Making Gifts

I love making gifts for people. Here is a gift pack I made for a friend. She is all about animal prints. This tote has a hot pink lining with 6 pockets inside and 2 outside. I find it funny how people like different things. Some people would not carry this tote bag if their life depended on it. While others would find this the perfect tote. Fun and wild!
This tote is rather easy. Simply measure 5 inches by 12 inches cut 2 for the top. 6 inches x 12" for the bottom (you then cut out 2 inch squares from either corner on the bottom). The black strips between the zebra print are 1 1/2" x 6" cut 4 of these. The zebra print measures 4" x 6" cut out six of these. Next you would follow the placement of all by looking at my picture.
The lining is made by laying the tote panel down on the lining fabric and using it as a pattern cut out the lining. Add interfacing if you like to make it a bit stiffer. Handles get sandwiched between the outer tote and the lining. This is the accessories I made to go with the tote. A checkbook cover, a large change purse and a travel tissue pack cover. The inside of all also has the hot pink lining. The pattern for the change pursre and the checkbook cover are my own. How hard is it to measure a checkbook cover and copy the dimensions. The change purse was basically measure your zipper and add length to the bottom. The tissue pack cover came from doing a google search. There are tons of free directions for all 3 items on line. Google and search. It sometimes takes a bit to look through a lot of sites but it is always worth the effort.

You Gotta Love Aprons

I needed an apron. Or did I just want one?

Anyway I decided to make one. I used 2 different but matching fabrics. I cut the apron panel on the fold 18" wide by 20" long. I cut 5 pieces from contrasting fabric the length of fabric by 3 inches. I then started at the left hand corner and measured up 6" and across 6" then rounded the corner off. I did a gathering stitch on the top of the apron panel. Hemmed together 3 of the strips and ran a gathering stitch across that strip. I then hemmed the apron panel and attached the gathered strip around the hemmed bottom. I then sewed the 2 other strips together and pinned and sewed this strip to the top of the apron panel. Folded it over and made my belted tie.

I also added a small pocket to the front of the apron.

I think it turned out really cute but I think next time I will make it shorter.

It turned out looking like a longer version of a french maid apron.

Kinda retro and kicky.

A Baby is coming

We found out a couple of weeks ago my niece is going to have a baby.

It's always so exciting to find out someone you love is having a baby. I have 4 beautiful grandchildren 2 girls ages 11 and 18 months and 2 boys ages 9 and 6. I am blessed that they are healthy wonder active children. Who love to laugh, cry fight and have fun.

Anyway I thought I'd get started on making her some bibs, burps and other things. I also found a really cute tutorial on making booties for babies too. http://stardustshoes.blogspot.com

So here is a picture of the first one I made. I wanted to see how difficult it was going to be and how big it was after it was finished. Okay so now I guess I better make the second one. Huh?

Easter Dinner

Here she is in the outfit I made her. Doing her best at removing the headband before I could focus the camera. Hubs and I went to my daughter's for Easter dinner. Her in laws came too.
We made ham, potato salad, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs,baked beans, corn, carrots, gravy and chocolate cake. Funny, Anna (daughter's mother in law) made the same exact thing. All that food for 6 adults and 3 children. We didn't make a dent in all that food. Looks like it's leftovers for the rest of the week.

Tried a Boutique Style Look

Made my youngest granddaughter a boutique style outfit.

It took about 5 hours to make. It wouldn't have took that long but I was using the serger and broke a thread. Now I have had this serger for over 2 years but never pulled it out of the box until recently. It sat on my sewing table for weeks before I got brave enough to use it.

So when the thread broke I spent about 30 minutes trying to rethread it. I never did get it threaded. I guess I'll try again in a day or two.

The brown fabric I have had for about a year. I was going to make a pair of pants but really didn't get into it. The flower print is a searsucker from Walmart. I only had a 1/2 yard of it.

I appliqued the little heart in the middle of the shirt/dress. I am not a real good appliquer. If you up close you could see a tad bit of raggy edge to the heart.

Oh well, it's an original.

The pattern is "It's So Easy" 2684. But I modified it quite alot.

