Quilty Penelope Bag

Hello sewing friends. I get to be the guest designer this month for Patchwork Posse's online Quilt Guild and I'm so excited to share with you the project I've created for it.  I've added a little "quilty" flare to my Penelope handbag and turned it into a PDF pattern to share. Introducing the Quilty Penelope Bag.

The handbag has a Variable star built into the side panels, giving it a pop of color and a cute way to show off your love of quilting. The star panel is great for using up some of your scraps or for playing around with your new favorite fabrics. You can also substitute an 8”, or larger, orphan block to the center panel for a completely different look.

 The Quilty Penelope Bag is perfect for carrying all your essentials, plus a few extras. It’s small enough that it won’t weigh down your shoulder, but roomy enough to hold what you need. 

There are pockets on the inside and a simple magnetic snap closure. The comfortable fabric strap stays on your shoulder and easily slips on with one hand. 

This pattern is written exclusively for Patchwork Posse's online Quilt Guild. Are you a member yet? You may want to consider joining. Not just for my pattern but for access to all the other exclusive patterns, tutorials, Block-of-the-Months, and giveaways that come along with membership. 

There's also a facebook group where you can show of your projects and get feedback and fun swaps you can participate in. It's just like being part of a local quilt group but with the convenience of your own schedule. You'll find all the details about how to join on the Quilt Guild Info Page 

You can read more about me and my project on the Guest Designer page. Sign up and download my Quilty Penelope Bag pattern and let me know what you think.

Happy Sewing!

More Handmade gifts in the Etsy Shop

Rachel has been sewing up a storm and filling up our Etsy Shop.  Woohoo!! She's been working so hard I thought I'd show off some of her stuff. But before I get to that I just want to let you know that I get to be the curator for the Handmade Holiday on Sew Mama Sew today. Click over to their website to see my list of must sew Handbag tutorials for everyone on your gift list this year.  

Okay now for some Handbag goodness.

This bag is called the Vinca Zip Top bag. It has a pretty piecing on the front and back.

 The inside has a zipper pocket and slip pockets and the top stays closed nicely with another lovely zipper.

The piecing on this Vinca is a little different than the first.  I just love the way it turned out with the zippered top. 

She also sewed up some coordination Girlfriend Clutches.

This is the Pleated Shoulder Bag in Purple Zebra.  I love it's simple design and I think the zebra pattern on that purple fabric is cool.


The inside of this one has a zipper pocket and some slip pockets as well.

And one more  Pleated Shoulder Bag.

 

She also listed a bunch of Painter's Clutches. You can find more info about the Painter's Clutch in this post.

The inside of all of them has an invisible snap and a divider like pocket so you can keep your keys and phone separate

You can find more details on all of these bags in the Shop.

Happy Browsing!

Tagged!- Around the World Blog Hop

Tag I'm it! I was tagged by my friend and co-author Caroline to participate in the Around the World Blog Hop. Caroline is the brains behind SewCanShe.com.  She is one of those people who can accomplish an amazing amount of work in a day. She scours the web to find great tutorials to share with you in her daily newsletter, as well as keeping up a great blog where she shares a ton of her own free tutorials. In the mean time she is writing a new book and she's a mom of 4. There is no limit to what this gal can do. Go check out her blog hop post HERE. It's fun to see a few behind the scenes pictures of her as well.

So basically for this blog hop I get to tell you all a little bit about myself, and what I like to create.

What I'm working on.... 
Well, currently I'm working on snuggling this little newborn (I'm now a mother of 5!) and doing my best to finish unpacking boxes in our new house, (we moved the week after he was born, which was slightly insane).

So I've been busy doing some non-sewing related things over the last month.  Don't worry I have plenty of projects on the back burner just waiting to be finished up. I love to design handbags and I have always wanted to write up my own patterns. I have a couple of patterns in our new book, Just for You: Selfish Sewing, but have 2 more mostly written that I just need to finish up a few things for.

My Garden Tiles bag and the Tulip Tote.

 I also have a finished quilt top that is waiting to be quilted, here's a picture of it in process. I call it the Bejeweled Churn Dash.

I have big plans to use up more of my quilting cottons this year to make scrappy quilts. My UFO list seems infinite. I'm way better at starting projects than actually finishing them.

Why do you write/create what you do? 

