day to sew.  I remembered that I still had a piece of the mesh screening to make another beach tote.   No time is better than the present to use it up.  I pulled out my screen, matched fabrics from my stash and got busy sewing a new screen bottom tote.

In front is my new tote, the back tote I made several years ago.  These totes measure approximately 20" wide by 13" high with a 6" boxed bottom.  I'm ready to follow the sun.