Scrap Bag and Dotee

One of the women that works for me has a birthday next week. I used up the scraps to make her a tote bag and will throw in one of the rice therapy bags in since she has been having problems tendinitis lately.

My partner for the Cherry Blossom bag sent along this little Dotee along with it. Isn't she cute.

Padded Bubble Mailer

A couple people have asked me how I make my padded bubble mailers. Hopefully these instructions will work for you.
Start with two sheets of decorative paper or card stock. I have used both with great results. I typically like to use the 12 x 12 decorative paper which gives me a good sized mailer when finished. Although the 8 1/2 x 11 works great for mailing smaller items.

Supplies needed:
Decorative Paper or Card Stock
Rubber Cement
Bubble Paper
Scissors, scrapbook trimmer or rotary cutter
Ruler

** You have been officially warned. These are addictive to make and mail.

You are working with two sheets at the same time, so pay attention if it is the front or back of the mailer as they are cut and glued differently.
Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5:

Step 6:

If you have any questions let me know. Otherwise have fun using up some of the scrapbook paper that you have stashed away.

Drawstring Pooh Bag

I finished the drawstring Winnie the Pooh bag.

Kim had her eye on it while I was sewing it. I think it will be a perfect bag for her to carry while at Disney next month. Nice that it can be worn like a back pack. I like the extra padding from the fusible fleece. The flimsy nylon bags just don't give the contents of the bag any protection. I only used a little over two yards of cording to make the drawstring/straps. Not sure why I thought I would need 4 yards.

David comes home this afternoon. Very glad he got done a day early. We are expecting snow on Saturday. That could of been bad trying to fly in to that in Memphis. Snow shuts this city down completely.

Energy

I am starting to get some of my energy back. Been a long 10 days of being sick. Staying home yesterday and sleeping most of the day helped.

Cut and started sewing together a bunch of scraps yesterday afternoon. I should have enough to make a little tote. I have been very good about not buying any fabric this week. Although I do need to buy some cording today and will do my best to avoid any other purchases while at the store.

It looks like David will finish up early in Chicago and fly home on Friday. I know he is exhausted and ready to sleep in his own bed. He may need some extra attention this weekend, I doubt that I will get much off my project list done.

Another Pig Drop

Mason stayed after school to get some help for his Algebra test so he was available for a pig drop for The Toy Society.

This little Piggy went to the park looking for his friend.

We left this one hanging on the sign at the entrance to the water park. The water is turned off for the winter but it is one of the main walkways to the trail around the pond. It was in the 70's here today so hopefully pig number 2 found a good home this afternoon. Mason is enjoying driving the "get away car" on the drops. I still have two teddy bears to drop. Luckily we have several parks in town.

Japanese Charm Pack Giveaway

Kerri at Lovely Little Handmades is having a Japanese charm pack giveaway.

I absolutetly love the colors. So take a moment and visit her website enter her giveaway.

1st Toy Society Drop

I still have my hacky cough and was exhausted at work so came home early to rest. I had to pick up Mason after school he was making up a Spanish test he missed when he was out sick on Friday.

This little piggy went to the park.He was dropped at the playground at WC Johnson Park. Mason was driving the get away car. There were several people hanging around the park but I don't think we were spotted doing the drop. The weather is mild out today so hopefully he is found before it gets dark tonight. And I hope he finds a good new home.

For a Weeknight

I should get sick more often. For a weeknight evening I got quite bit done. Wonder how much more I would have gotten done if I wasn't sick. I joined a Swap-Bot swap for small doggie toys. These are duplicates of two of Buttercups favorites toys I have made her, both made from fleece. My partner has three small dogs but there is no way I have the energy to make another one this week. Our crazy little Buttercup won't play with rubber or plastic toys. They must be stuffed and not have anything she can chew on. The fleece dog bones are great for her, one of her favorites to play fetch with.

I found some stone rings at JoAnn's yesterday to finish the Jester Bags. They are all done. It would have been nice to use bells for the ends but the bead look fine to me. And better yet it uses up some stuff out of my stash. My Debbie Mumm fabric is down to mostly scraps now. Maybe time to throw together another little tote bag.

Weekend Wrap Up

It has been a while since I made my own padded mailers. I have a few small items to mail out this week so I used what was left of my rubber cement and put together a couple.

I made Penny Pockets for my Swap-Bot partner. Think I will throw in a matching Jester Bag for her. Oh, this was my first attempt at yo-yo's also. They were actually kinda fun to make.

I also modified a swim suit cover up for a friend of Kim's this weekend. And then started working on a couple stuffed doggie toys for another swap.

Now if I could just get to feeling better and get some energy back. David is home in 5 days.

Jester Bags

My coworker did find some instructions for the jester bags. I will admit I glanced at them but didn't really use them. The pattern pieces and sample were enough explaination.

I could have sworn I had a stash of bells for the ends of the jester bag. Couldn't find them but did find some really cute beads that worked just as well. Will have to pick up a ring to loop the beads through but otherwise they are done.

