September Challenge Day 29

I had fun with this one. It is a chef's hat. My niece loves playing with her kitchen set, so I thought it would be perfect for her.
I overlapped the band, kept it "open" and added velcro for adjustability. That's why it almost fits my son in the pics but should also fit her little head. I hope.


I will be bringing down with me when I go to visit this weekend. Which reminds me...my last Craft-a-Day post for September will most likely not be until October something - probably the 5th. It will be strange to be out of town without my boys....they have too much with school & practices & games to go down also. Besides - 10 hours in the car with little dude & I may go crazy...he's a chatterbox.

See you in October! :)

Wordless Wednesday

...even less than nothing...

September Challenge: Day 28

Day 28 is a little odd. My crafts for that day are the flags I help sew for the colorguard for my son's marching band. This set is only 5 feet long...the first set was 9 feet! By the way - there are 27 girls to sew for and 4 of us sewing :P
They are a great bunch of girls. They get so excited about their new flags - and thank us every time they see us. The flag I am showing you today is the second set we have made. I plan to get some good pics the next time we see them perform....they look so much better when being waved :)

September Challenge: Days 26 and 27

Day 26 was a biggie. The parts for these clutches were already cut out, which is the only reason I was able to complete them in one day. Actually, there was another reason. I wanted to have a nice line up of clutches for the show Sunday. Ready? There are 5 of them :)




...But that is not all :) I was feeling ambitious and cut out some more mini backpacks...and I got one completed before I called it a night.

Day 27...nothing. Nada. Zilch. I was at the Artisan Market for MICE (Michigan Indie Crafters of Etsy) and was too tuckered out when I got home to make anything.

September Challenge Day 25

Okay, so I ran out of time to create something different than the 3 leaf bags I planned on. But at least there were two of them that one day. I won't beat myself up over it though since I have a craft show on Sunday and wanted them done in time. Crossing my fingers for completing my clutches and a few mini backpacks too.

Plus, I thought I'd show you the back sides of the zip bags....

September Challenge Day 23 & 24

I made 2 things yesterday and the day before...but they were the same thing. Actually, they were more of the 3 leaf zip bags I had for my giveaway the other week.

Which reminds me - Congrats to Meri from Merigreenleaf's Elbit Enterprises! It is amusing too because I won some adorable elf ears from her not too long ago :)

Okay, back to the bags. I have 2 more set aside to make today and I am hoping to still have time to create something different for my "official" craft-a-day project.


It's weird, the green piece at the top looks uneven but it measures up even. I think it may just be the zipper - either I sewed it closer to the teeth at one end or it is just pulled up somewhat on the other. Does it look weird?

That pouch had a narrower green piece on the zipper - it's amazing how much shorter it looks, but there is only a half inch difference between them.

They both have this same interior...


Does the material look familiar? Instead of making even more zip bags, I used it for Day 22's project...which I did decide to keep for myself. I plan to make more but with a solid color or print instead of the patchwork since I used up the large piece I made already.

Want to see how Peacocks and Dragonflies is doing with her Craft-a-day? click here

September Challenge: Day 22

I made this bag for myself. I know, weird. I rarely do that. But.....I may change my mind. I do this a lot. I will make something with the intention of putting it in the shop, but like it so much I want to keep it for myself. Granted, I rarely do keep it. It can be hard to let go. So when I do make myself something, and really like it...I wonder if I should put it in the shop :)
My son tells me to just make another, which I can - kind of. Since everything is OOAK, it will never be the same if I attempt another. Especially this kind....no pattern. I was winging it. Sort of. My everyday bag I use now is this basic design, which is based on a larger one I have made before. But this time I just winged it - no pattern.

I am not sure if you can tell by this shot, but the way the strap is set - on the front, not the sides - the bag lays nice & snug on your hip. I love the way it wears. I can lean over to get kiddo's stuff from the back seat or whatever & nothing falls out. "Look ma, no hands!"

