Perfect parcels tied with perfect bows

Who loves a good surprise? Me, for sure!

As you can tell from the new header picture up there, I like to wrap Christmas gifts in fabric bags. I started using mainly bags about two years ago when I looked at my stash of Christmas fabrics and realized I'd never sew enough items to use them all.  So I started wrapping gifts in them.  After giving many away, the stash had dwindled and I was actually bemoaning the need to stop making gifts and start making bags for the gifts.

Then I opened a box of decorations and found this:

A stack of fabric bags ready for sewing!  All they needed was side seams!

Since I was going to make a few, I thought I'd put together a tutorial for my two favorite styles.  These are by no means "original designs".  These are just my interpretations of various styles I've seen on the web or in magazines.  Both styles begin with a simple rectangle and you'll need to decide how to fold it over and make the bag.  I've cut these examples to fold along the middle of the narrow width, forming a pouch. 

Style 1 is the gathered top pouch look.  Style 2 is the wrapped gift look.  Both start the same way.

Step 1: Fold bag, right sides together and press.  Also, press a small hem into each end of the strip.  This will finish the open edge at the bag top and, on a small bag, you won't be able to hem after it's constructed.

Step 2:  Sew a narrow seam down each side edge of the bag.  

For Style 1 - About 1.5" from the bag top, tack a piece of narrow ribbon/ ric rac.  I do this by cutting a length of ribbon and folding it in half.  I then tack the fold into the seam line.  Trim seam allowances to about 1/8" and press.  

For Style 2 - Use a longer ribbon piece and tack the center of it to one side of the bag top.  Your bags will look like this now:

The top three are side ties (Style 1), while the bottom is a center tie (Style 2).

Here's a close up of the center tie.  I've simply folded the ribbon a little to help it stay sturdy.  It's tacked to one side of the bag opening, in the middle.

Step 3:  Turn the bags wrong sides out and lightly press.  You're going to create a french seam and hide the rough edges.  Sew along the side seams again with a 1/4" seam allowance.   Once done, turn back to right sides out and give a final press for a professional look.

Step 4:  To wrap the gift with the center tie, place the gift inside the bag and then fold the bag over.  Wrap the ribbon ends around to the front and tie a pretty bow.  I've shown you the back of the package above.  I like to tuck the corners under when I fold it over as it gives a more polished look.

These bags can be made in any sizes you need.  I have made them large enough to fit shoe boxes into, as well as various odd shaped gifts over the years.  When I make larger bags, I use wider ribbons.  The header picture has several styles and fabric combinations from years past.

Look at me now!

I clicked onto SewMamaSew's blog for my daily dose of Handmade Holidays inspiration and, lo and behold, my Fat Quarter Project is featured again. Today's theme is Gifts for the Eco-conscious. Since I have a few blanks left in my gift list, maybe I should take my own advice and make some Produce Bags????

Please excuse this very blatant moment of self advertisement....

A-tisket, a-tasket

Nearly a year ago, Jazz requested a basket for her bicycle. She had starry visions of toting dolls, games, and snacks down the street to a friend's house to play. I said "sure, of course" and proceeded to check blogs and pinterest for ideas. Surely a bicycle basket should be made, right? Who wants plastic from Wal-Mart? (Uhm, never mind the bike probably came from Wal-Mart...)

I found this lovely idea from Anna at Noodlehead and this one from Christie at A Lemon Squeezy Home (love the monkey!). I had grand plans, my friends, to create a sweet, personalized basket just for Jazz. Then one month passed and another....and another....and this project just never made it to the top of the list. I think the major reason for putting it off was the seasonal mildew we seem to live with here in the wet, swampy South. Outside fabrics just get dingy, no matter how we treat, wash or protect the objects. (I just reread that statement and thought, "great, now everyone will think our home is covered in mold." Not true. :)

Anyway, I was perusing the local Goodwill store a few weeks ago collecting white tee shirts for another project. I passed the home goods section and saw the basket display. A light bulb went off!

Simple ties, coordinated of course, to affix the basket to the handle bar and we were in business. If it gets dingy, I'll burn it in the backyard fire pit and not loose any sleep. Jazz is thrilled as you can see -

And that's all that matters, after all :)

Tidings of comfort and joy

Zydeco and Jazz attended a new school this past year. It was a big change for Zydeco since he'd attended the same school since kindergarten. For the previous few years, however, the math curriculum used by the school just wasn't fitting his kinesthetic learning style. We'd struggled with extra work and various additional exercises before the light bulb of parenting clicked and we decided to find a different environment. We explored various area schools and homeschooling options, then found a wonderful program nearby that fulfilled our needs...and most importantly, his. Jazz moved with him because we felt she would benefit from the school's enhanced writing program and because, honestly, it's just easier for Mama to have her kids in one place.

They had a fabulous first year and we were so relieved. Zydeco's math teacher listened to our concerns in the beginning of the year and worked with him as necessary to build his comprehension and confidence. By the first marking period, she moved him into her accelerated class, assuring us that he completely understood the concepts. He did. There was no more homework stress, which made the whole household want to kiss this fabulous woman. I don't always give an end of the year gift to teachers, but felt it was very appropriate this year.

