November 30, 2009

oh, sewing machine! oh, sewing machine! how lovely is your humming...

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! My other half was in WV this year & I went w/ my family to Cracker Barrel for the big day. Oh yes, you read right- Cracker Barrel. It was actually very nice & worked out really well for a family of 7, 3 of which were getting over the colley wobbles. This little guy was one of the highlights. :)
Seeing his picture on here brings a big smile to my face!

I had started sewing that morning while watching The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade & continued on when I got home. My mom came over for a sleep over that night (How fun is that, really? It's so nice when you grow up & get to really be friends w/ your mom.) & taught me a few sewing tricks. She often likes to quote Mark Twain on this one- "When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years." I have actually always enjoyed her company though, so poo on that. I, myself, like to quote MT on this one- "If I knew the world was coming to an end, I would go to Cincinnati because everything happens ten years later in Cincinnati." Anyway, it was very nice having her over & those sewing tricks she taught me were AWESOME!

I had intended on posting quite a few pictures of my craftiness but then I realized that most of them are gifts & that if I posted them here I would ruin the surprise! DOH! Here are a few safe pictures.Jackson was checking the cutting accuracy for his Grammy's tote bag. Notice the Snoopy float on the screen in the background? :) I love the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade sooooo much that when I was in Spain for Thanksgiving one year, my sister taped it for me & I watched it when I returned in the middle of December.
Here is a bag I made for myself along w/...
A matching pillow! HA! I suddenly feel like one of the Van Trapps.

&, the last item I can post safely here, are these bags I made for the Lollies.
I am also making a coordinating one for Manly but w/ blue dots.
The tote bag pattern I used is from Sew Mama Sew. The only difference I made was that I made the handles 5"x30" instead of 5"x26" as stated in the pattern. I also scaled down the bag by roughly 25% to work for children. To do that, I made the two squares 15"x16", the pocket 7"x7" & the handles 5"x...17"? I may be off on that last number. Also, to make the flat bottom I measured in 1.75" on the two triangles instead of the 2.5" as recommended in the full size pattern. For the pillow, I simply squared a scrap (roughly 10"x10", I do believe), put a 2" wide sashing all the way around & added a backing the same size as the front w/ the sashing. For both the bags & the pillow I used sturdy upholstry fabric.
So, a very crafty Thanksgiving indeed! Ah... I love instant gratification. :)

3 comments:

  1. I would like to put in an order for pillows. I like them. A lot.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I want vegan bags!!!! I'll buy them or exchange baked goods for them!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Next will you make me a dress out of curtains?

    ReplyDelete

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