Have Beer, Will Travel: Bike Six-Pack Holder Tutorial

Hello, hello, hello!  I know it’s been a little while…but I’m back with the long-ago-promised tutorial for a bike-safe six-pack holder (I know you’ve been waiting with bated breath, and quite frankly I can’t imagine how you’ve gotten along thus far without it!  My most sincere apologies from keeping you from this vital information.)  But hey! Enough chat.  Let’s get to it!

This 6-pack carrier has strips of Velcro on the inside, so that in addition to being a regular carrier, it opens flat so that it can be draped over a bicycle bar for easy transport. 

Zippered pouch tutorial!

As promised, I worked up a little tutorial, filling y'all in on how I make my little zippered pouches (I knew you were just dying to know!)  Check out the full tutorial after the jump!  As always, I would love to see any projects you come up with, so I hope to hear from you soon!

Blue butterfly bedtime bliss

Hello, friends!  I'm popping in today to share a couple of projects I made last week for my sister's birthday.  My mom and I found this gorgeous silky (it's technically a polyester blend, but it's pretty luxurious to the touch!) fabric, printed with butterfly wings in beautiful blues and greens and I knew it was perfect for my sister.  I just love this fabric!  So I decided to make some sort of bedtime set, and here is what I came up with:

I knew I wanted to make some sort of a robe and a pair of sleep shorts.  I searched high and low for a pajama set pattern that included both of these items, and I just couldn't find any that I liked (and the pattern sets are around $15...that's pretty pricy!)  So in my desperation, I took a peek into the cheap pattern drawer at Wal-Mart and found two separate patterns (this one and this one) for around $1 a piece!  Neither was really intended for pajamas, but they both worked perfectly for my purposes!

The shorts have an elastic waistband and pockets (which I considered leaving off, but just couldn't because I am borderline obsessed with pockets.)  They also have buttoned-up cuffs at the bottom, although the buttons are sewn on and can't be adjusted.  I tried to choose flat buttons so that they would be comfortable for sleeping, and I ended up these shiny blue buttons...they were just the ticket! (see close-up above)

The robe took a little more time, because there was a pretty sizable amount of sewing that had to be done by hand.  But overall, it was still simple enough that I got it done in two half-days of work.  I struggled a little with the facing around the collar (why are those always to difficult to put together?!) but I'd happily do this project again!

I just love how they turned out!  Both projects were pretty quick to put together, and the fabric was perfect.  My sister has always loved butterflies, so when I found this print, I knew I had to get it...what a great find!  There's really nothing better than finding a fabric that's just perfect for a project!  As far as I can tell, my sister loves her presents and I'm thrilled!

I hope you all had (and are still having) wonderful weekends as well!  Thanks for stopping by!

Fav fab finds

I just wanted to pop in and share a few of my favorite fabric finds...

One: Timeless Treasures Washi Waves Cream/Aqua

Two: Heirloom Fez Indigo

Three: Lanikai Chevron Teal

Four: Woodland Trails Owl Blue

Five: Amy Butler Lark Dreamer Kasbah Midnight Blue

Six: Amy Butler Lark Dreamer Nanna Chic Cloud Blue

Seven: Michael Miller It's a Boy Thing Thar She Blows Sea

Eight: Michael Miller Lush Modern Lotus Sky

Nine: Anna Maria Horner LouLouThi Velveteen In The Clearing Jade

Ten: Hello Pilgrim Dotted Circles Blue

I must have been feeling blue today!  I know I can't get them all, but it certainly will be hard to choose!  What do you all think?

Big-boy bag

Today was a wonderful day off.  I finally got around to cleaning my car, cooked a nice dinner, and I did a whole lot of nothing.  It was great!  I did knock one thing off of my "to-do" list, though, by creating a new "Things I've Made" tab with quick links to all of the projects I've blogged about so far.  Check it out if you get a chance!

