I saw this bag recently in a clothing magazine but decided of course to try and make my own.

I drew the leaf and tree shapes out on cardboard and cut them for a pattern. Then cut the pieces out, arranged the order, and pinned each peice. This was fun since they could be kinda scattered. The time consuming part then was stitching each leaf.

The bag in the picture was stitched entirely in white but I alternated the thread matching the 4 colors of felt I used for the leaves. I embroidered the felt tree trunk in light brown to make it stand out against the indigo corduroy I chose for the bag.

When all of the embroidery was done I sewed up the sides and added a floral lining, which I doubt the original has. Overall, I am pretty happy with the attempt. What do you think of my version? Wait, you haven’t gotten to the best part yet!

The cost of theirs: $25.00
The cost of mine: -$2.50

I have been hunting lately for new and easy ways to add a closure to the bags that I make. I wanted to share what I found this week on the button rack- mini overall hooks!

I liked the simple look of the hook and aged nickel finish of the button. It was simple to sew on and I think looked really cute. I am sure that I have passed these over before but I think they are a perfect finish, especially for small bags. Do you have any other things used for closures that were not originally intended for that?

This orange bag is one of the first bags that I have attempted to sew and I have to say I’m pretty proud of myself. I still have some questions about lining and better construction, but pretty proud. I did make the lining a tad smaller in width than the outside fabric so that when I pinned it to sew, it did not line up all the way around. My husband though came up with a clever solution- I readjusted it so that there is a small pintuck in the front center of the bag that is hidden by the flap. (He often is the brains behind my projects!) I sewed two buttons together for more color and I like the way that turned out.

My next mission was to try and make some bags that were reversible. I am enjoying my sewing machine again (it comes and goes) so I whipped up this brown bag. With this second one again I thought I cut the 2 fabrics the same width and yet when I sewed them together there was still more of the outer fabric. Since I love the idea of making these I am now seeking outside of myself for further help. Do you cut both fabrics the exact same size when making it reversible? Does adding the handle between the 2 layers throw it off?

The second challenge I wanted to face was to find a way to make the bags stiffer no matter what fabric I choose. I bought some Iron-on Bond stuff to strengthen my lining and ironed it on the little piece of fabric I had left for the strap. I made the piece of iron-on too wide so when I folded the fabric together it bonded to itself and I had to leave the strap with the seam visible on the outside. Oops! Needless to say I did not want to iron-on to my main fabric. Any tips or feedback?

I saw this cute pin cushion in a book and ran home to try it! I use pins all the time in my sewing but hate how lightweight the cushions usually are, slipping off the table as I try to work with one hand while holding fabric in place. This little pot adds stability to the cushion. The original used a pot about 1″ around larger than the cushion and was filled with sand around the cactus. With a young child I could see that quickly getting knocked over. Instead I made the cactus to fit snugly in the pot with just enough room to tuck in a few other necessary sewing supplies.

I handstitched 3 pieces of felt to make the cactus, one longer than the others to curve under and make the bottom. Then stuffed it in the pot. To weigh it even more you could glue a magnet or washer to the bottom of the cactus and glue that to the inside bottom of the pot. I am going to try this idea with other shapes as well to personalize a cushion for my sewing friends.

Since felting has taken over my knitting life I am trying to branch out and employ some new effects. This bag was my first attempt at making my usual solids and stripes into plaid. It was both easier and more work than I thought it would be.

I knitted the main color and contrasting color yarn with random stripes. Then I used a big, plastic needle and a double strand of the contrasting color and weaved in and out about every 4 rows vertically. Since I used a new piece of yarn for each vertical stripe I did not tie knots but just ran it through the brown to secure the stripe. I just cut off all the ends after the bag was felted. This was rather time consuming.

One good thing that I also learned about felted wool is that you can cut off your mistakes! I knitted a flap and sewed a washer (like goes on a bolt, ladies) but somehow sewed up the bottom of my bag crooked resulting in a flap that was not centered. Luckily, I cut the entire flap off and you can’t even tell! This is the wonder craft for me!

I think it turned out to be a cute bag but am wondering if the vertical plaid stripes would have popped out more if I had chosen a more contrasting color. I think I will try bright, solid colors for the stripes next time instead of a veriegated yarn too close in color. If any of you have done this I would love to see your successes!

