Crochet Hook Storage Bag Tutorial

I did this thinking it would be easy and quick. It was but I see now writing this out that I should have taken more pictures. More step-by-step would have been good. Though not many people will see this so I guess my deficiency at this first attempt will be okay.

I started this project with 2 fat quarters. With the right sides together sew using a 1/4" seam allowance leaving a 3" opening. Trim the corners and flip right side out. Press making sure the opening is nicely lined up. Top stitch around the outside edge. I had my needle set to the far right and ran the edge of the fabric along the inside edge of the presser foot.

Here it is flipped and top-stitched. Next you will need to fold up the bottom 1/3 to accommodate your hooks. Sew pockets about 1" apart all along the width of the fabric. I left the last two wider to accommodate scissors etc.

Next you will fold down the top part to cover the hooks. This will keep them from falling out. Fold it down and pin. Then top-stitch the whole side shut.

Finally you will need to add a ribbon or yarn to tie the whole case closed. At first I put tie right in the middle of the case. That didn't work. It has to be almost all the way to one end. I think it was about 3" from the end. Secure it down with some stitching. Roll it up and tie it with a bow!

Newest projects

It has taken me way to long to finish this little baby quilt. I had the top finished in November but I was out of town and then the funerals. I finally got the backing and the binding on and a label! The recipient loved it (well his mom did!) It is a wee quilt. I forgot to measure but it was probably 30x40.

I was inspired by a blog to make a needle book. I think it was SMS a couple of months ago. I love this dainty little creation. It was quick which is about all I have time for right now.

Marching On

While I haven't done much in the way of crafting in the past month we have been busy with school projects. This is IA's submission (1st grade). He picked the dot by Peter H. Reynolds. We love this book and it's sequel ish. He has written and illustrated many books. We also love the Judy Moody and Stink books by Megan MacDonald. We spent about a week working on art. Each making our own dots or "no dots". These are all his own work.

This is EJ's book fair submission (3rd grade). She chose heartbeat by Sharon Creech. We love this book and every other one we have read by her. We love her imagery and lyrical style. Bloomability is one that I really enjoyed but EJ hasn't read yet. She had a lot of fun leaving her footprints and painting this apple.

The other obsession is Box Tops for Education. I am the school coordinator and each month I am coming up with new ideas for rewards and challenges to keep the students excited. February was the Love Your School Challenge.

Here is my one sewing craft for the whole month! My sewing room is train wreck but it is on the mend, the machine is serviced and I just might get back on track.
I made this apron for a 1st grade party my son went to. Here is WH modeling it for me. Brown cordoroy with guitar fabric. The birthday boy is taking guitar lessons. This will be the gift for this year. Aprons. A mother at the party asked if I make them to sell. No. But I might. She said "Call me!"

So my question is how much do you charge for a custom child-size apron? I like the idea but there are so many things that stop me from doing business. Thoughts?

February--Where did it go?

I am not sure where the 28 days of February went. It was a blur. We had a snow day with 4 inches! That is a lot for Alabama especially in February.

We made bookmarks for class Valentines. The kids personalized them on the back side then I laminated them. We may do this again next year with some variation. These ones came from a Microsoft template.

We had a birthday. WH turned 4! Lemon cake with lemon pudding and whip cream. Yum. Anyway, his dimple and smile help him to get away with much too much.

January Goals

I have broken up the year into what I hope will be manageable goals. I have tons of things to do but find myself getting weary of deadlines. So, in the next week I need to finish up some projects to stay on target and not fall any farther behind.

I need to make 5 aprons and bind 1 baby quilt and one week.

Somehow the time will magically appear right? Between the full time job of SAHM and a class at college and various service projects I'm sure there is time. This sounds like I need some serious time management and no iPhone play time!

I've also added one more twin quilt for the year that has to be done by June. Sooner if possible. Picture this in blues and greens and one in yellows and oranges. Good times.

More Projects and Where I've been

The two quilts here are by my two oldest kids. Liz (8) designed and quilted the little owl quilt (8"x10") and the patchwork is by Ian (6). The bibs and such were for baby gifts. The pillow case was designed by Liz and constructed by me for a birthday gift. Here is the pattern I used for bib guidance. Basically you take an existing bib that you like and trace it. You could add terry cloth or vinyl to make them more absorbable. I used velcro because it's fast but you could do a button.

I finally finished this apron for my sister, 6 months late. She modeled it for me. Lemon and Lime. My husband is into bowties right now. They are really expensive to buy so we searched and found a pattern on-line. Trying to find fabric the looks good in tie form is also very hard. So we started taking apart ties he had and that we found for $5 or less. The result is, he is now a master tie maker! He has made nearly a dozen.
I gave him his own sewing box for Christmas because we don't do well sharing tools! We made a muslin draft first just to be sure we had the size right. Then he chopped up his one of his mission ties. We bought one tie with a slide and used it as a template for length. Interfacing on both sides has proved good when using a light weight interfacing. He made one without and it is too flimsy.

If you would like to know where I've been or rather why I haven't posted in an age you can see our family blog.

A Couple of Christmas Crafts

I just now have time to sit down and type (more in the next post). These are a couple of the things I did for Christmas this year. I asked my 3 y/o son what animal we should make for his 5 y/o cousin. He said a ladybug. This is what we came up with. I didn't put eyes on it because I was in a hurry and in baby mode it never occured to me to put googly eyes on. So my nephew called him the blind ladybug! The quillow was for the same nephew. He sees yellow best so I made a cheery side and a space side which is his obsession. Space that is. The pillow pocket was made from a scrap section from a quilt my son made. The story of fabric combination: the lizards are riding the hot air balloons up to outerspace. Love the imagination. The stockings I made a few years ago. I spent a long time searching for the right fabric. A good family friend made me the the burgundy one years ago before I went to college. I didn't have time to make a new one for the baby because of emergency travel. I made some pillow cases and a couple of other things but I forgot to take pictures of the aprons and pillowcases. I am now playing catch up.