Bonnie
Bagging it Up in January with Hopeful Threads
Have you sewn a bag for the January Hopeful Threads project yet? I’ve set a little goal for myself to sew something for every project that Kristy posts this year. (I’m trying to be careful not to set huge sewing goals this year because, in case you didn’t notice, I didn’t hit any of the ones that I set for myself on my blog last year! I’m not terribly upset about it, though. I was a temporary single mother while trying to sell our house in Texas for over six months before moving halfway across the country to join my husband in Florida, and then we were in temporary quarters for two months before finally settling in our new home. I think that’s plenty of reason to change my priorities!)
I used my own Messenger Bag Tutorial to sew up this denim bag. (I cut it out on Thursday night and took it with me to a “sewing/playdate” at a friend’s house on Friday.) I was hoping that sticking to denim and dark blue plaid would give it a masculine feel. What do you think?
I modified the pattern slightly by adding a front pocket under the flap, along with a magnetic snap closure.
Inside, there are a couple of extra smaller pockets for those things that you don’t want to lose down in the bottom of the bag. I just skipped the pen/pencil pockets from the tutorial and divided the inside pocket in half instead.
Kristy has been posting some great tutorial links on the Hopeful Threads Facebook page. Be sure to go check them out! If you don’t have time to do a more complicated bag like this one, maybe you can squeeze in a simple tote bag during naptime one day this week?
Project Run & Play: Remix
Have you been following along at Project Run & Play? It’s so much fun to see the amazing kids clothing that is posted everyday! Season 6 started on Monday, and I thought instead of just following along this time, I’d sew along! (Not for the contest, just for the motivation and the challenge. I often seem to be in need of a little extra motivation!)
First up is The Pattern Remix Challenge, and the pattern is a great little girls’ pattern: The Cottage Home Party Dress. My remixed design uses Riley Blake’s new cotton/spandex jersey. On the bodice, I added a neckband and armbands and skipped the lining. (Katie’s not here now to try this on, but I suspect that I’m going to have to adjust the armholes to make them a little smaller.)
At the waist, I left off the band and added some interest by sewing the gathered raw edge of the skirt to the outside of the bodice. I adore how the gathered edge curled and made such a sweet “ruffle”. 
For the skirt, I cut two pieces, one shorter than the other and layered them. To finish the hem, I just ran a line of stitching about 1/2″ from each edge and let the raw edge roll up after washing.
I didn’t snap any pictures of the back of the dress, but since it’s sewn with knit fabrics, I just made it a simple pull-over without fasteners. I think the final result is a quick and easy dress that works for playing or partying!
Next week is Stripes and Polka Dots. Anyone else sewing along?
Christmas Bags for My Nieces with a Little Extra Love Sewn In
I’ve established this really fun annual tradition of sewing new bags for my three nieces each Christmas. I think I’ve shared before that I’ve heard that one of the things they enjoy most about using them is being able to tell their friends that they’re bags are “one of a kind”. This year, I decided to sew something a little extra special into all three bags.
While I was at my mom’s for my step-dad’s memorial service back in October, I asked if I could take home some of the chambray shirts that he wore almost everyday. I had plans to incorporate patches from them into a quilted throw, and I probably still will at some point. My nieces shared a very close bond with their Papa, though, and I knew they would love having a little something of his to carry with them everyday. With that thought in mind, I worked scraps from Papa’s shirts into each of the girls’ bags.
I used the pattern that I created for Samantha’s “No Bully Zone” bag with a few minor updates including a little cell phone pocket on the front. The girls loved the easy, fun style of the bag, and the incorporation of Papa’s shirts meant so much to them! I hope they enjoy them all year long!
Christmas PJs 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Projects: Day 12
Yep. This post is a few days late. I finished up Christmas PJs for my two youngest early on Monday morning using the Lazy Days Lounge Set pattern. I had grand plans for adorable Christmas Eve PJ pictures, but this little guy came down with a fever and didn’t want to move from this comfy chair:
And, this little guy had a long, hard day that knocked him out on the couch:
They were really cute in real life! I tried to snap some action shots on Christmas Day, but there was just too much fun to be had to slow down for photos. I did get this cute picture of the two of them with their new stuffies, and then they were off again!
Thanks so much for following along with my 12 Days (That Took 16 Days) of Handmade Christmas Projects! I hope that you all had beautiful Christmas celebrations packed full of joy and plenty of handmade goodness shared with your loved ones!
Lee Lee the Lion & Ronny the Robot 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Projects:Day 11
I was afraid that these two little guys were going to be the finishing-at-midnight-on-Christmas-Eve-when-I-should-be-sleeping project! I am so thankful that the raw-edge style finishing on these lends itself well to slightly (or not so slightly) messy stitching. With time running out quickly, I moved through as fast as humanly possible.
Lee Lee and Ronny are Freddie’s Friends patterns. (I sewed Olive the Owl for Katie’s first birthday several months ago.) These are definitely not quick projects, but the end result is well worth the extra time. I love the cute little details! Seriously? Look at this adorable tail!
Lee Lee the Lion is going into Jamie’s stocking tonight, and Ronny the Robot into Charlie’s. Only a few hours left until Santa comes! I better be off! 