For some reason, I've had bags on the brain a lot lately.  Even though I haven't been doing a ton of sewing, I keep getting ideas for new bags, searching out patterns online for new bags, wanting to buy new bags...it's never-ending!  In an effort to keep up with this, I decided to share with you all today a bag that I made for Sean this year.  Since he was graduating and moving on to big-boy things, I decided he needed a new big-boy messenger bag.  I found this great tutorial, and gave it just a few tweaks.  Here is how it turned out: (photos courtesy of Sean)

I used heavy duty black canvas for the outside of the bag, with faux leather trim for the strap and to embellish the body of the bag.  For the insides, I used some light blue canvas to line the flap, and I used some hounds-tooth printed cotton for the lining and inner pockets.

 

Aside from fabric weights, I didn't really make any changes to the inside of the bag pattern, because I love the way it was laid out.  There is a perfectly sized laptop pocket, while still leaving plenty of room for other papers and books.  There are also some pockets for writing utensils, phone, wallet, and even a key fob!  While I was nervous to work with the "leather" trim, I'm glad I took the risk.  I think it gives the bag just the right amount spice on the outside.  I couldn't very well send Sean to work with a boring old messenger bag, could I?  Although I did try to keep the fabric choices professional, so that Sean wouldn't be the butt of any bag-related water cooler jokes.

I hope everybody had a lovely Tuesday, and thanks for stopping by!

A proper gentleman

I returned home today from my last (I almost can't believe it's true!) audition trip.  After a few stressful days in "the Big Apple" I came home to find the best little surprise: 

In addition to my favorite little buddy being safe and sound at home, he now has a new wardrobe staple!  Because every proper gentleman needs a proper bow-tie, it seemed only fitting that Oliver has one.  Actually, I saw one of these on Esty some time ago, and knew it was just one of those things I needed to have.  Luckily (for me) I pinned it on Pinterest, Sean saw it a few weeks ago, and he ordered this little argyle number as a Valentine's Day/Oliver's Birthday present for the two of us.  We couldn't be happier!  My next project will be to copy this with some more prints...oh the possibilities!  He really does look dashing, doesn't he? 

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and a fabulous Monday!... (that's a real thing, right?)

Have lunch, will travel

Hello, friends!  I am back from my trip safely, but inundated with out-of-town rehearsals; cars were made to be driven, right?  I'm thrilled to have the work, but not so thrilled that I missed the Bachelor last night...boo!  Thank goodness for TiVo.  I know posts have been a little spotty lately, but in addition to my travels, I've been working on some top-secret projects that I won't be able to share until later in the month (stay tuned!)  So I'm back today with another early project of mine to share.  A couple of summers ago when I was on my first serious sewing kick, Sean had just started an internship down in Florida.  So one of my first real projects (that made it to completion) was a lunch bag for him to take to his new job.

In an effort to be practical, I lined the insides of everything with a clear, plastic fabric.  It was difficult to sew with (that stuff sure is sticky!) but I wanted the bags to be spill-proof, and I think the lining did the trick!  To avoid needing so many plastic baggies to pack lunches, I made some smaller baggies (also lined with plastic) to complete the set.

 

I made the baggies from some leftover fabric scraps.  They both have Velcro closures; one is sandwich-sized, and the other is just a little pouch for snacks.  I've made many, many lunch sacks since this one (most of them following Martha Stewart's instructions in this book) but I'm still pretty happy with this fully-lined set of my own design.  I lucked out with the striped, heavyweight fabric for the sack, and I just love the clouds on the cotton.  Every project needs a dash of fun (and Sean works at Disney World, for crying out loud!  Any workplace that has "costumes" instead of "uniforms" calls for something more exciting than your average, run-of-the-mill lunch set.)

If I were making this bag now, I would have done some things differently (like lining up the stripes on the sack, adding a closure to the sack, hiding the seams better on the pouches, etc.) but I love that these look handmade.  I also love looking back on old projects and seeing that I've improved!

Thanks for stopping by to see what I'm up to.  I hope you all had wonderful weekends, and I wish you a happy Tuesday!   

Nifty Gifties - Parts Two and Three

As promised, I finished my final two gift projects this afternoon.  First, I made some simple blue napkins to accompany the place mats I made yesterday.  Here is the finished product:

 

I used Martha's instructions from this book, and I love the way they turned out.  Such an easy way to get neat corners!

I think the simple design is the perfect contrast to the festive place mats, and together they make complete place settings!  Don't proper place settings just make you want to sit down to a proper meal?  I picked up some artichoke pesto downtown today to pair with the table settings, and that's a wrap for gift package #1!

