Happy 4th of July!

Just 3 Things | #36

I think I am a little bit obsessed. I have worked at my sewing machine every single day this week. It has just been so much fun! Of course, it has been so very hot and muggy here that even when I went outside to water the flowers, I would come back inside wringing wet with sweat. So there is that, too. We did get a bit of a cool-off today after a strong shower late yesterday afternoon. Maybe the next week will be a bit cooler. I sure hope so because I have plans that will take me outside.

- What I've Been Reading -

This week I have been reading LOADS of tutorials. I have sort of fallen into the zip bag world and have found several different ways to create zip pouches and tote bags. I have found so many ideas that I like and I think those pouches are something the granddaughters and their mothers will like - and actually use. I mean who doesn't need a pouch to hold earbuds, or coins, or pencils, or personal items? 

I found that I like Melissa Mortenson at Polka Dot Chair, who has a couple of tutorials for cosmetic zip pouches. There is a flat bottomed one and a simple one. Then, she has one that has a curved top where the zipper closure is located. She also has several other tutorials for making bags and loads of other concepts and ideas. One of her tutorials sent me to a site called We All Sew where I found a tutorial for a Pencil Case that is sort of unique. I gave it a whirl and let me tell you that the geometry of that one had me scratching my head, picking out seams that I had sewn incorrectly, and, finally, ending up with a couple of cute little zip pouches. 

I love the little twist to them which makes me think of a tricorn hat for some reason. It had been YEARS since I had sewn a zipper. So, that was a big refresher. Of course, I had to do a little embroidery decorating on them as well. So the back side of them is stitched up to personalize them.

The fun thing about these little bags is that I am using scrap fabric that has been in my stash for years and years. Combining the different prints and colors makes it fun and the decorating/embroidery is my favorite part. 

As I walked through the basement kitchen each day, I would look at a couple of bandanas that were sitting there on the table.  One was orange and the other was purple. I kept thinking that they would make something bright, colorful, and cute. Then, this morning I saw where Leslie Saeta has a tutorial for crafting a tote bag from a bandana. Again, my mind started dashing to and fro thinking about how one color bandana could be used as a tote and a coordinating color lining it and then using the coordinating color for the zip pouches for cosmetics or ear buds or other little necessities. One could also have a bandana tote and have the smaller pouches made up in other colors for a multicolor effect but have monograms that tie them together. So many possibilities!

- What I've Been Watching -

Of course, one cannot stop at just reading tutorials. Sometimes it is helpful to watch a video to see how something is done in a step-by-step manner. So, I've been watching tutorials about zip pouch making as well. Polka Dot Chair also has a YouTube Channel where  Melissa shows how to make lots of different zip pouches and projects galore. My favorite so far has been Two Ways To Make A Zip Pouch. It set me off on a journey to make different pouches for my granddaughters, daughters, and daughters-in-law.  One pattern/two styles of pouches!

Zip Pouches Ready to Assemble

I didn't have twelve-inch or fourteen-inch zippers. So, I went ahead and cut out my bag pieces and did the decorating and have them laid out on one of the beds where they are ready to assemble them in a day or two when my zippers arrive!

I have also been doing a bit of reading each evening and that doesn't involve tutorials, pouches, bags, or pausing to think about how I can apply what I'm learning. I finished up Seven Days In Summer by Marcia Willett and began reading Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews. 

- What I've Been Working On -

Needless to say, it has sort of been craft central around here this week. I've been working on all sorts of different zip pouches but only have a couple that are actually complete. since I'm waiting on supplies. I did complete some other projects like Bag Tags and Wreath Sashes. I'm not sure I would call these projects work but it has been filling my days. 

I guess longer names make bookmarks!

I learned to stitch on ribbon this week. I was a bit nervous at first but found it t be really easy to do. Now, I'm just wishing everybody in our family had a short name! I don't know what anybody will do with their name on a ribbon but it was fun to try and it is cute and unique.

I've looked for ways to stay inside and avoid the heat and mugginess of outside. So, the fabric organizing has continued. I now have a tub of checks and plaids, a tub of solids, a tub of prints, a tub of small scraps, and a tub of stabilizer scraps. I don't see this organizational method lasting well but it has helped me to see what is in my stash and actually use some of it. That is making all of these bags, sashes, and pouches cost me very little because all I have had to purchase is some zippers. (I'm not counting the sewing machine, thread, and stabilizer because that was simply an upgrade in my equipment.)  

