The Train Bag is finished!

Between customers at the store, along with this-n-that, I finally finished the train diaper bag this morning! All I need to do is wait for the purchaser to send the greeting card to include and it will be going to its new owner!

I made the handles a bit longer, so that when worn on the shoulder, the bag rests at the hip area. IMO, that makes it much easier to reach in and get something when you're holding the baby.

Today, I tried my hand at this little wallet. I used the tutorial so generously posted by ReFabulous on her blog. I have been admiring her paperback cover wallets for quite some time.

I didn't have any suitable paperbacks, so I improvised.

I fused fabric to cardstock, and then followed her directions. This wallet is nowhere near perfect, because I messed around and let the vinyl slip a little on the folds. I didn't have the actual written directions at the store with me, and I forgot to use the tissue paper. Oh, well! It will still work for me!

Here's the inside! This was a fun little project, and I do thank ReFabulous for sharing her tutorial with us!

Just sewing up a storm!

I've been working on a custom diaper bag this afternoon. I had to send my hubby back to Walmart to get some more of the goldish fabric, since the piece of fabric I had bought wasn't straight on one end, which made the fabric about 2" too small to finish cutting out my pattern! GRRR! I also needed more innerfacing...looks like I'm going to have to start buying innerfacing by the bolt!



Anyway, I got the outer shell of the diaper bag embroidered and finished. Tomorrow, I plan on making the lining and finishing it. The new fabric is being washed as I type. Whether it actually gets finished tomorrow depends on how busy my store is. It was pretty busy this afternoon!

I hope the FTC sees the light and changes their new rules so I can offer these in my future Etsy shop after February 10th!

I'm not the only crafty person...

...in our family! My mom is pretty crafty, even at 92, and so is my son!

I think that Mama is just about finished with making baby quilts, although I think she is currently working on one. She has probably made at least 25 of her hand-embroidered and hand-quilted baby quilts for the babies in our family. The last one that I KNOW she finished was the one she made last year for my youngest grandson. I don't have a picture of that one, which is a "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall" design. Here are the ones that she has made for my niece's 3 boys. I have one that she made for one of my angel babies 27 years ago.

She uses vintage embroidery patterns from, I think, the 40s, and they are as cute today as they were back then!

One of the things she currently makes, as baby gifts, are these cute little gingham teddy bears. She hand-embroiders their features and the heart and belly-button on them, and she sews the ribbon bow on so that a baby can't get choked on them.

She also makes these cute little "twin" dolls!

She hasn't made any Humpty Dumpties in a long time, but I think that just about all her grandkids have one.

Our son, who did a LOT of the work on his new home, has been working on finishing the bonus room over the garage. He has installed a mini-bar/kitchen area in it. Here's the vessel sink that he installed. He found the pump at our local hardware store and plumbed it so that the handles on the wall work with it. He drilled a hole through a chipped enameled washpan to make his sink. He also built the cabinet that it sits on. Isn't it just the coolest thing?

My sisters are both pretty crafty, too; but, they aren't into taking pictures of their stuff. One sister is like me...trying her hand at almost anything. My other sister is more into sewing and smocking. She has three granddaughters, so she pretty much stays busy with sewing their wardrobes. However, she has been making a few things for my grandbaby. I just haven't gotten "into" smocking.

She made this little "Noah's Ark" outfit for him to wear at Easter.

She also made his birthday outfit.

I guess we are just a creative bunch of folks!

Today is my son's birthday! It's hard to believe that in 3 short years, we'll be planning his 40th birthday "Over the Hill" party! Of course, I was a mere BABY when he was born! ;)

Have a great week!

More Stuff That I've Made

Our youngest grandson just turned a year old, and I wanted to give him something that I think every little kid needs...a little red rocking chair. I found an unfinished one at a local furniture store (ON SALE!) and gave it a few coats of bright red paint. I was planning to paint his name and some kind of cute design on the back, but then I thought, "I want to do something DIFFERENT!"


So, I went out to my arts and crafts and sewing shed, and made these little padded sleeves for the back of his chair. I used my embroidery machine to embroider his "name train" on one and left the other one plain. Here is a close-up.

His mom, our teacher DiL, had her birthday a few days later, so I made this tote/purse for her. I was inspired by the cute totes at http://hello-refabulous.blogspot.com/ You should check it out; I think she is an amazing young woman. She has eight children, homeschools, and still manages to find time to create beautiful items! This is my first try at ever making a purse, but I think it came out pretty well. I had some wooden apple cutouts, so I drilled a couple of holes in one to turn it into a button and painted it. It's on the closure, which is backed with velcro.

Here's one of the inside pockets, and the lining coordinates with the school print on the outside.

In June, I had the opportunity to get together for a weekend with 6 of my online friends and the mother of one of them in Pigeon Forge, TN. We all chipped in and rented a big log cabin on the side of a mountain, and we had a blast! It was as if we have known each other all our lives!

I made a personalized drink huggy as a small gift for each one of them. They are really easy to make!

What do YOU like to do?