Just a couple more bag ideas

I made two larger holiday gift bags with fabric I purchased at huge discount. It was less than $3 a yard.

On the casings I played around with the fancy stitches on my Singer Simple machine. Those puppies use up a lot of thread. I don't like changing bobbins, so I doubt I will use these very often. I got it out of my system.

I think I will write the year in one of those light green polka dots.

Here's another idea. Make a fabric or paper label for the bag that will stay with the bag over the years. Write the recipient's name, date, and the gift on the tag. Wouldn't it be fun to have a whole list of names and years to look back on? What if your gift bags last for 50 or more Christmases? Ask children to write their own names and the date. It would be fun to see how their handwriting changes over the years.

After making these two bags I realized they look a lot like pillowcases. So why not purchase pillowcases on sale? I was stuck in Ohio in the snow before my meeting last week and ended up spending some time shopping at Kohl's. I found sets of sheets for around $22.00 (70% off). That's Queen Size, too: two pillowcases, bottom sheet, and top sheet. That is two ready-made bags plus lots of yardage to cut up for bags. The problem is that I've grown so fond of the sheets that I now want to put them on one of the guest beds next Christmas. Sigh.

The next post will be about Christmas knitting. I promise. I have finished quite a few projects.

Gift Bag Tutorial for your Knitting

My pile of fabric gift/project bags is growing. I'm making up a little stash of them while I have my sewing supplies out.



The first part of tutorial is my super-simple, one seam bag. Then I will give you variations to finish it off in different ways. I am no great seamstress and I'm aiming this for non-sewers. Just so you know. This is what I learned from one book and The School of You-Tube. (Thanks!) My version is a blending of these.



To make this bag, buy a fat quarter at a quilt shop or fabric store. I washed this batch but sometimes I don't do that. If you wash it you will have to trim up the sides. Make sure it is somewhat square.



This fabric piece measured about 10" x 12" folded. I used about 2 and 1/4 inches for the casing. A casing for the drawstring is optional.



Fold the fabric with right sides facing. Starting at the bottom edge at the folded corner, sew to the next corner. Stop treadle with needle in the fabric. Pivot 90 degrees and sew to top. You have stitched a large "L". You COULD at this point, trim the top of the bag with pinking shears and call it a day. (This part of the tutorial is original. No one else thought of stopping here. That's my big contribution to the sewing world. ;))Trim the inside corners as shown. Tie the top with a piece of yarn or ribbon like Santa does. This is a great project for a child.





But you don't want to do that, do you?You want a casing. A casing is a tube in which you can run a ribbon or yarn as a drawstring. The bag is still wrong side out. Fold over about 1/4" at top and press to inside. Fold over again 2 inches and press. You might want to put in a few pins but don't sew over the pins. You might break the needle.



Stitch along the fold to secure the bottom edge of the casing to the bag. Then mark a line 1.5" from top of bag and sew along this line.

With a seam ripper carefully cut the seam stitches between the two lines of stitching.

The first stitch is the hardest to cut. (It helps to lengthen the stitching on your machine when you sew this area but I usually forget.)

Turn the bag right side out. Looking pretty good, isn't it? Give it a little touch with the iron.

Thread a bodkin or pin a safety pin to your ribbon and thread it through the casing, coming out at the same place. Tie the ribbon ends together.

Now this next part is TOTALLY optional but if you want to square off
the bottom of the bag, turn inside out again and mark corners of bag as shown. About 1.5 to 2" is good for this size bag. Trim corner with pinking shears.

See what I mean? Pretty cute isn't it? And how do you like that gender friendly fabric?

Squaring off the bottom of the bag changes the size of the bag considerably. Here are two of the same size bag side by side for comparison. The square bottom version is on the right.

Now you have an excuse to buy all the cute fabric those quilters drool over. When you consider the hours we put into our handknits, another 10 minutes to make a bag that can be used many times is a small investment.

Our New Gilmour Lawn Mower

Years ago we tried one of the old reel mowers after I picked one up at an auction for a few bucks. Even after sharpening the blade it took a lot of power to push through the grass. I tried it and really couldn't manage more than a wimpy swath. Mowing entailed taking a running start with the mower and maybe advancing a few feet before having to pull it back and start again. After completing the lawn my husband came in the house with grass in his hair, on his glasses, and even in his teeth. Needless to say, we abandoned that idea. Our intentions were noble.

Now that manufacturers have come up with lighter and more efficient models it was time to consider this option again--no engine, no oil, just pushpower. I was able to order this Gilmour Reel Mower using Longaberger myDream Points. These are points we Longaberger Home Consultants earn with sales, sponsoring, etc. We can spend them on our choice of products. I didn't even have to pay shipping! Nice! I believe this product retails for under $300.

The assembly was so simple that I am sure I could have done it myself. As I was expecting it to be more difficult I had already asked my husband to help. It only took about 10 minutes and several of those minutes were used going to the basement to get a Phillips screwdriver.

The sun was setting but I was determined to get the front lawn mowed since we had not done it yet this spring. We've had so much rain it is hard to find a time when the lawn is dry. The mower works great! It fulfilled all my expectations. It is a good workout for me but not so difficult to be discouraging or to leave grass in my teeth and hair. My forearms were a little sore the next day so I figure that is good for me.

Conventional lawn mowers produce a lot of air pollutants because there is no regulation on mowers. If you have a reasonable size lawn, this is a fine way to maintain it. The reel mower doesn't cut down everything. If there are some dandelions, it is likely to leave the flower stalks sticking up. This sort of thing doesn't bother us because we don't expect our lawn to look like a golf green. If you have young children around the reel mower is a safer alternative because it is unlikely to throw an object. In fact, one disadvantage is that sticks tend to lodge in the blades so you have to stop periodically to dislodge them--or else make sure the lawn is devoid of sticks to begin with. We live on the edge of a woods so we do have to rake the sticks or stop to dislodge the sticks that catch.

As for maintenance, you just have to clean the mower after use. That doesn't take but a minute or two to wipe the grass clippings off with a brush. The Gilmour comes with a grass catcher that hooks on behind but we tend to let the clippings fall back into the lawn.

Since that first maiden mowing, we've mowed the back yard, which we like to keep on the wild side, and I've done the front again. The Gilmour Reel Mower is a great little machine!