I’m a Sewing Ma-SHEEN

I’ve been up to all sorts of sewing lately. I had intended to tackle a few projects for giveaways but haven’t gotten around to them yet. Now I’m in the midst of a sewing frenzy, hoping to finish presents in time for Christmas.

A few weeks ago, I used Artsy-Crafty Babe’s awesome pleated tote tutorial to make this:

The outer fabric is corduroy I got for 50%-off at JoAnn and I love it. If I make another one of these bags I will definitely add interfacing. I didn’t realize how heavy all the crap I carry in my purse is, which weighs down the bag. I also think I lost my mind in the middle of this project. I was so frazzled that I actually sewed the opening of the purse closed and spent quite awhile trying to figure out what I had done wrong. Smart, huh?

This tote is the first project I’ve ever done with pleats and things went relatively well. Mine were a bit wonky but ignorably so. I also had to sew darts on the bottom of the bag. I whipped myself up into a frenzy about getting them right but it turned out to be quite simple. This tote would make an awesome gift and unless you waste a lot of time doing crazy things like sewing the opening closed, it won’t take long to finish.

My most recent project was a housewarming gift for K-bill. I found Artsy Crafty Baby’s dish towel → pot holder tute and noticed that she’d used dish towels from the Dollar Store. I went to one near me and found the CUTEST towels of all time. There were lime ones, lemon ones, and orange ones, all with fun lettering and juicy colors. I bought some of the lemon and lime ones to make several different kitchen-y presents. Here are the finished pot holders:

Could you die at how darling those towels are? I added a layer of InsulBrite to each pot holder so K-bill won’t burn her hands using them. This is one of those merciful tutes that is SO forgiving. The finish product looks great even if you’re a clumsy sewer like me.

Next I used Dioramarama’s tutorial for making a handy plastic bag dispenser:

I used much smaller dimensions that Dioramarama did but the directions were clear enough that I didn’t get confused. I got to use my new bias-tape maker which is slick and fun. I also sewed elastic for the first time but the simple directions made it easy-peasy.

Next I loosely followed Foofanagle’s tutorial to create a fabric bucket.

I insulated it with InsulBrite so K-bill can use it to transport food while keeping it hot or cold.

To finish things off, I put everything in the bucket and added a few more dish towels, some dish soap, and some limes:

I have a few towels left which I may use in the future since they’re so damn cute! This was another easy project and also very inexpensive.

Next I’m working on some travel toiletry bags for my Dad. That means I’ll be sewing in zippers, which kind of sucks so don’t be alarmed if you hear screaming in the distance.