Darling Gift Bag: Birthday Edition

I restarted my Instagram page this week after a pause of about three years, and it's been a whole lot of fun. Chatting with old friends and seeing all the gorgeous projects on there has been amazing. I'm trying to find a way back into my happy sewing time again this summer, but carefully...lest I fall back down the rabbit hole of obsession. It's a fine line to walk, so I'm constantly checking myself. I really miss sewing with friends, but I want to do things right this time around -- or at least better. One day at a time, as they say...

I've been wanting to try resewing a few of my patterns and tutorials, starting with the most recent: the Darling Gift Bag tutorial.

I put together a fabric audition based on the colors of a birthday candle print from Buttercream by Emily Taylor for Cloud 9 Fabrics, which is the sweetest little retro collection. I've always been partial to a color scheme of white, red, blue, and pink, and these colors look so sweet paired with a polka-dot cream linen from my stash. 

The patchwork squares finish at 1". I love them so much.

A tiny picnic gingham from Buttercream makes cute handles, and I used the candles print for the lining. 

Normally the tutorial calls for an elastic and button closure on top, but I really loved the way the bag looked before sewing the button on -- sort of like a mini grocery tote bag -- so I just snipped off the elastic I had sewn on earlier and left it as is. I'll probably end up gifting this to someone, but for now, I'm just so happy looking at it on the table beside me while I plan my next sewing project.

The Darling Gift Bag Tutorial

I love putting together themed gift bags and care packages for friends and family whenever I get the chance, and this tiny patchwork bag is perfect for that sort of thing. Pick a theme -- stationery supplies, beauty items, sewing notions, sweet treats -- and fill this mini tote to the top with small treasures. I find that aside from the winter holidays, late spring is usually the time when I most need gifts for Easter, birthdays, Mother's Day, and the inevitable celebrations as we head into summer. 

It's always fun to make the bag itself part of the present, and you can customize the fabric you use for your patchwork squares to fit the recipient. If you need a whole lot of bags in a hurry, try replacing the patchwork panel on each side with a single fabric rectangle for faster sewing. I hope this hardworking little pattern will be incredibly useful to you in the months ahead!

The Darling Gift Bag Tutorial

Finished Size: 6 1/2" x 7" x 3" (including handle)

All seam allowances are 1/4".

Materials

From assorted scraps, cut...

- (12) red squares, 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" (A)

- (12) low volume squares with red accents, 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" (B)

*Note: for a faster project, replace all the 1 1/2" squares with 2 rectangles, 4 1/2" x 3 1/2", cut from the same feature print.

From 10" square of vintage floral red print, cut...

- (2) squares, 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" (C)

From fat eighth of low volume music print, cut...

- (2) rectangles, 4 1/2" x 2 1/2" (D)

- (2) rectangles, 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" (E)

- (1) rectangle, 4 1/2" x 3 1/2" (F)

From long scrap of red scallop stripe print, cut...

- (1) rectangle, 12 1/2" x 2" (G)

From fat quarter of batting, cut...

- (2) rectangles, 4 1/2" x 5 1/2" (H)

- (2) rectangles, 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" (I)

- (1) rectangle, 4 1/2" x 3 1/2" (J)

From low volume floral print, cut...

- (2) rectangles, 4 1/2" x 5 1/2" (K)

- (2) rectangles, 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" (L)

- (1) rectangle, 4 1/2" x 3 1/2" (M)

Additional supplies: button, 5 1/2" piece of thin white elastic cord, matching thread, adhesive basting spray, binding clips.

Directions

1. Split the A and B squares in half into 2 groups of 12, 4 squares across and 3 squares down, alternating the A and B squares as shown. Sew each group of 12 together. Note: If you are using 2 rectangles, 4 1/2" x 3 1/2" instead, you may skip this step.

2. Spray the back of each patchwork piece with adhesive basting spray and attach to the lower edge of an H batting rectangle. Quilt as desired. 

3. Line the lower long edge of a D rectangle up with the top of the patchwork piece from step 2 with right sides together (the D rectangle should be upside down) and stitch them together along the edge (see photo). Flip the D rectangle up and away from the patchwork so that the wrong side of the piece is against the upper half of the batting. Press. Topstitch 1/8" from either side of the seam. Repeat with the other patchwork piece and D rectangle to give you 2 finished main panels.

4. Spray the back of each C square with adhesive basting spray and attach to the lower edge of an I batting rectangle. Repeat step 3 directions, using E rectangles to finish the 2 side panels.

5. Spray the back of the F rectangle and attach it to the J batting rectangle to finish the bottom panel. 

6. Fold the elastic piece in half to make a loop, placing the raw edges centered on the top edge of the back main panel. Stitch back and forth over this 1/8" from the edge to hold it in place.

