Toiletry bag

A few years ago, my sister requested a toiletry bag to travel with.  I searched for a patten that would be good and on a friend's suggestion I chose to do a modified version of Heather Ross' overnight bag from her book,  Weekend Sewing.  

My friend had made the bag but had doubled the height to give it a bit more depth to hold taller items.  I liked the shape of the bag and it seemed pretty easy to put together.  I also chose to double the height of the bag, so that my sister could carry larger items.  Along with doubling the height, I needed to adjust the length of the zipper and the top wrap-around of the bag.  I chose a duck canvas for the outside fabric as I wanted it to be sturdy, so that the bag would be able to stand upright.  I also lined the bag with a heavy-weight interfacing.  I didn't want it to flop at all!  I attached a little strap on one side that would allow you to carry the bag easily.

On the inside, I chose to attach an elastic to the top of the pockets, so that they would hold items inside the pockets snugly.  I wasn't a fan of how the pockets were inserted into the pattern, so I cut out rectangular strips that would be the pockets.  I then sewed these onto each of the side panels.  This helped to make the pockets deeper then how they would have been in the original pattern.

I loved how this bag came together and how it looked when it was finished.  And even better, my sister also loved it.  As a little extra gift, I put together some bags (pre-snack sack era!)  These were just made with an inner and outer layer of quilting cotton.  This is being used to carry make-up and other items around with her everyday.  

Christmas bags

In an attempt to be more environmentally friendly, I decided that I would make some more snack bags for people as Christmas gifts.  I chose to make a few that were a bit larger so you could even put a sandwich inside.  Not necessarily, a wet soggy sandwich but definitely something that wasn't too moist!

I thought that my sister and brother-in-law would be perfect recipients, as they could also put snacks including nuts or candies in them.  I chose fabric for their bags that was a little representative of their personalities or that perhaps made me think of them.  

My brother-in-law got two bags, one with spiderman fabric;

and this great Mr. Potato Head fabric.

For my sister, I chose this Lorax fabric.

The inside of the bags were lined with nylon and I included my tags to show them it was handmade.

I made another bag for my daughter, she was with me when I was selecting the fabric and she insisted that she wanted some of the Little Mermaid.  She's since put her stickers inside...not my original intention but it works for now, especially when she doesn't need snacks for school.  

I also stumbled across this fabric (All I want for Christmas from the Alexander Henry Fabric Collection).  I had to buy a ton of it because I loved it so much.  My intention was to make bags to go under the tree instead of wrapping paper, but I was too busy making actual presents that I never got around to making the bags.  I am figuring that if I make them now I will be ready for next year and won't need to worry about them.  But, this fabric was perfect for a friend of mine.  I figured she could use it for her snacks (even though it is seasonal), but she's found her own special use for it.  

All of these bags have zipper closures (which aren't that pricey), but I am thinking that I may cut down on cost if I switch to a velcro closure.  I wanted something that would seal off the whole bag so you won't be dropping snacks everywhere you go, as well as something that would be easily washable.  I may get a little adventurous and see what I come up with! 

Everyone needs a pincushion!

Especially a cute hedgehog one!  I saw the pattern for this adorable hedgehog pincushion on the 2012 Handmade Holiday list.  It was too cute to pass up, so I ran out to the fabric store to grab some faux fur and some felted wool.   The pattern pieces were super easy to cut out.  It was a bit tough sewing the little pieces together.  

On the first go around, I was having some troubles lining the two sides up so that the fur would start at the same spot on either side of the head.  I also needed to be careful with the fur, it was a bit on the longer side and I didn't want to clip it while cutting or get it sewn on the inside of the pincushion.

I think on my next go around with this pattern, I may add sand or steel wool inside the hedgehog so that it sharpens pins as you use it.  The sand would also give it a nice weight for sitting on your sewing table.  I was happy with her and figured she would make the perfect Christmas gift for my friend who sews!  Of course, my eldest daughter promptly asked for her own hedgehog...I started to think about perhaps making her a larger size pillow version for her bed.  We'll have to see. 

Library Book Bag

A while back I decided to make a bag that my daughter could take with her to the library.  This bag would need to hold the books that we would take home as well as a place for her library card.  I had previously used this pattern to make a similar bag for my daughter's friend.  I used this pattern again to make the bag for my daughter but rather then put an apple applique on the front, I used various fabrics to write "Books".  The letters were made using interfacing and were stitched onto the front pocket using a blanket stitch on my sewing machine.   I used an accenting colour to each letter for the thread.  

The fabric that I chose for the letters is from various children's classics.  The Lorax, Winnie the Pooh, Richard Scarey, Berenstain Bears and Arthur.

On the strap, similar to the Mo Bedell pattern, I included a small pocket, with an elastic closure to hold her library card.  

Overall, I was really happy how this bag turned out.  The canvas exterior makes it sturdy enough to fill with books.  The pattern is really easy to follow, and the bag looks really good when it's finished.  I love how polished the french seams are inside the bag.  The lining of the front pocket allows you to put any applique that you want.

Birthday Owls and Swim Bags

Back in May, my daughter turned four and for her birthday party we had a slumber party with two of her best friends.  The theme of the party was a Night Owl party as I figured that none of the kids were going to get any sleep (I also loved this idea from SnowyBliss)!  The girls ending having a great time, they decorated cupcakes, painted and slept in a tent in our living room.
To go with the theme of the party, I made a few favours for the girls.  One of the things that I loved from the SnowyBliss party was the owl stuffy.  I decided to buy the pattern and make each girl their own owl, which would hopefully help them to feel comfortable enough to sleep in a strange house!  I made all of the owls the same, giving them each a frilly skirt and altering the colours just a bit between all three.  I ended up using fleece to make the owls as I figured it may be necessary to wash them at some point and in my opinion fleece is just a bit more cuddly then felt.  I also ended up using my machine to blanket stitch around the eyes and stomach.  I figured it would save me tons of time.  Below is a photo of my daughter's little owl.

At the end of the party, I gave each little girl a treat bag.  I ended up making little bags that I filled with a few things that the girls would enjoy.  The bags themselves are simple with a quilting cotton on the exterior, the lining is waterproof.  All of the girls have done swimming lessons together and I figured these bags could be used to put their wet bathing suits into after going to the pool.

Here you can see the inner lining of the bag that is waterproof.

Snack sacks

My little family is heading out on an adventure this coming weekend.  We are flying to Toronto to visit with family.  It will likely be a busy few weeks but we are all looking forward to it.  I thought that it would make things easier if we had a few reusable bags for snacks, this would help cut down on Ziploc bags and also save space because I wouldn't need to carry Tupperware everywhere.

I used some quilting cotton scraps that I had on hand, some nylon for the lining and 7" zippers.  I figured the lining would keep the bags semi-waterproof, but would also allow for the bags to be washable.  My eldest daughter helped to choose the zipper colors, they weren't what I would have chosen but in the end I think they look pretty good.  Perhaps next time I will add a little tab on the end of the bag to make it easier for little hands to open.  Overall, these little bags were really quick to whip up and they should come in handy for our little vacation!