Sew Your Own Tote Bag...

A nice sturdy tote bag is a must have for the summer season. They are useful in just about any size and are perfect for gathering the necessities for any outing. In the summer months I often use a tote instead of my everyday purse because there just seems to be more to bring along! This year I made this simple tote for each of Andrew's preschool teachers as a thank you for all of their hard work over the year. They appreciated that the gifts were handmade and Andrew (and I) were proud to give them each a gift that was made just for them!

The tote bags took me about an hour each  to make, but I think I could sew them more efficiently now that I've got the pattern fingered out. I created the pattern by researching a few online and combining a few different ideas to come up with the look that I had in mind. I have included a detailed tutorial at the end of this post if you are interested in making one yourself!

Rather than wrapping the bags up for each teacher, I simply folded the tote and bound it with some pretty ribbon. We also attached a simple card that Andrew added a little message to. 

Simple Tote Bag Tutorial

1. Using approximately 1/2 a yard of two coordinating pieces of fabric, cut out the following sections. 

2. Assemble the "exterior" of the tote by placing one the "fabric A" (6"x14") pieces on top of the "fabric B" (24"x14") piece with right sides together. Sew along the 14" edge. Repeat this step with the second "fabric A" (6"14") piece so that the finished product looks like the diagram above.

3. To make the tote straps, fold and iron the fabric strip in half lengthwise (wrong side together). Open the strip back up and fold each raw edge into the crease created by the iron. Iron again and then fold in half. Sew along the perimeter of the entire strip. Do not worry that the ends are raw, as they will be tucked into the bag, between the interior and exterior sections. 

*for photos of this folding process see this tutorial*

4. Once the "exterior" and each strap have been assembled, place the "exterior" on top of the "interior" with right sides together. Pin along the edge. Then, tuck and pin the straps so that they are in between the two sections of fabric. The ends of the straps should stick out at least one inch. Be sure that the straps are not twisted on themselves and that they are placed in the same location on each end of the tote. Sew along the entire perimeter of the pinned sections, leaving an opening of about 3", along one of the long edges, so that you can turn the entire bag right side out.

5. Turn the tote right side out and iron flat.

6. You should now have a long, double sided strip of fabric with handles on each end. Fold the entire strip in half so that the "interior" is on the outside. Pin and sew along the long sides.

7. To create a boxed bottom for your tote bag, follow these instructions. 

8. Turn your new tote bag right side out and you're ready to go!!

Simple fingerless mitts...

Back in the fall, when the temperatures started to drop, I caught the knitting bug. This is pretty common for me, and usually means that someone special will receive some hand knitted Christmas gifts! I have been knitting for years, but haven't really made it past the novice stage. However, simple knitting patterns are easy to find and don't have to be limited to dishcloths and pot holders! Here are some of the fingerless mitts I made for Andrew's preschool teachers!

These mitts were very simple. I am not a quick knitter and I was able to complete one mitt in an evening of knitting (About one episode of Downton Abbey). 

I completed the grey pair first, following a knitting pattern that I found on Pinterest. You can find the pattern here. The blue pair were very similar, but I altered the pattern to get a different look, the pattern for these can be found at the end of this post. 

We packaged the mitts by wrapping them and a Christmas card with twine. I loved the simple, rustic look and was happy that the mitts were displayed, rather than being covered up! Andrew's teachers were thrilled with their gift and very touched that I took the time to create something handmade... I was pretty proud!

Now that temps are above freezing, maybe they'll be able to get a little more use out of them!!

Simple Fingerless Mitts
worsted weight yarn, size 7 needles

Cast on 28 stitches (increase by increments of 2 for larger mitts)

Cuff - knit one row, pearl one row (for 5 rows)
Arm - knit 2, pearl 2 for 20 rows
Hand - knit one row, pearl one row (for 13 rows)
Trim - knit one row, pearl one row
Cast off all stitches

Sew together the top 5 stitches, and then sew together the length of the "Arm" and "Cuff", leaving a hole for the thumb. 

