Just 3 Things | #40

I know I talk about the weather here a lot and we used to joke about my Daddy being so focused on weather. I also know that farm life tends to make one focus on weather more so than other folks might focus on it. I think everybody I have come in contact with in any way has mentioned the weather lately, though.  It has been SO HOT around here! I was reading this morning in the newspaper that it is partly due to the El Nino effect that is causing temperatures to be almost two degrees hotter than normal. I also read where 2027 expected to be more than three degrees hotter than normal. Whew! As Daddy used to joke, "It sure seems like we have more weather these days than we used to."

- What I'm Loving - 

I'm a bit late on my Just 3 Things post due to being a bit out of pocket. One set of the grands has been exhibiting their livestock at the State Fair and Expo shows this past week and I've trekked over there to watch all that action. Harris earned State Junior Showmanship honors for the registered ewe show as well as for the market lamb show. Linley earned Pee Wee Showmanship honors for the Junior Commercial Ewe and Market Lamb show. Thursday was the day for the Registered Breeding Ewe Show and Harris won the class with his Dorset Advantage Ewe. His white face cross commercial ewe was champion and selected as fourth overall ewe in the show. His Hampshire ewe was Supreme Champion Breeding Ewe.

Harris and Mattie - Champion Hampshire and Supreme Champion Registered Breeding Ewe

Harris and Riley - Reserve White Face Cross and 4th Overall Ewe

Harris and Freezy - February Dorset Advantage Ewe Lamb

Friday was the day of the market lamb competition. Harris showed his natural colored lamb to the Champion honors. He won Champion with his Shropshire wether as well. His Oxford lamb was Reserve Champion.

Harris and Ozzie - Champion Natural Color Market Lamb

Harris and Austin - Champion Shropshire Market Lamb

Harris and Spencer - Reserve Champion Oxford Market Lamb

On Saturday, little sister, Linley got in on the action during the State Fair Open and Junior Show. After earning showmanship honors, she showed her lamb to the top of the class.

Linley and Freezy - Dorset Advantage February Ewe Lamb 

Then, on Saturday night, the Expo Champions were tapped. The crew was scrambling to get three big wethers ready to go all at the same time. Harris had rounded up some friends to help out, since he had three in the ring all at once. The Natural Colored Market Lamb was tapped as Reserve Grand Champion overall. It was so exciting!

l-r: Linley, Bryan, the Judge, Harris, Jessica, and Ozzie - Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb 

After the show, Bryan and Jessica, both, expressed that they were overwhelmed and surprised and humbled by the experience. Of course, at that point, it was business as usual and time to gather and pack supplies and tack, make sure the lambs were cooled down and comfortable, and load everything and every body up to head down the road toward home. I think they may have floated down the road on excitement, gratefulness, and adrenaline. I know I did. What a week!

- What I've Been Reading -

Again this week I've been reading and watching a lot of tutorials for embroidery projects. There are so many creative ideas out there and so many different methods for constructing cute zip pouches and bags. Yesterday, I finished up reading The Club by Ellery Lloyd and started reading The Letter by Kathryn Hughes. I've barely started on this one but I might get a lot of pages read if this heat continues to press down on us!

The book came out several years ago and has great reviews. I'm just at the getting to know the characters phase of reading it at this point, though. 

- What I've Been Working On -

During the first part of the week, I put together a couple of small pouches to give as Christmas gifts. I had also done lots of thinking about how I could tweak the bandana bag concept and gave some of my ideas a try. Again, I'm pleased with the outcome of the one I made.

I also still learned a lot with this one. First, black bandanas are hard to mark for stitching the quilting. I don't have a quilting arm or guide. So, I had marked the bag I made for myself with a pen that disappears when the iron is run over it. I used the white pen to mark stitch lines for this one but it was still really difficult to see the marking. 

Next, I was talking on the phone when I set up the front panel for embroidery and did not even use a stabilizer underneath. Thankfully, it stitched up well in spite of my oversite because of the thickness of the panel with the foam quilting. So, I lucked out there. 

The red bandanas that I used to line the bag were more flimsy than the navy ones I used to line my own bag. So, I sort of wish that I had backed them with some sort of interfacing or stabilizer. I used a piece of bandana as the inside zip pocket on this one instead of using gingham like I did my own. 

For this bag I wound up using a total of five bandanas. It is not quite as wide as the one I made for myself but is plenty spacious. I also did not put a recessed inside zipper in it. After using mine a time or two, I decided that it sort of gets in the way and is deep enough that items don't fall out without that zip closure. I'm still tweaking my ideas for the next one! I do love the bright red embroidery and the roses in the design of the bandana on this one. It gives such a different look to the bag. So, I think no two would be alike anyway. I'm still in love with these cute bags!

