Saturday, January 25, 2014

“Grow Your Blog” with a Tutorial

2 Bags Full

Hey Y’all!!  Welcome to this special edition of my blog this week.  I’m here as a part of Vicki’s “Grow Your Blog” blog hop over there @ http://vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.com.  There are almost 600 blogs taken part in this special party. From what I understand there is a wide variety of blogs taking part in this 2nd annual meet & greet.  How COOL is that?!!!  That is a lot of people to visit.  It may take me a month to visit them all, but what fun it will be.

In fact I was so excited that I decided to do something new just for this event. I’m going to do my very 1st tutorial!!!  Oh wow… now that I announced --- my nerves are a bit fluttery now.  Well here goes nothing-something-I don’t know yet.  LOL

I’m doing a “Gift-A-Month” challenge with a close friend as a way to stave off the “end of the year manic/panic swap sewing” and this month we decided on Wine/Gift bags. The goal was to get at least 3 bags done. We choose Christmas, Party & Spring as our themes.  Since I had to pack 99% of my quilty some up due to Holiday visitors, and ship it off to storage;  I pulled bits & pieces from here & yonder.  And here is what I found in about 5 minutes of looking. 

DSCN4057 Some Fat Quarters, some larger pieces of scrap fabric, a package of red, green & gold rickrack and an assortment of hand made and pre-made bindings from other projects.  I didn’t really hunt for long as I was more motivated in getting started then digging. I had looked at “bag” patterns per say and decided to “wing it” as the fabric was a big factor in how big the bag would be.  I do that sometimes… I think of it as a bit of mindless designing.  And while I was starting the Paisley bag,  I thought I could turn this into an improv tutorial.  So here we go.

With this bag I used two pieces of some fabric samples that I had in this pretty neutral paisley print.  I started by folding the two top edges down twice about 1/4”.  Then I ran 2 stitch lines across each of them separately.

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Before I stitched the two sides together,  I had cut two 6  1/2” pieces of lacey ribbon for the ties.  I eye-balled about 4” from the top of the newly sewn edge.  I pinned a piece of the edge of the sides, making sure that the ties are in between the right sides of the fabrics.  A hint: I pinned the loose ends to the center of one side to make sure they didn’t accidentally sewn into the seams.  Like so:

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Now match up the two side with the “right” side of the prints facing each other.  Pin the edges for both sides and the bottom and head for the sewing machine.  Now I like to start the seam and backstitched the folded-over edges and where the ties are then head on like normal.  I found that this little trick can give those points extra strength to hold up to a lot of handling.  I also run double seams on all my stitching seams again for the same reason.  This one I was able to run my two stitches as one long run.

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At this point, you just turn it the right way out and run an iron around the piece to make it pretty.  And this is what this ended up looking like.  This little bag made from fabric samples and measured finished 6  1/4” X 15  1/4”  with it’s 6  1/2” ties on each side. 

DSCN4056

It was prefect for sticking a bottle of wine  with room to take those slightly bigger bottles of Champaign. Along this one I made two more bags.  The Elf bag measured out @ 10  1/2” X  16  1/2”  and is holding a 1000 piece puzzle in it.  The Party Time bag is great for any party theme.  Birthday, New Year’s or even Weddings.  This one is a tad bigger as it measures 10” X  19”.   It was holding my son’s baseball glove, a softball, 3 DVD’s , and a large bag of Starburst candies. 

The Elf bag has a seam running down one side and the bottom, as I folded the fabric in half.  The Party Time bag I did a bit different, I gave this one a back seam.  I ran the seam like the others and shifted the seam so that it was in the middle of the back.  Before I sewn the bottom, I ironed opened the seam that was going on the back.  For their ties, I used the red, green and gold rickrack on the Elf bag and on the Balloon one I used a piece of purple binding that I made for another project.  I simply ran a stitch line down the open side before attaching it seams at the time of sewing.

The kicker is none of these took more than a Fat Quarter to make!!  You could make several sizes out of a yard of fabric. They are quick, easy, fun, and you can make them to customable to the person,

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The nicest thing about these is you can put several themes and sizes in a Ziploc bag and stash them in the glove box  of your vehicle for a fast gift wrapping on that last minute gift that you stop and buy on the way to that event with a card …viola…done.

Now - I’m so caught up in the making of these cute little bags that I am going to give away 2 random print bags to some lucky person who leave me a comment. You don’t have to be a follower but you must leave me a way to contact you if you win. If you don’t have a blog – please leave an e-mail address in your reply.  I will let Mr. Random # Generator select a number on the Saturday , Feb 15th.  This will give everyone a chance to come by  & visit for a couple of weeks.