My Take Everything with me Tote

Here is my "Take Everything With Me" Tote I made this weekend. The first picture is the inside, the second pic is the outside. Although it is reversible. I only made pockets for the inside. Hubs and I usually have the grandkids on the weekends and we usually take them places. I needed a new large tote to carry a few diapers, water bottles, a few toys, my stuff ect... I decided I didn't want the usual square tote so I drafted out this pattern and added a few things to it like the border on top, a draw string and the pockets. I am a bit odd some times but I enjoy sewing.

Next I will be making a new purse with matching check book cover and change purse.

Finished My Spring Time Quilt

Well, I finished the spring time quilt just in time to give it to hubs for Easter. Not perfect by far but .... The first picture is the back showing the stitching. You reall can't see the stitching on the front but I hand stitched the center panel and then machine stitched the strips around the outside of panel. I think I like the look of the hand stitching better than the machine stitching.

I used a walking foot on the quilt. It's the first time I've ever used one. I really liked using it. It didn't grap the fabric like a regular foot does.

My Elvis Hobo Bag

This is a picture of my Elvis Hobo Bag. I said the other day I was into the seventies lately well I guess you could include Elvis into that era. Right? Anyway, I drafted my own design and used a fabric from Walmart. The O rings on the handles are actually keyring rings.
I made this purse for around$6.00. That includes 1 yard of fabric $4.44,1 magnetic snap I bought off the net(I bought 25 of them for $14.00), the O rings were from Walmart(a package of 8 were .69).
You can find my tutorial for the hobo bag at my free tutorial website. http://itsmybag.myeweb.net
I love doing tuts and sharing what I can do. I also love looking for information on the web for things I'd like to learn to do.
I ran across a wonderful site last night. http://tipnut.com Although I am still looking through the site, it offers tons of crafting tuts as well as other things you might be interested in.

A Groovy Feeling

This is my 70's Flashback Purse/Tote. I have had this thing for the seventies lately. I bought a couple of CD's with 60's and 70's music and made this. Maybe I'm showing my age or maybe I am beginning to realize what an unusual period the 70's were. Although I was a teen and believed time stood still. In my life time I have seen Kennedy shot, man landing on the moon, Woodstock, Hippies, Beatniks, cures for polio, the first computers (weighing about a billion tons), the first cell phones (weighing about a billion pounds), the Wall coming down, nuclear bombings, mini skirts, midi skirts, ankle length skirts, sizzlers, the list goes on and on. No other time in history has there been so much achieved. I guess I'm lucky in many respects that I got to see it all unfold not just in the history books.
Anyway back to my purse.... It has pockets on the outside as well as the inside with an magnetic closure. This has become my favorite purse pattern.

Here is the inside of my 70's purse/tote. You can never have too many pockets.

I like making pockets to completely line the inside. Everything has a place.

Another jewelry set

Made this set the other day. Jade beads, crystal beads, antique caps with wooden leaves. The necklace I put on a satin ribbon.
I love doing jewelry and if you have a variety of beads it's a really quick way to make a matching set for every outfit you have.
I love shopping at Fire Mountain Gems online.
They have the largest varieties I have found on the web and I think the prices are good. But I do shop beads and findings at Walmart as well as JoAnn Fabrics and Michael's. Walmart just recently got in a new shipment and they have some striking pieces right now.

Get Well Card

Early this year I got interested in making cards.
Here is a card I made for a friend who is in the hospital. The flower medallion came from the site Fred She Said. Some really nice free 3 D sheets are available online free but it does take time to look for them. I spent a lot of time over at PhotBucket browsing through albums. If you are interested in card making and decoupage go to PhotoBucket and reach 3D sheets (images).
It's amazing how talented people are. One of these days I will get me a Photo Shop Pro.
I am not artistic as far as drawing goes but that shouldn't stop me or anyone else from trying.

FingerSkate Cake

Here is the cake I made for my oldest grandson.

Bake a 9x13 cake. Use food color to dye your icing grass green and a small amount dyed black for the lettering and ramp. I iced the cake green putting a big glob in one corner. Then I used the black icing to run a strip down the blob and along the cake to make the ramp. Then I used a grass tip (has a bunch of holes in the tip) and placed the grass around the cake and along the ramp. I bought a cake box and a gold cake board.

I also bought a set of Tech Deck skate boards and put them on the cake ran a green border. Wrote on it and viola!

He loved it. But of course, you can never get a serious picture of him.

If you click on the picture of the cake you can see the details close up.