Category Archives: bags

Sewing Non-Stop

Sew busy!   Lately, of course, I’ve spent a lot of time getting acquainted with my new Brother Dream Machine.  But before my Dream came true,  I was kept busy with several small but important machine embroidery projects, like this one.

 

com bag text 2

The Scripture design is from Designs by Juju, in her collection Heavenly Inspirations 1. It was slightly modified to make room for the addition of the Bible design.

 

This was made for our 10 year old granddaughter, Laurel, who needed a bag to carry her sizable notebook and Bible to her weekly Communicant Class (read “confirmation”) at our church.

 

com bag mono 2

 

As you might expect, a monogram was added to the other side.  The bag has seen heavy usage these past weeks.

Another quick project was a set of whimsical luncheon napkins.   They coordinate with the Seaside Madeira Table Linens I stitched last summer.

 

The embroidery and gingham made this a more casual setting than the hemstitched linen napkins shown here.

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Weddings~it’s always that time of year

gift

 

Who doesn’t love a wedding?  For those of us who sew, it’s one welcome opportunity to make special gifts.  Sandee, my sorority sister (a neat discovery made through this blog!),   has used a fabric I covet to make some wonderful items for newlyweds.

When she sent these gorgeous pictures to me, I just had to ask permission to share them with you.  Can you imagine how pleased the young couples must have been?

 

pillowcases

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Backpack and Dingle Dangles

backpack

 

Lately, I’ve been on a Disney roll embroidering items for a good friend.   This backpack was a fearsome task, making me wonder if it was a mistake to take it on.   It brought to mind my “sewing in a cave” experience monogramming a large tote bag.  I did NOT want to repeat that.

 

 

bag cave

 

The bag was a Christmas gift for grandson Alastair’s favorite pre-school teacher.  Then I tackled another one for my dear Aunt Rheeta.  But it was no fun at all! Continue reading

‘Tween Purses

Lately, I’ve been busy checking off a few items on my to-do list by making purses requested by my 10 yo granddaughter,Laurel.  She is delighted with each and every one.   Most were sewn using  Zippy Designs in-the-hoop purse patterns.  I really like this collection which comes in three shapes and multiple sizes.

 

gator shirt purse cr

From Zippy Designz Rik Rak purse design, I made this Gator bag for granddaughter to carry to the big game. It goes with the vest shown below. After I took this picture I remembered that I had a card of gator button from Farmhouse Fabrics. Now one of those buttons hangs from the orange ribbon loop.

 

It’s always hot for the first games of the season so she wore this retail vest with a Gator blue shirt.

 

Gator vest

 

 

After the Gator bag, Laurel asked me to make purses to go with her church dresses.  She has asthma and allergies so she needs to carry an inhaler and  handkerchief with her, along with the required hair brush.  I always pack her purses with Dove chocolates which she shares with her friends at Sunday School. Continue reading

Trick or Treat Bag

treat bag

This sparkly trick or treat bag is a sweet girlie spin on the holiday that is rife with ghoulish images.  What little girl doesn’t love feminine Minnie Mouse, on a broom no less, wearing a coral colored witch’s hat?  And do you know anybody who doesn’t love candy corn?

This project began with a basic black tote 14″ x 14″.  The side and bottom seams were opened first and then the Trick or Treat text was embroidered.

 

bag  top

Since the embroidery unit was still attached, the next step was to hoop up orange felt and embroider Minnie as she sails past the moon. The design was inserted into one of the built-in frames on my Quattro.  The excess felt was cut away near the black satin stitching and the piece was put aside. Continue reading

Tween Church Ready

mall-purchased dress, Nana made purse

mall-purchased dress, Nana made purse

 

There have been so many must-do projects in my sewing room that I’m way behind in clothing my granddaughters.  Ten-year-old Laurel has outgrown almost all of her church clothes so we shopped at the mall.

Clearly she is a “tween” now and  not our little girl.  The mall is definitely where it’s at for clothes now.  The good news is that it frees me up to sew for 19-month-old Vivian Rose.  I have had to search  hard to find the silver lining in that black cloud called “growing up.”  Whew, I tell myself!  I needed some help.

But as always, even with ready-to-wear,  some sewing was still required to pull the outfit together.  Before Laurel went to bed Saturday night, we added the white flower but she really wanted a purse for the outfit.