Handmade by Samantha12 Days of Handmade Christmas Projects:Day 10
My kids are all pretty crafty. (I think they come by it naturally.) My 14-year-old, Samantha, is particularly talented at both knitting and drawing, and it’s really exciting for me to see that she’s learned the value in creating one-of-a-kind handmade gifts for her family and her friends. This year, she is knitting quite a few of her gifts, but she also used her drawing skills to create this trio of sketches for her niece, Katie. 
Katie’s a little too young to really appreciate these now, but someday, she’ll love them both for their beauty and for the love that went in to them! Are your children giving any handmade gifts this year? How do you encourage them to develop their creative talents and share them with others? I’d be thrilled to hear your suggestions!
Making Memories 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Projects: Day 9
This may be stretching the meaning of “handmade” just a little because you can’t really hand-make memories, but you can make plans for things that will help to make memories. For the last several years, we’ve made a point to do something to help make memories each day of Advent. A few Christmases ago, I sewed this quilted Advent calendar, and we use it to hold our planned activities for each day. Our kids get really excited about pulling out the activity and reading it each morning. We try to balance activities that focus on helping others, activities that remind us of the real meaning of Christmas and activities that are just fun! Here’s a little peek at a few of the things we’ve done so far this year:
We took a walk through Bethlehem at a local church.
We took our youngest four Christmas shopping for each other at Barnes & Noble. 
We picked up Starbucks hot cocoa and went for a drive to find our favorite Christmas light displays.
We went Christmas caroling and visited at an assisted living home with our homeschool group.
We baked cookies . . . lots of cookies!
We attended a Cookie Exchange at a friend’s home.
We invited friends over for dinner.
We did a little grocery shopping for a local food bank.
We had a family game night.
We watched the local Christmas light parade.
What are some of your favorite ways to make memories during the Christmas season?
Samantha’s “No Bully Zone” Messenger Bag 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Projects: Day 8
I brought these “No Bully Zone” fabrics back from Quilt Market just over a year ago, and Samantha has been asking what I had planned for them since! They’re from the Kanvas Cool School collection from Benartex. Samantha actually wrote on her Christmas Wish List this year that she’d like a bag made from the No-Bullying fabric. I guess she finally decided on my plan for them! 
Samantha tends to prefer messenger bags to traditional shoulder bags, and she loves anything that is fun and funky. I designed this casual, unstructured bag specifically for her. 
There’s a big pocket on the center front and a set of pen, pencil and cell phone pockets hidden down inside. I love the funky patchwork design that came from this mix of fabrics and the frayed edges on the patches. The peace signs work really well with the No Bully Zone fabric, too, don’t they? I think Samantha’s going to love this bag. I hope so, anyway!
(Don’t you just love my photo background? I was hiding in the garage so that I could take pictures without Samantha seeing . . . I was terrified the whole time that she was going to throw open the door to take something to the washer!)
“Real” Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread12 Days of Handmade Christmas Projects: Day 7
It’s hard to resist yummy, rich baked goods when the Christmas season rolls around! This chocolate chip banana bread is one of our family favorites, and, except for the little bit of sugar in the chocolate chips, it’s made with all real ingredients. It makes a perfect gift for a friend or neighbor. And, since it doesn’t use eggs, it’s really easy to make it vegan, too!
The Ingredient List
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup real butter and 1/4 cup coconut oil (or use 1/2 cup of coconut oil for a vegan bread)
3/4 cup real maple syrup
1 tsp. real vanilla
2-3 very ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups total when mashed)
1 cup chocolate chips (We use the Enjoy Life mini-chips, primarily because they’re soy-free, but they’re also dairy-free and nut-free.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Mash or puree your bananas. (I don’t care for chunks of banana in my banana bread, so I throw mine into the blender or food processor.) 
Melt the butter. 
Remove the pan from the heat and add the coconut oil. If the coconut oil is solid, stir it into the butter until it’s melted. 
Stir in the maple syrup and vanilla. 
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. (I like to stir these together with a fork to break up any lumps. It’s sort of pseudo-sifting.) 
Add the liquid ingredients including your mashed bananas to the flour mixture in your mixing bowl and stir. 
Fold in the chocolate chips 
Pour the batter into a buttered loaf pan (or into 12 muffins cups or 4 mini-loaves.) 
Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 70 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out with only melted chocolate on it. Let the bread cool completely before you cut it. (Really, let it cool! This is a really moist, dense bread. If you cut it while it’s hot, you’ll end up with a pile of mush, yummy tasting mush, but not pretty mush. If you want to eat it right away, make muffins! They cook faster, too: 23-25 minutes at 350 degrees.)
Katie’s Playdate Backpack 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Projects: Day 6
Our little granddaughter, Katie, is getting so big! It’s definitely time for her to have her own Playdate Backpack. Her Uncle Charlie (Yes, Charlie’s been an uncle since he was one!) uses his every time we go out. It’s perfect for carrying all of his little essential toddler/preschooler things. 
Katie’s mama requested owl fabric for her backpack, and I happened to have this sweet pink Japanese owl fabric hiding in my stash. I think it mixes perfectly with the larger print owls from Jenn Ski’s Ten Little Things collection. I can’t wait to see what Katie and her mama think of it! 
I love the funky orange straps and the green snap hidden under the flap!
