Fabric gift bags and wabi sabi

I like the idea of using fabric to create gift bags, I only managed to do a couple this year. My son's girlfriend is a beginning sewer so I got a copy of Bend-the-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol for her. This gift seemed to really call out for a cloth wrapper. So, I made a crazy quilted bag for her gift. I wasn't sure how to close off the top, I didn't want to cinch it as you would lose the view of the quilt and a flap over would also cover the quilt. So I placed 3 sets of ribbons on either side of the top edge. Tie off the ribbons and you have a nicely decorated top edge.




I also made a gift bag for a gift exchange with my circle sisters. The gift was to be a wabi sabi one. Wabi sabi is from the Japanese aesthetic that emphasizes the value and beauty of simple things. A wabi sabi gift is one that would have a humble grace, not necessarily new, but loved. I found my wabi sabi gift at a local thrift store, it is a brass item which probably had candles in it (it had a lot of wax on it). I made a little circle of cloth for the bottom and put in this gift bag.

I was casting about for a good link to help explain wabi sabi and found this site. It is a non profit organization in Moab, Utah that helps people in the community by running a thrift shop, recycling building materials, and other activities that truly exemplify application of wabi sabi. Their definition of wabi sabi: "beauty lies in the imperfection that surrounds us, that new is not necessarily nicer, and that our discards could very well be our salvation."

Diaper bag gift

Here are a couple of pictures of Jessica receiving the diaper bag. She was very happy with it. The second picture is of Jessica and Merrill. Granddaughter Alexis Mary is due to arrive on October 1st.
You can see more of the making of the bag here and here. This is a really nice design, lots of pockets: open, zippered and with elastic tops. In all, this bag has 10 pockets! The pattern is from Bar-Bee Designs.

The diaper bag comes to life!

I have finished the diaper bag, what a fun project. This bag has 4 outer pockets, 4 inner pockets, and 2 zipper pockets - one underneath the fancy outer pocket and one in the lining. That should cover all the needed spots for mom and baby stuff.

Here are some more shots along the way. Here is the lining with all the pockets attached, ready to sew up the sides and bottom.


This is the outer bag, all done and waiting for the lining to be finished.

This is the birthing of the bag! (sorry I could not resist including this) The lining is sewn to the outer bag at the top and then the whole thing gets turned inside out through a 6 inch hole in the side of the lining. This is the funnest part of making a lined bag. : )

Anyway, here she is all done, hanging out in the garden with the dahlias.




The back view and inside views follow...

Diaper Bag and Remodeling Sewing Plans

I am making this diaper bag pattern with the fabrics in the photo for a friends daughter. The pattern is from a company called Bar-Bee Designs in Wisconsin. I couldn't find any web address for them. I got the pattern at my local quilt shop.

The front pocket is a 10 inch quilted square, pattern of your own choosing. I thought and thought and ended up with my favorite, a crazy quilted square. I brought in some other colors from my stash, and got to include a slice of polka dot (of course).
The pattern has lots of pockets of course and also has two zippered pockets that are within the the larger pockets. I will post more as I go along. The baby is coming via c-section on October 1st, so I have to keep at this.





That's all the sewing I got in this weekend. We are remodeling our bedroom, bathroom and hall. We have selected some Waverly fabrics for the bathroom and the bedroom. The bathroom shower and window curtain will be Waverly Grand Central in pewter. This print is really fun and will blend nicely with the black and white tile and gray counter top.












For the bedroom, I am planning to use this Waverly Garden Images Magnolia print in sage. I ordered a small amount of the complimentary print below for pillows.

Another olive bag and a tea cozy for charity

I had a little bit of the olive and cabbage fabric left so made one more shopping bag. I will offer it to Sarah, if she doesn't want it then I will use it for groceries.

I also made a tea cozy for a fund raiser at work. There will be a raffle of themed baskets for our United Way kickoff. Our department's theme is "tea time".

I offered to make a tea cozy to contribute. I had the tea pot and cups (TJ Maxx bargains) and so followed the colors and made a crazy quilted tea cozy.
Here are a few pictures of the process. I just love doing this kind of quilting, it starts with a gathering of likely fabrics,









and one random shape.









And then it flows from there, I decide as I go as to what fabric to use next. It's all done on a muslin backing, stitch, flip, and iron. It's very engaging and gets me to the total sewing meditation place that is so relaxing and restorative.