7. Make the handle by folding the G strip in half lengthwise with wrong sides together and press. Unfold and then fold each long edge in to meet in the center and press again. Without unfolding, refold along the first line so that the raw edges are trapped in the middle. (You are actually making double fold quilt binding.) Topstitch along each long edge to hold the sides together and create a strap. Cut the strap in half so that each piece is 6 1/4" long.

8. Use binding clips to hold the raw edges of a strap in place along the top edge of a main panel piece so that the outer edge of the strap is 3/4" from the side edge of the panel. Stitch in place 1/8" from the edge. Repeat with the other strap on the other main panel.

9. Line up the lower edge of a main panel with a long edge of the bottom panel, right sides together, and sew together. Press the seam towards the main panel. Repeat with the other main panel on the other long edge of the bottom panel.

10. Line up the lower edge of a side panel with a short edge of the bottom panel, right sides together. Sew along the lower edge of the side panel first, stopping 1/4" from each corner and backstitching. Do the same on the other side with the other side panel.

11. Line up the side edges of a side panel with the side edges of the main panels and hold them together with binding clips as well (see photo), carefully matching up the seam that goes down the middle of each panel first. Sew along the side edges, starting at the top of the panel and going just past the 1/4" mark before the lower edge before backstitching. Repeat with the other side panel. 

You should now have a finished bag exterior. Turn the exterior right side out.

12. Now repeat steps 9-11 with the K, L, and M rectangles to create the bag lining with ONE EXCEPTION: when repeating step 9, leave a 3" gap in the middle on one side as you stitch the main panel to the bottom panel so that you'll be able to turn the bag right side out. 

Do NOT turn the bag lining right side out when you finish this step.

14. Place the bag exterior inside the bag lining so that the right sides are together. Carefully line up the side seams and top edges, making sure that the straps and elastic loop are sandwiched between the exterior and lining.

15. Stitch all the way around the top edge of the bag. Gently pull the bag right side out through the gap in the lining. 

16. Tuck the raw edges inside the gap in the lining and stitch it closed, backstitching at both ends.

17. Push the lining inside the bag, press carefully as needed, and then topstitch 1/8" from the top edge of the bag. 

18. Center a button on the D rectangle of the front main panel (adjusting the position depending on how tightly you want the bag to close when fastened) and stitch in place by hand. 

Now just fill the bag with goodies and share it with someone you love. Enjoy, friends!

A Bit of Sewing

It's been a busy week, but I managed to fit in a bit of sewing each day. I've been wanting to play around with a new pattern that I had sketched out on graph paper between grading papers and working in the kitchen. This cute little bag is the result. 

It's small -- those patchwork squares finish at 1" -- but it holds more than you would think. Wouldn't these be fun for little Easter baskets or party favor bags or sewing retreat gifts? You could even swap out the patchwork panel for a single print on the front and back to make a faster finish if you're in a hurry.

So you tell me, friends...would you like a tutorial? I'm happy to just sew these up for my girls, but if you'd like to make some for yourselves, I can pull out my notes and write something up for the blog. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Happy Monday!

Having More Fun

It's another 5 A.M. morning at my house. Having a puppy has put me back on newborn baby hours, and I'm feeling ever so grateful that I finished having children in my early 30's because I am definitely too old for this now. Still, despite the exhaustion that starts hitting me around 8:00 every night, there's something I'm coming to love about these quiet mornings with my Bible, journal, laptop, and coffee. There's a peace here before the whirlwind of the day begins, and getting to watch the sun rise outside my dining room window every morning is a nice bonus. My oldest daughter turns 15 tomorrow -- how is that even possible?? -- so today's to-do list is a bit longer than usual. I have dozens of balloons to blow up for her That Thing You Do! 1960's themed party, chocolate chip Heath bar cookies to bake for her ice cream sundae bar, and a whole lot of decorating to do. But this is the sort of thing I enjoy. Our family loves to celebrate everything, every chance we get, and we've made a lot of great memories over the years doing it. 

My sewing output has gone way down in the last 2 years, but I can honestly say that I'm having more fun with what I make. One of my favorite finished projects was actually for a sewing swap I did with my friend Angela almost a year ago. We each made a large version of the Booklet Pouch by Aneela Hoey for each other after we exchanged information about favorite fabric, colors, styles, etc. I decided to go with a retro theme in a rainbow of colors.

The outer panels are made with linen and canvas for more stability. Instead of using just one fabric, I used rows of squares in a fun mix of prints. It would be embarrassing to tell you how long I spent rearranging these squares until I got them exactly the way I wanted them. There's something in me that just can't leave well enough alone until I'm satisfied that I love it. 

I added a thin strip of fabric along either side of the zipper, and it wound up looking just like piping. Such a happy accident! I need to do this kind of thing more often. That zipper pull might just be my favorite thing about this project, aside from the patchwork exterior. 