Thank You for stopping by this special edition of my blog.  Please be sure to check out the rest of the blogs taking part in this special blog party.  Just click on the link “Grow Your Blog” and off you go…. finding new friends, learning new crafts and may be you might be a lucky winner somewhere along the way. I’m list in #18 in the 50-100 followers section.

Toodles,
Tricia

45 comments:

  1. Hi, Tricia! This is a fun and easy tutorial. I really like the idea of sewing the ties into the edge seams on the bags and then tying it around to enclose the gift. This is such a great way for using up larger scraps of fabric to make them in different sizes and have some on hand for easy gift wrapping. So much better than expensive store bought. Thanks for sharing the idea and the how-to. Now that you have your first tutorial done, I am looking forward to more. Thanks for the chance to win. Looking forward to all the new blogs to find in the GYB hop ... happy hopping ... :) Pat

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    1. Thank You Ms. Pat!!! I thought I would try something new and it was easier than I expected. I'm trying to think up what I want to do Next. Good luck in the drawing for the little gift bags.

      Tricia

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  2. These gift bags would be a great project to have on hand thanks for the tutorial .

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    1. Hello Shelia Thanks for stopping in during GYB and for your wonderful comment. Good luck in the Drawing for a couple of these gift bags.

      In Kind Regards,
      Tricia

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  3. been following for a while , good luck

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    1. Hello Ms. Barbara it's nice to see you again. Thank you for being a follower. I hope you have good luck in my drawing for the gift bags.

      In Kind Regards,
      Tricia

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  4. Hello! It's nice to meet you today with this Grow your blog party! Have a nice day! Now, I'm follower.

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    1. Thanks for becoming a Follower during GYB Accroquilt.Have a wonderful day yourself and good luck in the drawing.

      In Kind Regards,
      Tricia

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  5. So lovely to meet you too, and thanks for stopping by yesterday and leaving a lovely comment :)
    And thanks for a chance to win some of your handiwork! I used to cross-stitch avidly before the stroke, but never got the hang of 'proper' sewing like making quilts or useful things :D
    I'm now a follower, so I'll certainly be back when it's less frantic - still catching up from the GYB party... x

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    1. Merry Meet Claire. I so understand about coming back afterwards as there was so many of us. I have been lurking/following you by e-mail & find you inspiring. Thank you so much for stopping my little blog during GYB. Goos Luck in the drawing for the gift bags.

      Blessed Be,
      Tricia

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  6. Hello,

    Nice to meet you.:)
    I would like to participate in your giveaway.
    petitearmoire2@gmail.com

    Greetings.

    Bernadett

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    1. Nice to meet you too Bernadett. I just wanted to say Thank You for stopping by during the the GYB and wish you good luck in the drawing.

      In Kind Regards,
      Tricia

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  7. Thanks for the quick tutorial. I love the idea of having a few ready in the car for the last minute gift wrapping session!! Thank you for a fun giveaway too.

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    1. Morning Kay. I'm so glad that you enjoyed my little tutorial. It always seems like I'm rushing to get something together as I'm on my way to something. LOL. Here is to wishing you Good Luck in the drawing.

      In Kind Regards,
      Tricia

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  8. fabulous tutorial.....great ideas....keep up the great blogging

    hugs and stitches

    Debbieann

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    1. Thanks Ms. D. I can count you to say the kindest things. Good Luck in the drawing.

      In Kind Regards,
      Tricia

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  9. Well I've visited about 40 blogs on the Grow Your Blog tour and this is the first one which has had a tutorial in their introduction! What a neat idea. Thank you for that.

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    1. Thank You Wendy for your kind words. I was trying to think of something special to do for this wonderful hop that Vicki put together for us when the idea came to me. I just happen to be starting on these little bags when I remembered to grab the digital. Thank you for coming & visiting me during GYB. And good luck in the drawing.

      In Kind Regards,
      Tricia

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  10. How fun! I may borrow your idea for these bags...great for cookies too! :)
    I am a happy new follower via gfc!

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    1. Feel free to "borrow" my idea any time Sowing. Humm now there is an idea to make giving cookies even prettier. I know there are some neat cookie fabrics out there. Thank you for becoming a new follower and good luck in the drawing.

