Beach Bag

A couple months ago, some friends and I started getting together once a week to sew and work on projects together.   Usually we'd do something one of us had done before so that person could walk the others through the project.  It was so much fun!  But it only lasted a month or so before everyone went home (back to the States) for the summer.  School starts next week, so almost everyone has trickled back, but we have yet to pick back up with our "Sew Cool Sewing Club".  Yeah, we're dorks!  Anyhow, this beach bag was one of our projects.  It has worked great for our pool and waterpark trips, since taking enough stuff for 4 requires quite a large bag.  Here's Rayna holding up the straps for me:  a long cross body strap and smaller shoulder straps.

The best part is having learned to make a simple flat bottom bag.  Endless possibilities...

Zippered Pouch Extravaganza

Google is dangerous.  I googled "how to sew a zippered pouch" and then had a serious zippered pouch sewing party!  I kept seeing things and thinking... I could make a zipper pouch for that...

Doesn't hurt anything that zippers are $ 0.10 at Dongdaemun.

Now that we're on the countdown (as in, we have less time left than we've already spent here!), I am already starting to miss that place!

Here's a sampling of the zipper mania:

My favorites are these flat bottomed ones, because they can stand on their own.

I made one for Luke and Rayna for their markers, which has worked out pretty well.  Instead of having to dump them all out to use them, their markers have been staying neatly at hand in their little zipper pouches.  And I made one for me and my makeup.

It's a great way to learn how to sew a zipper.  C'mon, I know you want to do it! 

Here's a tutorial for a basic zippered pouch: 

 http://www.skiptomylou.org/2009/01/14/how-to-make-a-lined-zipper-pouch-tutorial/

Here's the tutorial I used for the flat bottom kind: 

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=176509.0

Well, off to get obsessed about sewing something else... maybe me and google should take a "break"!

PJ Party

Don't these kids look ready for a good time?

This picture makes me laugh so much, because I have no idea why they both look like they're having a mug shot taken!?  They really were happy about me making them some new pajamas!

That's right!  I found some cute flannels at my happy place - Happy Quilt, googled "how to sew pajama pants", and voila!  This truly was one of the easiest projects (who knew!).  There are only two pieces to pants like this, an elastic waist, and they don't have to fit perfectly or anything.  Now, next time I will change the pattern a bit for Rayna's - hers are a little snug in the tush, but nothing a little trial and error won't fix.  I will also buy her a larger undershirt to use for the top (good thing she doesn't really know it's ridiculously short).  I cut out their initials and sewed them onto the t-shirts (using a little "heat-n-bond" first) to make a matching set. 

 With the price of kids jammies these days (and my kids like the matching tops and bottoms) I think I may whip out a few more of these.  The fabric I used was probably about $2.00 for each and the t-shirts were in a 5 pack for 6 something.

I'm having visions of matching family Christmas jammies, hehehe...

Sewing Project: Bible Cover

Above is a Bible cover I made for my sister-in-law, with an outside pocket and a couple of pen pockets.  I don't like a bunch of pens/papers inside the cover of my Bible because it messes up the binding when you start putting all that stuff inside of it.  I like hers better than the first one I made for myself (below)!  Things always get better after the first time.  :)  Mine doesn't have the pen pocket, and I put a closure on it, but it's really unnecessary and doesn't lay very flat, so it annoys me.  But, it's pretty!  My favorite thing about both of them is that the handles are long enough to sling over your arm, for hands free carrying!  Especially helpful when constantly carrying around a very heavy 17 month old.  I used this tutorial to help me figure out how this would come together, then made some of my own changes.

Skirts

My girls in their cute skirts I made for them!

When I was measuring their waists before I made these, I got a good laugh that my thinned-out-not-so-babyish-anymore 4 year old has a waist only a half inch larger than her chubsy-wubsy baby sister!  I will be so sad when Tessa starts losing all that cute baby fat!

The Cutest Jedis Ever

The Jedi robes are completed!!  This project was different since I didn't worry about exactness of any kind.  The beauty of making a big flowy costume for a 4 and 5 year old who aren't looking at the details!!

Accent Pillows

I got this fabric at Dongdaemun - unfortunately I didn't know what I was going to do with it when I bought it, and only had enough for the fronts of 3 pillows... so I still need to make a coordinating 4th.  My new favorite colors are this green with black or brown.

Here's the back - I did an "envelope" closure so I can take it off and wash it, and this is way easier than a zipper.  Basically instead of cutting 2 squares to put together, you cut one square for the front and 2 rectangles for the back that overlap and make the square.

The extra touch I added was some black piping around the edge, which was way easier than I thought it would be.  Done!