Just 3 Things | #43

Come on fall! It is September. I am tired of hot weather. I am ready for some cooler temperatures! Everything outside is dry, dusty, and crunchy around here. The Mister cuts the grass with a mask on and still comes in looking like he has been wandering in the dust bowl. Plus, it has just been excessively HOT. I know that I get this way at the turn of the season each year but this one really does seem to have been a really hot summer.

- What I've Been Working On -

I've been stitching and embroidering this week. I am focusing on crafting Christmas gifts for our family. The bandana totes will make a good gift and will serve as ready-made wrapping, I think. I got a tote bag finished this week and I did a boxy pouch that I've been wanting to try for a while. Then, today I worked on a little coin purse. I ordered some shorter zippers and some magnetic closure snaps. So, I wanted to try those out. I've saved several ideas and tutorials. So, following my philosophy for the week of just diving right in, I picked one and went to work. 

One side has a monogram and the other side has a pocket with the magnetic closure. It zips at the top to keep coins, cards, cash, or any number of small items secure. I put a D ring on one side so that it could be clipped to a key ring and I made a little wrist key fob out of a scrap of fabric. 

I like the little outside pocket but I'm not sure how secure things will be in it with that magnetic closure. I stitched the magnets into the tab that folds over the top and into the outside pocket lining. So, the magnet holds but not super-securely. Since I had been working on one granddaughter's tote, I made this little coin purse out of the same coordinating fabrics I used for the tote bag - brown T bandana and pink with boots, hats, and horse shoes. This granddaughter loves her boots and is a fan of pink. So, this will suit her well. 

- What I've Been Reading -

Besides reading and watching several tutorials and blog posts to build my confidence for stitching up a couple of different types of pouches, I have also done a bit of reading on the book I started last week. The Letter by Kathryn Hughes. I don't take as much time for reading when I am enthusiastic about my stitching projects! This is a good book, however, and I am about half-way through it. 

- What I've Been Loving -

The Mister wanted a deli sandwich the other night. So, we ordered a delivery. I wanted something lighter than a sandwich and didn't really want pasta that the local restaurant offers either. So, I gave one of their featured salads a try. It was fabulous! The greens were fresh and light like I wanted. It also had blue cheese crumbles, caramelized walnuts, cherry tomatoes, green apple slices, and grilled chicken on it. I loved the flavor blend so much that I created my own from ingredients in our fridge a couple of times since. One night I added some mandarin orange slices and the other night I added some dried cranberries to the mix. The Mister turned up his nose when I added the apple slices to the one I was mixing and raised his eyebrows when I added pecans. The nutty, crunchy, tartness added to the sweetness of the fruit and the heartiness of the chicken and blue cheese really hit the spot. It was quite tasty and I highly recommend tossing it all together like that!

We have really been focused on counting our blessings and lifting others up this week. Our family lost my great aunt and my mother's sister last week. Then, this week a cousin's husband passed. All three folks had been suffering with different types of dementia but it is still hard to lose a loved one. Then, a dear friend of ours who we grew up with and went to school with as youngsters let us know that her husband had a second stroke this past week. I called and chatted with our friend today and she voiced what we all feel at times like these saying, "I just wasn't prepared for all of this. We watch others in such situations and wonder what we would do but nothing can really prepare us for the reality of it." We will continue to be lifting these folks up in the coming days and will also continue pondering different ways to help our friend. 

Today I noticed...Sometimes it is easier than it might look!

I have been reading and watching tutorials. I have made note of the different ways folks go about making a square Dopp Kit type bag. You know, the kind that is sort of square-ish. They have a zipper across the center of the top and usually have a handle or loops or something near the ends of the zipper. It is a pretty typical bag for a guy.

I have seen all sorts of sizes and all sorts of methods for putting one together. Today, I finally took the leap and gave it a try. I used some scraps left from a project completed earlier this week. I wanted it to be pretty simple, yet, still be personalized. 

I had noticed several zip pouches and bags that had the busiest part of the pattern on one end and I wanted to try for that look. I had just the right scraps from a couple of bandanas left from the tote I finished yesterday. So, I dove in and used those. I lined it with the same bandana fabric that I had used for the tote as well. It is a pink background with boots and hats and horse shoes on it in browns and hot-pinks. 

I had the zipper work done and decided at the last minute that I would personalize it with one of the granddaughter's name. I used pink thread for the embroidery to match the zipper and the bag lining. I set it a bit off-center as well to continue onward with that decor on one end concept. I sort of wish I had just centered it on the bag but I still like it that way as well. 

One thing I would definitely do differently for the next attempt is that I would make the loops on each end lots shorter. I didn't have the perfect piece of ribbon to stitch on as a zipper pull. So, I stitched some chocolate brown rick rack onto a piece of pink twill tape and attached that as the pull  It really set the zipper off and finished it well.

Just like my finishing up a tote bag yesterday, completing this cute boxy rectangular bag really encouraged me to want to give another one of them a try. I have ideas about how I will adapt the steps with different measurements and create different sizes of this type bag.

Sometimes when I am uncertain about how to do something, I drag my feet and overthink things. I think that is what I did with this design. I'm glad I finally just dove in and gave it a try. It was far easier than it looked!

Today I noticed...A finished product really encourages me to try something else.

I've been playing with my new sewing machine and learning to make different items. It is such fun to create something from a few pieces of fabric. Then, having the opportunity to personalize what I create and really make it one of a kind is also rewarding. 

I just finished my third bandana tote bag. I saw an advertisement for one and then saw a blog post tutorial and decided that I wanted to make one for myself. 

My First Bandana Tote Bag

I'm really partial to a red purse. So, the traditional red bandana seemed to call my name. I lined it with a navy bandana. I also added a handy zip pocket and a recessed zip top closure. I'm probably going to remove the closure because I'm finding that I rarely want to close it up and that sort of gets in the way. All in all, though, I am really happy with my tote bag.

I decided that creating personalized bags would make good gifts. So, I've started down the path of making the girls in our family a tote bag. I've done a bit of tweaking on my method and I'm still not perfectly satisfied with how I want it. The bag below has traditional red bandanas as the lining.

My Second Bandana Tote Bag

Yesterday I finished another gift tote bag. It really made me smile in spite of the fact that I had to pick out the stitching for the lining because I had made a mistake putting it together and the fact that the bandanas I used were a little off-square and I had to wrangle with them a bit to make it work. 

My Third Bandana Tote Bag

The finished tote bag is just so cute and eye-catching. The brown one above is lined with bandanas that have boots and hats intermingled with the paisley print and has a pink background.

I love how the different prints coordinate and really do make each bag unique. At this point I have completed the three using slightly different techniques for each one. I think I am honing in on exactly what steps and methods work best to create just the bag I like! 

Even though I had a couple of hurdles to jump with this particular bag that I finished up today, when I hung it up on the closet door, I really felt encouraged to make another one. It is exciting to see how each one turns out and anticipate how the recipient might enjoy it. I don't know if I will start another bag tomorrow or will delve into a smaller project. One thing is certain, I'm looking forward to giving some sort of stitching project a try!