More bags

A couple of weeks ago the twins had a sleepover. Since I had made the dinosaur drawstring bags for my grandsons in British Columbia, and since the twins were going to be going away for a weekend of camping, I thought that they could use a little drawstring bag of their very own too. They got to choose their own fabric. I have quite a few fat quarters and so I picked several that I thought the little girls would like.

This was the fabric that Severn liked right away. It was a bit more than a fat quarter and I have no idea why I bought it. Perhaps to make a little shirt? Who knows?

At first, Mackenzie chose a fat quarter that had snails and starfish and other creatures on it. I don't know why I had put that in the pile of fabrics for them to choose but that's the one she picked.

But then, she saw this cute doggy fabric. I think I got it from Walmart. I think it is just super cute.

So, I did manage to find the time to sew the bags.

And since I had already made two, fully lined drawstring bags, it didn't take long to complete more.

These are both the same size.

Fully lined and from my stash. This time I had to make a trip out to Fabricland to get more twill tape.

But wait, there's more....

Here's Teemu all ready for his road trip. 

Note the toy drill in his hand?

He got his very own tool bag with leftover fabric from making a pillowcase for his cousin Patric.

There was just enough fabric leftover to make a special bag.

Off he goes...

but wait...

where's the shoes?

Typical boy.

So, now all the little ones over the age of three have their very own drawstring bag.

Just a little bit of sewing

On my travels this summer around various quilt shops (Row by Row Experience and also a July Shop Hop) , I picked up some cute fabric.

Dinosaur fabric.

These were just fat quarters that one shop had on sale. My two grandsons, who live in British Columbia, are going on a road trip to see the dinosaur exhibit in Drumheller, Alberta. I didn't know what to do with these fabrics but my daughter Laila, their mom, suggested bags.

So, I searched online for instructions on how to make lined, drawstring bags.

There are several tutorials out there and once I watched them and read the instructions, I was on my way.

I have a lot of cotton/polyester broadcloth and so that's what I used for the lining.

I think this darker one is my favourite. I'm really not a dinosaur fan but these two pieces of fabric are just so cute.

I found a brand new package of twill tape in my stash and that's what I used for the drawstring. I opted to sew the ends together instead of just tying them closed.

I decided to line them so that they were a tad stronger. After all, they were going to be used by two very active little boys - aged five and seven. The bags were so much fun to make and oh, so easy. I can now make them in any size. I'm so pleased with how they turned out.

Now I have some repair jobs to do and a quilt backing to put together.

Busy

Today has been a full day so far.

There has been a little bit of bread making. These are whole wheat loaves and the house smells really nice.

 

I made this yesterday using Pink Penguin's tutorial. This is the bigger sized one. It's too big for it's purpose. So, today...

 

I made the smaller version, which is the original size. However, I think it's too small.

 

I may need a medium sized basket but I'm not making one right now. These are the leftover pieces of fabric from a diaper bag I had made a couple of years ago. It's uphostery fabric weight and I'm so glad I got to use it up.

 

Yesterday, I also made a trivet and ...

 

 recently, I finished sewing up the pieces to this teeny tiny little sweater for Luc's sibling who is due in a week. I'm glad that the front colour changes worked out for both sides.

 

 

I'm linking up with a whole lot of other very creative people at the Needle and Thread Network.

 

Have a great week.

A New Bag

Not for me.

One side.

The other side.

The button trim on the strap.

The zipper pull. The bag had to have a zipper.

The inside lining.

One side of the lining.

The other side of the lining.

Raw edges of lining encased. 

An extremely well-made bag.

A gift.

Not from me.

Addendum: The pattern is McCall's 6045.

New Bag

This time it's for me.

 McCall's 6131

A tote with loads of room and an extra pocket. It took longer than expected because for some reason I have problems putting in the part that is the zipper and facing. Took it out twice and was about to take it all apart when I figured out how to do it successfully. Upside down zippers don't work so well.

Another bag

This time it's a diaper bag for my daughter's friend Vanessa. Butterick 5005. Her parents had me over for dinner the two times I was in California. Wonderful people, delicious food and a great time was had by all.

The front.

The back.

Although you can see the bottom in both these photos, the bag can stand on its own. It just didn't have anything in it when the photos were taken. The whole thing is made from sturdy material (not quite a canvas) and it is totally lined with horsehair interfacing. The inside is lined in bright yellow broadcloth - the same colour as the straps - and there are two pockets on both sides. I did take a photo of the inside but it came out blurry and now the bag is no longer here.

No more bags for a while. I am going to do some other sewing.

Bags

I have done this pattern so many times that I have it down pat now with my own little tips to make it more of a quality item. I cut the pattern out with pinking shears so the fabric won't shred over time and I have also sewn little extra bits of fabric at the bottom of the 'strap' to reinforce it. My daughter (the middle one is the only one living in TO right now) was the guinea pig for the pattern and she liked it so much that I made her sisters one too. Then I made a few more. I have mentioned it before but I will tell you again that it is Vogue 8466. I am not endorsing Vogue but I do have to "cite my source" as they say in the library world.

The one that started it all. It turned into a useful item.

For the little girl in England who likes it so much the other one I made has not been used yet.

For the eldest daughter in B.C. I just wanted to try out the fabric and I didn't even think of matching up the plaid.

For Amie's mom in Devon.

And these last two I did yesterday and today - just because. I'm going to take a break and make a diaper bag - or something totally off the wall and freeing.

New bag

The pattern for the bag I just made, Vogue 8466, had four different versions. I made the hardest one and here's the easiest. I wanted to try out the pattern since all it was was a rectangle. Altogether, with cutting the fabric out and sewing it, I think it took me two and a half hours. You can't beat that. I really meant to take a photo before it left my house last Saturday but, of course, I forgot. So I asked Maili, the recipient of the bag, to take some photos for me so I could post it on the blog and here they are.

This bag has no lining, no zipper and no inner pockets but it is sooo roomy.

 Now that she has had it for a week, Maili said that the bag has really come in handy.

I plan on making one or two more out of different fabrics. Although the pattern mentioned a lighter-weight fabric, I used a cotton twill and will stick with the heavier fabric. The only problem is that the last bit of stitching to do on the bag is to gather up the top of the strap and you end up having to sew through so many layers of fabric that the thinner it is, the easier it would be to sew but I will still use a more substantial fabric.