A few years ago a friend showed me how to make my own earrings (thanks Vanessa for another addiction!). After making a million pairs I convinced my husband to let me sell them in his classroom on special occasions. I targeted the men in his classes to buy them as gifts for their girl and even provided wrapping for them! This part I found to be almost as fun and rewarding as coming up with the bead combinations. It is fun to find or make tiny wrapping just right for earrings and the ideas are everywhere once you start looking for them.

By piercing holes with a tiny hole punch or even the earring post you can custom make anything into an earring holder. The little brown bags came with a piece of cardstock inside. The tiny white cards open and came with envelopes. Then I found sets of the little woven baskets at the dollar store. I love anything in miniature size!

Another fun part is decorating the wrapping. I bought this Love stamp since Love is my last name, to stamp on things I make and because I was selling these for Valentine’s Day. I love giving these miniature gifts as a small thank you or inside of another package. I am looking now for new wrapping ideas. Is there any you would like to share?

Today I wanted to show a gift my mom gave me: a beautifully stamped notebook. The cover, inside cover, dividers, and pockets are all stamped with a colorful flower theme. As you can see it is still blank inside because it’s almost too nice to be used, but I will fill it up soon when I find something worthy to fill it up with.

And then on the inside, more surprises! Nothing that she makes is ever boring!

I think decorating the dividers would be great for a child’s school notebook too, for the different subjects or a theme they like.

I have also stamped large and tiny pocket notebooks, pens, pencil cases, and index card boxes. Target sells a lot of these blank brown, cardboard paper products that make great gifts, so get stamping!

My fingers have been busy lately! I have become really addicted to felting, which is knitting with wool yarn and washing it to shrink it about 1/3 of its original size. I have posted several times before about the magical mytery of felting and wanted to show off the WIP from a few weeks ago that is finally finished! I can’t stop lately. As soon as I finish one I cast on another. Right now I am working on a gray bag with a pink, puple, ivory, and gray swirly border.

I have an orange bag just like the green one that I often carry and have been encouraged by friends to try and make them to sell so I am excited to try it out. (Anyone interested?)

I am so happy with how they have turned out, which I can’t always say about my work. Felting is magical!

For Valentine’s Day my husband and I decided to make each other a gift. I am anxious to see what he comes up with, while I decided to make him one of the things on his “list” that he can enjoy while playing with our son: Superman. We want to fill a chest with costumes for playing dress-up, so I made 2 versions of this cape that would hopefully make Clark Kent proud.

I bought red 1/4″ bias tape and 2 yards of red satin, measured the length to about the bottom of the seat of their pants.

Small Child: 18″L x 16″W
Adult: 40″L x 28″W

1. I like to iron my hems rather than pinning so I started with the sides, turned over twice about 1/4″ and ironed them down. Then I hemmed the sides and did the same with the bottom.

2. At the top I ran a thread through near the edge and pulled it in to gather. Then I sewed across my gathering. Be sure to keep your finger near the sewing needle so you can press down the fabric where it gathers.

3. Next, I used 1/4″ red bias tape to create the tie. Open the tape, center it across your fabric, and tuck in the newly gathered top seam. Then sew all the way across the bias tape. It shouldn’t unravel but you can also tuck in and sew the ends of the tie.

I think this would be really cute with a contrasting color of bias tape around all of the edges. I can’t wait to see them play!

In need of a quick and inexpensive gift for Valentine’s day?
These candy gift bags are fun and versatile for any occasion.

I got these little plastic baggies in different sizes from the dollar store. I fill them with candy or marshmallows (and attach a packet of cocoa), or any small gift. I cut about a 3 3/4 x 4 1/2 inch sqare and folded it in half to decorate. I like to use black paper and stamp with white craft ink or write with a white color pencil so it looks like writing on a chalkboad. This one went to our beloved Candace!

I have a 1 1/2 inch circle punch that I stamped the heart message on and stuck it to the black cardstock with a piece of 3-D double-sided tape. I have a tiny set of alphabet stamps that are great to use for stamping the name or a message on the back. When I am done I just staple the card over the ziploc part of the baggie. Perfect for friends, co-workers, or classmates!