We started off the morning with no water today. Welcome to Monday! The repair was several hours in process but we did get water a short while ago. So, I'm going to sign off here and get some cleaning done. I cannot tell you how many times the Mister and I went by the sing this morning and pushed the faucet handle out of habit. Once, we were even talking about how we wondered about the water lines since we had no water but one of the neighbors did and I pushed the faucet handle on, knowing that the water was off. I guess we don't appreciate the luxuries that my grandparents didn't enjoy till later in life in the way we should. I hope your water is cool and the rest of your world is as well. We are in the dog days at this point, I think. 

Today I noticed...Sometimes just a little talk helps to alleviate a lot of stress.

The Mister has been a bit snappy for the past week. No matter what he was thinking or talking about, he seemed to have a negative outlook and attitude about it. Then, he started loosing sleep. He would retire to bed when he was sleepy but would toss and turn and eventually get back up and return to the den, his recliner, and the television.

I happened to be awake and sitting in the den the other night and I asked what his worries were. So, he began spilling the beans. He was concerned about the task of getting his hay harvested. His friends had been calling to chat and would ask him about his hay crop and that seemed to add to the pressure. The whole process was out of his control because Mother Nature kept sending rain to prevent hay work. 

He was stressing about some work that is in process at the local cemetery where he serves as manager. The whole process is slowly making it through the red tape of local town government. Yet, there are people consistently asking him about it and wanting to know when the work will be completed. Those folks probably mean well, but it seems to add to his stress level. 

The Mister listed a couple of other issues that were weighing heavy on his mind. I just sat and listened. Yet, I could tell that with every word that he spoke, he seemed to look a bit more relaxed. Finally, he paused and we sat for a moment in silence. Then, I asked him a couple or three questions like, "So, what is the worst thing that might happen if you don't get the hay harvested this week?" He listed a couple of possibilities. One was that the hay would not be fit for the cows to eat and it might have to just be bush hogged instead. I reminded him that his son, Stephen had said he could buy hay, if necessary and that we only have a handful of animals to over-winter. The barn is already half full of hay. So, that would probably all work out. He sat and pondered a bit.

We chatted on back and forth like that for a few more minutes and the entire time I could visibly observe his whole body sort of relaxing. I think he had been keeping all these worries bottled up inside. I think he was mulling over all of the what-ifs that could happen. That was sort of casting gloom on his sunshine and most of it was way beyond his control. So, instead of just airing his concerns and letting somebody reassure him that it was not nearly as big of an obstacle as he was making it out to be, he was snapping over the little things that cropped up. 

I know that I do the same thing at times. Then, when I voice my ideas and hurdles aloud to the Mister, he ALWAYS sees things clearly and makes me realize that it is a molehill instead of a mountain. Why do we allow ourselves to get wrapped up in knots like that? 

A Hand Made Christmas

I have decided that this year lots of people on my Christmas list are going to get hand made gifts. I've been having so much fun trying out different things on my new sewing machine and creating fun and practical items. So, I've sort of set a challenge for myself to create hand made gifts.

This week I worked on simple zip pouches. I've noticed that most everybody has a use for some sort of zip-up pouch. They are good for storing charging cords, chargers, and ear buds. They are good for holding small items like chap stick, coins, basic makeup, and various other supplies. Since school has started back around here, I'm guessing kiddos are using them as well as adults. 

I also know that by Christmas, some of those items might be lost, used up, or just need updating. This week I crafter a few simple zip-up pouches to give as gifts. I'm trying to think of the different interests of our family members and activities that they are a part of and incorporating that into the mix. 

We are farmers and the farm influence has trickled down in some ways. So, one day's creations sort of seemed to have a farm theme. I made pencil pouches for the school aged grandsons. They all three show livestock. One has sheep, the other two have cattle and pigs. So, that became the focus of their pencil pouches.

I used a pair of old jeans that had developed holes and added some other scraps of fabric and a zipper and I think they really turned out to be cute.

I lined the pouches with the same fabric that I had used as trim and added a swivel clip on a D-ring to one end. On the opposite side of the farm animal, I added a monogram. 

It's fun to see my vision come to life. I hope these help those young guys be more organized and keep up with some of their treasures. Have you started thinking about Christmas gifts?

Today I noticed...Time really does get away without us realizing it.

I sort of felt like my own meme as I was on my way to a dental appointment. I saw a van that was advertising some business and said it was established sometime during the 1970s. As I sat at the stoplight, I thought, "That really isn't something to brag about." 

Then, it hit me. I was a teen during the 1970s. I don't recall which year it was of the 70s that the business was established. Let's just say it was 1976. 

Well, that was fifty years ago.

FIFTY YEARS!

That was more than half my life ago.

