Category: Family (Page 1 of 6)

More Bags

August 22, 2017 / Patty

Well, it’s no secret that I like to make all kinds of bags.

The other thing I like to do is to experiment with different techniques and fabrics.

The most recent experiment has been with cork leather. This is a leather type fabric made out of cork. Cork leather is vegan and eco-friendly. It it made from cork that has been left to dry for 6 months after harvest and then boiled, steamed and pressed into blocks for slicing. It’s very lightweight and water resistant. There are a number of suppliers on the web as well as Etsy and Ebay. I found an offer on Massdrop and decided this was the time to try it out. It comes in a sheet and was shipped in a tube. I have the remaining piece rolled up and stored on a shelf.

it was fun to sew with. It’s very much like other fabrics. I did use a walking foot but I’m not sure that would really be necessary. One thing that I didn’t think about was if I used it at the bottom of a bag, it is bulkier and not as easy to turn the bag right side out of to push the corners out. The little glasses case was more difficult that the zipper pouch due to the smaller design.

Cork Leather

This is the first experiment that I made for myself. A glasses case with a pinch type opening.

This was my second try. A graduation gift for a my cousins daughter. Their last name is Campbell so that’s why I used Campbell soup fabric for the inside.

The last was for the son’s fiance. I think she was surprised and pleased. It’s too bad I forgot to take a picture of the inside because she really loved that. It was fabric with little lobsters on it.

Can’t everyone can use a zip pouch of two?

Babies Again

January 11, 2017 / Patty

Babies seem to be the theme here and this was a quilt for my niece. She had the first little boy in my brother’s family. Exciting times for sure!.

The daddy is involved in crew and repairing boats etc. so I really wanted to use some water themed fabric and I loved this Offshore line of fabric by Deena Rutter for Riley Blake The colors and the variety of prints really appealed. Of course there were a few other things I included for the new baby. I made some burp rags with appliques and also a tag blanket.

Too Long

August 17, 2016 / Patty

I didn’t realize how long it’s been since I’ve been here. I’ll start now and add a few more posts later in the week. It’s supposed to be a very hot few days here so this should be a good time to get caught up again.

The most current project has been an apron for my son’s girlfriend. She is a cat lover and when I saw this pattern for a cat apron I knew it was the perfect choice for her. She also cooks a lot so it should be useful as well. As with all first time projects, this took longer than I expected and when you start at 11 at night there is bound to be some un-sewing as well. It was fun however and I did enjoy the project.

Christmas Sewing is Done!

January 2, 2016 / Patty

Christmas sewing is done. I guess that’s good because it’s the 2nd of January 2016! Each year the holidays feel like it’s coming more quickly.

This has been a calmer year in many ways. I got the “crud” at Thanksgiving and just wasn’t able to shake if so have spent most of the vacation sleeping and doing only what needed to be done. Nice to feel like I have the time for that but oh the plans I had. Looks like I have a new year to carry out all those unfinished projects.

Christmas sewing included some small projects. I made some doll clothes for my niece’s daughter.

I also made some patchwork bibs to save those pretty dress clothes.

Sons girlfriend is a cat lover so I made her a cat pillowcase and a cat key fob. This was a fun project.

Of course there was the ever popular pajama pants for the daughters.

And niece #2 just shared she is having a baby at the beginning of June so I tried a new receiving blanket pattern. This was fun too.

There were several other things that I forgot to take pictures of but it was a fun and low stress sewing season here.

My sewing machine and I will spend some quality “bonding” time together I can spend some time making quilt blocks for a 1930’s Farmers Wife Quilt. Onward 2016..

So Many Projects and So Little Time

November 20, 2015 / Patty

So many projects and so little time. That seems to be the story of my life these days. I would love to spend my days sewing all the projects that I imagine and have fabric for but reality is not the same. Guess that’s good for I’d hate to run out of things to do.

I have made lots of little things and couple of bigger things so I think I’ll start back with the smaller items and continue the story.

Minions have been a popular item and topic of discussion in several places. Either you love these little guys or you just can’t figure out what the charm is.

Some pillow cases.

And there was also a lunch sack, napkins utensil holder.

Some jar cozies for packing lunches. These are pint size canning jars in an insulated bag that can be packed in a lunch.

And one more baby quilt. This was a fun one to do and came together quickly. This was made out of 61/2 inch half square triangles.

Cute little zip pouch

September 20, 2015 / Patty

A cute little zip pouch was in order for a little pair of ear phones. This was for one of my brothers. He was going to take a long plane ride and was complaining about not being able to wear his ear buds for very long and it was going to be a 12 hour flight. I have a pair of the over the ear head phones and have been pleased with them because I too have a problem with the ear buds. They just are not comfortable for very long. One thing I have learned about this type of ear phones however is the mesh over the device that rests against your ear does get pulled off easily. When I put these in a pocket and pull them out again it doesn’t take long and they are coming apart. This of course in my mind equates to some kind of storage device and in this instance a zip pouch is perfect. My brother is also a bit of a neatnik so this is right up his alley. I found this “manly” fabric with arrows on it, in a lovely blue/green and knew it would be perfect. I don’t know how much he actually used the ear phones, we haven’t had much chance to visit since he returned but it was a quick, fun and satisfying project.