Anyway, I chose to make eye pillows for the teachers. There are so many tutorials for shaped masks or padded masks, but I opted for simple and streamlined. I made rectangular pouches from muslin and filled them with a rice and lavender mixture. I added several drops of lavender essential oil to "up" the soothing experience.

The children browsed through my fabric stash to find patterns that matched each teacher. I thought it sweet of Zydeco to choose a seaweed patterned batik for his Japanese math teacher - a Sushi lover. I made slipcovers for the muslin inserts and used satin ribbons for the ties.

The blue swirl was Jazz's pick for her teacher - a male. She claimed it looked quite manly. We opted to leave the lavender out, adding cypress and tea tree oils instead. The tags were personalized thank you notes on one side and directions for heating or freezing on the other.

I liked the final product so much, I decided to make one for myself and one for a special sister. I have only one sister, but she's still special :) She suffers from migraines, so I thought the heat or cold would bring welcome relief. She also mentioned possibly starting a new advanced degree course load, so I figured headaches would be in the future. I brazenly dug into my little, dearly guarded stash of Liberty scraps, deciding we were deserving of such luscious goodness. My little stash is a gift from my mother (lucky me).

The blue flowers are mine and the green print is hers.

Amazingly, these little pillows work wonders on ear aches, as well. Following the brutal head cold I suffered with for weeks, my ears continued to ache from residual fluid build-up. Using the heated pillow brought immediate relief.

I think I need to make one for each child to call their own. It would be handy on cold nights to keep fingers warm as they drifted off to sleep. Of course, with the highs in the 100's lately, it's hard to imagine cold nights....

So renew me, remake me

Several years ago, I decided that I don't like the way traditional crew neck tee shirts fit me. The necks of the shirts are just too close fitting. They aren't tight, per se, just too high on my neck for my personal comfort level. Generally, I avoid the need to wear them.

Enter my recent dilemma:  I volunteered to help with the vacation Bible school program at our church and was assigned to teach the 4 and 5 year olds. There's a day by day curriculum, yeah! I was more than willing to jump in and help.

I almost backed out when I was given my "Crew Leader" tee shirt. A standard issue crew neck. Gah! I felt itchy and constricted just looking at the neckline. Then, I remembered my recent foray into knit repair and construction. I decided to brave giving the standard issue shirt a make over.

I googled and you-tubed many videos and blogs concerning tee shirt refashion and I stumbled onto this one. I watched it multiple times, then took a really deep breath and cut into an older, rarely worn shirt. I wanted to try this method out before destroying the shirt I needed to wear all week. It worked like a charm! Here's the VBS shirt...

Before:

Self portraiting is quite difficult!

After:

 

Ahhh, so much more comfortable!  And I even top stitched it!

Today's post title: Avalon's Renew Me

Get on your feet

I have a little tutorial for y'all today.  But first, a story.  Have y'all noticed I like to tell stories?  My parents, especially my father, are fabulous story tellers.  Whether on the phone or when we're together, there is laughter from the retelling of seemingly unexciting daily occurrences.  I like to think we are raising our own children to appreciate the power of a well told story.  Classic Rock and Zydeco have already shown prowess in this area, so we are 50% successful.

When Irish Jig transitioned from the sweet family cradle in our room to her shared room with Jazz, I started dreaming of ways to decorate their room.  Two years have gone by, sadly, and I just recently painted their walls.  I have mentioned my battle with procrastination before and it's still alive and kicking.  While their room is not quite finished, I want to share the sweet little bedside rugs I've made.  These are simple little circles to provide a cozy spot for those sweet feet in the mornings.



I've been slowly working my way through the fabulous Little Crochet book by Linda Permann, making sweet gifts for my own baby and for friends.  She has a great pattern for a felted play rug.  It was just the type of rug I wanted, but I really wanted to use recycled or upcycled materials.  Then I remembered the stack of outgrown tee shirts waiting for either thrifting or project use.  Cutting the strips was easy enough with my rotary blade and mat, but connecting all those strips seemed monumental.  Until I figured out this method.  I don't claim it as an "original" idea as it's the conglomeration of several web searches.  It works for me, though, and hopefully for you.

Step 1: With the tee smoothed flat onto your cutting mat, slice one side from bottom hem to sleeve, cutting off the side seam.  Then proceed to cut strips, starting at the bottom and working your way up toward the neck.  I use a strip width about 3/4" to 1".  Once you hit the sleeves, be creative and get as many shorter strips as you can.  (No picture of this step because you can handle it on your own, I promise)

Step 2: Take two strips (I am using two different colors in my example) and lay the ends next to each other, but in opposite directions.


Step 3: Lay one end atop the other, overlapping about 1".


Step 4: Fold this little overlapped section in half and make a small clip with the scissors.  This will make a slit in each layer of the overlapped ends.

Fold overlapped section in half

Make a small slit at fold

Overlapped section with small slits

Step 5: Thread the free end of the top strip up through the little slits you just made.  Make sure to thread the free end through the hole from the direction opposite it's layer - in the following picture, the green is on top, so the free green end is threaded from the bottom.  Are you with me?


Step 6: Pull through until the ends make a little bow tie pasta shape.


How's that for easy and fast?  I connected several shirts worth of strips while watching Harry Potter with the boys.  I like that the little rugs have colors that coordinate with the girls' room and with each other, but aren't matchy matchy. 


I have leftover strips, too, so there's a sweet feet rug in my own future!