Quite a bit of storage space inside these little bags. 4 pockets and the large space inside the bag. My coworker said they work great for travel jewelry bags.

If you are interested in the jester bag pattern and instructions let me know and I will scan them.

Swap Bot Share Our Crafts

I had joined a swap bot swap to share our crafts. This is what I received from my partner. Kim has claimed it already. Wore it to church this morning.

Back to working on the jester bags. Too hard to type one handed. I have a small dog attached to my arm,

More Bags

Kim's friends wanted a bag like hers. I used scraps from the dress Kim made to make a couple more of the bags. These really are a great way to use up scraps.

Traveling Stuffie

The traveling stuffie hasn't made it out of the craft room yet. I think he/she needs a name this week.

Stuffie has been very busy.

Stuffie has a bag to travel in so hopefully he/she will start traveling soon. Maybe a trip to my office this week.

Off to the Doctor

I could show you a photo of the piles and piles of used tissues in my trash can but how exciting would that be? That is the only thing I have been working on lately. My sore throat is steadily getting worse and now my head wants to explode. And to top it all off Mason now has a sore thoat. The woman at the appointment desk must of felt sorry for me and got us both worked into the doctors office this afternoon. Now if I can just last that long. Hope to be feeling better soon.

Drawstring Bags

I would like to confess that both of my kids must get their ADD from me. Except Kim is adopted so she really wouldn't have gotten it from me. I feel like I bounce around from several different projects. I guess the only good thing I can say is I am diligent about finishing projects before I start new ones. You probably have a few of these nylon draw string bags lying around your house. Several companies use them as promotional giveaways.

I cut some Winnie the Pooh fabric to the estimated size of my sample bag. Ironed on fusible fleece. Should be able to make a simple copy of the drawstring bag. Of course I have a feeling I will lose this one after it is made. Should be a nice tote to carry while at Disney next month.

Jester Bag

One of the women that works for me brought in this little jester bag for me to look at. Her aunt and her made some several years ago. The bells on the end of the four points looped through the ring to close the bag.

Her is the bag laying flat.

Three clear plastic pattern pieces with no instructions. I have said before I don't like following patterns but I do sometime like using them as guides. I told her I would give her back the bag and pieces next week. So one week to figure this little guy out. Darn it, I forgot to take a photo of the inside of the bag, it has little pockets on the inside.

Hexagon Help

I am still having dreams of a beautiful hex quilt. Even after I saw one that took over 6000 hex's to complete. Maybe a hex placemat might be a better place to start. Also found this free really interesting website to print out graph paper of any kind. Besides the hex graph paper they have diamonds, triangles, trapezoids, etc.

Hexagon Quilt

On several blogs I follow I have read about people working on their hexagon quilts in the car during long road trips. We have a long road trip coming up in March. A 12 hour drive each way. 24 total hours I could do some serious damage on a hexagon quilt. Then I ran across this web page...

How to Make a Hexagon Quilt in 492 Easy Steps

I just had to laugh. Only 492 steps. Do I really want to tackle this? I could just turn on David's new iPod touch and watch endless amounts of movies that will turn my brain to mush. Well at least it is less than 500 steps. Then I read farther and it only has the first 22 steps. This has to be a sign and it can't be good. How many of these little hexagons do you actually need anyway?

** Edited to add Seven Step version for Hexagon Quilt. Maybe you are one of those people that need all 492 steps. I am perfectly fine with 7 steps and winging my way through it. I don't like following patterns anyway.

Panda and Bag

When they leave me alone I get so much more done. Same bag style as I made last week. Still using up scraps from the red, white and black quilts. The panda just looks like he belongs with the bag.

Rice Therapy Bags Done

Finished 5 rice bags. Bought 10 pounds of rice so I had to make 5. Only 4 in the photo for a reason. My product tester is still using one. It has the Mason seal of approval. As usual I modifyed it a bit but still basically the same as the original pattern.

Two Stuffies Done

I have no idea how I actually accomplished anything on Saturday. With grocery shopping, Valentines Day, lunch out as a family, laundry, David and both kids home all day. The panda might become my stuffie for the traveling stuffie swap on Swap bot. I think Buttercup will be claiming the bunny. If I make another bunny I would make the face on the back side. I know that sounds weird but the face is on one flat side which is kinda blah looking to me. If the face was on the other two piece side it would have some snout definition.

Ott Light Giveaway

An awesome opportunity to be the proud owner of an Ott Light.

Go to the Quilting on a Budget blog and enter for your chance to win. And if I win you can always buy your own.

Working for the Weekend

This week is one of those I am so looking forward to the weekend. I picked up a few more yards of Debbie Mumm fabric at Joann's. The place was packed. Same floral print as before in different color way. The stripes look out of place in the photo but they really do coordinate nicely. Also grabbed some felt for a couple of the projects. I was surprised they didn't have polka dot felt. Hobby Lobby has some. Guess I will force myself to pop in there over the weekend. Too much shopping and working at the office. Need to get home and get some fun stuff done.

