Testing..Testing...Test Bag

The weather in Seattle has turned to rain once again.  After having such a great run of sunshine waking up to grey,  cold and rainy day hasn’t put me in the best of moods….

(Sigh)

Not much I can do about the weather but I can share with you all one of my “test” bags.

Test bags in my universe are the sewn up versions of patterns I’m working on.   They often get made up out of the first fabric to catch my eye in my never shrinking stash…at times the fabric pick is not at all appropriate for the bag, but it’s a test so I don’t much care (most of the time).

Most times if the sewing is successful I’ll take the bag out for a spin.  Did I mention I have 4 kids ages 3 to 11?  Any carry all I make has to withstand being packed y the rug rats….which usually means I’m carrying 25 pounds worth allot of stuff at any point in time.

For now I’m calling this the BG bag—for ballet/gymnastics.  I wanted something big enough to throw my laptop, sticker books, DS, a few books, my sketch pad, pencils and maybe a few magazines….If only I had a camera with me as I write this (while at ballet/gymnastics) and you’d see I succeeded in stuffing it full!

front



back

inside

I also wanted to play with curved pockets…with some success here.  Unfortunately I also ended up using fabric types which have very little business being combined together.  The solid is a nice bottom weight with no stretch (bought it originally to make pants—didn’t happen!) and the lining is a cotton/stretch shirting fabric—which I have no clue why it is in my stash to begin with!  I thought the check was a plain cotton and then I cut it…oops!  No choice but to use it then!

The bag doesn’t necessarily fall right, but I am pleased with the overall pattern and function of it.  I’ve tweaked the pattern a bit and paid more attention to my fabric choices while cutting and should have a finished bag to share with you all soon!

I’m in the process of editing photos and writing corresponding posts!  I hope to have a few fun projects to share with you all in the coming weeks!

Don't know how she does it....

I like to cook. 

I try to feed my kids healthy and nutritious meals.

Sometimes I even attempt to make those meals look fun--happy faces made out of veggies on their plates, flowers, etc.

You know those little things that put a smile on their faces...or make the older ones groan that their mom has a weird sense of humor (but I know they love it anyway!)

For years I've been saying I should cut their sandwiches into shapes with cookie cutters...uh, that's what I've been saying...it hasn't happened yet.

I always seem to find lunch times rushed and figure the kids are lucky to get a sandwich slapped together at the last possible minute before we have to rush out the door once again.

So I shake my head and wonder how Ai  over at Tulips and Butter does it:

Seriously adorable lunches!! 

On the flip side she always wonders how I have time to craft/sew/garden/blog with 4 kids running underfoot!

Guess we all wonder "how she does it" at some point about our friends, neighbours and random strangers who seem to have it all together.

OK--I've already admitted that lunches in my house are not so creative!  BUT I did figure out a way to keep the kids burritos warm....

The burrito sock!  Made from scraps of polar fleece, a tube is sewn with one end closed and one end open. 

Warm and wrap the burrito in foil, place in sock, fold ends inside and kids have a warm wrap when school lunch time rolls around.

I'm wondering if this would work around thermoses as well--my older kids say that the thermos doesn't keep their soups/pastas/etc. warm enough.

If I get around to trying it I'll let you all know!

Rocks with a message...

While walking along a beach on the Strait of Juan de Fuca this summer thoughts about how transformed I felt floated through my mind as my eyes scanned the sand for treasures to point out to my children.  Then I saw this, a perfect smooth rock resting in the sand…

The message was perfect for me at the time and it got me to thinking how fun it would be to leave messages like this, on rocks, in unexpected places.  Eventually the message will fade, but maybe it will touch someone’s soul like they touched mine that day.

What kind of message would you write?

Summertime….

And the living is eeeaaassyyy….

That my friend is what August was like for me!  The Seattle area had SUN!  WARMTH!   My kids (finally at the right age for longer car trips), hubby, mom and I enjoyed what the pacific northwest has to offer in terms of natural wonders and just plain ol’ silliness (like riding the ducks in Seattle—fun!)

The best part—I went down a couple of sizes in clothing!  WHOOHOO!  Now I get to plan new outfits to sew for ME!  I’ve had this pattern (Vogue 1061) sitting pinned to my bulletin board forever!  I love the back of the tunic but have some issues with the front…a slight re-design will be in order.

Blogging took a back seat to life, but now with kids back in school and life much more scheduled I’m back in gear to give you all some fun tutorials and share some of the projects I managed to accomplish these past few months.

One of the projects I worked on this summer resulted in my lawn being mowed all summer by one of the high school kids from church.  I did a bit of bartering, agreeing to sew him a tunic to wear to the medieval role playing club he belongs to in exchange for yard work.  I spent over six hours on the project—from drafting a pattern to putting it all together--and he agreed to work in my yard for my time plus half.  I thought it was a fair deal concidering what he could have paid someone to make it!  He was thrilled with the end result and I have to say it made me really happy to see him so pleased with my work!

The fabric is prequilted and he designed what he wanted on paper--I just put it all together. 

I think this was really all the sewing I did this summer--except for a few repairs and a few fabric related no sew crafts my sewing machines got a well deserved break...now I only hope they don't start acting up on me when I put them to work once more!