A vintage text print for the inside cover was a great contrast with the bright, candy colored prints I used for almost everything else. The small pocket on the front inside cover holds a needle book and pair of snips, and I tucked some goodies inside the zipper pockets too.

It was unbelievably hard to send this one off in the mail, but I knew it was going to a good home where it would be well used and loved. And that's what we want for our creations, right? 

Happy weekend, friends!

Milk & Honey Beachcomber Bag

My friend Elea and I have never actually met in person, but it feels like we have. We've talked back and forth so many times through online messages that it seems like we've been friends forever. I've been sewing with every one of her collections all the way back to her Milk, Sugar, and Flower fabric, the last scraps of which I'm still hoarding in a drawer. The cuteness of Elea's designs is perfectly matched by the sweetness of her spirit which comes through in everything she does. I've been so blessed to get to know her from a distance, and it feels like a fitting end to my professional sewing career to finish with a post about her beautiful new fabric line: Milk & Honey.

Everything about this collection says "spring" to me, so I thought it would be the perfect choice for sewing up my own version of an Easter basket. After a lot of thought, I decided to use the pattern for the Beachcomber Bag from my book Patchwork USA, which I enlarged by doubling all my measurements. This, by the way, is something I do by subtracting the half inch seam allowance from each measurement, doubling the leftover number, and then adding the half inch back on. So a piece that was originally 4 1/2'' x 2 1/2'' would, when doubled in size, be 8 1/2'' x  4 1/2". You can do the same thing to shrink a project, just by halving the numbers instead of doubling them. It's a very handy thing when you want to size a pattern up or down, and I do it a lot!

I used Elea's prints for the patchwork portion of the bag, alternating colored fabrics with low volume ones. A few Riley Blake basics found their way in there too, as I'm a huge fan of their tiny dot prints which look adorable with just about anything. Black and white RBD gingham is such a lovely contrast to the pastel colors in the center, and the light gray floral print from the collection made a beautiful lining. A bunny twill tape tag on one side and soft, cream colored cord for the drawstrings were the finishing touches.

Now that my girls are all in their tween years, with Bunny plunging headlong into the teens when she turns 13 tomorrow (sob!), I try to think a bit outside the typical Easter basket contents of candy, plastic eggs, and stuffed animals. I'm a big fan of gifts with a theme to them. In fact, if you've seen my book Patchwork USA, you know that I added a chapter at the end called Share the Journey which lists dozens of ideas for gifting the projects in my book, including themed ideas for sharing handmade presents with everyone from a new mom to a new neighbor. So if you're looking for goodies that would work well in an Easter bag or basket for an older child, here are a just a handful of ideas:

• Art pack: sketchpad, colored pencils, watercolor set, sharpener, eraser, ruler, drawing books
• Fun & games: travel games, sidewalk chalk, jump rope, Rubik's cube, deck of cards
• Spa set: lip balm, lotion, hair accessories, brush, spa goodies, nail polish

We actually celebrated Bunny's birthday with a party on Saturday so that the whole family could enjoy it together. She wanted a retro Palm Springs Spa themed birthday party this year, so that last gift idea came in handy for me this week. I have no doubt, though, that my girls would be perfectly happy to get a repeat of their spa favor bags for Easter once April rolls around.

So congratulations to my sweet friend Elea on another adorable fabric collection. And all of my thanks to the wonderful people at Riley Blake Designs who have been so incredibly lovely to work with over the years. There's no doubt that I love beautiful fabric, but it's really the people that I love the most. 

Birthday Sewing

Birthdays are a big deal in our family. Even though we keep our parties simple and small, the girls are always allowed to choose a theme, and they literally start talking about next year's party before their big day is even finished. My little Mouse is turning 9 next month and decided long ago that she wanted a pool party with a tropical feel. For weeks she's been coming up to me with her big eyes and cheeky grin, asking, "Can we talk about my birthday?" So we spend time looking at pictures on Pinterest and talking about cupcake flavors and pretending that we're planning the party of the year when really it's all a great big excuse to spend time cuddling and chatting together, giving her special one-on-one time with Mommy that we both love so much.

When she told me that she wanted to do little candy favor bags, I decided that these adorable animal prints from Under the Canopy by Citrus & Mint Designs for Riley Blake would be perfect. My girls are especially crazy about sloths right now, but the leopards and birds were also a big hit.

I sewed these drawstring bags together in less than an hour. The striped baker's twine was perfect for the finishing touch. (I buy several spools of it every time I see it in the dollar section at Target since it goes with just about anything!) These bags are just the right size, and I love that the girls can use them after the party for other things.

