The Ools

This is probably one of my more random posts.  But, these guys came out so cute, I had to share.

My daughter was at the dentist the other day and we discovered that she has her first wiggly tooth.  Of all the things to get emotional about, this was it for me.  I vividly remember waiting on those teeth, blaming her fussiness on those teeth. And now they're going to fall out!  I'm simultaneously excited and heartbroken.  
In any case, there's lots of talk of lost teeth and the Tooth Fairy around my house.  I decided to get ahead of the game and make some kind of tooth fairy pillow. 
I found this tutorial for a sweet Love Bird.  It has a nice pocket in the front, perfect for a tooth and a little gift.  I didn't follow the instructions really, but used it more as inspiration. 

 I made one for both kids, even though the younger one has a few years to go before any visits from the Tooth Fairy.  He named these guys Ool, which is his silly word for owl.  

And, I think I've been bit by the softie bug, because right after I made these Ools, I made this guy.  You may recognize him as Otto from Gideon and Otto.  Tutorial coming up soon, maybe even this week.  


What's your favorite softie?

Testing, testing...

 Janelle, of Emmaline Bags, just released a new pattern, The Steph in the City Bag.  I was so honored when she asked me to test it out.  Let me tell you, she is one talented lady!  This pattern is amazing.  You might remember my Emmaline Bag from the giveaway. 

 This bag has all the great features of the Emmaline Bag and more.  Beautiful pleats, fun hardware, a cute belt, and a zipper gusset! 

She shows you how to do an interior zipper pocket, something I never knew how to do before reading her patterns.

So, definitely go check out her blog, where she has some great tutorials, and her shop where you can buy her amazing patterns.  And if you need some inspiration, take a look at her Flickr Eye Candy Pool.  

Kid's Messenger Bag Tutorial

(remember, this is for personal use only.  contact me if you'd like to become a licensed seller)

We've had a lot of birthdays to celebrate this month. It's always fun to give something handmade, so I came up with this cute messenger bag that we could fill up with other fun presents. It's super easy to make and can be made for a boy or girl depending on the fabric.

Here's what you need:

2 pieces of fabric for bag outer, 12" X 9" (I used denim)
2 pieces of fabric for bag lining, 12" X 9"
2 pieces of medium weight fusible interfacing for bag bottom, 12" x 9"

2 pieces of fabric for flap, 9.5" X 8" (I used a contrasting fabric for one side and denim for the other)
1 piece of medium weight fusible interfacing for flap, 9.5" X 8"

1 piece of fabric for strap 28" x 8" (I used denim)
1 piece of batting for strap, 28" x 4" (this is optional)

Start out by fusing the interfacing to the outer bag pieces.


In the bottom corners of the 12 inch side of both outer pieces, mark a box that is 1.5 x 1.5 inches.

Then, cut those corners out. Do the same for the bag lining.

With right sides together and 1/2 inch seam allowance, sew the outer main bag panels along the sides and bottom. Do the same for the bag lining pieces. Press seams open.

Now match the side seam to the bottom seam on each corner. Trim and sew across with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Do the same for the bag lining.
When you turn the outer part of the bag right-side-out, you should have something that looks like this.

Now, let's work on the flap. Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric that you want to the outside of the flap.

Next, we'll round the corners. Lay the 2 flap pieces out with right sides together.
Fold in half matching the shorter (8 inch) sides. Use something round like a CD or jar cover to trace a rounded corner and cut.Here's what you'll end up with. Now along the long rounded edge, leaving the top, straight edge, open.
Clip curves, turn and top-stitch.
(ignore the fabric change....I was working on 2 bags and took a picture of the wrong bag...)
Next, we'll do the strap. Take your strap fabric and fold it in half the long way. Open it up and fold the edges in to fold line you just made, essentially folding your fabric in quarters. Place the batting inside.Top-stitch along each long side and down the middle.

Now we just need to put it all together. Pin the strap to the right side of the bag and then baste in place.

Pin the flap to the right side of the bag and baste in place. Double check to make sure that the fabric you want to see will show when the flap is closed.
This is the hardest part of the whole project. With right sides together, pin the bag lining over the bag exterior. You'll really have to pull it up to match the raw edges since you've got the strap and bag flap in there.

One it's all nice and pinned, sew around the top, leaving an opening for turning.
Turn and top-stitch making sure to close up the opening you left for turning.
There it is! Fill it up with some fun little presents and give it to someone special.