Behind the Scenes

Recently, I have had several people ask me how I manage the family and the crafting.  I say something silly like "We manage somehow."  

I wanted to come clean and let everyone know I am not Super Mom.  

This is what went on when I made the Road Trip Satchel for yesterday's tutorial.

There are certain times I lower my organized, neat freak standard.  The sick part is that I like to clean the mess up and reorganize.  What is wrong with me?

Road Trip Satchel Tutorial

I asked my kids who wanted to model the Road Trip Satchel, and Davis happily volunteered.

This tutorial is to give you the basics on how to sew this bag.  There are lots of ways to change it up and make it just what you want.  This bag can be scaled bigger or smaller.  I chose this size because it's perfect for coloring books.  You can add more pockets or do no pockets at all.  I have also used this basic pattern to make a bag with no flap.

Supplies:

1 14 inch zipper

22 x 14 inch piece of fabric for outside of bag

22 x 14 inch piece of fabric for inside of bag

12 x 14 inch piece of fabric for zipper flap

  7 x 21 inch piece of fabric for inside pocket  

5 x 36 inch piece of fabric for the strap (you could substitute belting or anything you like for the strap)

Once all you pieces are cut it's time to get started.

This is only the second time I have sewn a zipper.  If you have any tips or tricks please let me know.  The first time I made this bag I made the flap with out a zipper.  You can do it either way.

1.  Line up the outside edge of your zipper (right sides together/see first picture)  with the long side of you fabric for the flap.  Use a zipper foot on your sewing machine to get as close the the zipper teeth as possible.  I unzipped the zipper a little to get closer, and then zipped it back as I was making my way down the length of the zipper.  Once the first half of the zipper is done, repeat with the other half.

2.  When your zipper is sewn in place it's time to close up the pocket.  I set the zipper two inches from the edge instead of in the center.  This way you have more pocket when the bag is flipped open.  Sew up the two short sides of the zipper pocket.  I used a 3/8" seam.  Unzip the zipper a little so you can flip it right sides out when you are done.  You could serge the ends to make it cleaner, or just use pinking shears.  Set aside.

3.  Take your long strap piece and fold it over in half length wise.  Sew down to make a long tube.  Use a loop turner or safety pin to flip it right sides out.  Center your seam and press it with a hot iron.  I like to add some contrast stitching down the length of the strap.  You may want to cut the length of the strap down.  36" is more of a grown up strap length.  My straps on my kid's bags are about 21-21" in length.  When this is done set it aside.

4.  I like my pockets to look good inside and out.  Take your 7 x 21 inch piece of fabric and fold it over in half, right sides together.  Sew along the two short sides and one long side.  Leave one long side open.

5.  Flip the pocket right side out.  Fold your open side in about 1/2 inch and press with a hot iron.  Sew a top stitch 5/8" down from the long side that was already sewn closed.  

6.  Pin your inside pocket to your inside/lining fabric.  I place my pocket 2 1/4" from the side and 2 1/2" from the top edge.  Start sewing on the right short side.  I back stitch several times over the edge for strength.  Pivot your stitch at the corner, continue on the long side.  This stitch should be closing up the open part of your pocket where your flipped it out.  Pivot at the next corner and finish sewing the last short side.  Remember to do a few back stitches here.  You can sew a seam down the middle of the pocket to turn it into two smaller pockets.  On this bag I made one side smaller than the other.  You can kind of see the stitches in the last photo.  When your pocket is finished, sew up the short sides of your inside bag.  

7.  I like to miter to corners of this bag.  It gives it a nice bottom.  Take your inside bag and center the side seam to make a triangle.  Sew down about an inch from the tip of the triangle.  Cut off the triangle above your stitching.  

8.  Now is the time to decorate the outside of you bag.  I appliqued a little umbrella on the bottom right corner of the bag.  If you are interested in how I did this, leave me a note in the comments and I will do another post on it.  When you are down decorating the outside of the bag, fold it right sides together and sew the two short sides.  Follow step 7 to miter the corners.

9.  Let's stack this puppy together.  Keep our outside bag inside out.  Turn your inside bag right sides out.  Set you inside bag into the outer bag.  

10.  Time to pin the pieces in place.  You have a few options with your strap placement.  You can sew it into the seam of the bag, or on the outside.  If you choose to sew it to the outside, finish the ends off nicely and sew it on at the very end.  To sew it into the sew follow the pictures.  I place the nice side of the strap to the right side of the bag.  Center the seams.  Next I place the zipper flap in.  Set it with the zipper closest to the top, and the zipper side facing you.  Now take the inside bag and line the seam up with the other seams.  Pin in place.  

