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handmade gift bag that’s also a gift

Yesterday we went to John Deere-themed birthday party for a four-year-old boy. My husband asked, “could we just buy a gift? Does everything have to be handmade? Can’t we get something from the store?” I agreed, as long as we didn’t buy him an actual tractor toy. I figured every four-year-old boy must have at least some kind of tractor, right? How would we know what to get? What if someone gets him the same tractor? Let’s get him some books about tractors instead. And maybe some tractor stickers, too. As my husband bought into my reasoning, I was secretly planning a handmade, tractor-themed, re-usable gift bag.

reusable gift bag

I admit I was planning to buy some John Deer fabric to make this. Just before I left the house, I decided to dig through my stash and I found two fat quarters of tractor-green fabric! I think it’s a polyester blend and it feels way more durable than quilting cotton. I figured I could make my own tractor-themed artwork with my new hobby.

tractor embroidery

In the end, my husband and I were both happy with our gift. I hope my daughter’s friend will be, too.

recycle: I bought a big stack of colored cloth napkins at a garage sale awhile ago. I think they were napkins. They kind of feel like the fabric used to make restaurant napkins, except they were every color of the rainbow and only a few matched. Whatever they used to be, they are nice and sturdy. I think they’ll be great for storing all kinds of tractors and trucks.

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reuse: plastic sea shell container

super target archer farm almond container

I am just in love with the shape of Archer Farm’s almond containers. They’re nice and durable and have this great silver/gray lid. I held a few back from the recycle bin because I thought I’d be able to make something cute with them.

When we came back from the beach, my daughter had lots of pretty shells and rocks. We couldn’t figure out where to store them. They were too pretty to put away, but I didn’t want them laying around, either. Then I remembered these containers. Perfect!

reuse: I still have two more containers and I’m thinking of decoupage with gray and silver paper scraps. What do you think? Any other ideas?

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my new laptop sleeve

I knew I’d have to do some work on our trip to the beach and I had given my Timbuk2 bag to my husband when he got his new computer. He has made it clear that my Timbuk2 belongs to him now, so I had to come up with something else. I decided to sew my own laptop sleeve and bag. First, I started with the sleeve:

quilted laptop case

The fabric was an upholstery remnant that was already striped and quilted. I used some bias tape to enclose the raw edges before I sewed on the zipper and I serged the inside seams.

quilted laptop case

I love fabric that comes with the hard stuff already finished. No patchwork or quilting was needed for this project, but it looks kind of fancy, don’t you think?

stash: The remnant came from the east campus textile sale. Zipper and bias tape from the thrift store.

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wardrobe refashion: dressing up a pair of flip flops

What kind of shoes should a three-year-old girl wear to a beach wedding in October? Will the weather be warm or cold? Should the shoe be casual or dressy? Should you invest in sandals that will probably be too small by next Spring? Where are you even going to find sandals this late in the season?

I decided to take some simple, casual flip flops and dress them up. Here is the before picture:

dress up a pair of flip flops

Step 1
I took four strands of embroidery thread and weaved them through the existing stitches with a needle.

dress up a pair of flip flops

Step 2
I crocheted a flower and stitched a button on the center. Then I sewed the flower onto the strap.

dress up a pair of flip flops

Step 3
I tried to get my daughter to wear them, but she wasn’t interested at all. In fact, she wound up wearing her sporty little sandals with her cute frilly dress. I guess I can always remove the flowers and put them on another pair of flip flops next season.

dress up a pair of flip flops

refashion: I used embroidery thread, cotton yarn and vintage buttons from my stash. The flip flops came from Once Upon a Child. The crochet flower pattern is from My Crochet Stuff.

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project to do: beach blanket to go

amanda soule mama handmade home beach blanket to go

Have you read Amanda Soule’s new book Handmade Home? I love all of her projects, but the Beach Blanket to Go really got my attention. I’m going to a beach wedding in October and have been wondering what to make for a gift. I think this will be perfect! I’m going to add a label that marks the date and place, too.

Finding the bedspread and sheet for this project was like a little bit of crafty kismet. Friday morning I was searching vintage fabric on ebay and put a red bedspread exactly like the one above in my watched items list. That evening, I headed out to a few thrift stores to see what I could find. I wasn’t planning to go to the store where I found these, but I felt a pull toward that direction.

I decided to follow my instincts and was shocked to see the same exact bedspread that I had bookmarked earlier that day. What’s more, this sheet was right next to it on the rack. I opened them both up and they were in excellent condition. It was almost as if they were destined to become this blanket. Now all I have to do is figure out my binding and put it all together.

Do you ever get that thrifty feeling? Like something is pulling you to a particular store because the exact thing you are looking for is there?

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blue and yellow custom sweater bag

It’s been awhile since I’ve made a sweater bag and I had forgotten how much fun it is to work with felted wool. I especially love how you can whip it into shape with a hot iron and a little steam.

thrifted felted custom sweater bag

My friend Cathy LOVES tote bags. She frequently brings a thrifted sweater to knitting group and asks me to make the largest bag possible. This sweater felted up so well that I was worried it wouldn’t be big enough for her. I added denim at the bottom to give her some more room.

thrifted felted custom sweater bag

Cathy is on the Board of Directors for our local Sewing for Babies. She is constantly knitting and sewing the cutest baby items. That’s why she likes having lots of big, roomy totes. She also asked me to make a box bag for some of her smaller projects. Don’t you just love this fabric?

measuring tape fabric box bag

project notes: Thrifted sweater was 100% lambswool from the Gap. Their lambswool sweaters always felt nicely. Lining and box bag fabric provided by Cathy. Denim from a pair of thrifted jeans in my stash. Garage sale interfacing and zipper for the box bag.