For the love of Pinterest

June 8, 2015 / Patty

For the love of Pinterest.. I’ve heard this so many times. It fills my head with ideas and I get excited, pull fabrics, print patterns, make plans and often before I’ve finished one project I’ve started another. There are so many that I would like to do that sometimes I also get bogged down in the ideas and the planning and forget about the doing. This time however I even did the doing part! I’ve made jar cozies/carriers for 16 oz mason jars. Once again I almost got lost in the choosing fabric stage but I pushed through, and made my decision and was very firm with myself about not going back and choosing something better, or more appropriate or any number of other things.

My kids have fixed overnight oatmeal with oatmeal, a liquid and berries, putting it in the fridge overnight and taking it with them to work in the morning. I’ve also given them each several of the colored ball jars that are popular right now and I know they use them for storage and transporting food etc. When I saw these on Pinterest it was a pin from the sewmamasew website, I knew this was what I needed to make next. Like many projects of this type, the cutting preparation is really the most time-consuming part. I cut four of them at a time although when I was done I realized I needed more of the insulbrite cut but I can easily do that part tomorrow. The sewing was fast and fun and I can see making more of these. If I can figure out who to give them to.

Graduation Time of Year

June 2, 2015 / Patty

It’s graduation time of year again. I don’t really have close to me relatives graduating this year but do know two ladies that I want to recognize. Graduation is a big accomplishment if it is high school or college. The first lady is a high school graduate and like I’ve done many times over the last several years I’ve made a zip bag. I love to make these and they are so handy to have around. I have odds and ends in my purse, like Tylenol, eye drops etc. I have one for my cell phone, I have one for my Kindle and I have one for all of my charging cords. The usefulness can go on and on. I hope this lady will like her zip pouch as she heads off to college and finds it useful for some of life’s odd and ends.

The second lady is older and a college graduate. She has put herself through school while working full-time and I have lots of admiration for her and her hard work. She is also a Girl Scout volunteer and for many years has volunteered one week of her vacation at a summer overnight Girl Scout camp. As I puzzled about how to recognize her I decided I could make her a pillowcase that was designed especially for camp. Her camp name relates to a small animal and there are many interesting small wildlife creatures at camp so I thought this was a fitting recognition and something that she will use, enjoy and it will not show any dirt. At camp this is always a bonus even if you do sleep inside!.

So for this year, graduation sewing is done. Next on the agenda is a couple of aprons and at least two baby quilts. One of those quilts has been pieced so now it’s just layering, quilting and binding.

Baby Baby

May 21, 2015 / Patty

Baby baby, can’t you hear my heart beat… well not mine I guess but I’ve had lots of fun in the last couple of weeks sewing for my niece’s new baby girl. She actually will arrive in this world June 4th but I really didn’t want to wait. There are still more babies on the horizon. Not my own grandchildren yet, although maybe someday, but children of folks that I do know.

I made this new little girl a lovely “girlie” quilt. When I first started I knew the colors I wanted to use but when I cut the first pieces out it seemed too intense so I ended up cutting the strips of fabric and resewing and cutting again. I’m quite pleased with the result. It has produced a lovely quilt that is not too jarring but very sweet. It has this cute pink dancing bunny flannel on the back.

For the new baby there is also a tag blanket, a new burp rag and a darling sweater that my friend made for me to give her.

Baby sweater

I had some leftover blocks and decided that I needed to make some fun gifts for the big sister too. Now the big sister is two and a half and loves to help her mommy. She is also a great imitator and has a wonderful imagination. I just knew the big sister needed to have a new baby doll of her own. With that baby doll, she needed a few necessities to take good care of the baby so I also made her a doll blanket for that precious baby, as well as a few diapers with velcro, some diaper wipes, and a diaper bag. She also has a soft colorful blanket to cover that baby doll so she won’t get cold.

A couple more pictures

April 22, 2015 / Patty

A couple more pictures here. I did make some things for Christmas this year but find I only have pictures of some of the things.. not sure what happened. Guess I’m out of the habit.

I did make this nightgown for my niece’s daughter. I love making flannel nightgowns for little girls.

And I made my brother some napkins.

Of course there were also a few more zip bags.

And I also made about 20 of the long rice heat packs. There was a 50 pound bag of rice left at one of my work places so I made many of these. In fact I even ended up going to Costco for a second bag of rice.

Next up will be several baby quilts and other items. There are at least 3 babies that I know of in the next few months. I do enjoy the baby sewing and could easily get carried away by that.

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