June Great Finds!

 Our backyard pond is livelier than ever.  The girls snipped this beauty and displayed it on the dining table.

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Last month, I made this "England flag" messenger bag with 2 Target kitchen towels (could you believe they were only 79 cents each?) and have been carrying the bag whenever I go.  Seriously regret not taking a picture when it was fresh from the craft room.  It’s so well loved that it has paid visits to the washer more than I wanted.  This picture was taken after the bag has survived an egg bath (an accident in the car on the way to Z's swimming), several baby shampoo attacks (another story at the Y) and machine oil slashes (have not a clue how it happened).  It's a true veteran in my book.  

These target kitchen towels were half price when I found them--less than 4 dollars for 4.  I plan to make 2 more messenger bags out of these.  So stay tuned!

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Gifts for Teachers and TA

 I was feeling very brave to finish this gift set for Ms. M in one night, given that there was a zipper involved.  So pleased that it turned out beautifully.

Daisy bag for Miss Daisy's Pointe.

My gift for the retiring Ms. G.  

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Bias Tape Hand Bags

It all started with creating a year end gift for Ms. Che.  I had gotten the cute penguin print, but had no idea what to make.  When I saw this post from Prudent Baby, I knew that was it.

The hardest part of making those bias bags was sewing on the tiny and skinny bias tapes.  Arrr, the agony!  I don’t know how others manage the 1/4'” tape under the presser foot, but I know it took me several unraveling before I was happy with the stitches.   But the skinny bias tapes sure look good on the mini hand bags.  So I cannot complain anymore... 

Upon finishing all these bags, I had a treat of having my brother over for 10 days.  He is sure THE BEST photographer in the family, if not of all the people I know.  Last year, he showed me some brilliant pictures he took at a Mediterranean restaurant.  I fell in love with the place and asked if he could take me there.  When he finally did, I was shocked at how shabby the place really was and was amazed at how my brother could still capture any beauty there.  If my brother is not a wizard at taking pictures, I don’t know what to call him.       

Being thick skinned, I requested that he take pictures of the bags I just made.  Having never attempted to take shots of “products” indoors, the two of us went nuts setting the scene.  It was a super fun afternoon experimenting with my bro.  Of course, we were both frustrated that those pictures were still missing something aside from the props so we ended up shooting in the backyard and had instant satisfaction! 

For the JJ bag, I did not have white bias tape at hand, so, for the 1^st time, I made a continuous bias tape out of a 12”x12” muslin.  This was the 4^th bias tape bag I made.  Well, practice makes perfect!  Very happy that I did not have to use my ripper for this one…

 JJ bag hanging out with my Hello Kitty Tea Pot.

 JJ bag enjoying the afternoon sun.

JJ and bag in action.

 The 2 purple hand bags were made for F and her sleepover friend (from swim team). 

Love the wooden flower button.

And, thanks, bro., for the lovely shots.  Love ya! 

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June Aha!

Aha #1:

I love ribbons and use them for most of the bag/pouches I sew.  But organizing them has been such a pain.  Went to Daiso and sew their wall organizer system.  Never knew what the long hook was good for and then…Tada!

To keep the ribbon tidy, I pin the ends at an angle.

Aha #2:

 Anyone out there is like me who cannot seem to remember whether to turn the knob left or right when it comes to adjusting sewing machine settings?  With the increasing number of members in the house comes the increasing among of work. And it also means using more memories in my already lacking brain storage…Oh, fine, fine, the real problem is me aging to0 quickly, alright?  Talk about embarrassment!

I hate sewing test st. on scraps and I am too lazy to always refer to the user’s manual.  So, the “aha” is to note the settings on sticky labels and stick them on my sewing machine!

This is what I have for length setting:

0- button

9- satin st.

1-4 (short-long) 

I now have 4 setting labels and a kitty sticker gifted by J.

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Gift and Gift Tags

 H got F a 2nd hand ipod for bday.  My gift, besides Lala, the cat, for her, was this hand-made ipod cozy that she could wear on her neck. 

 Since this was for such a small gadget, I wanted to eliminate using metal attachments.  Found these little clear plastic from grandma’s place.  Perfect for the job (besides using them as markers for knitting projects).

Check out the flower eyelid for the earphone plug!

Still got time to make gift tags on Picnik.  Lots of fun

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Diaper Pouch

Celebrating baby Chan's upcoming arrival.  

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Doggy Oversize Bag

Got this yellow upholstery fabric long ago while it was on clearance.  Never liked it as much as I thought I would.  Did manage to make several items out of it (shoulder bag, car trash bag, luggage handles…etc.) When JJ saw my new yellow fabric creation, she asked: “mommy, isn’t this your bag?  Why are you using it as a trash bag now?”  

(sorry, baby.)

Earlier last week, I took the remaining fabric out (still had more than a yard left) and thought hard.  Ah-ha, how about an oversize beach/swim-meet bag!?  And while I was at it, I remembered this blue corduroy remnant that would go with it.  Thus, this bag was born.

 This Puppy Love Applique was from here.

 The Lu’s came to Agape the other night with a bag using grommets to attach the handles.  Lu’s bag was my fuel.

 This is my version of the grommet/clip handles.  Never knew setting extra large grommets were so tiring…  Next time, I am going with curtain grommets (no hammering required.  yippee.)

 Attached snaps on the side to hold the shape of the bag.

Can’t wait to put some towels in there and head to the beach.

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Ms. Fanny's Owl

 I am having so much fun making owl zipper pouches as gifts.  This pink number says “Ms. Fanny” all over with the pink floral body and the dreamy cartoony eyes.

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Magnetic Doll Set

 Saw those really adorable printable paper doll sets on babalisme and learned that I could make magnetic dolls out of them.  I got these magnetic canvas  for this project.  (Of course, you could get just one or two sheets from your local craft store). The dolls and outfits & accessories are charming.  Used a cookie tin as the "stage" and a gift card tin for outfit storage.  JJ loves playing with this set.  And so does mommy. ;)

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Birthday Gift for F's friend

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Teacher Appreciation May 2010

Purse Organizer and Sees Candy Lollipops

Snap pouch, tissue holder and solar powered flower

Solar powered flowers (and monkey) for the staff

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Tutorial: Detachable Pin Cushion for Sewing Machine

Martha has posted a wraparound pin cushion project for the sewing machine. I want one, I need one!  However, my sewing machine does not have much “neck” for me to wrap anything around.  What to do?  What to do?  It calls for one of those “aha” moments.

I had made a wrist pin cushion awhile back.  But I was so afraid to poke myself while wearing it, I decided it’s time to dispose it and make better use of the cushion.

I found a long piece of felt ribbon to attach to the cushion.

Wrap the felt ribbon around the "neck" of sewing machine to determine where to cut.  (note that my ribbon goes on top of the cushion.  I later use a pin to secure the ribbon on cushion.)  Sew snaps on.  No biggie.

  

  Martha, thanks for the inspiration!

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