This is a close up of the flap. I put a square glass bead near the end of the leaf. It acts as a weight to "close" the flap over the bag. I used this on my mini backpacks & loved it. It's a nice way to feel closure and yet keep things easily accessible. I always have my hands full & opening a zipper one handed can be a pain.

And an inside view. A nice simple solid green. Plus, the stitching on the opposite side of the leaf looks kinda cool.

So - stay tuned...will she keep it for herself? And if so, will she make more? And does anyone besides her really care? :)

Who Watches the Watchmen? September Challenge Day 20...and 21

Day 20 was a biggie and it bled into day 21. I would like to say it was all because of needles breaking, thread popping, sizing being off & needing to be altered as I sewed (which is all true) but the real reason...I was just to darn tired at the end of the night to sew the lining into the main piece & attach the strap. Oh yes, and we were at my in-laws for a family get together in the afternoon. So all in all, I think I did okay with it only bleeding into 1 day and not 2.

This bag is for my hubby when he goes downtown to the coffee shop to read & write...and people watch...and chat with the regulars. It was in my head to make a couple months back, but one thing after another kept pushing it further on down the list. Thank goodness September's Craft a Day came along (thank you Peacocks & Dragonflies!). I took quite a few pics to share, so let's get started...


This next pic is under the flap. I need to ask hubby what kind of closure, if any, he wants on the pocket flap. I sewed a slot for his pen and there is a separate zip pocket on the front of the front pocket - follow that? - just the right size for ID & money...right now it is full of my biz cards :)

I put another, larger, zip pocket inside the bag made the same way as the small one in the front.


The top seemed too floppy, so I stitched some of the nylon webbing used for the strap along the top where the flap folds over.

And the strap kind of continues down along the gusset to cradle the bag. I do this with most of my messenger bags. I think it gives more support than just a tab at the top of the sides. I think of it like holding a baby...always better to put your arm under their bum that just around their waist.


Plus, I did do more crafting on Day 21 than just finish the bag...but no pics. I sew for the colorguard (those are the girls, mostly, that do all the fancy dancing & flag waving with the marching band) and we got together tonight to get going on the second flag. We finished the 1st one - which was 9 feet long...yes, you read that right - before their 1st competition. Now we are onto the second smaller flag - about 4 feet or so and 6 pieces. There are 4 of us sewing and 27 girls...luckily, it is fun & a bit of a chatfest :) I will snap some pics next Monday of both flags for you.

Hey, Where's Perry? September Challenge: Day 19

Do you have kids? Or just love cartoons? Then you may know who this little fella is...he's Perry. Perry the Platypus. Average household pet until he dons his hat and then, he's Agent P. Spy extraordinaire. This show, Phineas and Ferb, is my son's (both actually) favorite new cartoon of the summer. Okay, I confess, it's the whole family's. It is the one cartoon we can all watch & enjoy. I just love it.
The 2 brothers, Phineas & Ferb, come up with these crazy ideas of what to do everyday during their summer vacation. Like city wide roller coasters, traveling back in time, creating a portal to Mars...you know, usual kid stuff :P Their big sis Candice tries to bust them every time, but alas, something always happens & the inventions disappear. Most of the time it is due to Perry as Agent P while he defeats the evil Dr. Doofenschmirtz...who is, well, kind of a blundering evil villain. Okay, enough recap...onto the crafts.

My youngest starts preschool Monday, so I made him a backpack. It is made from corduroy and has Perry on the front. It turned out pretty good I must say. I debated about having the parachute that Perry was holding on the backpack as well, but scraped that idea...too busy. I was hoping it would look a little like he was holding the straps. It is lined, which was a pain. I need to find an easier way to do that with the top & gusset. I am actually more amazed that I finished it last night :)



So, what do you think? Because my son, well, he may have looked at it all bright eyed this morning. But when I told him I made it for him. His response? "But I want Phineas". Grrr.The reaction may be more of the I don't want to go to school variety than an actual not wanting. Because when he heard me say that maybe his cousin might want it, he said "maybe Perry is okay, he is my favorite actually". Well duh, that's why I made him. Ahhh, kids. Gotta love 'em.