 

purse LF

The lacy heart design is from the Let There Be Love collection by Kreations by Kara. The monogram font is from the 2007 Internet Embroidery Club alphabet by Martha Pullen.

 

She wanted one that would hold her inhaler, a handkerchief and hair brush.  A 6″ x  42″ scrap of heavy linen was lying on the cutting table  along with huge piles of other remnants from earlier projects.  I was lucky that was on top because it was just perfect for the body of the bag.  Had it been buried a little deeper, I might not have found it until the big Spring Sewing Room Clean Up. Continue reading

Back to School ’14

 

Five years ago, my  5 year old granddaughter wore a CC Frannie school dress for our first day of homeschooling.

 

With the start of another school year, I can’t help but look back.  Most retired school teachers, I suspect,  do  the same.  This post was written 5 years ago as we began our first year of homeschooling together.

Now, she begins 6th grade.  Wow.  If she’s getting older, I guess that means so am I.

Laurel, 10 going on...?

Recently, she wrote a play which she will direct and has cast with friends. It will open at the public library in due time.

 

Perhaps you will find some of  these school sewing projects useful for your special students.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue reading

Rheeta’s Visit ~Sweat Shop or Working Vacation?

Rheeta

Aunt Rheeta has fallen in love with my Brother Quattro.

What a fabulous time we have had with my dear Aunt Rheeta.  She and her little apricot poodle, Molly, visited us here in Florida to escape the bitter Indiana winter and do a little sewing.  As it happened, she did more than a little.  In fact, my sewing room was like a sweat shop.  She accomplished so much!  Having an in-house sewing buddy was such fun.

We worked together, with most of the design arrangement done by me and most of the sewing done by her.    She is no newcomer to machine embroidery, only new to my Brother Quattro which she loved.

Rheeta has several major projects under her belt, including a spectacular embroidered linen communion cloth for her church, an exquisitely embroidered Bible cover and more.

Her primary goal was to finish high school graduation gifts for her granddaughter Alexa, a rising freshman at Texas A & M.  Rheeta’s first project was the requisite college fleece throw in school colors.

Edges are finished with a 3-thread wide serge.

Edges are finished with a 3-thread wide serge.  We didn’t worry about the wrinkles as the blanket was soon be packed tightly into her over packed suitcase for the trip home to Indiana.

 

The embroidery is Applique Market’s College Double Applique Alphabet.  As you can see, Rheeta used only the outline.  I love this versatile collection which comes with letters in

Since her acceptance letter,  Alexa has dressed her 4 lb. dog in a tiny, maroon, Texas  A & M shirt.  Certainly, she will be pleased with this fleece blanket.

 

Rheeta's granddaughter is, indeed, Princess of Quite a Lot of Laundry!

Rheeta’s granddaughter is, indeed, Princess of Quite a Lot of Laundry!

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Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days

Nat King Cole sang, “Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer…”

3 bagsCR

I haven’t seen much lazy this summer, and I have never  seen hazy Florida humidity as visible as in these photos.  It was steamy out at the clothesline today!  I have seen plenty of “crazy,” but I’m not even going to start on that.

In earlier posts, there has been discussion about the utility end of sewing.  Not everything we stitch is beautiful or creative or unique.  Sometimes it is just what is needed.  And according to my daughter, her children needed laundry bags.  So that’s what I sewed. Continue reading

Train up a child….

“Train up a child in the way he should go:  even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

 

Karoline sewing on her grandmother's Featherweight

Karoline sewing on her grandmother’s Featherweight

 

This Scripture applies to more than spiritual guidance.  Now a successful nurse practitioner, Karoline began sewing here at our home when she was 7 and has never stopped.  She was one of my daughter’s dearest friends from toddler days.  Karoline went to church with us and joined us for family vacations.  She was like one of the family.

After she graduated from high school, I didn’t see Karoline for many years. Recently, she moved back to the area with Benji, her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and Mr. Whiskers, an orange marmalade cat.   Yesterday, we had a joyous reunion and a fabulous day sewing on a special project for Benji.

 

K holding Bcr

 

Now can’t help strolling down memory lane, recalling Karoline’s enthusiasm and projects she had through the years.  And  the fun.  She was a really fun child to be around. Continue reading