Monday Morning Inspiration/Christmas Gifts

For those of you here in the U.S., and those of you who are not, but still celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you had a wonderful holiday. We had a lovely day with friends, did our traditional Thanksgiving day hike. It was just the boost that my dog Gracie needed. She misses Little Bit so much, but I think that she is finally beginning to move on. 

I usually do a bit of the cooking for Thanksgiving. I did Roasted Cauliflower, recipe HERE(skip the wrap and just serve the cauliflower, it's delicious!), and I also roasted Brussel Sprouts. I always soak my brussel sprouts in salt water for a few hours before cooking, removes the bitter aspect. I then added the same ingredients as the I did for the cauliflower. A great touch for brussel sprouts is to add toasted walnuts and crumbled blue cheese. Give it a try, I think you might like it :) 

The day after Thanksgiving marks the official start of the Christmas season here in America. So many of us enjoy giving handmade gifts, I know I do :) So here are a few ideas that are quick to make.

If you look at the top bar of the blog, you'll see a tab for free patterns that make great gifts.

The Free Beret Pattern

You can find the instructions HERE, and the pattern HERE.

Free Slipper Pattern For The Family

You can find the patterns HERE, and HERE. The instructions can be found HERE.

Free Poinsettia Napkin Ring Pattern

Not only does this make a great accent for your holiday table, it's a fun and easy project to do with your children, or grandchildren. You can find the pattern HERE, and additional pictures HERE.

Make a pile of headbands with THIS tutorial.

From my Fabulous Free Pattern Friday series;

Kimono Bag

This bag is nothing more than 2 rectangles. You can find the instructions HERE.

Necktie Cummerbund 

Just combine 2 coordinating neckties and you have a fabulous belt! You can find the instructions HERE.

Fleece Ski/Winter Hat

This is my favorite winter hat. It's nothing more than a rectangle, so it goes together in minutes. You can find the instructions HERE.

Tote Bag

This bag is super easy to make, just purchase a panel at your local fabric store. It's large enough to carry everything! All the instructions can be found HERE. 

Pompom Collar

Super cute and will dress up jackets as well as sweaters. Find the instructions HERE.

High End Clutch Bag

The lovely Cennetta of The Mahogany Stylist did a guest tutorial for us on making THESE fabulous clutch bags. Just be careful if you do decide to give one as a gift, it might end up being a gift for yourself!!!

Clam Shell Wristlet 

You can find my pattern for the Clam Shell Wristlet along with the instructions HERE. Great for any holiday party. Great gift for upcoming proms and weddings too.

That should be a nice start to get your creative juices going :)

I'll be back tomorrow with a few more ideas.

Just remember....

 Happy Holiday Making!
Rhonda

We're Finishing Up The Stella Weekender Bag!

The final post for the Stella Weekender Bag is up on the Sew News blog and you can find it HERE.

What a fun journey it has been! My first bag was made from barkcloth. Love how it turned out. It will be going on to it's new home with my niece tomorrow.

The bag I did for the sew along. The fabric is so bright and fun. I always like to try something a little different. The pattern calls for the zipper to be a dress weight zipper. Look closely and you'll see that I used a heavy weight plastic zipper in my front pocket. Worked out great. And thanks to Bunny of La Sewista, I added the extra stitching reinforcement to my handles. Barely noticeable, but a nice touch regardless.   

This week's post is all about finishing up the bag. We insert the center zipper. I also used a heavy weight zipper here.

We sew up the lining, and I show you how to sew the lining into the bag so that it doesn't sag. I also customized my interior pockets. 

I've enjoyed sharing Bunny's progress on the weekender that she is making as a diaper bag. Here's her finished bag.

The stitching detail on her handles is a little more prominent. What a wonderful gift this will be!

A few notes from Bunny;

1. If you look closely at the front of her bag, you'll see that she piped around the cargo pocket. She does not recommend doing this.

2. Keep in mind that it is a softer bag, so not overly structured. The purpose of the bag is to be able to stuff a lot into it, so the softness of the bag works well.

3. And finally, she said that she will be making the bag again. I think that's a great endorsement!

Once again, if you take a close look at the front of her bag, you'll see a wonderful tag that says, Handcrafted In America. This was purchased from the Emmaline Bags website. They have lots of hardware and it's a great resource. You can find all the hardware and the tags HERE.

I also shared that there is a great group on Facebook called Swoon Patterns Group. Here's a LINK. You will have to ask to join the group, but they are a friendly bunch, so I know you'll be welcomed with open arms :)

Bunny has not posted her final weekender bag, but she did make the most wonderful bags for her grandson's using an Emmaline pattern. You can check out her post HERE. Just a reminder...Christmas is coming!!!!!

Be sure to pop over to the Swoon Patterns website and check out all of the wonderful bag patterns. Once you make one, there will be another!

Hope you've enjoyed the sew along!
Just a reminder, if you are just beginning, or think that you would like to do the bag at a later date, the posts remain on the Sew News blog, so you can go back at anytime.

I'm off for my yearly mammogram. Wish me luck!

The Cosmo Convertible Bag Free Pattern Give Away!!!

Happy Monday Everyone!!! 
My day started off with some technical difficulties. Computers!!!!!, what a love/hate relationship :) But thanks to my niece, the problem is now resolved. Needless to say, I am behind, time wise. But....I have a lovely surprise for you that I was going to announce tomorrow, but I'll just switch today's post to tomorrow and make the announcement today. Hope that makes sense ;)
Last week I announced the upcoming Sew News Studio Kat Cosmo Convertible Bag sew along that will begin next week, December 1st. Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 24, 2015, I will announce the winner of the fabric and suede that I used for my bag. If you haven't put your name in for the drawing, be sure to do so by midnight tonight, November 23. The winner will also receive a copy of the Dec./Jan. issue of Sew News magazine. 

Now for even more good news! Kat of Studio Kat Designs has graciously agreed to give away a free Cosmo Convertible Bag pattern!
So, as usual, 
1. Leave a message on this post letting me know that you would like to be in the drawing. 
2.You must be a follower of this blog. Let me know how you follow. Sew News likes to see how you are following the blog.

I will announce the winner next Monday, December 1, 2015. 

Now for a few ideas;
The bags pictured below are from the Studio Kat website. I especially like the bag on the bottom right.

The bag pictured below features a pieced pocket. This pattern is not included in the pattern, but you can download it for free HERE.

And a little sneak peek at the fabrics I'll be using for the sew along. I'll use the leaves and swirls for the bag and then accent it with the leather. The bag will be lined with the fabric in the lower right hand corner.

I think this is going to be an especially fun sew along. I am loving my new bag. It's great for just about everything. I even used it to carry my knitting.
Wishing you a fabulous week!
Rhonda