For the my second gift, I bought two microfiber dish towels, and embellished them with a little trim.  Here is how they turned out:

 

I found the trim in the sale bin at the fabric store, and somehow left with almost seventy yards of various patterns.  Oops...hey, they were on sale!  To pair with these towels, I got a fancy lavender mint dish soap, and that completes gift package #2!

Meanwhile, Oliver took a personal day today.  

He's saying "Mommm, give me a belly rub!"  Actually, he's yawning.  But he loves when I put words in his mouth.  And yes, I got that thread sticker off of his paw (somebody has been running wild in my sewing room!)

I'm off on my trip tomorrow, so I will catch up with you all when I return!  Have a happy week!

Nifty Gifties - Part One

Hello friends!  I know I've been MIA for a few days, but it's only because I've been working on something big.  It's really big.  It's so big, in fact, that it's not actually finished yet.  But I had a more time-sensitive project that I had to squeeze in this afternoon.  Not to worry!  I will finish it soon, and you will hear all about it.

But for now, I wanted to share a little project I did this afternoon in preparation for a trip I'll be making this weekend.  I'll be doing a little audition tour, and I am staying with a few different friends in a few different cities.  Not wanting to show up empty-handed (but also not wanting to give up a ton of time to complicated, overly-ambitious projects) I've been working on a few little gift items to take with me.  So here is Nifty Gifty #1 (out of 3) and it is: a set of 4 place mats!

When I went to the fabric store earlier today, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do.  But once I found this beautiful batik cotton I decided to go with a simple design.  I just love the swirls of color...I couldn't stand to cover those up!  I used a plain grey cotton on the flip side, and just added a little gold and blue trim (you know, to make it fancy.) 

I'll be back tomorrow with Nifty Gifties #2 and #3, and then I'll be all ready for my trip!  Hope everyone had a happy Monday!

The whole kit and kaboodle

Since I had a relatively free day on my hands, I spent the day practicing and sewing.  Today I worked on an Anna Maria Horner kit I received for Christmas. While I was a little scared to cut into the fabric that came with my kit (it's just so cute!) I dove right in, and was able to complete the project in a few hours.  The process was undoubtedly slowed down by two things: my little helper (see below) and  my valiant attempt to sew while also watching The Bachelor .

 

Despite my numerous distractions, the Ruthie Clutch was a success!

I used the kit as intended, with one small change.  While I had enough fabric to line the bag with the main exterior fabric, I realized that if I swapped out the lining for something else, I would have enough of this lovely print left for another project!  How exciting, right?!  So instead of lining the bag with the exterior fabric, I swapped it out for some light blue cotton I had laying around.  I think it's a nice contrast!

The bag is a cute shape, a practical size, and a smart design.  I can't wait to use this pattern again and again!

Little time = little projects

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!  As I am heading out of town for my first in a long, long string of auditions, I have been a little short on time for projects.  I'll be gone for the next day or two, but when I return, I'm tackling some of those big projects!  For now, I'm steadily working through my scraps with another little project that I have been meaning to try for quite some time now.  I'm a pony tail kind of girl, and I firmly believe that one is never too old to wear hair baubles.  So, without further ado, I give you: 

Fabric-covered button hair-ties!

They were so quick and easy, I see a lot more of these in my future.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Ooh la lavender

While I'm still trying to work through my scrap pile, and I was also in the mood for another mini project, I decided to spend the afternoon making some sachets for my sister.  In an effort to combat the dreary Pennsylvania winter day we had today, I chose some cheerful scraps from my stash and set to work.  Overall, it was my favorite kind of project: cute, easy and fast!

I filled them with dried lavender, and doubled up on the fabric (so none of the lavender flowers would get wild and start poking out!)  I added some embellishments to each one just to make them a little more interesting (although I didn't intend to put those rosettes on the hounds-tooth sachet, but I had a little whoopsie with the green trim and I had to put on a little something extra.  I'm okay with it!)

I really do love the scent of lavender.

I'm gearing up to tackle some of my larger half-done projects (although to say that some of them are half completed is quite optimistic) so I'll keep you all posted!  Happy Friday the 13th!