A diaper bag that doesn't look like a diaper bag

My sister-in-law's birthday was earlier this month, and I wanted to make her a diaper bag.  I've had Amy Butler's Nappy Bag pattern for years - ever since Thing 2 was a baby - but I've never made it.  Silly me!  Anyway, I decided months ago to make this for my SIL, and I even bought the fabric months ago!  (The lining fabric was the last to be purchased, and I bought that in January.  So it really has been months!)  But you know how things go....you lose your steam, and then it doesn't seem urgent, blah blah blah.  And in my case, it was partly that I'd already given her a ton of baby stuff, and I wasn't so sure that she would appreciate this, so I just ended up putting it on the back burner.  But since I'd already purchased the fabric, I figured I'd have to get to it eventually, and eventually turned out to be just in time for her birthday.

One of the things that I really like about this pattern is that the bag doesn't necessarily look like a diaper bag, as long as you don't choose fabrics that scream "diaper bag."  With that in mind, I chose a rich black Kona cotton for the outer fabric, figuring that though it will attract lint and such, it is fully machine washable, and she could feel good using this anywhere.  (Because I used a black cotton, I made sure to get black canvas for the interlining.)  It is BIG!  I don't remember the final dimensions, but the upper part of the main front piece is 21 inches or so wide.  So lots of room to put stuff....

This cell phone pocket is a really neat idea, though I reworked it.  As explained in the instructions, the pocket is smaller and goes higher up, on the strap part.  It should also be closed with velcro, but I don't like velcro for things that get washed frequently.  I had read reviews that cautioned that the cell phone pocket would not fit some smartphones, so I texted my brother to get my SIL's cell phone info, then used the phone specs to redraft the pocket.

Because I wanted to use snaps instead, I interfaced the entire pocket, as well as interfacing both sides of the flap.  And because of the size, I had to move it down onto the main piece in order for it to fit.  But this should be much more functional for her now.

The lining fabric is geared toward my SIL's taste.  She loves horses, and when I first saw this fabric, I thought it'd be perfect.  However, at $10/yard (though I did end up buying it on 50% off), I texted a photo to my brother to make sure it was good.  He thought she'd love it, so I stalked the JAF sales flyer until I was able to use a 50% off coupon.

The "circles" are to show the topstitching along the top of the pocket, along with the stitching lines that divide the pockets into thirds.  I'm very happy with how well I matched up the print on both pockets!  And I just used black cotton for the other side of the pockets.  No sense wasting $10/yd fabric, right?  And between the three pockets on each side and the large space in the center, this bag should hold a lot!

One addition I made was to put in a D-ring on one side, about the level of the top of the pockets.  This is to be used with the (not pictured) key leash I made, using more of the lining fabric and two dark swivel hooks.  With a bag this size, it's just not going to be easy to find your keys unless they're attached somewhere!  (And my SIL has already told me that she loves this feature!)

All in all, I really like how the bag turned out.  It was simple to make, and I love that you can make a completely launderable diaper bag that is customized to the recipient's taste and doesn't have to scream "diaper bag!"  That said, I will not be making this again unless I know the recipient well enough to really know their taste.  I bought everything for this bag on decent sales (at least 40% off), but I still have at least $40 in it, without even considering my time.  I think it's totally worth it - don't get me wrong!  But since it's nonreturnable, I wouldn't put that much into a baby gift if I wasn't sure that the new mother was going to like the fabric choices.  But if I needed a diaper bag again, I'd totally make it in a heartbeat.  (Though I would consider adding a couple of snaps or magnetic closures so that I didn't dump everything out when I set it down....)

Oversized denim bag

So I was thinking about what to do for an upcoming birthday gift, when I looked through a Linky Thursday post from Stacy Sews.  And there I saw it: the Hobo/Sling Bag tutorial from Morning by Morning Productions. And I thought, cool!  That looks like a fun yet practical gift!  I really wanted to find a long leather skirt to make one in leather (as she does in part 2), but no such luck was with me during the thrift store hunt.  Alas....maybe later.  I'll keep an eye out in the future.  But until then, the long denim skirts would have to do.  This one was made from a denim skirt that looked like those skirts that are made by splitting the inseams of jeans, then adding some fabric in the middle.  I don't think it was actually made that way, judging by the consistency of the thread color throughout the entire skirt - I just think it was made to look like those, which is why there's the diagonal seam in the lower right.

