Bags Bags Bags

If you're like me, you have tons and tons of bags. Grocery bags, beach bags, gym bags, make up bags.....don't even get me started on a totally separate bag category....purses! And yet, when I got my sewing machine out today all I wanted to make was a bag! Ugh! It will never end. 

I'm pretty dutch so when I saw a pattern for a reusable grocery bag for $20 I thought to myself, "Well I can make that! Easy. I don't need a pattern." Umm...don't listen to me. Get a pattern! I spent more time making my own pattern than I did actually sewing the bag. Eventually, I did make one that worked out pretty well, however it did turn into a beach bag. It ended up a little bit bigger than I intended. It will be perfect for beach trips! 

What you'll need:
1 yard of thick, sturdy fabric (duck or outdoor fabric)
1 yard of lining (I bought the cheapest fabric I could find for this)
1 yard of interfacing (this probably isn't totally necessary. I just wanted a thicker bag)
Scissors
Sewing machine
Iron (or hair flat iron)

Here's the fabric I chose. From left to right, duck fabric, cotton lining, and interfacing.

This is the pattern I finally came up with. Basically, I cut 2 identical pieces of each fabric. To make it easier, it's a big rectangle with two squares cut out at both corners at the bottom. You can choose whatever dimensions you want for your bag. I cut my fabric until I liked the size. A few inches smaller than what I planned in the photo below. 

 

Now I placed the right side of the thick fabric down, then interfacing, then lining. Then I sewed the three pieces together. Do this twice for each side of the bag. 

The next step is to sew the corners. There are four corners to sew, two on each piece. Connect the sides where you cut the squares out (right side to right side). After this step is finished it should distinctly look like two halves of a bag. 

I didn't take a picture for this step. But, now is the time to connect the two pieces. Put them right side to right side. Just sew from the top of the first side, down and across bottom, and then up the next side. It gets a little bit difficult at the corners. I just used a lot of pins there to keep the pieces together. After I sewed the two pieces I trimmed the top (the only part that hasn't been sewn yet). This isn't necessary, but will make for a cleaner look. Then just tuck the top into the bag and sew about an inch seam around the perimeter of the top. 

Time for the straps! I cut two pieces of each fabric about 44 inches long and 2 inches wide (length depends on how long you want the bag). Put a piece of the thick fabric and a piece of the lining wrong sides together and sew them along the length, leaving each end open. Now, the hard part is flipping it right side out. I poked a large paper clip through the top end and slowing lead it through the strap. Once it's right side out it looks like a circular tube. You can use an iron to flatten it out but guess what?! A hair straightener works crazy awesome!! (And I don't own an ironing board so....this was my only option) Then tuck under the four ends of the straps and sew. This creates a clean look at the end of each strap. 

Then just sew the straps on where you like. I sewed mine about 7 inches apart (measuring from the middle of each strap) and about 7 inches deep on the bag. You can sew however you like, but I made a large rectangle around the perimeter of the strap on the bag. Then I did a little reinforcing on the bottom and top of where the strap connects to the bag. You'll do this four times, for each end on each strap. 

That's it! Now that I have the pattern figured out it won't take much time to make another bag. This is a great size for a beach bag. The finished product is about 19x21 (laying flat). If I were to make a grocery bag, like I initially intended to I would have made it a little smaller. Maybe 17 inches wide and 15 inches in height. We're going camping this weekend, so I can't wait to head to the beach while we're there!! 

You Are My Sunshine

A few weeks ago, my mom and I had a craft day. We spent an entire day sitting around my table creating things....except for some wine breaks here and there :). One of my favorite things I made was a wooden sign that says "You Are My Sunshine". When I was little, my mom rocked me to sleep every night and sang "You Are My Sunshine." My husband and his mom even danced to it at our wedding reception. It's a song very dear to our hearts. 

I found a blank piece of wood at a craft store and used paint I already had at home. A very inexpensive piece of decor! I painted the wood a couple of coats of yellow paint, you know...like a sun? I don't trust my own hand writing to be beautiful enough to hang on the wall so I took a few extra steps here. I printed on plain white paper the words I wanted to paint. It's fun to play with different fonts here! I lightly shaded the back side of the paper with pencil. Then I placed the paper over the wood and traced over the letters on the right side of the paper. You can use a mechanical pencil without the lead, a pen cap...anything to trace the letters. When I removed the paper there was perfect penciled letters on the wood. All I had to do was trace over the letters with my paint pen. EASY!! After it's completely dried I wiped it down with a wet wipe to remove any extra pencil markings. This project is so simple and fun. You could play around with different fonts and quotes. Just make sure it's a somewhat bold font if you're using a paint pen :) Have fun!

The finished product

I put it right by our father/daughter mother/son dance pictures from our wedding :) 

Brand New Blogger

Welcome to my new blog!! I've wanted to do this for a long time. I'm finally getting around to it :) I have always loved crafting and designing. I love crocheting, sewing, cross-stitching....you name it, I want to make it. Since I can remember my mom was always giving me new things to create. I think it all started with play dough and progressed quickly from there. I can't tell you how many bracelets I made out of string when I was little. Even as a teenager my birthday presents consisted of DIY make up sets, candle making sets, soap making sets.....the list goes on. Now my mom and I love sitting at the table and making jewelry, cards... and anything else we can get our hands on :) I can't skip over the inspiration I've gotten from my dad too. I have grown up in the greenhouse business and I have continually watched my dad make something out of nothing. He turns dirt into beauty. I love watching the transformation from a pot of dirt to a tiny little green plant to a colorful flower. This has given me that passion to watch a ball of yarn turn into a baby blanket for a newborn, or a bunch of tangled up string transforming into a color popping picture on some fabric. I also have to say thanks to my awesome hubby! He has never once said anything about the mess of yarn I have all over the place, or the sewing machine and bags of fabric I store in his closet (yes, I'm a clothes hoarder and we have separate closets haha). 

My goal for this blog is to share my ideas and new creations. Hopefully I will complete the dozen half finished projects I have started!! Lastly, I have to give a big thanks to Rachelle over at Fingerprints on the Fridge and Kristi at Rookie Crafter. These awesome ladies have inspired me to do this blog and have answered lots of my questions! They are also amazing creators!!