teacher gifts

It's the last day of school today, so along with the sheep happens bag and yarn I gifted to one of my kids' teachers, I made a couple summer totes with some Anna Maria Horner "stacked" fabric in home dec weight.  This book-inspired fabric is the perfect choice for a teacher, wouldn't you say?

I accented the handles and lined them with a couple other of her coordinating prints.  Then filled them with summer goodies- a water infuser, some chips and Smarties (for helping make my kids so smart!) and a gift card for them to choose some summer reading.

I made the totes without a pattern, just sewed some rectangles together, made a gusset bottom, lined and added a slip pocket.  Sometimes simple is best!

Blogging will be sporadic for July and August as I will have 3 energetic little people wanting my attention on my days off!  Plus heading out to the lake for some family R&R :)  But,  I do hope to sneak in some regular sewing while I am there.  I have a stack of quilt tops meant for the cottage bunk beds that need quilting and binding!  Plus a couple secret swap projects that I plan to finish up.  So, hopefully some good things to show you once routine is restored. 

Wishing you all a fabulous summer (or winter, in the other hemisphere!).

xoxo Kristie

personalized tote

My friends's daughter is a crafty little thing (and by crafty I mean likes to make crafts, not devious).  I had previously sent her the Crafty Chloe book, illustrated by Heather Ross, as a gift, and decided to make her a Crafty Chloe tote, filled will art supplies, as a birthday gift.

A band of crafty Chloe fabric across the top, and some girly echino polka dots for the body.  Lined with Crafty Chloe, too!

I personalized the tote with her first initial for added fun.  A sweet, quick gift!

Noodlehead Poolside Tote

It was about -40 degrees Celsius when Anna of Noodlehead asked if I wanted to pattern test her new Poolside Tote.  It felt so good to work on a piece of summer in the midst of our epic winter this year.  And it was just the slice of happy I needed! And The Middle Child agrees ;)

A wonderfully large tote designed for toting all those towels, magazines and flip flops to the pool or beach.  The pattern is well written with tons of diagrams and photos for all of the steps- very comprehensive, though I would expect no less from a Noodlehead pattern!  Anna made this pattern as part of the Bag of the Month Club, so it is available there exclusively until July, when she will also release it on her own site.

The pattern comes with directions for a slip pocket or a zippered pocket.  I decided to add both.  The zippered pocket is perfect for keeping little things like keys, wallets and phones secure.  I was so excited to put these adorable hexie flowers to use on the front that were a gift from my wonderfully talented friend Svetlana of Sotak Handmade- aren't they perfectly cheerful here alongside this colourful zipper? I added a bit of hand stitching, too.

On the other side I did the slip pocket option using a fun camping print. As you can see, it is more than roomy enough for magazines, books or e-readers.

Inside, I decided to use some Little Folks laminated fabric, which will be perfect for soggy towels and bathing suits.  I was thinking I was pretty brilliant when I came up with this, I ain't gonna lie.  And as you can see, the three beach towels I have in here barely make a dent in all the space!

(a better photographer would of folded or rolled those towels neatly, 

but I just jammed them in there as I normally would on my way to the beach!)

All in all, I have to give this pattern two thumbs up. Now, just add SUMMER!!

Sew-vivor: Round 1 Emerald Challenge

Well, today is the day that the Emerald Challenge items are revealed for the top ten Sew-vivors!  This is my first sewing competition and I was feeling a little awed by the talent of my competition, so I knew I would have to think of something special.  Luckily inspiration came quickly for me, and I am very happy with my project!  Although there is something fishy about it.....

I decided to use the green as scales for this cute little fish pouch!  I have had this idea rattling around in my head for a couple years, when I bought a similar backpack style fish bag for Big G in a market in Italy, and have seen some variations since on Pinterest.  This challenge was the proding I needed to get it done!

The drawstring closure can be pulled on both sides for a shorter wristlet strap, or pulled to one side for  over-the-shoulder wear.  And the drawstring doubles as a fishy mouth :)

 

Lots of room for a phone, change purse, keys and all sorts of treasures inside!

