Tote + Tutorial = Totorial

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

These days I've been trying hard to work through my fabric stash, mostly to justify buying more fabric! With the end of the school year coming, I decided to figure out a cute teacher gift that would help with my de-stash goal. Here's what I came up with.
I'm a big proponent of reusable bags. But, you don't always want to whip out your smelly grocery bag when you're at the mall or library. So why not make a cute little tote with some beautiful fabric.

Here's what you'll need:

main body of the bag: 2 fabric pieces 15 x 10 inches
contrasting top of bag: 2 fabric pieces 15 x 6 inches
handles: 2 fabric pieces 4 x 16 inches
6 inches of thin elastic
1 button
Fold your piece of elastic in half and baste at the center of one of the 15 inch sides of the main body fabric.

Lay a contrasting panel on top of the main panel, sandwiching the elastic in between, and sew a 1/4 seam. Finish seam with either a zig-zag stitch or serge. Do the same for the other main body and contrasting panels.
Press seam allowance towards the upper contrasting panel and top-stitch.


Since this bag isn't lined, I decided to do french seams on the sides. To do this, lay the front and back panels with WRONG sides together, so right sides facing out, and sew a 1/4 inch seam down each side only.
Turn the bag so that RIGHT sides are facing in and WRONG sides are facing out. Press well. Then sew a 1/2 inch seam down one side, across the bottom and up the other side. It's very important that this seam be wider than the previous seams so that the previous seam will be enclosed.

Serge or zig-zag to finish the bottom seam and turn bag right side out. Press.

Now set the bag aside and let's work on the straps. First, fold strap in half lengthwise, open the fold up and fold edges again towards the center fold. You should end up with a 1 inch x 16 inch strap. Sew along both edges.


Now that the straps are ready, take the main body of the bag and serge or zig-zag around the top. Then fold the top towards the wrong side of the bag 1/2 inch to finish off the top.

Take each strap and fold the raw edge in about 1/2 inch. Then pin 3 inches in from the edge of the bag.
Sew 2 seams across the top to secure the straps in place.


Sew your button about 3 inches above the elastic and you're done!
Fold your bag up and throw it in your purse.

I'm a finalist!

I'm so excited to be a finalist over at Rae's Spring Top Sewalong!

Voting starts Monday morning 9AM EST. This top will be up for voting on Monday, but there will be a new batch on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Go check it out here!

Another Spring Top

So, you may remember I mentioned in a previous post that I am slightly obsessive about some things. Not in a good way where I'm meticulous, but more in a way where I'm super busy but still feel a NEED to make more tops for Rae's Spring Top Sewalong. What's wrong with me! So, I made another top, but this is it, no more. The limit is 3 anyway.....

I hate posing for photos, thank goodness my husband is a good sport. What's up with my pinkie finger?

In any case, I do really love this top. I used a top I bought last year in Switzerland. The fitted top and flared bottom I find really flattering on me. I left the bottom edge unfinished since knits don't unravel and I like the way it rolls a bit.


Here's an up close pic of the shirring on the top.

I thew this photo in just for kicks. I've never done one of these in the mirror shots. It's a little grainy because of the low light, but not a bad pic.

Anyway, go check out all the other great entries on Flickr. The deadline is Monday, and I'm 99.9% sure this is my last one.....

Spring Top Sewalong 2011

It's that time of year again when Rae hosts her Spring Top contest. Last year, for whatever reason, I felt compelled to sew 5 tops! I don't know what came over me, but I was determined and did end up making the top 60.

This year, it's almost the deadline, and I decided I need to throw my hat in the ring again and make at least one top. So here it is.
I really love the way this top came out. I didn't use a pattern, but gathered up a few tops I own for inspiration. Originally I was going to put some ties on the side...but as it usually goes with me, this kind of evolved as it went along.

I love the rolled flowers, which I've seen a lot of, but never actually tried. Super easy, and no sewing involved! I sat and rolled them while I was watching TV and glued them together this morning. I added a little bead to the middle for some contrast. I decided to put the flowers on a pin, so I could take them off. They get in the way if you want to throw a sweater on...

My favorite part of this top is the back. I shirred it across the back so it would be relatively fitted, but still have a little flare. This style of top works great for me and my little post-children belly that won't seem to go away. I don't do a lot of sewing for myself, but this is one I'll definitely make again. If the stars align, maybe I'll even take some pictures as I put it together next time.

Here's one of the 5 five tops I sewed last year. This one made the top 60, and it was quite an honor to be among such beautiful tops and such talented people! Can't wait to see the finalists this year!

