Back to School // Perfect Little Lunch Bag Sewing Pattern

Oh my goodness, this summer seems to have flown by.  We've got a couple weeks left and I've been making new lunch bags for both my kids and my etsy shop.  I got a great tip from my friend Roselee of Jane of All Trades that makes sewing the handles much easier.

Instead of sewing the handles to the exterior fabric a few inches down from the top, she lined up the raw edges of the handles (3 inches in from each side) with the top raw edge and then sewed the zipper right on top.

  The result is a much neater looking front and this technique saves a lot of time!  Genius!  Thanks Roselee!

  Last year, I had my kids lunch bags embroidered at a local shop.  This time around I decided to use my Silhouette Portrait and black and white heat transfer vinyl instead.  I really like how it looks and this way and they definitely won't get mixed up with other kids lunch bags.

You can find the instant download of my sewing pattern HERE in my shop.

 Don't want to sew your own?  I've got a couple of lunch bags listed in my shop and I'm also taking a few custom orders.

 

My favorite thing about my lunch bags is the fact that they are totally machine washable.  My kids used theirs for a full school year and I'm sure they got washed a least a dozen times.  The fabric color faded, but other than that, they held up great.  Something about a dirty, smelly, lunch box really grosses me out.  I'm never going back to store bought!

 

Back To School Boys Necktie

 I can't believe I haven't had a post up since mid-August.  The end of the summer was a little crazy with last minute vacations and getting the kids ready for back to school.  My son is starting Kindergarten this year and our town has them start a week after the big kids.  So, there's been quite a bit of mommy at home time.

 I wanted to make the little guy something special for his first day and came across this Tie Tutorial from Fishsticks Designs.

These adorable ties are so easy to make.  The tutorial has instructions for a velcro neck-strap which is what I made.  I ended up making my neck-strap narrower and longer than the instructions indicated.

This guy was so cute and excited for his first day.  When he got home he told me that a teacher asked him if he was the principal.  He was pretty excited about that!  I'm thinking maybe the Star Wars tie for Monday.  

Which is your favorite?

Backpacks Are BACK....

 and they're better than before!

Last year, I sized up the Made by Rae Toddler Backpack for my kindergartener.  And now, for a limited time, I have a few for sale in my etsy shop.

Here are a few of the features of this enlarged and improved backpack.

Backpacks are fully lined with a medium weight cotton canvas and all seams are serged for extra durability.

 Each backpack has a 14 inch, heavyweight, sport zipper which is more durable and also a little easier to zip.

 These packs are 13.5 inches tall, 11.5 inches wide, and 4.25 inches deep.  The size fits a folder, lunch box, and snack pack perfectly.

 

Here the backpacks are shown on an almost 7 year old and almost 5 year old.  I wanted the backpack to be big enough to hold the essentials, but also small enough to be manageable on the bus and at school.

 In cool retro cars,

colorful popsicles,

and colorful giraffes.

So get them while they last!