Wow!

I can't believe it, but I was named one of the winners in the SewMamaSew sewing tutorial contest with my little hobo lunch bag! So exciting!! I bring my lunch to work in mine every day so I can attest to the fact that they are very functional and a cute way to get to see your favourite fabric every day. Enjoy.

Square(ish) Bottomed Hobo Lunchbag Tutorial

Necessity being the mother of invention, I first made this bag because I wanted something that would have all the features of a plastic bag, except I wouldn’t want to throw it out. The features I really wanted were: ability to hold a square container in an upright position, tie-able, light, washable and squishable. Also cute. And so the Square(ish) Bottomed Hobo Lunchbag was born.

Materials Needed:
- Pattern paper
- Ruler
- 1/2 yard outer fabric
- 1/2 yard lining fabric
- matching thread

Step One:

Cut paper pattern, 14” bottom, 8” sides, cut a freehand curve for about 5.5” to the handle, which is 3.5” wide and 4” high.

Step Two:

Select scrumptious, easy to wash, fabrics for your lovely lunch bag.

Step Three:

Fold lining fabric in half carefully and pin pattern to both layers.

Cut around pattern. Repeat with outer fabric. You should now have four pieces that resemble little schoolhouses.

Step Four:

Pin lining pieces together, right sides facing in. Sew down both 8” sides and across the bottom using a 1/2” seam allowance. Leave a gap of 2-3” on the bottom seam. DON’T FORGET the gap, picking this out later is a real pain! Remove pins. Trim thread.

My sewing machine had a delightful little thread implosion meltdown here. No project ever goes smoothly. * Note to self: do not adjust tension while sewing.

Step Five:

Repeat step 4 with outer fabric, sewing across entire bottom.

Step Six:

Now we make the squared bottom. (feel free to giggle, I am immature enough to think ‘squared bottom’ is funny too!) Fold the corner into a triangle with a seam running down the middle. Measure the preferred width for your bottom. :o) I chose 6” because that fits the square containers I always use for my lunches.

Mark the width all the way across with a marking pencil, then sew along the line.
Do this for all four corners.

Step Seven:
Trim off the little elf hats to make a straight line across. About 1/2-3/4” is good.

Step Eight:

Turn the bag lining inside out and tuck it into the outer bag so that right sides are facing.

Pin together around all the rough edges.

Sew around the whole perimeter of the bag. You can clip the curvy bits if you’d like. (I forgot on this bag-oops!)

Step Nine:

Remove pins and prepare yourself for the best part of bag making! Turn the bag right side out through the hole in the lining. Poke out the handle tips with a pointy object like scissors or a pencil. Sew hole shut by hand or use the lazygal method of topstitching as I do.

Step Ten:

Topstitch around the outside of your lunch bag. (not strictly necessary)

And VOILA! (as we say here in Canada…also I suppose in parts of Europe and Africa. And French Guyana.)

A nifty, easy to wash plastic bag substitute. Lunchtime!

And this is my dog with the tennis ball he chewed up while I was making this tutorial.

Slowly but Surely

The memory on my computer at home is so packed that I don't even have space for pictures to put on my blog- tragic but true. Time for a new one. That said, when I have a quick moment at work, it's blogging time!

Here are a couple of projects I've finished in the last little while...there is also a Rainbow Brite sheet repurpose on its way and a cute lunchbox pattern that just might be my first ever tutorial a-brewing...

A delightful (post)Christmas gift for my patient roomie of a u-handbag curved gusset shopping bag (tutorial here) made with superbuzzy fabric.

I also made a cute little portfolio for other roomie's birthday from Amy Butler's lovely free pattern.

Actual Projects!

Yes, the rumours are true. I have actually managed to both start and finish some crafty projects. Here are a couple, there is more excitement on the way!

My pup enjoying his comfy new winter fleece bed.

The brother relaxing with his comfy new crochet hat.

Mmmm....France!

Had a great trip to Reyersviller, Strasbourg, Taize & Paris!
I love any country that has a whole wall of yogurt at every grocery store.
If you want to check out the rest of my pictures, just click on the one below.

finally spring!

Spring has finally arrived in Ottawa...note the cherry blossoms & bee :o)

it's done!

The quilt is finally done!
Here it is........


More views on my flickr page (click on the picture)

stormy weather

No one likes a mix of snow and rain! Especially in April!!!

My solution? A box from the french bakery.....

Add coffee and the crossword.....

And some pretty spring fabric.....

And you have a happy solution to dreary weather!

next plan....a blanket for my bed

Resolution for (the rest of) April: I will not go to the mall. Or any big box stores. Except to buy food if absolutely neccessary.
What does this mean? Well, my plan to buy a spring duvet cover (mine is dark brown and heavy, not so good in an unairconditioned house for summer) may be foiled. BUT I just might be inspired to make myself a (tied not quilted) blanket not unlike this one from craftopia.

The Rest of the Earrings...

Here they are! Best earrings I've ever made...

earring is a funny word to type

Last Monday, Meg and I headed to Workshop for a little, well, workshop on making earrings with their most excellent Bridget of Wine on Sundays. Sooo fun! I made about 10 pairs, but something sad happened to my camera (general uncooperativeness- it shuts itself off every time I try to take a picture) so I only have a couple of pictures:This is the paper box I made to put a pair for Katherine in.
And here they are- maybe a bit hard to see, my screen is dark, so I have trouble telling.

georgia on my mind...

It seems sort of ludicrous to write a blog entry at 1:30 in the morning when I haven't yet finished writing a sermon that I have to deliver in....let's not count the hours down quite yet! But I had such a lovely trip to Georgia with my youth group and all I can think of are the beautiful pecan orchards on the farm where we stayed and warm lovely weather. A couple of not so nice images of a couple of unnamed youth in drag drift into my mind too, but I shall banish them with this....oh spring, you were a fleeting part of my life!

spring?

If you are curious what 'spring' looks like in Ottawa- here's your chance to take a look- the tree in my front yard. Hardly bursting with buds. Guess it's still officially winter.

a hat! a hat!

Here is the felty wool/angora hat I made for Richella- it better be there by now 'cause the guy told me Tuesday. I haven't heard from Richella if she got it yet....evil glare....

quilting bee!

Another exciting development in handicrafts month is that the ladies from church are nearly done quilting the quilt i pieced for bronwyn's wedding...a couple of years ago....oops. but bronwyn, take heart, your quilt is nearly done!

quilting ladies working on b's quilt

march is handicrafts month!

in em world, february was 'learn about money' month. we have now moved on to march, 'handicraft' month!!!

in the spirit of handicraft, i shall post the pictures i have been meaning to add to show what lovely things i have been doing (right:)

first, for christmas, i got on a purse-making roll, thanks to the amazing tutorial by tiny happy...

here are some results...

the 'bowling bag' I made for meg out of her old skirt, which i stole from some stuff she was giving to the women's shelter, hopefully she wasn't getting rid of it because she hated the fabric :)

and this one i made for bronwyn out of some thrift store grey plus a thrifted flowery skirt.... yay!

also i felted an old sweater and made a coat for my dog, Gizmo, loosely based on this pattern- which he couldn't appreciate less! Beware if you are planning to make this coat for your dog, it is ti-nee! I had to blow the pattern up a HUGE amount to have it fit my 16lb shih tzu.

the start of a great new creation

I have rediscovered the serious fun of starting AND completing projects! I made an awesome-de-dawesome purse as a Christmas present, and have nearly completed purse #2! I have some pictures and will post them soon...