More...

There are more "Car Trash Bag" fabrics to choose from now.  At the last craft show I started getting requests for some fabrics so here they are:

The Owl print is back and I've added a Leopard print.

 

A new print and Lighthouses...

 

I couldn't forget about the guys, either.

 

I also have been getting ideas for other uses - I love that!!!  My 10 yr. old granddaughter asked if one could hang on a 3M/Command hook in her school locker... Yes it can!!!

Another person mentioned that scrapbook enthusiasts could attach a hook to the edge of their work table and hang a bag for all of those little snips of paper that might otherwise end up on the floor - great idea!!!

I could do that same thing in my sewing area - unfortunately my habit is to snip and let it fall to the floor and I'll clean it up later - maybe I should try to be more tidy in my crafting, though.  :)

Thanks for the suggestions for new fabrics and new uses for the "Car Trash Bags" - I love multi-use things so keep the ideas coming.

Remember that the "Car Trash Bags" are sized to hold a paper lunch sack for quick tossing of the car trash.  They can hang from your console shifter, a knob, an arm rest, or a 3M/Command Hook System like I did in my own car (the hook easily sticks to the dashboard and can be easily removed, as well).  You can find these bags at Red Dresser - An Eclectic Boutique in downtown Traverse City, or find me with them at local craft shows (next one is on Nov. 10 at TC Christian School on Emerson Rd. here in Traverse City, Michigan), or contact me and we'll figure it out - they sell for $12 but there will be a Show Special of 2 for $20 at next craft show.

 Here are most of the fabrics that are available right now - more are coming...
 

Lily Has A New Apron

Lily is my vintage dress form that was given to me to use for displays at craft shows.  She has come in handy to use to display aprons that I've made.

 

I didn't want Lily to get tired of wearing the same thing over and over, so I just made her a new apron that will be good to carry her through the holidays...

Lily is wearing a "Little Black Holiday Apron" made of 100% cotton fabric - black with silver flecks in it.  The apron is fully lined and has a pocket on the front.  The flounce around the bottom makes it extra festive in this sparkly fabric and a flower pin dresses it up even more...

Oh, yes, the "Flower Pin".  That was the first time I'd ever made a flower like that.   It is made with sheer fabric that I cut into circles and then used the heat from a candle - not the flame - and the heat melted the edges and caused them to curl.  Such fun!!!   I'll be trying more and will try to remember to do a step-by-step to share.

 Here's a picture of the top of the apron with a close-up of the flower...

Now my granddaughter has suggested a "sweetheart neckline" with a ruffle - I'm thinking that is a good idea.  So it's "back to the drawing board" to modify my pattern and try another, or two, or three.

Now to find people that want to wear them - or should I say buy them and wear them, or give them for gifts...

It's Craft Show Time

Thread and little fabric snips are tracked throughout the house this time of year. My sewing machine makes a permanent home at the end of the dining room table where the light from the sliding door is just better on my eyes. Our family room is filled with display racks and projects waiting for my attention. To say the least, the house is in a bit of a mess, but I'm having a good time.

Last weekend I did the first craft show of the season with a niece. We had a great day and did pretty well. It's always fun to meet new people, especially when they offer great ideas and tips on our crafting and display.  It is great to come away from a craft show with new ideas and inspiration.

This year I have developed a design for Car Trash Bags and have had them at The Red Dresser - An Eclectic Boutique where they have been selling pretty well. I also featured them at the craft show last weekend and am busy making more for the next show and to keep the downtown shop well supplied.
 

 

 

These "Car Trash Bags" are vinyl lined and are sized so that a paper lunch sack can be used to line them.  They will hang from a console shifter, a knob, or an arm rest in your car.  If that doesn't work you can use one of the 3M/Command hooks like I did - I placed the hook on the dashboard of my car so that the trash bag hangs just to the passenger side of the center of the car - works perfect for me.  With the 3M/Command hook system you could even attach one behind the seats where the kids could easily reach a place to toss their trash.

These are only six of the designs - more are coming.  The most popular one is out of owl fabric that I had run out of, but I have just received a new shipment and the owl bags are cut out and waiting on the table for me.  I had great requests for other designs, so you'll be seeing some leopard prints, sports team, camouflage, some lighthouse prints and more... I'll post as I get them made.

I had an assortment of other things at the craft show, as well. The first thing that sold was a fabric stuffed pumpkin. I made them because I needed a great decoration to go on the table runners that I made...

