'Tis the Season to... Sew for Others

I have two new projects for me in mind, but am waiting for a pattern and some fabric to arrive…Tomorrow?

In the meantime, I have been stealing snatches of time to sew for friends.  I made 2 more of the lunch bags like mine for 2 lovely young ladies' birthdays.  One for my DD #2 who turned 23 (!) and one for my walking buddies daughter.

More pretty lunch bags!

I was able to fussy cut one, but there wasn't enough fabric to squeeze out another with the design in the center.  The fabric is so pretty that I don't think anyone will mind.  I used more stiffener in the bottom of these bags to give them more shape.  I didn't tackle the zipper - I know…I promised - but #2 and #3 sure go together in a snap and I was in the mood for a fast, fun project without too much thinking.  DD #2 loved it!

Tonight's project was for a co-worker who just got married.  She has an amazing blog that you should check out if you are at all into food:  Ellen In the Kitchen  

So what to make a fellow foodie?  Embellished kitchen towels, of course!

Have I mentioned how I love my embroidery machine?

Kitchen Towels that walk on the wild side!

The towels are the burgandy and gold of our school's colors and the zebra stripe?  Well…everyone knows that all teachers - especially high school special education teachers have to enjoy living on the wild side just a bit!  :-)

I'm hoping that you have a little bit of a chance to find your wild side this week!

Styling Lunch Tote

Last year I bought the cutest fabric at Hobby Lobby to make a new lunch tote to replace my raggedy looking old one.  Yesterday, it was finally complete!

Vera Bradley move over - There's a new lunch tote in town!

I don't know why, but I agonized over the construction of this simple bag.  I googled, I pinterested, I pondered.  And then I made it in an afternoon. 

It is just a 14 x 15 inch rectangle with two 2.5 inch squares cut in the bottom so that I could make the bottom of the bag.  I lined it with insulbright and a wipeable, waterproof lining.  

The draw string top was sewn together - side seams, casing, and then sewn to the bag top - right sides together.  Lastly, I pushed the drawstring part to the inside of the bag, pressed the top seam and then top stitched at about 1/2 inch all around.  Easy.

...And did I mention that I think it's pretty cute!

It is a bit different then I originally envisioned, but it does what I wanted it to do:

• It is cute (vitally important!) - and shows off the coordinating fabrics that I fell in love with. 
• It is big.  Big enough for my mega-clean-eating salads and snacks.
• It is lined with a wipe-able, waterproof fabric (ordered from Fabrics dot com)
• It has long enough straps to sling over my shoulder on the way to work.

I bought a zipper for the top (one of the reasons I was pondering and stalling I think) but then a slight miscalculation with bag width made it just too skinny an opening for my mega-lunches so it turned into a drawstring top.  

I actually like the drawstring, though.  It gave me a chance to showcase the striped fabric.  

So happy with the way the pattern lined up on the sides!
Groovy, right?

Even though I lined the bag with insulbright lining, with the drawstring top, I'm not sure it would really insulate too much.  

I keep my lunch in the fridge anyway.

Things I'll do better next time:

 - Treat the main fabric, insulbright and water proof lining as one and seam with a french seam.  (I lined it like a traditional bag and the lining is a bit floppy inside)

- Make the bag a bit shorter and a bit wider 

- Don't let the zipper intimidate me!  Next bag will have a zipper.  I swear!

Ok zipper...You're going here next time!

So, after a year, the pondering is over and the lunch bag is born!  Almost makes packing a lunch for my return to work after the weekend a bit less painful!  Almost.

How about you all...Has anyone else ever spent tons of time pondering a project and then found that it was not nearly the challenge that you thought it would be?  

Share your happy ending - leave a comment.  :-)