I'm going to interpret this as why do I sew? I sew for a few reasons...
1. It keeps me sane. It is just the creative outlet I need to keep me balanced and ready to tackle the mundane daily chores of keeping house and the challenges of parenthood.
2. It is challenging. I like trying to figure out how things are constructed. I'm always looking at peoples bags and thinking about how I would put them together.
3. I LOVE fabric! "Love" might be an understatement here. I get a little rush when I go to a fabric store. It's just all so beautiful. I love how colors play together. Colorful fabric makes me happy!

How does your writing/creating process work?
I frequently think about how I want to make something when I'm going to sleep at night. I also solve my sewing puzzles by just digging in a sewing them up and unpicking along the way. Sometimes I have moments of brilliance when I figure a way to make something that is so quick and clever that I find myself saying "I'm a genius". Like the time I needed a light colored slip to go under a skirt on my way out the door to go to church. I took an old silky pillowcase, cut off the bottom seam and threaded some elastic through the hem. I was so excited I found myself saying "I'm a genius". It happened again today when I sat down to write this blog post and my little guy started crying.  I needed two hands to type. I needed a sling! Which I'm planning on buying or making, but who am I kidding, I needed it right now.  So I went to the giveaway box, pulled out my husbands old shirt and chopped the top off. Instant sling that took my 30 seconds to make.

I love solving problems with sewing!

That's enough about me, I'm tagging my friend Becca at Bryan House Quilts. I love her quilts and her color aesthetic. She has a new book coming out too, which I can't wait to get my hands on.

 Here's her bio:

Becca shares her creative journey and missteps over at Bryan House Quilts. She is a quilt pattern designer and her first book, Modern Rainbow: 14 Imaginative Quilts that Play with Color, is due out in only a month. She has 4 young children - 3 girls and a boy - and recently moved from Houston to St. Louis. 

Check out her blog next Friday to for her stop on the blog hop.

Happy Sewing!

Lickety Split Skirt

My son had a little birthday party to go to not too long ago. I always think it's fun to send a handmade gift if I have time.  But I am always pressed for time and I can only seem to manage "lickety split" projects that can be made the day of...sometimes the hour before..it's true!. This little project fits the bill perfectly. What little girl doesn't love a new little skirt to run around in?

 I just sort of made it up and it's not put together the correct way, it's put together the fast way. :) I'm sure there are a ton of tutorials out there.
Here's a mini description of how I made it...

• Use the width of the fabric off the bolt (about 44") and cut it to the desired finished skirt  length (minus 1 inch). 
• Cut a 5'' strip of another fabric, folded it in half and sewed it to the bottom of the skirt. Finish the edges with a zig-zag or serger. 
• Press the folded band down and topstitch along the seam. No hemming on this skirt!!

• Sew the short ends together. Finish that seam too!  Press it to one side and use your sewing machine to tack (sew back and forth for about 3 stitches) the seam down at the bottom of the hem so it stays folded over.
• Make a casing in the top a little bigger than the width of your elastic. How? Press the top  edge over 1/4 inch and then fold it over again and press.  I made my casing 1 inch wide and used a 1/2 inch elastic to thread through it. Stitch the casing leaving an opening in the back to thread the elastic through. 
• Stitch around the top too, so it looks cute when she tucks in a shirt.
• Thread your elastic through. Stitch it together. Sew the opening closed with a little tag or ribbon so she'll know which side is the back  

Quick and cute!

Quick Summer Cutt-offs Get a Touch of Fabric!

I love wearing Jeans!  Love them! About this time of year I like to chop my favorite fading pair off so can enjoy them as shorts.  We are experiencing an unusually cool spring here in Florida but it is about to get HOT.  And when it gets that hot skirts are best, but for now I'll wear my cut-offs.  This morning I decided combine my beloved cut-off Jeans with another love of mine, Fabric!  I added a little bias trim to the bottom to keep that fraying in check.

 

Just a little cute. Just a little pop.   Fun right?  

There are loads of tutorials out there on how to apply bias tape.  I think it would be cute if the bias was wider too...What do you think?

Confessions of a Soccer Mom: 4 tips to Survive the Season

Since I love to read about how other people manage all they do with a bunch of kids, today I'm writing about just that. Well, as far as Soccer is concerned at least.  I confess, I was a bit leery of putting all 4 kids in Soccer this season.  I was afraid of getting stretched in too many directions and we don't have family around to help.  Watching 4 soccer games each Saturday didn't sound like what I wanted to do with my time.   But I am here to say the way it has worked out has been totally doable.    My younger three play in the Rec league and my oldest plays Competitive.  Thankfully her team does not usually travel too far.  Because games somewhat overlap, most of the time my husband and I each end up watching 2 or 3 games a Saturday.  Most Saturdays we are home by 2 and sometimes wear are done by 11 am.  