This little fishy was instantly claimed by The Middle Child.

I am sure the other contestants will be bringing all sorts of talent to this challenge, so hop over to Family Ever After, take a look and cast your vote!  Voting is open now through Friday evening, and the five who advance will be announced next Wednesday. One vote per device :)  Thanks so much and wish me luck!

yoga bag of Awesome

I don't mean to brag, BUT.... I made something Awesome.

There is a story behind it, naturally.

I decided to give yoga a try.  I am getting older and all, and figured it would be good to stretch my bones.  I opted for the popular Moksha Hot Yoga studio.  Any workout that has you in a sauna-like room in the dead of frosty winter and includes mat time to lie down and relax is A-okay with me!

Part of the whole yoga practice is to clear your mind.  Well, all through my first hour of class, all that was rattling around in there was: "Hey, don't I have a scrap of that Heather Ross munki munki yoga fabric somewhere?"  From there it was end of story.  As IF I could focus.  All I could do was design a yoga bag in my head. I NEEDED one.

So, the score goes something like this:

5 hours of yoga classes (to date)

15 hours of yoga bag making

Okay.  I might have a problem.  Fortunately, this problem often results in pretty things :)  And this groovy new bag ensures that I will be attending yoga classes for some time!

So about that bag.  Boy, did I have fun with the details of this.  I paired some Essex yarn dyed linen in black with the Heather Ross munki munki and an assortment of my favorite purple fabrics.  The outside of the bag features a zippered patchwork pocket on the front, just the perfect size for my keys, phone and money.  I hand-stamped the word "breathe" on one of the squares and added some hand stitching.

Above the pocket, I added a fussy cut of a you girl thinking of a martini :)

I also used accent fabrics for a side pocket, with a second fussy cut of a yoga girl thinking of pretty shoes.  Those girls make me smile!  The side pocket is pleated and has an elastic at the top to allow room for an extra large water bottle.

The front and back panels of the bag extend to cradle my mat, which is secured on top with an adjustable strap.

And if I don't need my mat, there is a hidden pocket in the lining that I can retract the strap into!  I am crushing on the funky black and purple zippers I found for 70% off (!!) at my local Fabricland.

For the straps I used some natural webbing, with an accent strip of Essex down the centre.  The perfect length for slinging over the shoulder.  On the back of the bag, I included a horizontal strap perfect for slipping over the handle of a rolling suitcase, as I think this bag would make the perfect sized travel carry on!

Inside, I lined the majority of the bag with a washable waterproof fabric, perfect for those damp towels!  There is a large dry pocket as well, lined with some Denyse Schmidt Hope Valley, that includes a second zippered pocket.  The interior of this bag has plenty of space for my workout clothes, a shower towel, a large mat towel, a bag of toiletries, shower flip flops and sneakers.  Yup, she's big!

So that is the story of my new shiny yoga bag.  And I am so proud of her, I decided to enter her in a couple competitions :)

so this chick walks into a quilt retreat...

So this Chick walks into a quilt retreat, and the Girls are all like, "Chick, where did you get that rocking bag?" and the Chick is, like, "Girls, I made it." And the Girls are like, " No way!' and the Chick says, "Way!"  They were impressed by her mad style, righteous color choices and the ever so snazzy silver pleather handle and bottom.

And then of course they rejoiced once aware of the copious amounts of fabric and yarn the bag could hold!

Next,  there may have been some merry hoopla and fist pumping and maybe even some chicken dancing, but who could say for sure, because it was a QUILT RETREAT after all, and so of course there was a lot of alcohol involved.

True story.  {I think}

More tall tales of quilt retreat adventures to follow, stay tuned, you aren't gonna want to miss these ;)

Totes for my Little Ballerinas

Wow! I can't believe this is my 100th post...man, I talk too much! Thanks for listening :-) Don't worry, I brought you all some eye candy to go along with the babble today.

