A Few Little "Purses"

I love making little drawstring bags and I have made lots of them since the twins were born.  I have streamlined the process so I can whip out half a dozen of these in about an hour.  They are perfect for organizing and storing toys (think keeping puzzle pieces and blocks together) and it makes it super easy to grab a couple bags of toys on the way out the door.

[Left to right: Dora fabric from Wal-Mart, Blue trees from Jo-Ann, Blue animals from Purl]

It takes very little fabric to make these bags.  I used only left over pieces of fabric from other projects.
I also made two larger drawstring bags for the twins and actually machine embroidered their names on the front...the possible uses for these bags are endless.  I need to make a few really large ones to use as dirty laundry bags for vacation!

My little guy loves these bags the most.  He really cannot go anywhere without one of these little drawstring bags full of Cars or Thomas trains hanging from his wrist.  Recently, we were sitting in the quiet room at church and my little girly took the bag from her brother.  Of course, little mister started crying.  One of their playmates observed all of this and ran over to her mama and said, "Mom, that little boy is crying 'cause she took his purse!"  Too cute.

Anyone interested in a brief tutorial about how I make these bags? 

Inspired

Jennifer's post today inspired me so much, I immediately stopped looking at my blog roll and got straight to making.  I am a wreath person but somehow I had managed to allow the Easter (gasp!) wreath to still be hanging on our front door. 

I wanted something red, white and blue without screaming RED, WHITE and BLUE.

From inspired to hanging on my front door all in the time it took the twins to take their nap AND with time left to enjoy some yogurt on the front porch before they woke up.

Perfect.

A little something for myself.

Finally.

A non-baby, non-kid, good ol' fashioned simple & quick sewing project just for me.

I used some lightweight yellow gingham from my stash and this super simple summer scarf tutorial.

I love it.

So, what have you done for yourself lately?

In the mix.

Ok...so a new quilt is looong overdue. I just hadn't found fabric I REALLY wanted to work and devote that much time with until this past weekend. I popped into a local quilt shop to buy thread and I just decided to take a look around while I was there (I know, right???). I saw this amazing black and white moda jelly roll and I just KNEW this had to be my next quilt.

I've been putting a few blocks together here and there. I don't wanna get burnt out on this one. I just want to enjoy the process of making and seeing it all come together. But as I see it coming together it makes me just want to make more.

I'm loving it.

I'm planning THEMES for Wordless Wednesday each month this year.  January focused mainly on food.  February's theme is SCENES FROM NYC.  :)  Feel free to join in if you would like!

A tour of my creative space.

1

We moved into our new house in November 2009. Since moving in we have had our hands full caring for our twins, my finishing residency, working, studying for and passing my OB/GYN board exams, working, getting the main living spaces in order and more working. When we first looked at the house I immediately fell in love with the attic and knew it would make a beautiful sewing and crafting space. However, out of necessity, this project was low on the to-do list. Its been a little over a year since we moved in and we FINALLY started on the attic. So, over the course of a couple weekends, Husband and I diligently worked transforming our attic space into a home office on one side and a creative space on the other.

Our 1920’s home is full of character and the attic is no exception with it’s beautiful hardwood floors, charming small windows, and lots of nooks & crannies. I drew inspiration from many sources. My grandmother taught me to sew so I knew I wanted some of the furniture I inherited from her and her sewing basket to be in this space. I also knew I had to have a wall of hooped fabric which was, of course, inspired by a visit to Purl Soho. I wanted my creative space to not only be a place where I could retreat and simply be while making, but also to be a space for gathering. I envisioned a space for my mom & sister to join in the making (crafty sleepovers are the best), a space for husband to curl up and watch a movie while keeping me company, and a space that could grow to involve my little crafters, as well. So, I chose to divide the space into smaller clusters…the sitting area, the sewing/cutting area, and the storage area.

The Sitting Area

A micro-suede covered futon, a bench that belonged to my grandmother who taught me to sew and a thrifted black painted chair surround a thick wool rug. Of course, there is a TV for movie watching with Husband while sewing. The soft wool rug creates a comfortable floor space for those projects that require more room. A dressform rounds out this area providing a nice decorative touch when not in use.

The Sewing/Cutting Area

This table moved with me from our old house. Do any of you recognize it? It is simply a folding table with a skirt that I made with some home décor weight fabric found for a really good deal from JoAnn’s. It is perfect because it is a great height for sewing and cutting and has plenty of space for both. I sew with a Bernina Aurora 440 Quilters Edition and I often use my embroidery module. My favorite thread, presser feet and laptop are kept close by the machine. It’s great to have a computer close by to follow along with tutorials (no wasting paper printing tutorials!) and it is a must for machine embroidery.

The cutting mat is always out and ready…and I couldn’t live without my Gingher scissors and rotary cutter! Everything I need is always right at my fingertips on this table. Spice jars from Ikea perfectly store alligator clips and jewels for making hair bows for my little girlie and chipped pieces of wedding china and crystal make perfect containers for a tomato pincushion and scissors, respectively. I chose Ott-Lites for this space because I love the natural light they provide. The ironing board is close by the sewing table because I use it A LOT while sewing! I use a Rowenta and love it.

The Storage Area

There are actually two storage areas in this space. The first storage area is right behind my sewing/cutting table and I keep all of my frequently used supplies here. I love these CUBEicals by Closetmaid. This one is perfect for housing all of my crafty books and makes a cute display shelf for vintage knitting needles (and new ones too!) and vintage wooden spools of thread (my weakness). The yarn baller is strategically placed…I can loop a hank of yarn over the back of my sewing chair and easily wind up a ball of yarn. Who needs a swift, right? The canvas bins store projects in progress, machine embroidery supplies (hoop, grid, spray adhesive, stabilizer, etc.) and Cricut cartridges. All notions are kept handy but neatly labeled and tucked away in two Rubbermaid containers.

See that door below the rod holding ribbons? That door leads to one of the attic cubbies which serves as the second storage area. In there I store my fabric and other odds & ends supplies. I also have my Singer Futura in there at the time being. Anyone interested in a sewing/embroidery machine???

So that rounds out the tour...

Now tell me...where do you create?

Thursday happiness is...

Sewing with my new Christmas present from my husband.  He is the best ever...he managed to research Bernina machines and pick one that is perfectly suited for me.  Husband even got the embroidery unit to go with it!  Now part of this deal included trading in my first love (Bernina activa 230).  Turning her in was extremely hard to do...but this new kid on the block made it a little less painful.

Here is a sneak peek of what I have been working on...it is something for my other amazing Christmas gift from my mother.  I really must have been on the NICE list this year because Santa sure was good to me!

We celebrated Three Kings Day with the kids today.  These crowns were from a Dora printable found here.  The twins have just recently discovered Dora and they are in love.  We are raising our children to be bilingual (my father-in-law and our nanny are both Peruvian) and Dora is a natural fit for them.  They watch Dora after lunch as a way to wind down before their nap.  We were even able to watch a new Three Kings Day episode of Dora...fabulous.

But the happiest part of my Thursday was not able to be captured in a photo.  It was a day filled with nothing but family...lots of running, playing and giggling...it was just right.