Here are a few things we've done to help the season run more smoothly. 

1. Step up and coach!

  This season I am coaching my littlest son's team and my husband coaches my oldest boy's team.  When you are the coach you get to pick the practice schedules.  When everyone's practices are on the same nights it makes our lives a whole lot easier.  We just contacted my middle son's coach and made our practices around the same times.    I have no soccer experience, which is totally fine for the younger age groups.   The league gives us suggested practice plans and there are a lot of online resources as well.  I love it because a get to play with my son and get a little exercise too.  You can do it too!

2. Make Friends! 

Make friends with the parents of other kids on your team.  Most of the time I just like to keep to myself but getting to know other families with multiple kids in soccer has saved my life.  When games overlap or I have to be two places at one time I know them well enough to trust them with my kids and help me out.  Chances are they'll need my help another week and it all works out. 

3. Carpool!

Any mom of more than 2 kids knows that carpools can be a life saver. My daughter has practice from 6:30-8:00 two times a week at a different field than the rest of us.  We take her and a friend to the practices and the friend's mom pick up.  It is great because we are in the middle of getting the rest to bed at pick up time.

4. Ice Cream!

I have another confession to make, we bribe our kids with Ice Cream.  If anyone scores a goal in a game they earn Ice Cream for the family that day.  We started this little tradition to add a little motivation to my timid kids and make the games a little more exciting.  Of course this mainly just works for the younger ones.  The older ones don't always have an opportunity to score goals depending on the position they play.  Sometimes hard work and excellent playing earns ice cream too.  With 4 kids playing we celebrate with ice cream every week.  One crazy day my youngest scored 7.  He was so excited and proud to earn his family ice cream.

That's all for today!  I am not going to lie and say it isn't all a little crazy.  We do get the fields late sometimes and lose the occasional shin guard along the way. I even forgot about make up pictures for my son this week and he had to squeeze into the littlest's uniform for the picture, which was less conspicuous than the tie dye shirt he was wearing.  But we are doing it.  My kids love it and because they do, I do to. 

Looking for more Soccer Mom tips and tutorials? 

Here are rest of the posts in this Series

5 Tips to get you out the door ON TIME!

Waterproof Blanket Tutorial

Sideline Survival Activities

Soccer/Camping Chair Cover

Meal Prep with Ducks in a Row

Drawstring Backpack Tutorial

Super Easy Sleeve Ties Tutorial

Soccer Mom Meal Prep with Clean Eating Mom

Today we have a guest joining us for our Soccer Mom series! Clean Eating Mom is giving us her best meal planning tips and a recipe for delicious bean and rice burritos.

I Am a Soccer Mom: Sideline Survival Activities

One thing I love about having my kids in soccer is that it is outside.  They get to get out and breathe the fresh air and run around.  During weekday practices my kids who aren't practicing run around and play with other kids, but on game days they don't always have the luxury of running around freely with games going on all around us.  My kids get bored sitting and watching a game, especially if there are a couple to watch in a row, so we always try to bring a few sideline activities to keep them occupied.  It is easy to just let them play the iPad or Kindle, and sometimes we do that too, but I always like it more if they are doing something imaginative.  So today, as part of the Soccer Mom series, I've put together a few ideas of how we spend our time on the sidelines. We usually switch up the things we pack so they don't get old.  

Magna Doodle Tracing Cards

First up, here's a fun idea for using  a travel sized Magna-doodle.  My sister in law made us a bunch of cards with simple drawings on them that fit perfectly inside the drawing surface.  You can trace the lines of the drawing and then lift up the card and see your masterpiece.  It really works.  It is so fun for kids of all ages and has provided hours of sideline distraction.  We also have my littlest practice his letters this way by tracing ABC flashcards.  

You can easily make this by tracing simple pictures from coloring books onto manila folders and cutting them to the right size.  Or if you are a talented artist like my, SIL Becky, you can draw your own. 