I love "Miss Mustard Seed" and all of her great ideas.  She uses new painter's drop cloths for making slip covers for furniture and all kinds of things.  She has great tutorials about how to wash and prep the drop cloth so that it's ready to work with.  Check out her website:  www.missmustardseed.com.

I had purchased a drop cloth to use as a drop cloth, but then decided that old sheets would work for what I wanted and I transformed the newly purchased drop cloth into other things.  Check out the seat on the window bench that I made for my niece in an earlier post: A New Window Seat

I had washed that drop cloth with lots of bleach (a couple of cups) and put it through three wash cycles and a couple of rinse cycles.  I then threw that big (9'x12') drop cloth in the dryer expecting it to come out all crumpled and wrinkled - it didn't!!!!  It came out great and for the price it is great fabric!

So I had the rest of the drop cloth left from the window seat project so used it up making "Table Runners" - I lined them with muslin.  They are 72" plus the ruffle on each end - some with a single ruffle and some with a double.

 

 

One of the "Table Runners: with some pumpkins on top.

Here are the pumpkins.

 

The "Table Runners" will transition well from Thanksgiving to Christmas with just a change of decorations on top.  Maybe there will be one left for me to use in my own home (I never seem to have anything on display at my own home that I make - I make them to sell).

I made a "Padded iPad Case" for my niece and she traveled to Italy and back with her iPad safely inside, and loved it.  I didn't like the pattern or padding that it called for, so I used it as inspiration to run with my own design - so if you need a "Padded iPad Case", I have a few made up.

 

It's a padded case with a Velcro closure, has a pocket for a pad of paper, etc.

(that's the great selling owl fabric I used in the "Car Trash Bags")

 

Several fabric options to choose from.

 

I like to sew but sometimes need a change, so I also like painting furniture and re-purposing things.

I made "Dry Erase Boards" for the craft show by painting picture frames with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  I love her paint because you don't have to prime or prep - you can just start painting and then finish it off with a coat of wax.  She carries clear and dark wax in her line.

I used scrapbook paper in the frames for the background - even used some fusible web on the back of some owl scrap fabric and ironed the owl onto the paper.  Once the paper is behind the glass you can write on the glass with a dry-erase marker.  They can sit on the counter, hang on the wall... I always jot things I want to remember on my bathroom mirror with a dry-erase marker.  Now I think I'll design a "Dry Erase Board" for the areas of the house that I often find myself without something to write on.

I have several designs to choose from.

 

I also have made "Checkerboards" and "Chalkboards" so had them at the craft show, as well.  The "Chalkboards" I made by re-purposing old cupboard doors and drawer fronts from a kitchen remodel.  Again, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is wonderful - three coats and it can be used as chalkboard paint, but I used the can of chalkboard paint that you find in the home improvement stores for the part that you write on - I did use her paint on all of the frames around the chalkboards, though.

 

 

 

I'm thinking that I need to promote these "Checkerboards" as some "unplugged" fun - get those kids away from the electronics for a simple game of checkers and start a new family game (new to the younger crowd, anyway).

So that's my life these days until December, anyway.  For now you'll find me (along with my everyday duties) sewing, painting, crafting, and getting ready for the next craft show - that would be on November 10 at the TC Christian School in our area, then on November 17 at Old Mission Peninsula United Methodist Church, and I'm still looking into an early December show.  I need to leave time after that to make a meaningful Christmas for my family, which includes cleaning up my crafting messes, getting beds made, presents wrapped, and the sweet smell of Christmas goodies coming from the oven.

If you're in my area, stop by one of the craft shows to see me or stop by Red Dresser - An Eclectic Boutique to check out the "Car Trash Bags".

The Jeans Bag Challenge

A lovely niece in Arizona sent a picture via facebook of a bag made out of an old pair of jeans. She wondered if I knew how to do that. What she didn't know is that I tried to make a gym bag for one of my granddaughters out of old jeans a while back and it didn't go well - I threw the whole mess away. I did learn a few things through that experience, though.

I've been making some handbags and different things lately so felt I might be up for this challenge - a little more skill under the belt at this point - a little more "trial and error".

Wouldn't you know, there is a bag of jeans in my sewing room, and I have been pondering whether they should stay there or go to Goodwill. I'm glad they were here today so I could try to make a bag out of an old pair of jeans.

I think the biggest problem in transforming a pair of jeans into anything is that they are not flat - they're made to fit the curves of our bodies. You can cut the legs off from a pair and the legs will lay nice and flat, but not the top section that looks cool in re- purposed handbags.