If They Would Leave Me Alone

If they would just leave me alone and let me sew. I would like to work on a few of these. I didn't plan it this way but there are 14 projects and David will be gone another 14 days.
Storage Cubes
Rice Heat Therapy Bag
Teddy Bear
Tote Bag
Pyramid Door Stop
Tooth Fairy Pillow
Penny Pocket
Stuffed Panda
Ruby Doll
Storage Basket
Wrist Cuff
Wee Bunny
Fabric Doll House
Cloth Baby Shoes
And I just knew Joann and I would have a fabulous relationship. Coupon via email today. I don't need much more incentive than that to make a shopping trip during lunch.

Not to mention I still have these projects in the works:
Red, White and Black tote bag - need to write a tutorial with that
Another camera strap cover - gotta make one for Michele
Love is in the Air Quilt
Red, White and Black scrap doll quilt

The quilts just may have to wait. They are so time consuming at this point and I can complete several other projects with that same energy.

Definite Conspiracy

Definitely a conspiracy against me. It reaches all the way from my office to Minnesota. The kids, my husband, even my boss is in on it. None of them want me to sew. Had to work late last night. Then those darn kids got in my way when I get home, for self sufficient teenagers they sure can be needy. And then this morning I find out my husband finished his job in Minnesota early and is flying in tonight for Valentines Day tomorrow. Don't they understand I have other plans? Other things I want to get done.
This is the other fabric I picked up at Joann's this week. Debbie Mumm has a couple lines just for them. I told you Joann's was going to be a problem for me.

Conspiracy Theory

I think the kids are conspiring against me. Kim said she would cook dinner last night. So I am thinking to myself... I will have extra time to work on a few of my projects.

Then both kids wanted to eat dinner at the table and wanted to talk about their day. How dare they ruin my plan, do they think I am their mother or something. I am only joking. It was refreshing to see Kim try to insert herself into the family for a change. Since we adopted Kim last fall she has struggled with being part of a "normal" family. I still say the kids are up to something but they are denying it. David is home in 16 days.

Tempting

It was very tempting to cut into the new fabric last night but I restrained myself. Wanted to finish up a couple of things before I started something new.

Added red ric rac to a few of the bags. I like the detail. All seven are done. Two are being shipped out today. Kim stole one. And these four are going to the girls at the office. I am almost done with my red, white and black scraps. Making another larger bag and couldn't even find a piece 5x5 inches or larger. If all goes well I will be able to finish the larger bag tonight. Still hate zippers.

Big Trouble Now

I am in big trouble now. A couple days ago a new JoAnn's opened 10 minutes from my office. The store is fabulous. More than half is dedicated to fabric and sewing. I picked up this fat quarter pack. Not my usual bright color style. I also picked up three half yards of some other coordinating fabrics. Which were again not my usual style. So much for trying to use from my stash. David is gone another 18 days. Both kids are planning they dates for the weekend. And I don't even have to play taxi since their friends have cars and drivers licenses. Looks like a weekend of just me and my sewing machine.

Scrap Bags Completed

I really do hate sewing zippers. These are easier than putting zippers into clothes but I still don't like zippers. Maybe after I finish the other 5 I will become a pro sewing zippers and will begin to love them. Highly unlikely but one can always hope. I see more of these in my future. Great for using up scraps.

Free Handwriting Font

Another thing to add to my list of things to do. This looks like it would be wonderful for scrap booking. And best of all it is free.

http://www.yourfonts.com/

Basically you print and fill out the form. Scan it and send it back to them. And you get a customized font of your very own handwriting. How cool is that?

Scrap Bags

I found this cute little tutorial on the web. And thought what a great way to use up some of my scraps. Picking zippers up today. These should make great Valentines presents for the girls in my office. I used the fusible fleece instead of batting. I have seven of them just waiting for zippers. Kim was eyeing them already.

New Project List

A week ago this was my project list:

Sakara Bag
Camera Strap
Love is in the Air Quilt
Pot Holders

All the projects are completely done except the Quilt. I did add a piano key boarder to it this weekend. As I mentioned before I am not fond of basting so I really didn't want to dive into that this weekend.

So what is my new project list? Well it really isn't a project but the goal is go use some of my fabric stash. Should be a good week to get a few things done without David around. Although those darn kids keep demanding my time. Gotta love 'em.

Before Noon

Mornings are more productive for me. For some reason I can get more done before noon than any other time of the day. I will blame my mother for that trait. And to make it worse I have passed it on to Mason. Not many soon to be seventeen year olds beg to get woke up by 6am. A better photo of the bag I made yesterday. I may actually have to write up a tutorial for this. It was so simple and turned out great. Double pocket detail on the inside of the bag.

Now I am loving the camera strap covers. Both made from scraps from the red, white and black quilts. Whipped up in 5 minutes. Used the fusible fleece for the padding. It was the perfect weight and quick.

Pot holders that were finished yesterday. Again from scraps.

Finally started and finished the Sakara bag this morning. Believe it or not I like to hand sew. I find it very relaxing. But this little bag was way to fussy for me. Sorry swap partner but this is what you are getting and I am throwing away the pattern instructions on this one.