UPDATE!

I am so glad that I was working in the office area of the basement this afternoon. A storm blew in with windiness, thunder, lightning, and rain blowing sideways! I was watching out the southern facing window as I stitched and crafted. All of a sudden, I heard a pop and then water running back on the north end of the basement. I went back there to see what was going on and found that one of the vinyl dropped ceiling tiles had filled with water and it dropped out of the grid holding it. Water was already ponded on the floor, an upholstered wingback chair was saturated and dripping, and water was still drip-dropping at a pretty good clip from the ductwork that had been exposed. Evidently we got so much rain so fast that it ran down the hill and into the space where the HVAC unit sits and ran into the house. I mopped up five or six bath towels worth of water, left one towel on the floor beneath a tub catching drips, another towel below the dripping chair, and took a dish towel to continue mopping and drying the floor. What a mess! This is one of those times when my Daddy would tell me, "If you ain't got nothing, you won't have nothing to take care of. Just be thankful you got something and take care of it!" I am.

Today I noticed...Mess ups and mistakes are not always a bad thing.

My daughter, Bridgette, sent me a photo suggesting I give a new project a try. As if I don't already have loads of ideas that I'm wanting to give a try and can hardly make up my mind which to work on next! However, I did think it looked like a fun thing and something the granddaughters might like. So, I saved the photo and spent a couple of days thinking about it.

Link to product pictured above

Yesterday, I spent a little time digging round in my ribbon box and crafted something similar on a smaller level to add to the grands' and Bridgette's bag tags. I truly just used scraps of ribbon and rick rack and found a few beads to string onto some ribbon and thread. I didn't go for the gigantic size that was my inspiration because, after all, that could get a bit heavy in my mind.

Since Linley is basically a basketball player, I stitched up a little basketball bag tag for her. I know I said I had decided not to decorate the opposite side of a bag tag anymore. I guess I just lied. I just couldn't resist.

Then, I worked on Abby Lee's bag tag by adding a bit of ribbon and rick rack and beads. I found that pony beads really seem to work best and can be threaded onto a narrow ribbon that is knotted at the end.

Like previous bag tags and projects, I searched for tutorials and found one that I liked. I just looped the ribbon over a two-inch split ring and tied the ribbon off with a bit of thread and a a narrow ribbon wrapped round it to make a little tassel.

Knowing that Bridgette is a bit of a gypsy inside, I made hers bright and colorful. Much as I hate to admit it, I do like these little tassel additions! They are a great way to use scraps of ribbon.

My intentions when I went to my sewing room were make a wreath sash for a gift I need later this week and give the ribbon embroidery a try. Well, I had too many irons in the fire, as my dad used to say. I got distracted and made some mess ups.

I put the stabilizer on the wrong side of my fabric for one end of the sash. I didn't even notice it till I took it out of the hoop! My brain was not functioning on all cylinders or I was having a senior moment or something. Of course, I had already decorated the opposite end of the sash. I decided I could salvage it by just cutting off the messed up end and piecing a new end to it. The print of the gingham checks would be forgiving and make the splicing of two pieces together not so noticeable and I had plenty more yellow checked fabric. So, I hooped up another strip and set it up to stitch a second time. When the machine finished embroidering, I took it off and was trimming away the stabilizer from the back side and sliced right through the yellow checked fabric as well. Wah! Wah! 

Even though it was almost dinner time, I decided I was not going to let this project beat me. So, I hooped up a third strip of fabric, set it to stitching, and swept and cleaned up my workspace. When it finished embroidering, I stitched the wreath sash together and wound up with a cute, completed project. I had already stitched a cute patriotic themed strip to make the wreath sash reversible.

I think the finished product really turned out cute and was a successful venture despite a couple of setbacks. However, I did not tackle embroidering on ribbon. I decided that was a learning experience that could wait till another day. So, today I gave it a try.

Sometimes my mess ups and mistakes really frustrate me. Sometimes they make me more determined to see an idea through. Sometimes they are a learning experience that nudges me forward. Notice that I was smart enough to try with the granddaughter who has a short name! Since it was a quick and easy endeavor, I've decided that it is worth my giving a longer name a shot. What do you think?