Insomnia at its Finest

I haven't slept well the past few days, okay make that weeks. Anyways, it has made for some more sewing time. In the past two days I've made Jack three pairs of pajama pants and a cute little dress and bloomers for a certain adorable little girl's upcoming birthday. I've also started my other bedroom pillows. Pictures of everything coming soon. For now I am off to assemble a new dresser for the little man.

I'm in love...

with these new pillows...

They are step 2 in my bedroom makeover. Aren't they adorable? Girly ruffles in a color my husband approves of. Sounds like the perfect compromise to me. Plus, the total cost was around $10.
Up next are some larger pillows to go behind these!

Where I Craft

Or at least where I store SOME of my craft supplies. One day I will have a craft room...or even a craft corner will do. Until then I have a craft hallway...

I made that sewing machine cover today to make it look a little more presentable.

Little Man Bag

Jackson has been asking me to make him a book bag for the library for about a month now. Yesterday was an especially frustrating day so I thought a good sewing session was just what I needed. I worked on it for a little over 2 hours last night and when my boy woke up he finally had his bag. But now instead of a book bag he is calling it his light saber holder. Of course, I should have known.
Pouty model face...




It look me about an hour to figure out the measurements I wanted and to do the cutting and then a little over an hour to sew it. I planned to take pictures along the way but of course I forgot. I was in the zone :) So I will just write out what I did and hopefully it can be understood.
I chose a linen fabric for the outer because I like the texture and the softness. The inside is just a printed cotton. I got a yard of each and I have a little left over. You can add interfacing to make the bag more structured or even use a thicker fabric like a canvas or duck cloth but I decided not to because I wanted to keep it as light as possible and I like the relaxed look of it.
You can change the dimensions to anything that fits your needs.
The finished dimensions that I wanted was H-10in x W-12in x D-3in
The strap is 26in x 3in
Small enough for him to carry it but big enough for me to throw it over my shoulder too if needed.
When I cut the pieces out I added one inch to everything so I could have .5in seam allowance on both sides.
The bag is fully lined with a coordinating fabric so here are the pieces I cut...
1. Outer Body 11x13 Cut 2
Outer Sides 11x3 Cut 2
Outer Bottom 13x3 Cut 1
Outer Flap 8x13 Cut 1
Outer Strap 27x4 Cut 1

Lining Body 11x13 Cut 2
Lining Sides 11x3 Cut 2
Lining Bottom 13x3 Cut 1
Lining Flap 8x13 Cut 1
Lining Strap 27x4 Cut 1

2. With the right sides together sew the outer body pieces to the side pieces. Do the same with the lining body pieces and sides.

3. Again, with right sides together sew the bottom pieces onto both the outer and lining.

4. Flap - With the right sides facing each other sew together the outer and lining flap pieces leaving the top open.

5. Turn right side out. Press. And then edge stitch around (optional but recommended) to give it a more finished look.

6. Strap - With right sides together sew around leaving end open.

7. Turn right side out. Press. And then edge stitch around (optional but recommended)

8. Now it's time to sew everything together. Keep the outer bag turned inside out. Position the flap on the side you want it with the outer material facing the outer bag. Pin in place. Do the same with the strap. Now turn the lining right side out and place inside of bag. The flap and straps should be sandwiched between the outer bag and the lining. Sew around the top leaving 3-4 inches open. Pull bag right side out through the opening. Press top and then you can either edge stitch (optional but recommended) all around making sure to close the opening in the top or you can simply do a hidden stitch to close the opening.

You are finished! You can add some type of closure if you want. I didn't because I wanted it to be as simple as possible.

Hope my directions aren't too confusing!

Nothing to Report Here

No new projects yet but I thought I would share my last two knitting projects...
A little brown beanie...modeled so eloquently by this crazy kid...

And a scarf for myself. I love scarves and was so excited to learn how to knit and of course out of about ten scarves I have only made one for myself...isn't that how it typically goes?

I am working on my first blanket and at the pace I'm going it will be ready NEXT winter.

Happy Birthday

Next week is my little brothers birthday. My parents are buying him a digital camera so I thought it would be cool to make him a camera case. This is what I came up with...

I think it fits him well.
I made the case from linen that I found in the remnant section (score!). There is also two layers of flannel on the inside for a little padding. I added a pocket and finished it off with a recycled wood button. Well, actually it's a faux button...I opted for a velcro closure. I am planning on making one for myself sometime soon so maybe then I will document step by step and post a tutorial.
Since his birthday isn't until next week I won't be able to tell him about my new blog until AFTER because I wouldn't want him to see this and ruin the whole camera surprise!

I'm on a Mission

I am on a mission to give our bedroom a little face lift. I refuse to spend a lot of money on this so in step with my "Hey I can do that" attitude I decided to make everything myself. Step one was to make some artwork for our walls. I came up with these in one night. Total project time was two days with drying time. The best part is I made these with things I already had laying around in the garage!

Now, I am in no way claiming to be a painter. I know this is far from being technically good. In fact only the background is actually paint the rest is paper.
Anyways, like I said I painted the background with colors that I mixed from paint I already had. For the mustard yellow I actually used 2 different colors to give it a little more interest. The rest is paper that I just simply cut out and glued. To finish it off I gave it a few coats of satin varnish.
I must add that the colors really aren't that bright in person. The yellow is a little more mustardy and the blue is more teal and less turquoise.
In the end I LOVE how they turned out. I can't wait to see them hung on the walls.
Next step in my mission...pillows. Maybe next week...

Back in the Saddle

So last week I made my first sewing project in way too long. I made a few grocery totes that I have had in the back of my mind for awhile. They were super simple..no pattern needed so if you want the how too info just let me know!

Here are two of the totes after a trip to Fresh & Easy this morning. I didn't add a picture of the third because my cat thought I had made that one for him and he ripped a hole in it last night and I found him sleeping in it this morning! Just my luck. But they are so roomy that I only needed two for a week of groceries for Jack and I (minus milk and juice jugs). I must brag that I got tons of complements on them in just one shopping trip! I will have to whip up a few more for the larger grocery trips when Anthony comes home :)

I have been busy with a few other projects so check back because I will have more posts soon!

Inspired

I have always been a creative person. I sort of fell off the craft band wagon and life took over after I had Jackson. When Anthony left for Japan I really started to crave that creative outlet again. I taught myself how to knit and it has really given me a little bit of sanity back after a non-stop day with my little man. Recently, I dusted off my sewing machine. Now I have a crafting to-do list a mile long and I thought it would be fun to blog about my crafting adventures. So this is the place I will come to document my various attempts at both crafting and sanity.
As long as I can remember it has been my dream to have my own line of children's clothing and some day own my own store. Maybe this will inspire me to get my butt in gear and make it happen!