I cut off the waistband to help the skirt lie flatter, also removing the zipper fly - I have a friend who reuses old but working jeans zippers and wants to use the belt loops in a project, so I'm saving those for her.  I removed the back pockets and the coin pocket, then folded the skirt so that I could cut each piece on a fold.  Before sewing the pieces together, I stitched the pockets back onto the bag but in more useful places.  I couldn't find rivets I liked, so I ended up with decorative flower eyelets.  (They'll also show up on the next one - the smallest packet I could find had 50 pairs.)

The "lining" was made from a striped sheet I found months ago at the thrift store.  I was thinking originally of boy PJ pants from this - but there's plenty left, I think.  There's no mention made of interfacing, but I decided that since I don't know what will go in the pockets, it would be best to use some lightweight interfacing over the back of the lining piece.  It doesn't cover the entire piece - just a few inches around the pocket.  I managed to line up the stripes on the pocket really well on this side - not so much on the other. ;) I really like how it turned out, though!

A little gift sewing....

Thing 1 had a birthday party to attend a few weeks ago, and his friend loves lizards!  We looked in vain for some sort of a stuffed lizard for him, and then Thing 1 thought that a pillowcase would be fine.  Then we searched in vain in the fabric stores for a suitable fabric - I know I've seen cute lizard fabric in the not too distant past! - and came home to find the perfect flannel print and coordinating solid in my stash.  Go figure!  I made this up the night before the party, and both the boy and his mom loved it!

And one of my friends was having a birthday, and she's expressed interest in the past for using cloth grocery bags.  I know that she hasn't gotten around to making herself any, so I thought that would be a perfect gift for her birthday!  (As well as using up some of my stash....)  The outer fabric is a wine labels print that I picked up on clearance at JAF years ago.  The lining is the same fabric, but on a tan background.  I think it's pretty hilarious for grocery sacks.  Hopefully she likes them!

And I realize this one isn't sewing, but it's pretty darn cute!  Thing 1 loves penguins, so I found a penguin cake mold at Amazon.  This is the prototype for his birthday party cake.  It didn't take too long to decorate, partly thanks to the large white belly.  And it's a smaller cake - doesn't use the whole box mix.  I think I'll have two for the party.  Anyway, Thing 1 loved it!

New pants!

Still catching up on blogging about Easter sewing....

Thing 1 is outgrowing his pants - go figure!  And he keeps getting holes in the knees of the ones that do fit.  So first I finally forced myself to repair 3 pairs at once, and then I searched through stores for new ones to fit.  But that was a losing battle, as he likes elastic waist, which have suddenly seemed to disappear from stores.  I don't get it.  Anyway, I thought that we were set on black pants for the Easter services and school concert, until I realized that his black pants are old enough to now be dark grey, especially from a distance.  Oops!  Time for a quick trip to JAF for black wrinklease twill!

These are KS 3042, size M with 2 inches added in length.  Since I was sewing pants with black thread, I also sewed similar pairs in a Transformers print (WM) and a dinosaur camo print on black (JAF, not pictured) for Thing 1 and a solid black pair (not pictured) in size XS for Thing 2 (his formerly black pants were also looking a bit grey).  I had to resize my templates for pocket openings, bags, and facings, but I think they turned out well.  And you can't tell from the picture (and it wasn't very visible on my other pictures, so I didn't bother using them), but I tried to make them look a little more RTW by pressing back the outer seam allowance and stitching it down about a 1/4 inch from the seam.  I also stitched a faux fly, as some of my son's RTW pants have this.  And I edge-stitched the top of the waistband before inserting the elastic.  I thought that might help keep that fabric from getting holes in it so readily.  We'll see....At any rate, three new pairs of pants that fit and are even a little long have now been added to the drawer!

Easter shirts! (yes, finally!)