September Challenge Days 16, 17 & 18

Ugh - I am so far behind in posting. If there was a way I could craft a new, faster, computer...I'd be so so happy right now. But alas, I am stuck with one that is slow enough that I can go into the other room & refill my coffee while I wait for a picture to open. Grr.

Anyway, onto the craftiness. I have a show coming up on the 27th, so I am back to bags. Big Surprise, I know. I think I may do this again in like January when nothing much needs to be done biz-wise.

The clutches I made (and I have 5 more ready to go - cross your fingers for me that I get them done by the end of the weekend) are just like those in my shop, only larger. It is actually what I originally designed for this bag. The smaller version came about when I had a custom order. I may add an optional skinny strap to some of these...they are almost too big for a clutch, but not quite.




This last one was my original clutch. I was so happy with it because it sold at a craft show before I could ever even list it. Such a great feeling.

Wordless Wednesday

September Challenge Days 14 & 15

I was bad. I missed Day 14. I guess it was a typical Monday and I did not feel like doing anything. Let's just hope it won't last.
So I made 2 things on Day 15. And yes, more mini backpacks. I love these things. I still need to figure out how to price them. Any high/low suggestions?


I do plan to make quite a bit of these before the month is over. But unless I am short on time that day, I will do a different creations for that Craft A Day.

I left this pic in because it shows the "floppiness" of the bags. As much as I like a nice structured bag, these are great without.

*Did you see my Wordless Wednesday today? It's another visual on why pics are hard to take sometimes *

September Challenge: Day 13

I skipped the bags today. I spent the day out with my oldest shopping for school stuff. He picked out some great clothes - he looks so old *sniff*. In the evening we cut his hair. Wow. Now he really looks old.

So, I didn't have much time left and while I could have made a mini backpack or 2, I chose to make a few headbands, watch Glee and go to bed.

Do any of you wear headbands? I am looking for an adult or two to try one out. I know that young tweens & teens had them fit well. But on me, with my high forehead, I always have a hard time with headbands. So, any takers?...okay - thank you "takers"! I am all set for guinea pigs - thanks everyone :)

September Challenge : Day 12

Yes, it's another mini backpack. I will try to make something different sometimes, even on the days I am making bags for the shop. But I had cut out 7 not knowing which I would want to give my niece...or how many would be needed exactly. So Day 13 may have the last 2 also...but I'll throw something else in to change it up a bit. 

 

 

September Challenge: Days 10 & 11

Day 10 was a threepeat of Day 9. I finished off the mini backpacks for my niece's sleepover. I am happy to report that they were a hit!

Day 11...and I cheated. I had a funeral that morning, so I gave myself the day off. The next morning during my son's 1st soccer game I sketched out an idea I had in my head the day before. So, that kind of counts as Day 11.

Wondering what the heck the sketch will be? Not 100% sure, but most likely it will be a quilty-appliqued-fiber art-wall hanging-type thingy. Makes sense, right?

want to see how Peacocks & Dragonflies is coming along with her Craft a Day?
She is the one who got me started on this after all :)

September Challenge: Day 9

Day 9 and I am still chugging away. This mini backpack is one of 7 I cut today. 3 or 4 of them are slated for my niece's birthday party. I hope 9 year olds don't read blogs...if so, Anna, change the tab - look away :)

She is having her birthday party Friday night - a sleepover. A camping out sleepover. Her mom was thinking of getting all the girls some camping gear goodie bags...so I offered up the bag part of the equation. I thought small backpacks would be a great idea. And fun! Each one is a different fabric. They are simple, canvas bags that are not interfaced. I have put a drawstring closure on them and a weighted flap. I skipped the snap idea so they could stuff them without having to worry about things fitting.



So, guess what tomorrow's craft will be :P More bags. I will try to do something different too though...but it will be something smallish.

...go check out Peacocks and Dragonflies OADCC...she got me into this :P

Wordless Wednesday