And in the end, it's a gift that will go to someone I don't even know. I like the mystery of that.

She loved the bag

Today was the farewell service and party for our interim minister. The bag that I was commissioned to make as a going away gift was presented to her. She was really happy with it. People had placed several little gifts inside and the many cards of personal wishes were added to the bag. When she was given a gift from the local chocolate maker she reached out for it and tucked right in her new bag. What a pleasure it was for me to see her so happy with this special gift.

I got back to the sewing studio this afternoon and was about to get started on the eyelet top that I have cut out. As I was moving another top that I had cut out and thought about whether I was really ever going to get back to it I decided to finish it up. It is the top from the Vogue 2875 pattern which I made a jacket and skirt out of. I liked the jacket but did not like the cut of the skirt at all. Anyway, the top turned out very nice. The bias cut of the fabric made for a very nice drape. It was a 90 degree day today, so making this breezy top was just the thing to do. The top fit nicely, it's good to know that I can use this pattern again.


One last mini project that I did today was to make up another recycled shopping bag. This one has to be the simplest and fastest one yet. I had a blue bag from a thrift shop, I think I paid 50 cents for it, it had words on the front that I did not particularly want to carry around. I also had some jean shorts that I rescued from the trash when a friend of mine had throw them away while staying at our cottage with us. I snipped off the back pocket and used it to cover the words on the front of the blue bag, and now I have a very functional grocery bag.

Vacation results

My vacation is almost over, I did have plenty of time to relax as well as kayak, and enjoy the company of family and friends. I am feeling great about now, refreshed and thankful for all I can do and participate in. Life is good.

Here's what I was able to accomplish in the sewing department.
1. Finished the commissioned bag. I love how it turned out. Since I tried to emphasize a water theme I took pictures of it by our lake up north. I gave it to the person who is planning the farewell party for the interim minister today. The bag has a spider and web(for good luck), the logo of our congregation, and a Sankofa bird. This minister used the image of a Sankofa bird, one who looks back as she flys forward, as an inspiration for our congregation during our time of transition.



While I was putting the left over fabric scraps away, I picked up the corner that I cut out of the bottom and thought that it would a good base for a cell phone holder. So here it is.





2. Made the tea cozy for Connie, she was very pleased with it.

3. Made a tea cozy and 2 pot holders for the cottage out of the "Tea" fabric.

4. Cut out the white eyelet top.
5. Made 8 coasters out of some domino's fabric that I found at at fabric store called the Button Hole in West Branch, Michigan that is closing this summer. The owner is retiring. Domino's is our game of choice at the cottage, so these will go back up north.









All in all a great week, I did all of my sewing on my little Singer featherweight. It makes such a cute old machine noise and sews wonderfully and with more power that you would expect from such a little old gal.

Commisioned Bag in progress

I have been asked to make a crazy quilt bag similar to this one, as a going away gift for our interim minister. The people who asked me to do this paid for the materials, I am doing the sewing as my contribution to the gift.
The fabric colors and trim that I started with can be seen to the right.

The pieces of the bag are below. From left to right, side pocket, front pocket, flap and handle, side pocket and back pocket. I plan to finish this next week while I am on vacation at the cottage.

Black and White Museum Bag

Here's the raw material, lots of black and white prints and another pattern from Barbara Randle's Crazy Quilting with Attitude book. This bag is called a Museum Bag.

I think it turned out really cute and was fun and fast to make. I will use it this evening at the auction where my tote bag (below) will be auctioned.

Dragonfly crazy quilt bag

It's done. With lots of embellishment and trim, it goes to a congregation auction this Saturday. I hope it raises a decent sum. I have put $60 as the minimum bid. The bag has four outside pockets, each with crazy quilting. I put on a spider and web, for good luck and lots of buttons.

Crazy Quilted Bag project

I am working on a bag which will be donated to my congregation's annual auction. I am following Barbara Randle's Crazy Quilting with Attitude book, specifically her pattern for the mega/diaper bag.
Here's is a shot of my table area while I was in the embellishing process. What fun to add embroidery, buttons, beads and appliqué shapes.
Below are the four crazy quilted panels for front, back and the two side pockets.
And of course, there has to be a spider web and a spider. The spider brings good luck.
I am enjoying dreaming of who might purchase the bag, and what they might use it for. I hope they will enjoy using it as much as I have enjoyed creating it. I will post more as I progress.