Pouch Received!

I got my pouch in the mail from my partner!! (really it was a few days ago but I'm just now getting to post about it) Isn't it beautiful? I love the colors and the shape/size.

I opened it and was pleasantly surprised to see ANOTHER pouch inside! (below)

Isn't it beautiful, too? I LOVE the natural colors and the smaller size. Here's some pictures to show the inside fabric. Blue in the larger one and a nice tropical floral print in the smaller polka dot pouch.

The zippers have ribbon tied to the ends. What a useful embellishment, don't you think?

I have so many ideas for how to use these pouches. My first idea is for a travel toiletry bag. I'm always looking for something just the right size to put everything in for trips.

Partner's Pouch Finished!

You may remember my Post about a pouch swap. I've finally finished! Here's the link to the blog hosting the swap. You can also view the flickr account here with lots of fun pouches!

This is the BLOG where I found the tutorial for this pouch. Super easy and super cute.

There are some handy pockets inside for credit cards and cash. You can put other items inside if it's not used for a wallet.

I loved Amy Butler fabric and has this in my closet waiting to be made into something. I paired it with some khaki colored fabric.

I was really happy how the zipper turned out. All I had on hand were invisible zippers so I decided to use them. I think they worked out okay.

Back and front of pouch. Simple rectangular shape.

Black and White Damask Bag

Recently I flew to upstate NY to look for a house to buy. My husband and I are moving from Washington state to New York this June. Kind of crazy to be moving across the country - literally. While home searching we stopped by my sisters house. It just happened to be my nieces birthday the day we were there.

I made her this bag as a gift. She's a small petite 10 year old and I wanted something small for her to carry, yet large enough to put some books and things in. I looked at a few different bags I liked online and then created my own pattern.
It's made with home decorator fabric and duck cloth for lining (that's what I had that was white in my fabric closet).

I also made a cute little pouch to go inside. I figured she could put loose things inside and then put it in her bag - or really whatever she wanted to do with it.
Every since the pouch swap, I've been on a pouch making kick. Trust me you'll see in future posts.

The cute set together. I was happy with how they turned out.

Lickety Split Bag

Here's another project that's been in the works for a while. I used Made By Rae's Lickety Split Pattern. Instead of tying the handles together at the top, I decided to sew the handles together. It makes the bag a little longer and allows me to cross it over my body comfortably.

I really love the orange/yellow/brown fabric. My sister was the one who spotted it at Hobby Lobby. We had a hard time trying to find fabric to go with it. I also like the blue and figured they matched well enough to put them on the same bag.
I put one larger pocket on the outside of the bag and two smaller pockets inside. Granted it is a reversible bag, so there really isn't an inside and outside right? I figure I will use the orange fabric for the outside most of the time though.
It was a very simple pattern to follow and I like the bag. I would however like if the fabric were thicker (home decorator fabric) and perhaps include some interfacing to help give the bag more of a shape and support. Other than those two things I love the bag!

Birdie Sling Bag - Amy Butler

Remember THIS post? I finally got around to taking some pictures of the finished project.

You can slightly see the inside fabric. It's the same as the outer fabric of the bag I made for myself.I decided to make two bags since I had extra fabric. (You can only order fabric in increments of half a yard on Fabric.com.) One for me and one for my sister who is having a baby in another 2 weeks!! The top bag is for my sister and the lower bag is for myself.

I used the outer fabric of my sisters bag for the handles on mine. The inside is the same as the handles. I decided not to use the zig-zag stripes on my bag.

It was fun to make two different versions of this bag with putting different fabric in both places. I'm happy with how they both turned out.

Half Aprons - Child and Adult

I filled an order on ETSY this week for 14 girls half aprons and 1 adult apron. They are for an American Girl Birthday Party. It sounds really fun and I hope the girls are excited!!

Here is a quick look at the half white aprons I made for the girls.

The mom also wanted one but thought it would be more fun to have a different pattern. I love the fabric she choose! One of my favorite colors.

I added two pockets to the front of the mom's - who doesn't need a pocket? Especially when running a birthday party.

Since I was home alone today I couldn't try the apron on for a picture (and my pregnant belly might not flatter the apron). Here's a view of the whole thing.

These aprons are ironed and ready to be folded up and shipped.

Maternity Pants - Do it yourself!

I am expecting my second child in 7 weeks!! When I was pregnant with my first baby it was the summer. I wore mostly skirts to work and capri's when off work. This time around it's winter! I can't get by with only skirts and capri's. I figured I would make my own maternity pants out of jeans that I loved and knew fit well.

I gathered my supplies: Thick elastic and some blue knit.
I started by unpicking the top waist band of the jeans I was going to use. I only had to do the belt loops and bottom seam of the waist band.

It wasn't hard to unstitch.

Not Pictured: - I then measured my elastic to the size I would need. I also measured the knit fabric to cover the elastic.

- I started out by sewing the knit fabric (right sides together) to the top of the jeans - all the way around. I then measured how much space I would need to insert the elastic and stitched a tube. I inserted the elastic and top stitched at the top and bottom of the elastic to prevent the elastic from rolling.

Finished product. These jeans are my favorite maternity jeans! It was a simple easy project I would do again if needed. It saved money because I already had the extra pair of jeans!!

Maternity Skirt - under the belly.

Why are cute maternity clothes so hard to find? At a reasonable price that is. I'm only going to wear them for "maybe" 5-6 months so paying an arm and a leg is out of the question.

I decided to make a short black maternity skirt that could be very versatile. It can be dressed up or down depending on the need and occasion.

Instead of sewing a panel to go over my belly I decided to make the elastic go UNDER my belly. It is much more comfortable!

I finished the bottom with a simple double needle hem. Simple, Easy, Cheap! This skirt cost me just under $5 with $9.99 Matte Jersey from Jo Ann Fabric. I had a 50% off coupon and used about 3/4 yard. Pretty good deal if you ask me.