The two little beauties in my life love to dance. Spend a good part of each day on their tip-toes, twirling around...do you have little ballerinas like this, too?

They both take a dance class, and normally I tote their tiny little ballet and tap shoes back and forth to class in a crumby plastic bag. So, I thought they needed an upgrade.
Ta da! Ballerina totes! I think these are probably the most favorite thing I have ever made. And since I am in "Santa's Workshop" mode, I went ahead and made 5 of 'em...for family and friends!
The inspiration for these bags was this adorable Japanese ballerina print....isn't it sweet?
I only had a fat quarter, so I had to stretch my creative muscles to come up with a way to highlight the print but have enough to make all these bags. The body of the bag is rather simple, just a simple tote in a linen-look cotton, lined with a sweet pink polka dot. The straps used the same linen and a soft pink stripe.

I added a big pocket on the front, with a square of the ballerina print, some coordinating Hunky Dory, and some more pink polka dots. I also hand embroidered each girl's name in pink thread, and added some cute girly crochet trim.
I used some more Hunky Dory to make a loop for a big wooden button- an informal closure easy to manage with little fingers. If my name was Oprah, or Julie Andrews, wooden buttons would be one of "my favorite things."
As a little fun detail, I also added a tab with an appliqued ballerina...can never have too many ballerinas on a ballerina bag, after all! Each girl got a different little ballerina "character."


The finished size is about 12" by 13", ample for ballet shoes, tutus and a change of clothes.


One added bonus of this project is that, aside from one fat quarter of the ballerina print, all of the fabrics and notions I used were from my stash. I feel like a "real" quilter now....I used to have to always buy coordinates for everything, but have now amassed a pretty awesome variety of fabrics. It felt good to dip into it and use some up!

These will be under the Christmas tree, so we will still be "plastic bagging-it" for a few weeks...but I am sure they will be thrilled.

Bag Lady Week- Bias Tote Bag Tutorial

I love me a good bag for toting stuff! I guess that comes with being a mom of 3...never enough hands! So here we go, another bag hopefully help you schlep stuff around like me!

You will need:
approx 1/3 yard canvas or decor weight material (vinyl would also work)
one package of coordinating bias tape
strap material...such the cotton webbing seen here
coordinating thread
Cut:
2 pieces measuring 17.5" by 16" for front panels
1 piece measuring 46" by 6" for side/bottom panel (Note- the fabric I used had a wide WOF of over 50". If your fabric is less, this length can be pieced together) straps- cut 2 piece of 26" each

Let's go!
1. Place 2 bag pieces wrong sides facing, and cut slight curve to bottom edges as shown. 2. Fold over top of each piece 1/2 ". Press. Fold over 1". Press.
3. Insert edge of strap under fold, 5" from each end. Fold over so handle is facing up as shown. Pin in place to secure. 4. Sew 1/4" from bottom fold and from top fold to finish top and to secure handles. Repeat with second piece and handle.
5. Fold over short ends of long piece of fabric (sides and bottom of bag) as you did above- fold over 1/2 inch, press, fold over 1 inch, press. Sew at 1/4 inch from top fold and from bottom fold.


6. With WRONG sides facing, line up bottom/side fabric along length of one of the front panels. Unfold bias tape, and pin along, with folds facing downwards and with about 1 inch extending over the top, and all raw edges lining up as shown: (NOTE: I goofed in this picture and did not have the extra 1" of bias tape extended past the edge of the hem. You will need this later to finish the corners)


7. Sew along pinned edges, using 1/4 " seam allowance. Fold bias tape back up over the raw edges.


8. Tuck ends of bias tape in to finish corner:

9. Sew, close to edge of bias tape, to finish edges.
10. Repeat steps 6-9 to add second front panel to other side of side/bottom panel. This will complete the tote!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial for the Bias Tote. Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or problems! As with all of my tutorials, this is intended for personal use only. I would love to see your creations! Please feel free to blog about them, but credit and a link back to this tutorial would be appreciated. Happy sewing!