My First Bags

I had never sewn bags before, but I've wanted to for a while. 

As a mom and errand-runner, diaper-hauler, mail picker-upper, and library book-carrier, I expect a lot of the bag I'm using. Many times it is required to haul all of those items at the same time! So they wear out... 

Well, now I can make a new bag when I need it, in my choice of colors and with my own inside pocket configuration. 

I can't tell you exactly how I made the bags because I didn't use a pattern. I started with some ideas in my head, and learned as I went. The basic shape is a rectangle a little wider than it is high.

I had some help with the zippered pocket tutorial from here. 

In fact, these turned out too small to be my perfect right-hand bag, so they were Christmas gifts.

Ugly Toy Horses

I made some ugly toy horses for my kids last Christmas. I didn't mean for them to be ugly; it's just that they turned out that way. That doesn't hinder their play-ability, though! I made these for my kids because they were always stealing my yard-stick and pretending it was a horse. It was no problem for me to find some lonely socks and scraps to put to good use. 

Some tips if you want to make a sock-horse:

Start with a 3- or 4-foot stick of some kind. I bought 5/8" dowels from a craft store. Use scraps to make ears, and anything you want for stuffing. 

Loop some yarn back and forth for the mane and sew it on, then cut. Kind of tricky to get the sock onto the arm of your machine and sew sideways. 

After stuffing the horse-heads, I used crochet cotton and a large darning needle to sew on the eyes, stitch along the mouth to pucker it up, and stitch through the neck to make it bend. 

I drilled a small hole through the dowel near the top, and then when I stitched around the neck, I stitched through this hole a few times to keep the head on the stick, and the stuffing inside.

So even though they are ugly as old socks, my kids have played with their horses a lot! It was a fun and easy project. No professional skills required.

Embroidery from Grandma

I have a Grandma who loves handwork and quilting. When she was younger, she spent years making large, beautiful, heirloom quilts for each of her 23 grandchildren. Now she still enjoys her hobby on a smaller scale. I traced this design onto some fabric and gave it to her.

Now I need to finish it and I'm not sure what to do... add simple borders in dark fabric and make it a wall hanging? It's not really big enough to be the center of a quilt. Any ideas? (BTW, her color choices, not mine:)

And an item that I didn't feel deserved its own blog post... White Brite for laundry.

Every time I use it I'm amazed at its whitening power. I didn't even know my washer was dirty!

But please remember: Do Not Use it on Anything Colored. It Will Ruin Your Colored Clothes. Even Clothes with Just a Little Bit of Color.

That's the only reason I don't use it all the time; because I need to have a load of white and only white clothes.

Bacon and Parmesan Pasta

I was just checking up on the Tasty Kitchen Blog to see if I could find a giveaway to enter... when I saw my recipe featured on the blog! Surprise! 

Here's a link to the Tasty Kitchen Blog page. 
Here's a link to the post on Monday, November 22, 2010. 
Here's a link to the printable recipe.

An Apron for my Girl

Don't tell my girl! She's getting a play kitchen for Christmas, and I've been sewing accessories...

a little chef apron with pockets, and 2 miniature potholders

some places to store pens, papers, and all those little treasures

tiny potholders with little fingertip pockets

Shhhhh, hide the pictures, quick! Before she sees ;)
Just in case you ever want to make your kiddo an apron, here are the measurements I used.