Just 3 Things | #39

I know I often talk about the weather here and I guess I inherited that from my Daddy. When one lives on a farm, though, weather plays a big role in most everything that goes on. It has rained here more days during the past three weeks or more than it has been dry. Whoever heard of having green grass that begs to be mowed more than once per week in July and August!?! The rain has also stalled hay harvest. The Mister is on edge wondering just when he might get to cut and rake and bale and all the things and steps required to put hay in the barn and mow off our front field. I just looked at the weather app on my phone.

No less than 35% rain predicted in the 10-Day forecast.

- What I've Been Watching -

I've been reading and watching tutorials online like never before. I have so many ideas for using my new sewing machine and I see so many wonderful ideas. I am loving that I can find a tutorial for crafting most anything and stitching most anything up just by reading and looking at photos and watching video tutorials. 

Gone are the days when one simply looked at the diagrams that came with a package for creating or assembling something. Gone are the static tissue paper patterns that tear easily and have unclear drawings to follow for sewing. These days I just perform and online search and there are multiple tutorials right at my fingertips. I love that I can have clear photographed pictures showing me what to do, or I can watch a video, rewind, pause, and watch it again to learn how to assemble something that I am stitching up. 

For all the times that people fuss about technology, I just want to stand up and cheer that we do have such technology right at our fingertips to teach us how to do something new. Now, that doesn't mean I get things right on the first try each time. That doesn't mean I fully understand something after reading, watching, rewinding, and watching again. Yet, the opportunity that provides for me as a learner and a crafter and a sewist is absolutely fabulous! I shared a couple or three tutorials I used in making a cute tote bag this week. However, please know that I have watched and saved three or four more different ones before and during the process of me attempting to make just that tote bag. An example that I didn't share is this one where I learned to make a cool end to a zipper tab. 

- What I've Been Reading -

Besides reading tutorials, I've also been reading an interesting novel this week. It is one of Reese's Book Club Picks.

 The Club by Ellery Lloyd was advertised as, "a murder mystery set at an exclusive celebrity resort." However, as I am reading it, I can see personalities similar to folks I know or have encountered and I certainly have not been to an exclusive celebrity resort. I'm about half way through and it is really an engaging read. 

- What I've Been Working On -

I spent a couple of days working on my big project for the week - a Bandana Tote Bag. It was so rewarding to see this coming together and turning out like my vision. I learned so many different things in the process and learned about new products that I didn't know existed and techniques that I would never have dreamt of on my own. 

I already have gathered a stash of bandanas to make more bags and pouches using this inexpensive fabric. Of course, one of the things I learned is that there are bandanas that don't really look like bandanas. I had seen patriotic ones before but there are also animal prints, camo prints, cute variety prints, and traditional bandanas in a multitude of colors. So, I think I could make a different bag each week and never use the same sort of bandana even if I used one color or print for the outer side and a different one for the lining. Some of these different varieties of bandanas are more expensive than the typical one-dollar-handkerchief but I found loads available right in my price range and fully intend to create something cute and wonderful with as many as possible!

If the sun is shining where you are, I hope you are making hay in it! Have a good weekend.

A Bigger Project Than I Expected

I just took on a project that I was SOOO excited to get started on. I had seen these tote bags made from bandanas. I thought, "What a genius idea! That would be so cute with a personalized monogram." After all, a good southern gal thinks everything needs a good monogram. I also thought this would make great Christmas gifts for the daughters and daughters-in-law and maybe even the granddaughters. I was thinking big, ya'll! 

So, I began exploring tutorials and examining different handmade options and discovered that purchasing a ready-made bag was going to be quite expensive. I liked one I found on Etsy and decided I'd better keep searching.

Etsy Bag - $155

I also found a few at the Bloomingdales website. They were already decorated. Yet, again, it was cost prohibitive, though.

Bloomingdales Bag - $403

I kept thinking about those cute bags and, of course, options would pop up in my social media feeds, since I had searched for such an animal. I also saw loads of other cute bags constructed from bandanas. I began saving ideas and kept thinking about it. Then, a blog that I follow, My 100 Year Old Home, penned by Leslie Saeta, posted a really wonderful tutorial showing how she made a bandana bag. So, I decided to tackle it.

Leslie's Handmade Bandana Tote Bags

I cannot convey how much I learned from this project. I cannot say enough about how thankful I am for the wonderful tutorial. My completed bag looked so professional that the Mister suggested I make some to sell.  Well, I will tell you, I'm not sure folks could afford mine either! Let me share what I learned and some modifications that I added to Leslie's instructions as I mad my own personalized bag. I'll also share my ideas for how I might make my next one. Yes, it is such a cute finished product that I have spent a lot of time thinking about how I could make it simpler and more streamlined.

