Odd Mom » Crafts

Cow Shopping Bag

Odd Mom — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:38:55 +0000

I took a break for awhile in my quest to teach myself to sew. Today, though, I made a shopping/picnic/tote bag out of some fabric I’d bought back when I started this adventure. I’m pretty happy with the results:

Cow print picnic or shopping tote

I did learn a few things, though. I learned that when buying a novelty print fabric like this, I should buy extra so I can decide what shows – there’s an adorable barn under the pockets, and I don’t like how the cows’ heads are cut off.

I also learned to take my time and think things through. When I sewed the lining and the bag together, I sewed the handles so that they were between the two! Oops! I got a lot of practice with my seam ripper, though.

Next up, I think, is to make some small drawstring bags. I love learning new things – keeps me young.

Oh! And the pattern for this (and the other tote bag I made) was McCall’s M5898.

Linked to:

We-Did-It Wednesday

Works for Me Wednesday

From Manners to Homeschooling to Passwords and Painting Shoes: Cool Links This Week

Odd Mom — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 22:33:56 +0000

On Five J’s, Joy posted a great link to a free site about practicing for the SAT, including a free “Question of the Day”.

The Hillbilly Housewife wrote an awesome post about manners. I love the quote she used, “It’s not a list of dos and don’ts designed to trip us up. It’s a GPS that talks us through unfamiliar new territory.”

Well, this isn’t from a blog — my son found a free online version of Lemmings! It’s one of my all-time favorite video games, and it really sharpens those critical thinking skills.

I am so going to run with this idea and paint myself some shoes!

And I have a question: do you have a great link for learning how to grill on a gas grill? I have never ever grilled, and since it gets unbearably hot in my house if I used the stove in the summer, I decided that I’m buying a grill in a few weeks. Any advice, links, etc.?

Learning to Sew

Odd Mom — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:31:09 +0000

I took Home Ec in junior high. It was a one semester class; the first quarter we were taught sewing, and the second, cooking. I passed the class, but only because of the cooking section. I never even cut out a pattern or threaded a sewing machine during the first quarter — I’m not sure how I spent my time, but I assume I was socializing.

My mom is a fantastic seamstress, and over the years, she’d make my kids a Halloween costume or a dress for me, but I’ve toyed with the idea of learning to sew. Several years ago, I decided I wanted a bunch of beautiful aprons, and Doodle made me a couple as she learned to sew, but I wanted to be able to exercise my creativity with needle and thread and machine.

A couple weeks ago, to celebrate a milestone in my life, I bought myself an inexpensive sewing machine. My first project was to re-purpose a pair of overalls into a skirt, like something I’d purchased at a thrift store years ago. That taught me the basics of my machine, and then it was time to learn how to use a pattern. I started with a tote bag, and finally got a chance to sew it today.

There are a ton of flaws, but instead of focusing on them, I’m focusing on the fact that I actually made something with a pattern! And that I learned so much. I can’t wait to sew my next project (another tote bag – I haven’t decided whether to use the same pattern again or a different one).