I guess I'll start this whole step-by-step with a picture of the finished bag that I made today. I was working on laundry so just decided to play in my sewing room in between loads. Here goes...

OK, the first thing I know is that the little belt I made is too long.  I'll have to fix that, but not tonight.  This is the finished bag as of today - a work in progress.

It doesn't seem to hold its shape like the one my niece sent the picture of, either.  I guess another time I would try some interfacing or fusible fleece to give it some body.  You would think the denim would be good on its own, but it just wants to slump.  All-in-all, I think it turned out pretty good.  I would use it.  

Here's what I did:

First I laid out a pair of jeans and  cut off the legs down from the crotch a few inches, like this:

 

I set the legs aside and then cut the welted seam out from the inside leg and crotch area of the top part of the jeans, like this:

 

After that seam was cut out I turned them wrong side out and tried to flatten them out on the table.  This is where trouble begins, because they won't lay in a nice rectangular shape.  You have to do some work so that you can end up with something that resembles a flat piece of fabric.  This is what I did:

 

On the front side of the jeans (on the wrong side of the fabric), I pinched and pinned from the zipper down, trying to pull the fabric in so that it would lay flat.  I sewed along my pinned line and trimmed the seam allowance.  (confusing, I know - I hope it makes more sense as we go along)

 

Next I took the center back belt loop off with a seam ripper.  Once that was done I turned the jeans wrong-side-out again and  pinned from the waist band all the way down the center, kind of like I had done in the front below the zipper.  Once pinned I stitched along my pins and then trimmed the seam.  My pin/stitch line was along the edge of the clear ruler below in the picture.

 

Then I layed the jeans out flat on my cutting board, smoothing to flatten them out and work on getting that rectangular shape.  Then I cut across the bottom where my tapered stitch line had ended on the front of the jeans, cutting through the front and the back at the same time............I use a rotary cutter but you could mark where you wanted to cut and use shears.   This is what they looked like at that point:

 

After they were cut, as I had them all smoothed out, I was trying to figure out  where I was going with this project next.  I did end up with a pretty rectangular piece, though - a little wider at the bottom than at the waist, but not by much.

 

I've been making some handbags so have learned the technique of sewing the bottoms of bags so that they end up like the bottom of a grocery bag.  So that's what I did next - a straight seam across the bottom (I did 1/2" seam allowances) and then worked on the bottom to create that "flat bottom effect" - like this:

 

Where you just stitched across in a straight line across the bottom, you have to grab the corners and pull the bag so that the corners are sticking out like little ears off to each side.  In the above picture you are seeing the  bottom seam running from left to right and the cross in the middle is where you see the center front and back seams.

I measured in 2" and cut off that triangle, then pinned and stitched it - repeat for the other end ( I usually just stitch across as far in as I want when making bags and then cut the triangle off. You can do it either way.  I sometimes slip a rubber band around the arm of my sewing machine at however many inches I want and then have that as my 2" guide, or whatever measurement I want).  This is how it looks on the bottom when you do the corners.

                                    


That's it for the jean bag.  Now for handles and lining...

I used one of the left over legs from the jeans to make the handles.  I just layed it out on my cutting board and used my 6" wide ruler and cut a strip right up the center of the leg.  Then I cut down the center of that strip dividing it into 3" wide strips - there were four of them at that point.

 

 

With right sides together I joined two 3" pieces together making an even longer strip.  Repeat for the second two pieces.  Then I had to decide how long I wanted the handles.  I folded the strips in half where the seam is and measured out 15" and cut there - that gave me a 30" strip - repeat for the second piece.

 

 

I pressed the seams open and then pressed in 1/4 inch  all around each 30" strip, even the ends.  Then fold the strips in half the long way, lining up the open edge, then stitch all the way around.  I set them aside and attached them last.
 

 

I used some cute owl fabric for the lining.  I can see where each bag you make is going to be different, so I can't tell you how big to make the fabric for the lining.  I measured the finished bag width, top and bottom, and used the larger number for my width measurement, plus and inch for seam allowance.  My pieces ended up being 19" wide.  For the length, I measured from the top of the jean bag to the very bottom of the bag (pulling the bag down in the center, not at the corners, to get a true length measurement).

I sewed three sides together on the lining with right sides together - 1/2 inch seam allowance.  Then I did the little corner thing on the lining just like the outer bag.