First, I had never machine quilted anything. I had never used fusible foam batting. I had never made such a big bag. Next, I knew that I wanted to add an inside zip pocket. There are so many times when I need to stash something in a tote bag that I don't want rolling around in the bottom of it. I also had seen a tutorial for adding an inset zipper closure to the top of a bag and I wanted to give that a go.

I used Saeta's tutorial for the most part. She had great instructions, measurements, and photos showing just how to craft a nice bag. Knowing that I wanted to insert an inside zipper pocket, I also noticed a few tutorials about that. I primarily used this one. One thing that I did differently than the tutorial showed is that I used one strip of scrap gingham fabric. I used an 8-inch zipper. Since I had the one strip of fabric, I thought that would be better than having a seam at the bottom of the pocket that might come unstitched. Instead, I just folded the piece in half and have a fold forming the bottom of the pocket. Of course, in my learning experience, I inserted the zipper with the zipper pull facing the wrong direction. Thank goodness it was easy to pick out and didn't destroy the lining piece of my bag. 

inserted zipper pocket

I also added a recessed zipper closure panel to the top of my bag. I basically followed this tutorial. Since I was using bandanas, I used the already hemmed side as the finished side of my panel and just top-stitched it one-and-a-half inches from the top edge of my bag. I stitched the front side to the lining before assembling the lining and the outer part of the bag. Then, top-stitched the other side of the panel to the back of the bag at the end by just measuring with a ruler and marking a line across the lining back and stitching through all of the layers of the bag.

recessed zipper closure panel in the top of my bag

To be honest, I don't think I will use the zipper closure and will probably remove it from my tote bag. I sort of like having it open with easy access and just the inserted zipper pocket like the example below. (I don't know the origin of this photo but I do love the color combination! I also like the simpler construction method of the bag below and how the square around the bandana sort of frames the top of the lining where it is most visible. I may give that a try on my next effort. Plus, notice the inside zipper pocket. the zipper looks like it is framed out with the edge of a bandana, which is a cute feature. So, I'm guessing the pocket just has finished edges and is stitched on top of the lining fabric.

I don't know the origin of this image

I wanted my bag to have a bit more structure than Saeta's tutorial showed. So, I pinched the seams of the bottom of the bag and the corner seams of the side of the bag and ran a top-stitch along those seams. That seemed to give it more detail and structure and I'm really glad I thought of that.

My Bag Hanging From Longer Straps

I'm not sure how long my handles are. I didn't measure them. I just used scraps that I had left over from cutting the side pieces. I'm also not certain that I really like having two sets of handles. On any future bags I make, I might just have one set of handles and add a tab with a D-ring for attaching longer straps to the inside somewhere.

My Bag Hanging From Shorter Straps

I must say that another of Saeta's tips was helpful. I used the magnetic hoops that she recommended for monograming my bag after I quilted the front piece. I don't think using the regular hoop would have worked on such a thick piece. The magnetic hoop held the flat front perfectly. I still used a tear-away stabilizer under the quilted flat front piece just to be sure that it would smoothly stitch the monogram. The fonts I used were from Etsy - The Stitch Ready Hub I used the Jumbo Fishtail Two Color Font 4" for the letter O and the Fishtail Two Color Font 3.5" font for the letters B and N. I debated on using two colors but in the end I decided that I liked how Saeta's looked with one color and just kept it all one color and simple. 

This really turned out to be a bigger project than I expected. I really didn't think it would take me so long to make a tote bag. I've already purchased more bandanas and plan to give this another go. I do plan on trying a simpler technique. I was learning loads of different things with this one. However, it still took me the better part of two days to stitch this up from start to finish. Notice the uncredited blue and yellow bag shown earlier in this post. It looks like the sewist used two full-width bandanas and sewed them together with a side seam. I'm guessing that the sewist just squared off the bottom corners by cutting a square out of the bottom and folding the side and bottom seams together for stitching or maybe just stitched all around the edge of the bandana and folded the corners and stitched and trimmed to form a boxed corner. I am probably going to give that a try to see how I like it. Remember, we have a lot of girls to give gifts for Christmas. So, simpler is better when crafting multiples of something. For my bag, I used a total of ten bandanas - five of each color. Using the simpler method would also cut back on the number of bandanas and the number of pieces I would need to quilt without compromising much on the size of the tote. It would make fewer seams and that is always helpful when crafting multiples and makes the process go faster.

My mind has been racing for ways to make the process simpler and for other ways to use these bandanas. I've seen so many cute zip pouches that are embellished with embroidery, beads, rhinestones, sparkly vinyl, and more. I've seen them used in combination with other fabrics and lots of denim. In our farm family denim and bandanas are hard to beat when it comes to usefulness. So, when those two fabrics are used to create something cute as well as useful, I'm all in!

I am still excited about this cute tote bag and am looking forward to making more. 

Happy Birthday, Luci!

Hope the old 1-2 is the best one yet!