Spring

The past few weeks, time has been getting away from me. I don't think I've been especially busy, but somehow, I haven't managed to sit down at my computer long enough to post the projects I've been working on. I wish I could say it's because we've been having spectacular weather..... April showers bring May flowers, right?

My little photographer and I did manage to capture a few signs of Spring....and a Spring backpack too!

I have been working on a project I will post eventually. Here's a sneak peek.

Any guesses?

New Life for an Old Cork Board

With the weather getting warmer, my husband has been on a mission to clean and organize our garage. One of the things we had to clean out was this old cork board that was actually my husband's when he was a kid. I love cork boards, but this one definitely needed a face-lift.

First, I gently pried the frame apart at one corner and took the cork out of the center.

I gave the frame a quick coat of paint with some white exterior paint we had sitting in the basement.

I covered the old cork with a piece of fabric from my stash, put it back in the frame, and hammered in one finishing nail to put the frame back together.

Super easy and very satisfying. Including time for the paint to dry, this took me about an hour start to finish. I love these kinds of projects.

Kitchen Towels

A good friend of mine just moved back to the east coast from California and I wanted to make her a simple housewarming present. These towels are really easy to make and who doesn't love a pretty kitchen towel?


I measured a towel I had, added 1 inch to each side, then used this tutorial to do the mitered corners.

Added some twill tape at the corner.


Beautiful.

Not as original as I thought....

This past weekend, I had coffee with a friend and her daughter after swim lessons. I'd missed her birthday and wanted to make her a late birthday present. So, I made this little bag for wet bathing suits or other wet stuff (we both have potty training boys.....).


I'd never seen an actual tutorial for one and I thought I was being really original, so I made another, taking pictures as I put it together and started working on my own tutorial.

Then, yesterday I was poking around on Craft Gossip and came across this cute tutorial at The Polka Dot Umbrella.

Then a friend pointed out this one at A Lemon Squeezy Home.

So, I guess I'm not as original I thought. But, I can say great, creative minds think alike!

Slightly Obsessed

For those of you who don't know me personally, you might not know how obsessive I can be. I'm not someone who's obsessed with details or things being perfect. More like I make something that's fun and easy and I just keep making it.

So, when I first saw these bracelets by Vanessa at V and Co, they looked too hard, so I thought, those are cute, but I don't have time to figure it out. Then, she posted a video and made it look so much easier.

So I made one, then another, then another.....all in about 15 minutes.


Do I need 6 bracelets....no. Will I wear 6 bracelets......no. Can I stop making these....no!

But I will share with you what I learned in case you decide to make one (or 6) yourself. The first ones I made (hot pink and light yellow above) I made with a cotton spandex blend. I didn't like the way they came out because they're almost too perfect looking. The ones below I made with leftover scraps from repurposed shirts, and I liked the result much better.

I also liked the 2 finger result the best. The four finger is really chunky and I've got tiny wrists, it was just too much. The hot pink on the far left is a 4 finger, the rest are 2 finger with varying strip thicknesses.


Here's the evidence, I did actually wear one today. And will probably wear it again.

And I did make one for my daughter and I think she will wear hers too.

So go check out the video, it's pretty cute with Vanessa's daughter singing in the background. But be forewarned, it's addictive!

Scrappy Baby Bib Tutorial

Who doesn't love a cute baby bib? I made these bibs to coordinate with some baby blocks I made for 2 friends who are expecting. Since I only had scraps of the fabrics left, I pieced them together to make a scrappy baby bib.

For my bibs, I needed my scraps to be about 8 inches by 20 inches. If you make a smaller bib, you'll need less.
Sew the pieces together the long way and press the seam open.

 Above photo should say, fold in half RIGHT sides together.  Sorry about that!
Trace your favorite bib. My favorite bib was a gift from my friend Roselee, and as you can see, has been well loved.Here's the best part, sew first, then cut. Make sure to sew just inside of your drawn line or you'll see the marker when you turn. Also make sure you leave an opening for turning.

Cut just outside of your seam and clip the curves.

Turn right side out and press.
Topstitch around the edge of the bib making sure you close the opening you left for turning. Add a closure, velcro or a snap works well.
Done! Paired with a baby soft block, this makes a great baby shower gift.

Upcycled Boy Pants

I had intended on getting this post up while Celebrate the Boy was still happening, but it didn't happen. So, better late than never.

I made some really cute pants for my son using this tutorial/pattern from Dana at Made, and some old pairs of adult pants. The pants above and below I made using some old cargo pants of my husbands. I used the existing side stitching and took off one of the back pockets and sewed it on the leg.

So cute! And even better in action, backpack and all.

I made this pair from some women's capri pants I picked up at Goodwill. For these I used the existing pockets in the front.

They ended up a bit long, but I'm sure he'll grow into them.