      In Kind Regards,
      Tricia

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  11. Hi Tricia, thanks for stopping by my corner of the world. Let me just first say that I love wine. Ha! :) And the little fabric gift bags are a great idea. I never learned to sew and don't have the patience for it now. I do crochet a lot as it is easy to throw in a purse and carry around. I used to cross-stitch a lot but now just do small projects if and when I stitch. Hope you have a great week. Tammy

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    1. Tammy I like your corner of the world. What wonderful exiperences to be had between the food, the cultures, photo op's and let's not for get the FABRICS to be had. Nice thing is these little bags don't require anything beyond some basic sewing knowledge. I hope you have a good day and good luck in the drawing.

      In Kind Regards,
      Tricia

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  12. Hi Tricia, Thank you for the sweet comment on my blog and becoming a follower. I am so glad to meet you and will definitely become a follower. I wish I had the talent to quilt but I don't so I will be following you. Happy blog hopping and I look forward to seeing your creations.

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  13. Hi Tricia, beautiful gift bags and great tutorial. Thanks so much Tricia for your visit and lovely comments, so nice to meet you. Carole

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  14. Just popping in and have to say I loved your tutorial for the gift bags :)

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    1. Thanks Yvonne for popping in & those wonderful words of kindness. Good luck in the drawing on the 15th.

      In Kind Regards,
      Tricia

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    1. Hiya Sarah!! You know .... you are so right! And they are so fun & easy to make that I'll be making more of these in the future. Thanks for stopping in and good luck in the drawing.

      Sincerely,
      Tricia

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  16. Great tutorial! Thanks for a fun giveaway!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Cherry and good luck in the drawing on the 15th.

      Sincerely,
      Tricia

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  17. Cute bag! Just found your blog via the Grow Your Blog Party. I am now a follower via Bloglovin'. I look forward to seeing your new creations!

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    1. Pickles I'm so glad that you found me during the GYB hop. I was quite pleased with how well those came together for me... and having the fore thought to grab the digital too while I was at it. LOL. I want to personally say Thank You for becoming a new follower and hope you might like it as it grows. Good Luck in the Drawing.

      Sincerely,
      Tricia

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  18. What a fabulous tutorial, I am going to pin it so I can try my hand at it later. I too share tutorials on my blog, but none of them are sewing, I admire sewers. It has been lovely meeting you.

    Hugs
    Caroline

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    1. Hello Caroline... Thank You for your kind words as you stopped by during GYB. It was kind of fun putting my first one together. Please feel free to share pictures of your little bags with me as I would love to see what you came up with. Good Luck in the drawing.

      Sincerely,
      Tricia

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  19. Greetings from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Congratulations on your first tutorial.

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    1. Ms. Judy you have a wonderful blog yourself so thank you for stopping by here during GYB with your kind comments. Good luck in the drawing.

      In Kind Regards,
      Tricia

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  20. What a great tutorial and the bags are adorable and so useful. Sure hope to be the winner. Thanks, Jackie

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    1. Thanks Jackie for your delightful comments about my bags & tut. Good Luck in the drawing. You might be the winner!! Thanks for stopping by during GYB.

      In Kind Regards,
      Tricia

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  21. http://www.pinterest.com/dawncheney7/overboard-created-creations/Hello , my name is Dawn your my one stop on the blog party, Hope that I soon will be friends with all of you cyber neighbors. I just say that 600 plus bloggers that sign up to the Party and I am only up to 372 whew a lot of good read and great giveaways. Thanks for this opportunity to join friends with you and be apart of your giveaway. Can't wait to see more of your great projects in the making. My site http://overboardcreations.blogspot.com/and contact info is ovr_brd@yahoo.com
    I don’t have a lot of blog time in. but I like all things creative. The coolest thing about the read on your tutorial was that you suggest storing them in zip locks baggies in a glove compartment. That was an awesome suggestion. I would of never thought of it. I definitely doing this!

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    1. Hiya Dawn! Thanks for stopping in during GYB. I too love to create and hope that you will stop by again in the future. I wanted to say good luck in the drawing for the little gift bags.

      In Kind Regards,
      Tricia

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  22. what a great tutorial - I am going to give it a try. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Hello macmillanmarie. I so glad that you dropped by. I hope your gifts bags come together nicely as mine did. I would love to see some pictures of yours when you get some done. Good Luck in the drawing.

      In Kind Regards ,
      Tricia

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  23. I love that you are able to take the time to give us out here in blog land help thru you blog, I will be back as I will follow, just a bit slow these days.

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  24. I enjoyed visiting your blog! Lots of great ideas! Thanks for the bag tutorial!

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  25. Hi Tricia, thank you for visiting me I really enjoyed reading your blog and learning a bit about you. I loved your bags great idea for a handsewn gift!
    Jackie

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