Christmas tree + snowflakes bag & some new make-up bags ( tutorial included )

 

December is such a magic time around here and I could not let it pass without a new bag to drag around town during holidays and since I was at it I did a few extra makeup bags as well.

They are so simple to do and such a nice gift as well. I handed out a lot of this to my friends and family so far and they all seams to love them and use it.

All you need is 2 rectangles of fabric and 2 of facings, 1 zipper and some scraps:

Sew the craps at the zipper ends ( fabric on the front lining on the back ):

 Sew one rectangle of fabric & one of lining to the zipper :

 

 

And then the other ones :

And now is time to close :

 It is important to get the extra folding from the zipper craps in the lining not the fabric:

 Trim the corners :

 Don't forgert to leave a small opening in the lining and turn it:

Close that as well after turning :

 And you are done:

Here are some more of those I made in the past:

And my old holidays bag:

Franken-Pattern Maternity Tunic - Butterick 5499

I have been really lazy lately and I hardly managed to sew anything. A big step back from a very busy bee summer when I sew so much. In my defense I am pregnant again and that is probably why my energy levels have been so low.. that and the fact that at work a lot of things are happening for me ( good things but also a lot of work ). 

I have started some time ago - somewhere in October in think with the frankenpattern contest in mind but it took me quite a while to get to the finish line. But I am glad that I did it.

The tunic is mainly from Butterick 5499:

The sleeves are from simplicity 2501:

And the neck idea I got it here:

There is how the front and the back of my pattern were constructed ( black is Butterick 5499 and pink is Simplicity 2501):

Not perfect but a step up for me with this cuffs:

And now the result:

My Little Pumpkin - Ottobre 6/2010 #15

My son had some special activities for Halloween at his day-care and we were required to dress them in black/green pants and orange T-shirt. Not a hard requirement at all but after spending some time shopping nothing seemed right to me.  All the orange tops I could find were covered in a lot of writings or pictures I just didn't like. So at the last moment I decided I should just do it myself. It sure goes with my determination to make costumes for him.
   I had bought some Ottobre issues for kids some time ago but I never got to sew anything from them. So this was my 1st Ottobre and I just love it. LOVE IT! The raglan sleeve had such a beautiful curvy shape and the fit was perfect. I think it really looks better then most of the store bought he has.

    I only had 2 orange fabrics in the house : a corduroy with spandex and a thin micro-fleece.The micro-fleece was very soft and I think he loves wearing it. For the sleeves I cut into an old black T-shirt of mine that I new it had good fabric. I skipped the cuffs since I thought the orange fabric will be to thick if putted on 2 layers.
   I traced and cut size 92 and it all come together rather fast. It is the 1st time for me when the neck binding actually fits in well. So one more thing to be happy about.
   The Jack-o-Lantern face applique is a free design that can be downloaded here.
   The pattern is more clear on the hanger:

   ....but a lot more cute on my boy even if I can't get him to stay still for 2 straight seconds :