Portable Sandbox

One year we brought a portable sandbox to the fields each week.  We found a plastic bin with a handle and filled it with about 3 inches of sand and toys to play with.  We were the most popular family on the sideline.  It was especially good for little ones that usually like to run into the field.  If a little sand spills, no big deal, its outside.  If your kid is likely to dump a lot of sand just put the sandbox in the middle of a blanket and you can dump the sand in the box when they are done. It was a hit!

Photo from Amazon

Books

I also sometimes bring books for my readers, and a crayon roll and a notebook for my artists.  My older readers especially love to lay on a blanket and read endlessly.

Cars 

I have to say that Cars and are still my kids' absolute favorite things to play with at the fields.  They love to bring their monster trucks and drive them over the little mounds in the grass.   I have a friend that fills a duffle bag full of big cars and boats for her little one to play with at the fields.  If you make the Waterproof Blanket you can easily draw a car town on the vinyl side of it for added fun.  I had grand intentions of making this cool version from Family Fun that I Pinned a couple of years ago.  

Family Fun May 2011

 It took me forever to find a green vinyl tablecloth, but I couldn't find the black contact paper, so instead I just drew a simple one on with Sharpie. I figure I'll let my kids draw buildings or ponds if they want.

Bouncy Ball

My last idea is to keep it simple.  Sometimes I bring interesting things to play with and I find that all my kids really needed to have fun was a bouncy ball and the bleachers. :)

I hope these ideas come in handy sometime.  What sideline activities keep your little ones occupied?

Want to see more tips and tutorials in my Soccer Mom Series? Here are the links

5 Tips to get you out the door ON TIME!

Waterproof Blanket Tutorial

Sideline Survival Activities

Soccer/Camping Chair Cover

Meal Prep with Ducks in a Row

Drawstring Backpack Tutorial

Super Easy Sleeve Ties Tutorial

Are you a Soccer Mom?

Hi friends!  Is it Soccer season in your neck of the woods?  We are mid-way through Spring Soccer here in Florida and I have come to a realization, I am a Soccer Mom!  I drive a minivan and I have 4 children in soccer this season, so I guess that makes it official.  I am a soccer mom in the most literal sense of the word.   I'm even coaching this year!  Yep, that's me getting ready to coach my littlest son's game.

Yes, I would rather not have everyone playing soccer, but they all love it so and I have a hard time making the young ones sit on the sidelines and just be spectators. And so this is our first season with everyone on their own team.  We have pulled off 3 kids in soccer for a while so that makes me an expert on how to make it all happen right? Getting out the door on time, dinner, keeping track of the uniforms. Ha! Not really an expert,  but I think  I've figured out a few things that make it all run more smoothly and I want to share them.  Starting Monday, for the rest of the month of April I will be running a little Soccer Mom series over here on Blue Susan Makes.

   I'll give you a little run down of the tricks I've learned over the years that have helped make our soccer seasons successful and kept me from pulling my hair out in craziness. "But, this is a sewing blog!" I can hear you saying.  Don't worry, I have sewing tutorials to share as well that you won't want to miss.  And have you had a chance to check out the new handbag patterns released by Sara at Sew Sweetness? They are fabulous!

At the end of my Soccer Mom series Sara is letting me giveaway a pack of patterns to 3 lucky readers.

Of course, if soccer's not your sport, all these tips can be used for any sport your kids might be in as well.  Do you have something to share too?  I would love your input, I want to know what works for you!

 Get excited, I know I am!

See all of  the posts in this Series

5 Tips to get you out the door ON TIME!

Waterproof Blanket Tutorial

Sideline Survival Activities

Soccer/Camping Chair Cover

Meal Prep with Ducks in a Row

Drawstring Backpack Tutorial

Super Easy Sleeve Ties Tutorial

 

Announcing theTwelve Days of Christmas!

Hi there! I am just quickly posting to tell you about The Twelve days of Christmas going on at Ellie Inspired. Ellie Inspired is a sewing blog that features tutorials and patterns for cute little girls dresses.

For the next 12 days she is introducing a new pattern and hosting a blog hop.   12 days of Christmas starts today.  You should see the prizes offered in the massive 35 prize giveaway!  For the blog hop each day a different blog will post a Christmas related craft/tutorial/recipe.  I get to be Day 12 on the tour so be sure to come back and visit me on November 21 when I'll show you how to sew up a cute Christmas gift.

Hope your weekend is going great!  

We just finished soccer games and are off to do a little clothes shopping.

Ciao!