Shower Gifts

A new bag for the expectant mom


I made this bag using the free Pleated Tote pattern from Artsy Crafty Babe. This is my second time using the pattern. The first time was for a bag for my mother-in-law, and I tried very hard to make it perfect, but perhaps it wasn't the best pattern for a new sewer. Since then, the pattern had been updated, and I changed a few things, too. I lengthened the straps a bit, made the internal pockets bigger, and fashioned an external pocket to sew into the seams. I'm really pleased with how the external pocket turned out, because it allows the bag to stand up on it's own, and allows easy access to things like cell phone, grocery list, etc. To do it, I altered the pattern so that I could box the corners (rather than having rounded, pleated corners). This also eased some frustration that I had with the original pattern.


Personalized shirts for the kiddos

The shirts were a last-minute project using fabric scraps, trying to remain gender-neutral since the boys are ages 4 and 2 and new baby will be a girl. I attached the numbers to the background fabric using Wonder Under, then straight stitched close to the edge, then repeated the process to fuse the fabric to the shirts.

Why and How I Started Sewing

I started sewing to make pants to fit over my son's cloth diaper bum. I could buy lovely handmade pants on Etsy for $10 a pair, or I could make my own with a $50 sewing machine and very inexpensive fleece. Once the machine arrived, I also decided to make a child-sized mei tai carrier for my daughter to carry her dolls, a "taggie" blanket for my son, a new bag for me, hats with the leftover fleece...well, you see where I'm going with this. I became hooked!

Although my mother tried several times to teach me to sew (thanks, Mom!) this is the first time I really became interested. Mom answers my questions from 1600 miles away, and thanks to the all of the free tutorials out there, I've learned a lot. I love the challenge of figuring out how to make something, or improve something, and nothing is better (to me) than giving a handmade gift.

I've Joined!

I've joined the blogging world! I started sewing last December and have become addicted. I think a blog will help me track what I've done and what I'd like to do. Plus, it's fun to see that *maybe* I'm actually getting better at sewing.