Simple Custom Curtains

Awhile back I mentioned that I would soon be tackling my first set of handmade curtains for Henry's room. His room has been one of the first spaces in our new house that I have tried to complete, because it doubles as our guest room. I did quite a bit of research to try and determine which curtains would be best for his window, and decided that full length was the way to go. This also meant at least 5 yards of fabric! Way to pricey for a one year old's window treatment!! So I ended up taking the easy route, but am super happy that I did! The project cost a total of $35.00 and was completed during one afternoon nap!

Now that we are living so far away from home, we have had quite a few guests come to stay for extended visits. Henry's room is quite large and was able to accommodate a futon and all of his furniture with room to spare. When we have company we simply bring Henry into our room and leave his room for our friends. This works out really well because many of them also have little ones who can sleep in Henry's crib.

Here is one side of the room. super white and super plain. I was hoping that some full length curtains would help break up all of the starkness.

The ceilings in our new home are quite high, so standard 84" panels were not going to do the trick. However, this gave me the opportunity to tweak some inexpensive panels to get a more custom look.  I started with plain grommet panels that I found at Walmart for $12.95. I was happy to find that these  also had a liner that helped to keep out sunlight and noises from the street. 

I folded the panel in half, measured 18" down from the top, drew a line and cut along the line. 

Then, I cut fabric to match the width of the curtain panel. I chose to add 24" of fabric to my curtains. This would give me enough length to hang the curtains about 12" above the top of the window and still have them reach the floor. You may need to alter this measurement based on the window you are covering. 

Once the fabric was cut, I laid the top portion of the cut panel on top of it, right sides together. I pinned and then sewed along the edge.  I repeated this step for the bottom portion of the curtain panel. 

Once I had the top and bottom portion of the panel attached, I folded the raw edge over, pinned, sewed and trimmed to create a tidy finished edge. 

And that was that! They were ready to hang!

I am quite happy with the results! I know I could have been a bit more brave and attempted some "real deal handmade curtains", but this was quick and inexpensive and that is perfect for me right now!

They help break up the white a bit and keep some of the bright light out, which makes the whole room feel warmer. Now to find something to hang on the walls!

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Shine On Friday's - One Artsy Mama

Sewing Storage...

Last week I shared a few of the simple ideas I had found while trying to decide what to do with my new Heritage Collection Mason Jars. There are so many ways that you can use these jars and they add such a nice touch to any space. I settled on using the jars to organize my sewing supplies. Not very creative, but extremely functional!

No fun tutorial to share, I simply organized my buttons, bobbins and thread into the jars and then popped a label onto each lid.

I covered the box that the jars came in with some fabric, using the same "No Sew" method that I blogged about here. Keeping the jars inside of this box makes it easier to grab everything that I need from my cart and stops them from tipping when it gets moved around. 

Like I said, pretty simple and very functional!

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Organize It! Linky Party (October)

Mermaid Tail Tutorial

Good morning! I hope everyone is having a fabulous week! Today I am sharing a Mermaid Tail Tutorial at Mimi's Dollhouse! This is the mermaid tail that my friend Jenn gifted to all of the little princesses as they arrived at her daughter's birthday party. The "Under the Sea" party was an amazing success. Jenn never fails to go completely overboard with food, decor and games. She used fun custom printables from Mimi's Dollhouse for her invitations as well as banners, cupcake circles and thank you notes. I will be back later this week to share a few more of Jenn's creative Mermaid Party ideas, but in the mean time, take a minute to check out my Mermaid Tail Tutorial!

Isn't she adorable!!

Here is a link to the Christmas Craft Party that Jenn and I hosted together. I just loved collaborating with someone who loves throwing a great party!

