I was so inspired by Margaret’s awesome bags that I decided to make one of my own. I made this beauty in less than an hour. Drawstring bags are a great way to personalize any gift. I once made a set of small ones as birthday party goody bags. My daughter’s friends liked the bags much more than any of the trinkets inside. I think stenciled initials would be lovely for a special birthday party.
Finished these heart-stenciled drawstring bags just in time for Valentine’s Day. Whew. Tomorrow I’ll toss in some trinkets and goodies for my little sweethearts. (Later, I figure they can stash their school valentines in them.)
All the materials came from stuff around my house: stray pieces of fabric, ribbon, and some muslin. I cut a heart stencil with freezer paper and vinyl alphabet stickers to block out the letters. (For a visual, click here. For information about using freezer paper stencils on fabric, here is the complete how-to).
I improvised the drawstring bag (although I did measure to keep things relatively straight). Thank you to Kate K. for loaning me a tapestry needle–a perfect implement for threading a ribbon through a drawstring bag.
Here’s a side view–with the candy that inspired me. (By the way, Sweethearts are Made in the U.S.A, specifically by the New England Confectionary in nearby Revere, Mass. So this V Day, buy American.) Happy Heart Day, everyone!
I am so excited to have discovered the lovely online magazine petite purls (thanks to the oliver + s blog). It is a treasure trove of free knitting patterns for kids with a few sewing patterns. Meg, I thought these mittens would be a great use for your upcycled sweaters. I made some felt mittens for Betty using a similar pattern that I painstakingly resized for her little hands from a pattern for adult fleece mittens. This pattern looks much easier! I might add a soft cotton lining if I made these in wool–just tuck the lining inside the mittens and bind the tops together. I love the ’70s style racing stripes.
Remember when I wanted to make a Josef Albers inspired quilt? Well, I didn’t but Heather Jones at the Modern Quilt Guild did, and it’s just lovely. I ended up starting a quilt with eight-point stars–I’m still working on the top. Sigh. I really like how this quilter adapted the Albers square by leaving off the bottom. It feels a little lighter and works so nicely with the dimensions of the quilt.
For self-understanding, I like a cocktail of Chinese astrology (Year of Monkey for me) and Western astrology (Libra), sloshed together with a splash of colorscope from Paper Source. This is a newer version with slightly different hues than the one I hang on my office wall, but I still choose strawberry.
Brig–I’m going to say you’re a poppy (maybe because Poppy is your nickname?), but possibly a persimmon. There’s one flaw with the colorscope: no one should identify with things underfoot like gravel or cement. And, really, paper bag? Who’s going to go for that one? Someone who suffers low self-regard but is really into recycling?
homemadecity.com 