Requested

So I have been sewing like a fiend here, but sometimes it doesn't feel like I get much finished. Mostly I am making hexie flowers right now for the Kingfisher Stitch Along, hosted by Stitched in Color and Tales of Cloth. But that really isn't all.

My middle daughter will occasionally call me up and ask me a question that goes something like this: "Mom, can you make____?" Sometimes it's something she's seen on pinterest, and sometimes just something she's thought about that she wondered if there was a way to do it.

The latest request was for some containers made of fabric to hold things. When she asked, I knew immediately that Dana of Made Everyday had the solution. I had seen her pattern for her hold it bins when she first released it, but I had no need for any so I admired it and moved on.

I sent my daughter the link and she declared them perfect. I then sent her photos of fabric in her box. She had shopped my stash before I moved and I put all her choices into one box. Whenever she asks for something, we check the box to see if we have some fabric that will work, before purchasing any, although we have done that too.

Here is what I made for her:

 This is a napkin holder. It actually is supposed to have a strap across the top to keep the breeze from tossing your napkins if you are outside, but since she won't be, we omitted it.

 These are two of the larger bins. Again, without the handles, per her request. She loves blue and she loves batik fabrics.

These two are from the drawer organizer collection. They are to put into a drawer, so they are shallower than the others. This collection has several sizes and shapes so you can really clean up that messy drawer.

These were all fast and fun to make and I will definitely be doing some more soon. The pattern can be found at Made Everyday if you are interested.

One other request was from my husband, for two more grocery bags. I made some a couple of years ago from a pattern by Michelle Patterns. They are just like the plastic grocery bags and I love the size of them and how easy they are to fill and carry. I have I think, six already. But we always seem to need at least one more. So today I fulfilled that request also.

I have had these fabrics in my stash for at least 3-4 years, maybe longer. I love them, but could never figure out what to do with them until now. Now I can look at my pretty fabrics every time we go to the grocery store. These bags are well constructed and the other ones I made a couple of years ago have held up very well and they wash up so easily in the machine.

So, see, I have been doing something besides hexies. Talk to you soon.

It's in the Bag

Sometimes, when I am reading blogs, which I do for a part of every day, I find a project that I just can't resist. Sometimes it's a quilt, but sometimes it's not. I was reading S.O.T.A.K. Handmade the other day and Svetlana had made some great reusable grocery bags. Now I have a bunch of those plastic-y ones that I bought, but these were cute!

 This is the first one I made. I stuffed some things in it just to see how it worked. It is styled after those plastic bags that grocery stores use so many of. So for me, part of the charm is that it is a size and a shape that is familiar to me. I know how much will fit. Those store bought bags are so deep and get very heavy very quickly.

 So last Saturday I took them shopping for a true test run and they work great!! The pattern comes in 3 sizes. I made 3 large and one medium and one small one. I can see the large ones will get used the most, but I am happy to have one of each of the others.

 The red and green one here is the medium. Perfect size for just a few items. The pattern is available at Michelle patterns. I love using some of my pretty fabrics for such a useful purpose. To be honest, some of these have sat on the shelf for quite a while. They are reversible and machine washable.

This is the smallest one. In this picture it is holding two heavy 48 ounce jars of mayo, just so you know. The bags are sturdy and very well stitched to reinforce the seams. They are very easy to load up at the store. And yes, I am going to make more because A)they are fun to make and B)three is not enough for a regular grocery run. I hope you try them out. I think it's a great idea, and this is my own opinion. Talk to you soon.