Take your strap and make sure it isn't twisted.  Repeat step 10 on the other side of the bag.  

11.  Pin the layered area in a few places (only on the side with the flap pocket).  Sew the layers together starting a little before where you pinned the sides together.  Sew all the way across the bag and a little past the other side seam.  You should have a hole you can fit your hand into.

12.  Flip the bag right sides out and tuck the inside bag down.  Press your opening seam flat and top stitch across the front of the bag from seam to seam.  This is to close your turning hole.

Your Road Trip Satchel is ready to go.  If you have any questions, or if I didn't make sense at a certain part please let me know.  This bag is fun and easy to make and I want others to enjoy it too.

Check back tomorrow to see what happens behind the scenes when I sew. ;)

Linda's Sweet Cornbread

My Mother-in-Law makes the best cornbread in the world! It's called cornbread, but it's really more like cake with some cornmeal.

Ingredients:

1 Tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 cup cornmeal

1 Tbs. baking powder

1/2 Tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup melted butter

5 eggs

1 1/4 cups milk

1. Separate yolks and whites.  Set whites to the side.  Add melted butter and milk to the yolks.  
2. Mix dry ingredients and add to liquid.
3. Beat whites until peaks form.
4. With hand mixer, mix together liquid and dry ingredients on low speed.
5. Fold in egg whites.
6. Pour batter into greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
7. Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes. 

Make it extra sweet with some homemade honey butter.

Wanted: Warmer Weather

      Lately my kids have been asking when we are going to the park.  It's still to cold to play at the park where we live.  Since the kids have brought up the park, I can't stop thinking about the warm sun and laying on a blanket at the park.
     I love going on picnics during the summer. Last summer I tried to think out side of the box when it came to what we were going to eat on our picnics.  My kids don't care for anything beside chips, but that doesn't mean Mama can't enjoy herself!  I my memory is right, in the back to school issue of Parents magazine they featured several different kinds of lunch boxes.  The bento boxes caught my eye.  Maybe it I  connected because it reminded me of picnics at home...
     Now that I can't stop thinking of all the different kinds of food I want to try to take to a picnic I am drawn back to how am I going to pack it.

Here are a few of the many cute bento boxes available.  Don't they make you want to pack a lunch?

1.  dharmacrafts.com    Panda/Frog 
2.  atomicmall.com       Hello Kitty
3.  lunchboxes.com      Chinese Take-Out
4.  stackitstoreit.com    Tupperware Lunch
5.  amazon.com           Vivo Square Bento Box
6.  laptonlunches.com  Laptop Lunch Box

There are quite a few websites dedicated to bento lunches.  Check out Just Bento.  They can tell you all about bento lunches.  Some of the boxes can be pretty pricey.  I think I might just get a compartment container from the craft store for each of my kids.  That way I have more money to spend on my bento box ;)

Glue Gun Dress in Watermelon

  

Do you want to make your little girl a dress, but don't think you can sew?  This is the project for you.

*This dress can also be completely sewn with a sewing machine.  Any step that I hand stitch, or glue, you would just do a straight stitch on you machine. ;)

Supplies:

A t-shirt or two

needle 

thread

glue gun

I grabbed some women's shirts off the clearance rack at Target.  I picked the biggest sizes they had, so I would have more fabric to work with.  

1. Cut across the t-shirt from the bottom of one sleeve to the other.  This is going to be the main part of your dress.  Next, cut off the hem of the sleeves.  I cut about three inches above the hem.  From the remaining part of the shirt, cut 4 half inch strips across the width of the shirt (cut two strips from another shirt to add some color to the braided strap).  Now cut a rectangle that is 2 1/2 x 7 inches.

2.  With your needle and thread, sew a basting stitch about 1/4 inch from the cut edge on you main dress piece.  Tess is 20 inches around her chest, so I gathered my dress up to be a little more than 10 inches across.  Adding a little room is important because there is no stretch in this part of the dress.  Once the dress is gathered to the size you want, tie off your thread and snip the extra.  Set this part aside.

3.  Now it's time to work with the sleeve pieces.  Cut them open on the bottom seam.  

Stack them right sides together and trim off ends.  Cut them down to be about 1/2 inch longer than the width of the gathered dress.  Line up the original hem stitch and use your glue gun to glue the ends together.  You are making a tube.

The two pieces should look like the photo on the left.  If you don't want to see any glue coming out, hand stitch just below the glued seam like the picture on the right.

