Totes for Ta-tas

I was feeling kind of crappy this weekend. My old pain decided to flair up on me. I really wanted to finish sewing my a top for Project Run and Play, but the tracing and cutting was to much to take on. Instead I focused on a project that was already cut, and had been sitting in a pile waiting to be sewed.

MJ of  MJ's Lost Cause has set a goal of collecting 100 handmade tote bags by Mother's Day. She has asked for embellishments to be added as well, but in my current state I was only able to embellish one of my five bags. I plan to add a pretty pin to the other four before shipping them out. I also dug deep into my fabric stash to find the best stuff that I had been holding onto for something special.

Two of the Bags are reversible

 Reverse Side of Hearts Bag

Reverse Side of Pink Zebra Bag

It's very rare that my family agrees on anything, but we did make a unanimous decision that floral bag was our favorite.

If you happen to have some free time (the bags take less than an hour each to make) and some spare fabric you can make a couple yourself. For every five bags you make you can pick one free pattern from  Sew Like My Mom. You also get the chance to make someone who is feeling crappy (like me) feel a little bit happier. The bags are needed by Mother's Day (including shipping time to Texas) so you have a few weeks left. I could barely walk across the house this weekend, but managed to get five bags sewn. It really is an easy project.

If you are looking to do some other crafty good deeds check out my Pinterest board. I try to update it every time I see something new. If you know of any charitable crafting projects let me know in the comments section and I'll add them to the board.

The Queen of Hearts Ball

Last week my daughter attended a Queen of Hearts Ball. It’s a fun little event that a local party planner runs from time to time. It involves 30 or so little girls getting together to play dress up, dance, have some tea, and beat up a pirate, who I’m fairly certain has the world’s worst job. Little girls can be pretty rough when it comes to stealing pirate treasure.

The girls loved the ball, and it gave me a reason to try to sew again. I didn't want to take on a huge project right away so I decided to start small with an accessory. 

If you look down in the bottom corner of the picture you may recognize a project that was recently posted on MellySews. Obviously there was way too much fun to be had, and not enough time for posing, so I wasn't able to get a good shot of the bag in action, but if you scroll down a bit you will find a close up.

Melly’s flower clutch was exactly what I need to reignite my passion for sewing. The project was fun and relaxing at the same time and there was plenty of work to be done without the sewing machine, so I could keep busy while waiting for someone to help me set it up.

Did I mention that it involves playing with fire? I will admit that was my favorite step, but I took my time with every part of the process, and enjoyed making the bag as much as I enjoyed seeing the end result.

My version turned out looking more like a succulent plant than Melly’s delicate flower, but I still love the overall look of it. If I were to make it again the only thing I would change would be to add a little bit of interfacing for structure, especially around the zipper.

The best thing about this project is that it has me wanting to sew again. I think I will stick to smaller projects for a while and focus on enjoying the process. I don't want to push myself to take on big projects right away or I risk getting overwhelmed and giving it up all together.

Maybe I’ll get through some of the scraps and craft fabric in my stash before I buy anything new. Maybe I’ll even try some new techniques to see if any of them are as much fun as singeing fabric.

What is your favorite part of the process of sewing? What technique have you had the most fun with?