Yes, I've been horribly remiss in posting pictures of completed Easter outfits to date.  Ridiculous, I know!  Anyway, here goes (and these are both B3475):

First up, Thing 1's white penguin shirt.  This is a size 8, and I added a lined yoke.  The outer fabric is a white twill from JAF.  The facings and inner yoke are a penguin print cotton, also from JAF.  To prevent the print from being visible from the outside, I underlined the facings and inner yoke with a white muslin.  It didn't add much bulk but did mask the print.  I used snaps for the closure, per my son's request.  And in the end, he didn't even wear this for Easter, as the kids' choir he was in decided that white was not a good color for the kids to be wearing onstage. :(  However, he did wear it for his school concert a month later, so it was all good.  He became very self-conscious about the penguin print facings, so I ended up adding another snap near the neck, so that only white was visible.  Next time, I would leave the facings plain and only go with something fun on the inner yoke.

 Thing 2 loves Star Wars, so I found him this Clone Wars print at JAF.  (No, our church is not necessarily traditional on dress code.)  This is a size 6, and again I added a lined yoke and used snaps for the closures. He loves it!  And I came this close (><) to matching the print across the front, but somehow it still ended up being about a quarter inch off - gah!  Oh, well.....it's still really cute.

All in all, a hit!

And more silhouettes!

I made another set of silhouettes for a birthday present, this time for my grandma.  I used the same original photos as I had for the last post, but these were the ones that were printed out at 5x7 size.  As you can see, they fit very nicely into 4x6 mat openings.  This time, I left more torso just to see how I would like it.  And I think I like it!  Not for all of them, but I think it turned out really well here.  The background didn't show up as well, but it's a mottled blue/black, and I really liked it with the black silhouettes of boys.  I really hope my grandma likes it, too!  (I didn't make silhouettes of all her great-grandchildren, because I don't have access to profile shots of the other kids.  If she really likes these, maybe I'll try to get everyone to send me photos for a Christmas silhouette set....Or not.)

Silhouettes

I liked the silhouettes I made in December so well that I immediately decided to make some for my mother-in-law for her birthday.  I thought that they would seemed to fit her decor aesthetic.  So when my nephews were over for a day in January, I planned ahead and put each boy against the wall while I took their picture from the same spot on the floor, so that their pictured heads would have the same relative sizes as they do in real life.  (There's gotta be an easier way to say that!)

Fast-forward to April, two days before my MIL's birthday party, in fact, and I got around to printing out the pictures and getting to work.  I had actually pre-purchased my supplies - well, most of them.  I had bought one of the frames (the mats came with the frames, and each opening is 5x7) at Wal-Mart several weeks earlier, but wanted to check to be sure it looked good before buying a second one.  I had the scrapbook papers and the acid-free stickers.  So first I printed out the biggest boy's picture in 8x10 size and checked the size against the mat opening.  Hmm.....seemed too big - it barely fits.  So I printed out all the pictures in 5x7 size and cut out the heads.

*I should point out here that I printed the pictures on cardstock, so that it was easier to trace around later.  And I didn't crop the pictures at all, because I couldn't figure out how to crop them exactly the same and keep the relative sizing as mentioned earlier.

I really should have just printed out the smallest boy's picture in 5x7 and checked it against the mat opening, but I didn't.  (In the end, I printed all 4 pictures in both 8x10 and 5x7 size, and I ended up using the 8x10 pictures for this particular project.  However, all is not lost, as I'm going to use the smaller ones for a set of smaller silhouettes for my grandma and my sister-in-law, so I'm pretending that I planned it that way.)

After each head was cut out from the picture, I decided which way I wanted them to face and then traced the head onto the back of the black scrapbooking cardstock with a pencil.  I have to say that it showed up really well!  I cut out the traced outline, attached the background paper to the back of the mat using acid-free photo stickers, and then used the same stickers to attach the silhouettes to the background.  You can't see it from the picture here, but I also used a scrapbooking pen to write each boy's initials just under the back of the neck.  Just in case their doting grandma forgets what they look like or something. :)

I think they turned out really well, and I'm thinking that I'll be making more in the future.  I really like how they look on black with a patterned background.  And I also like the idea of putting initials and the year next to the silhouettes.  I can keep doing this for years!