4.  Grab your small rectangle and fold it in half lengthwise with right sides together.  Run a bead of glue down the length of the rectangle to glue it together.  Once the glue is set, use a safety pin, or loop turner to turn it right sides out.  Cut the rectangle in half to make two smaller rectangles.  Fold the smaller rectangles in half with the seam inside the loop.  Glue the ends together.

5.  Now let's make the braided straps.  Stack your long strips, and put a dab of glue between them.  Braid the strips and tie the end in a double knot.  Cut off any excess fabric.  I made my braids as long as they would go.  

6.  Take your main dress piece and turn it inside out.  Insert the gather into the tube we made with the sleeve hem.  The tube should also be seam sides out.  Line up the side seams and pin in place.  

7.  Pin the center of each side together.  Now insert your loops and straps between the band and gather piece.  I put the loop edge flush with the dress edge.  I stuck the braid a little past the edge.  I placed my braided straps and loops about two inches from the center pin.  Pin the loops and straps in place.  You can move your gather round and space the fabric out as you go.  

8.  This is the BIG moment.  Let's glue it!  Be careful not to burn yourself.  Slowly go around the top and hot glue the band and dress together.  When you get to a strap or loop be sure to glue it on both sides.  Try not to squeeze the glue in gobs.  You want a nice even bead.

9.  Take your pins out and let the glue set.

10.  When the glue is cool it's time to flip it right sides out.

  Your sleeve hem has now become a band across the top of the dress.  You could glue down the band if you want to, but it shouldn't be necessary.

There are several different ways to tie the straps, and I think they are all cute.

Here is the completed glue gun dress in a fun watermelon color.  Tess' purple pansy dress has passed the preschool and washing machine test.  It's crazy to glue a dress, but it really does work.  Have you glued anything lately?  Grab a button and add it to your glue gun post.

Email me (saltypineapple@gmail.com) a link to your post.  I would love to see it and feature it during

Happy Glueing!

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge

As I was making my blog rounds last week I came across Southern Institute for Domestic Arts And Crafts. Fun stuff.  Jenny mentioned the iheartfaces photo challenge.  I went over there to check it out, and got hooked.  This week's challenge is "Hands On" Fun.    

Don't you love how babies could care less about melted chocolate on their hands.  Collin really just wanted another cookie!  What was I thinking trying to take a picture of him?

Shirts with a little flare

This week I visited the Patina Market in Pleasant Grove.  It was so fun to see all the unique designs that crafty people can come up with.  This little boy's red shirt caught me eye.  It's made by RadSeams.  Tess has a birthday party to go to today, and I thought I would try my hand at freezer paper stenciling.  I had a few ideas of fun shirts to make for the birthday boy.  When I saw this shirt, and the price was a steal, I had to get it.  

When they heard that I was buying the shirt for a birthday present, they gift wrapped it for free.

Patina Market is a total score.  If you are in that neighborhood you should definitely stop by.  Go check out their website.

I was still anxious to try out the stenciling.  I have had a roll of freezer paper in my craft room staring at me for way too long.  I used the quick and easy tutorial from Made.  It really is so easy.  The hardest part was getting the kids to decide what they wanted on their shirts.  

NO, I take that back.  The hardest part was telling Tess she could only paint in certain areas.  She is always so excited to help out.  I also learned if your shirt is dark, you need a lot more pain than you think.  It took me forever to try and figure out what part to cut out of the I love you sign.  It all worked out pretty well.  I think the next go around will be even better.

Little Purple Pansies and A Glue Gun

After I dropped off my sewing machine, I walked into my project room and looked around.  It felt like I was missing one of my kids.  My brain was buzzing and I had to think of something to make.

I bought a couple of women's t-shirts on the clearance rack at Target a while back, and decided now was a good time to use them.

I wondered if it was possible to make a dress with out a sewing machine.  Guess what?  It's totally possible.  

I used a few of my favorite tools.  

Needle

Thread

Hot Glue Gun

This is the purple pansy on the front of Tess' dress.

Best of all it twirls.  That is a Tess requirement.  I even made one of these with the scraps.

After making this, I got to thinking.  What else can you make with a hot glue gun?

I would love to do an idea share.  Mark your calendars and get out your glue guns the party is on!

During the week of March 8-12th I will feature YOUR glue gun projects.

Tell your friends and grab a 

I can GLUE it

button to add to your glue gun post.

Email me the link to your glue gun post by Sunday March 7th.

If this thing rocks, we might need to make it into a contest with a prize...