Just for my Grands!!



Nothing like a (sort of) tidy sewing table to set off my urge to stitch. 

That is likely the real reason the studio never gets a complete do-over -- as soon as I get some open space on the tables, I take a break and stitch!! 

I'm part of one of Alison's Stash Bee groups -- the awesome Hive #7 -- and during July everyone made me funky birds based on this tutorial over at Block Lotto (tutorial is HERE)!  

 

I've made quite a few of them myself and with a camping trip on the horizon with my two grandchildren, I decided to use two of my blocks to make each of them a drawstring backpack. 

I enjoy all the tutorials that are shared over at Sew Can She and it didn't take long to find one for the bags.  You can find the full tutorial HERE.

I picked a bird for each, trimmed them up, and read through the instructions. 

First step was to frame up the blocks to the size needed for the bags.

I scaled the size of the bags down to fit my grands -- my beginning rectangles were 14" by 12".

I happen to be a long-time birder myself and have studied how American birds were named at one point.  So part of creating these birds has been "naming" them!!

This one is for my granddaughter and the bird's wing has a scrap from an outfit I made for her a couple years ago.

The Bashful Catbird is for my grandson who insists he "hates" catbirds (they rob the berry bushes in his yard).  And our native gray catbird is NOT bashful at all!

I'm always thankful for my years of experience making garments -- like turning the corner with a couple diagonal stitches to help make a sharper corner when the bag is turned.

And this is a trick I learned to helped guide the seams allowances into an "opening"  when it's turned to the inside making stitching the opening closed easier after it's turned. 

I was not looking forward to making the straps but the photos in the tutorial reminded me that I might have a bias trim maker tool.  Sure enough, there it was in the bottom drawer of the sewing table -- my designated storage spot for all seldom used tools!!

Of course, the instructions have disappeared so it took a bit of experimenting to remember that cutting the end of the strips on the diagonal and using a big corsage pin to encourage the strip into the tool works quite well. 

Once it's the strip is threaded into the tool, the pressing goes well and soon I was ready to stitch!!

Here are the results of a happy afternoon in a tidier studio!!

 I packed them with small journals and pencils to use during our 3-day camping break!

They were both delighted with the results and wore them for every hike and outing that the three of us enjoyed together.

This is one of my favorite pictures -- of course I want everyone to be a birder, too!!

The instructions and photos in the tutorial for the backpack are clear and easy to follow.  I loved working out of my fabric stash to create them and they just make me smile every time I look at them.  I'll be making more of these -- there are some moms and aunts with "backpack envy"!!

 

Mary Huey

 

Linking up over at MAIN CRUSH MONDAY!!