 

I pressed the top opening of the lining under 1/2 inch all around, then folded it down again and pressed it.  I slipped it inside the jean bag, wrong sides together and pinned it in place so that I could stitch over the lower row of stitches on the waistband of the jeans and catch the lining.  My lining didn't fit perfect so I just eased it in and made it work - a little tuck here and there to make it fit is just fine for me - nothing is exact in something like this.  :)

 

It's not easy sewing through the thickness of the jeans, especially when you come to a belt loop and are sewing through that thickness, too.   Make sure you're using a needle in your machine that will handle this heavy work.  You could just hand stitch the lining in place, if you wanted.  I thought about it but was trying to get it done.  :)  Luckily no broken sewing machine needles - I've learned the hard way not to pull on the fabric too hard when the fabric is so thick and not wanting to move under the pressure foot - that'll break a needle every time.

After the lining was stitched in place, I sewed the handles on where I thought they should be, trying to place them to the side of the front pockets then matching the placement up on the backside to match the front handles. (Didn't take a picture of that part.)

I cut a long strip of the owl fabric and made the little belt - made it too long, but I'll fix that another time.  I just sewed it right sides together and left an opening so that I could turn it right side out - then I stitched the opening close.

I also cut a piece of a foam material called "Soft & Stable" the size of the bottom of the bag to help hold the shape (I think my piece was 5" x 13").  I cut out fabric and sewed it together to fit over the foam.  I placed  the piece down into the bottom of the finished bag.  It did help to hold the shape of the bottom, but another time I think I would try something like plastic canvas that is a little more stiff.

So, here's the bag - inside...

 

and out...

 

I would probably try some different things another time, but I think it turned out alright for the first one.  Like I said before, when recycling something like jeans into bags, each one is going to be different.  I hope someone will be able to follow my basic directions here, but just know that you'll have to make up your own measurements as you go along.

Thanks, Kim, for the challenge.  :)  I wouldn't put this in the class of a "beginner" project, but if you have some basic sewing skills then I'd say start using up those old jeans.  Also check out some other tutorials on bag making to see the technique for making the bottom like a grocery sack - I know my pictures didn't explain it well. 

So friends, did I pass the "Jean Bag Challenge"? 

Cherry Aprons

I live in "cherry country" so we like to include cherries in lots of things - cookies, pies, muffins, cakes, aprons - yes, even aprons.  I love this cherry print fabric so I made a few aprons with it.  Today they're going to be finding a new home at The Red Dresser - An Eclectic Boutique in Traverse City, Michigan.  They will be part of a "Cherry Festival" display.  How fun is that!

The weather wasn't very kind to our cherry crops in our area this year - Jack Frost took a big bite out of it.  There might not be an abundance of the fruit to enjoy this year but we will continue to promote those beautiful red cherries whenever and wherever we can.   Stop by the local fruit stands and support our local farmers, and browse through some shops and support some local crafters, as well.  :)

More Photos...

I needed a break from my sewing room so thought I'd work on organizing some  pictures and trying to post a few.   Here goes... I was going to say "here goes nothing" but I'm hoping it turns out to be "something... here goes something..."

Here are some of the tote bags and diaper pouches on display at the last craft show that I did.

This is a shot of some of the diaper pouches.

Here are some of the tote bags.

Now for the fun, little "Scrappy Bags."

"Cross my Heart" pins ( I need to take some individual pictures as there are several designs).

"A Piece of the Past" baby blanket with a vintage hankie stitched in the center of a vintage tablecloth - there is pink fabric behind the tablecloth so the color will show through the cut work in the design.  It is also backed in pink.

...and another...

This one is a 36x36 vintage tablecloth with blue behind it to show through the cut work in the design.

This one is four vintage napkins stitched onto a pink background.

(I know these are hard to see in the photos)

I almost forgot....to the right of the heart pins are bundles of Burp Cloths - a bundle of three that have

fabric stitched down the center of prefolded diapers to dress them up a bit.  The fabrics coordinate with the Hamper Liners, as well as some of the tote bags and diaper pouches.

There's a sampling of some of the things that I have been working on.  I'll post my new designs as I get to them.  I'm thinking I need a little time to clean and organize before the next crafting run...I have this funny thing of little pieces of thread finding their way throughout the house.  It may be time to do some vacuuming.  

I've been working on organizing my small sewing room so that it will be easier to work in.  I'm signing up for a May 5th craft show in our area, though, so I won't be putting the crafting on hold for long.  I'm thinking there are some mom's that will be needing a pretty flower pin for Mother's Day, maybe some fun things for the 4th of July... The gears just keep turning, so I just need to hurry and get things cleaned up and organized so I can PLAY!!!