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pretty, plastic granny squares

I try hard to limit our impact on the earth. When I’m at the grocery store, I look for items with recyclable packaging. Sometimes, it isn’t always possible, though. For example, we eat a lot of frozen peas, I don’t always have time to make our bread, and I don’t have any time at all to make tortillas!

I know I need to cut myself a break now and then, but this week we were overwhelmed with plastic. Last week was my daughter’s birthday and there were bags filled with air, bags to hold toy parts, and for some reason, a lot of food bags. Every time I went to put one in the trash I had this question in my head: How long will this be sitting in a landfill?

Yes, I worry about our landfills. I’m concerned about what seeps into the ground and finds its way into our drinking water. I wonder how many big piles (or holes, I guess) of trash will exist when my daughter is my age. I know this worry is kind of crazy, especially for someone who tries hard to minimize my impact on the planet, but I know I can always do better.

plastic crochet granny square

Yesterday I grabbed a bunch of clear plastic packaging bags and made some granny squares. I’m thinking of turning them into a small zipper pouch. It was hard to capture with the camera, but they are very sparkly.

plastic crochet granny square

They just made a dent in my bags for the week. I’d like to fuse my extra bags and make “fabric” for sewing totes, but I’m concerned about the fumes. I am very sensitive to smells and I’m worried about getting a headache that might last all weekend. Maybe if I did it outside on the deck? Does anyone have any experience with this?

recycle: I’m always looking for ways to recycle our non-recyclables, but in the end, I think the best thing to do is limit what we bring into our homes. It’s hard, especially in our convenience-packed culture, but it’s something I think is really important.

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easy backpack with bias tape straps

My daughter starts preschool next week and she needed a backpack. I asked her if she’d like me to make one for her and she said YES!

I let her choose fabric from my stash and helped her with coordinating the colors. I really like how it turned out and she loves it. My only problem is getting her to wear it. Right now, she just wants to carry it by the straps.

martha stewart easy beach bag

I used Martha’s Easy Beach Bag pattern with a few modifications:
• inside is canvas instead of nylon
• inside has two pockets
• used fabric instead of cord for the straps
• serged the raw edges inside

drawstring back pack with lining

Drawstring Strap How-to:
Feed strips of denim through a 1-inch bias tape maker, fold the tape in half and stitch it together. Once threaded through the loops, sew the ends together because they’ll be too thick to knot.

drawstring back pack with lining

stash: This is one of those occasions that I love having a stash of fabric. It’s so easy to dive right into a project when the motivation strikes! Plus, using a thrifty stash is so affordable. I’m guessing this cost less than $2 to make. Sweet!

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thrifted placemat dilemna

crochet placemats

I bought these crocheted placemats at daycare garage sale a few months ago and I still can’t decide what to do with them. At first I thought I’d make two tall totes, but after seeing them folded in half on my shelf, I also considered four zipper pouches. Then I thought maybe just one large tote. I can’t make up my mind. (Yes, I did consider actually using them as placemats, but they are kind of small.)

Any suggestions?

thrifting: Usually I pass up things I can easily make myself, but I really liked the pattern of these. Plus, they were only 25 cents. I wonder what the person who made these by hand would think of that price.

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how to refashion a dress into a skirt
in five easy steps

Even though I wrote this tutorial for a kid’s size dress, you can do this with adult sizes, too. This is the same way I turned a shirt into a skirt.

My daughter and I both love this dress. She only wore it a few times last season because it was too big. This year it is too small. It probably would have fit her best when it was 20 degrees outside.

easy kids skirt tutorial

The other day she insisted on wearing it. (Yes, it was still hanging in her closet even though it was too small.) I let her try it on so she would see that the buttons could no longer be buttoned. While she had it on, I realized that it was just the top that was too small. The bottom fit just fine. Hmmm… what if I turned it into a skirt?

easy kids skirt pattern

Step 1
Cut off the bottom of the dress. If your daughter is as tall as mine, use a seam ripper. It takes longer, but she needs every bit of length I can save.

Step 2
Measure your daughter’s waist. Add an inch and then cut a piece of elastic. I used 3/8″ wide elastic.

Step 3
Fold the top edge down 1/4″ and press. Then fold 5/8″ and press.

easy kids skirt tutorial

Step 4
Sew the waist leaving an opening for the elastic. Edge stitch the top to help the elastic stay in place.

Step 5
Thread the elastic through the waist casing, sew elastic ends together with a 1/2″ seam allowance, and close up the waist.

easy kids skirt pattern

My daughter was so excited to see her new skirt. She especially loves the bow. The original dress had a two inch hem. If she’s still in love with it next season, I guess I’ll be letting the hem down, too.

refashion: Sewing clothes is sometimes easier if you don’t start from scratch. Refashioning a favorite piece of clothing can make you happy, your budget happy and the earth happy.

Thanks to whipup.net for linking to my tutorial and welcome new readers! For more crafty updates, visit my Facebook page!