Speaking of Riley Blake, I want to take a moment to say thank you. I've spent the last few years as a designer for them, and it's been an absolute joy. They've been generous to me in so many ways. Not only did they give me the chance to create three collections, but they've given me fabric to use for so many special projects. They sent me prints to use in both Sew Organized for the Busy Girl and Patchwork USA as well as in the next book that I'm working on right now. When I asked them if they could donate material so that I could make burp cloths for a local pregnancy clinic that I support, they sent me a huge box packed to the brim with soft flannel goodness that allowed me to sew the stack above and still have plenty leftover to give to the clinic for future needs. Working with these staff members and designers has been such a privilege, and I've learned so much through this chance to do something that I honestly never thought I would get to do. So to everyone from the RBD office who has been so kind and helpful to me these past three years, and to all the amazing RBD designer friends who have blessed my heart with love and encouragement -- thank you . . . with all my heart.

All the Little Things

In less than two weeks already, we'll be starting another school year. How we got here so quickly is beyond me as always. In any case, the textbooks have arrived, the school shopping has been done, and the girls -- and I, if I'm honest -- are all showing the signs of needing to be back on a routine again. In the middle of May with summer stretching out before me, I always make an ambitious to-do list for the months ahead, convinced that I'm going to get so much done. This is all completely hilarious to end-of-July me, who tossed that list aside back in June and is now wringing every last drop of relaxation out of each waking moment before lesson plans and homework take over my desk again. Really though, in spite of all the responsibilities on my plate during the school year, I do get more creative projects done during those busy months than during my vacation, probably because I work it all into my schedule on purpose. But that's for another day. Right now it's still summer for two golden weeks, and I'm happy to play while I can.

Part of that play time has been sewing, thankfully, and this month has been all about making gifts for some dear people in my life. Our vicar and his wife finished up their year-long internship at our church last week, and though they won't be with us when their baby is born in October, I wanted to send them home with a handmade gift. This long pillow is just the sort of thing I would have loved to have on hand when I was feeding my own babies years ago. I used a mix of favorite novelty prints, including the one with the expected birth month to make it more personal. I put October in the middle along with September and November, so I'm hoping that even if the baby comes early or late, we'll be covered!

This linen improv pouch was a gift for a sweet, talented young woman who spent the summer at our church working with our worship team. It was so much fun choosing the prints for this one, and I loved being able to reflect different parts of her personality in the fabrics. Many of these are by Melody Miller from her original Ruby Star lines. I absolutely love how this pouch turned out and was so thrilled that she loved it too.

This weekend I was able to work on a fun project using my Color Book pattern from my new book Patchwork USA. It features the Dorothy's Journey collection by Jill Howarth, which is a darling take on The Wizard of Oz. 

Jill's illustrations are always so full of heart and whimsy, and when I saw the collection, I immediately thought these prints would be such a perfect match for this project. I gifted the book to the young daughter of a friend. I'm hoping she'll enjoy turning these colorful pages as she grows up.

So it's been a month of making all the little things as a way of celebrating all the important things. And really, I can't think of a better way to finish out the summer than that. 

Mini Majestic Easter Gift Basket

There are some patterns that you go back to over and over again, that fit you like a comfortable sweater or your favorite slippers. They're familiar and lovely, and you know they're going to be just what you need. The Lunch Bag Tutorial by my friend Ayumi is one of those patterns for me. I don't know how many times I've sewn this one, but it never fails to be a joy. This time I thought it would be fun to do something crazy and shrink it down to half size for a mini gift bag using the Majestic collection by Gerri Robinson for Riley Blake Designs.

The footprint of this finished bag is only 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" -- such a sweet little size!

I met Gerri for the first time last June when she was kind enough to drive me all over Missouri while we were both teaching at Missouri Star Academy. She and I spent hours together that week chatting about everything under the sun -- fabric design, the quilting industry, our families. I loved every minute of it. Watching her teach was an education in itself for me. She is an incredibly talented and generous lady, and I admire her so much.

I chose just three prints from the Majestic collection for this project in a range of scales. The smallest scale white floral was especially perfect for a tiny bag like this one. These prints all work together so beautifully, don't they?

Whenever you shrink a pattern -- especially for a bag or basket -- there are positives and negatives. Smaller pieces make a much quicker sew, but the logistics can definitely be more difficult as you try to navigate your needle with a more narrow bag opening. The drawstring casing was a bit fiddly, but with some patience and care, I was able to get it right. It took me a while to decide what to use for the drawstring itself until I remembered my box of chunky thread by Lori Holt. This pink was a great match and just the right weight to fit easily in the casing. It's always hard to hit a speed bump when you're almost about to finish a project, so I was awfully glad to have that thread on hand!

Now that I'm looking at this little bag, I'm thinking that it would make a darling mini Easter gift basket. Just toss in some candy and other small goodies, and you're all set.

I have the sneaking suspicion that I may have just launched my next sewing obsession...