DIY Stroller Toy Bar

Henry recently graduated from his bucket car seat to the kind that stays in the car, meaning that it was time to pull out the "Big Boy Stroller Seat". We have the Uppa Baby Stroller system and have absolutely loved it. It has travelled with us everywhere and been extremely versatile. However, I had forgotten about Andrew's obsession with chewing on the bar that crosses over the seat, that is until Henry started doing the same thing! The bar was looking completely gross, and after digging a bunch of little black pieces of foam from is mouth and I knew I needed a solution!

I decided to sew a cover for the bar that would work for attaching a few toys. I started by measuring two pieces of fabric that were long enough to cover the bar and wide enough to wrap around, adding an inch to the width for a seam allowance. I placed the two pieces right side together and sewed around the perimeter, leaving a small opening to turn it right side out. To close the opening, I tucked the raw edge in and added a finishing stitch to the end. I did this on the other end as well, just for the sake of symmetry.

Then, I folded the cover in half and pinned the edges together. To add the ribbon loops for attaching toys, I cut three pieces of ribbon, folded them in half and tucked the looped end inside of the folded cover. I pinned these in place and sewed along the length of the cover, making one long tube. 

I then turned the whole cover right side out and was done! This tube fit snugly over the stroller seat bar and completely covered the mess from Andrew's teeth!

They toys attached easily and now he won't be able to toss them from the stroller! I think this idea would work for quite a few strollers. It took about twenty minutes to sew and was made from scraps material... gotta love a free project!

Car Seat Cover Tutorial

Last September, I shared the car seat cover that I made for Henry, in this post. I have been pleasantly surprised at how much traffic it continues to receive. At that point, I was just becoming familiar with the tutorial aspect of blogging, so I didn't try to attempt one for a project with so many steps. However, I am much more comfortable with these posts now… so I snapped a bunch of photos while I was making a cover for my friend Shannon and her beautiful baby girl, Ayla! 

Here is the step-by-step process...

To make the front panel of the cover, fold your fabric in half and roughly sketch and then cut this shape. It should be 16.5" wide (from fold) and 22" long. You will want to ensure that these dimensions work for your car seat, as they are all a bit different. 

I chose to add a strip of a coordinating fabric to the front of the cover. To do this I removed a 5" strip from the front panel and replaced it with the coordinate. I cut the yellow fabric 6" wide for a seam allowance. Once I had sewn the strip on both sides, I ironed the seams flat.

I used the front panel as a guide to trace and cut the back portion of the cover. For most car seats this piece should be slightly smaller than the front piece, but again, all carseats are different.

I sewed the front panel to the back panel and ironed the seam flat. Then, placing the cover right side down, I traced and cut the underside of the cover. 

Keeping the fabric right side together, I sewed around the perimeter of the cover, leaving a 3" opening to turn it right side out. After turning the cover right side out, I ironed the seams, taking special care to fold the raw edge of the opening in.

I then added a finishing stitch to the cover, and closed the opening, by sewing around the perimeter.

To make the straps, cut two pieces of fabric 9.5" by 11".

Fold and iron this piece of fabric length wise (you want the strap to be 9" long). Open it back up and fold each edge into the crease in the middle and iron. Then fold the ends in and sew a raw seam, so that the strap will be nicely finished at both ends. This is where I made a slight change from the first cover that I made. Instead of velcro, I wanted to use snaps. I attached these before I closed the strap, with a finishing stitch, so that the there would be no visible stitching around the snaps. 

Pin the straps to the seam on the top of the cover, and ensure that they are in an appropriate location by attaching the cover to your carseat. You will want to make sure that you can still easily carry the car seat without having to move the cover. Once you have found the correct location, sew the strap directly onto the cover with two lines of stitching (one on each side of the seam). Snap your cover to your car seat and you are ready to go!!

I was so excited to give this gift to Shannon and Ayla. The colours go well with her car seat, and even her nursery;) Ayla was really pumped to try it out... don't let her expression fool you!!

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