My big girl of 5.5 years is learning to sew. So for her first project we decided to make a simple little tote. This is for a school friend whose birthday party Kalla is going to this Friday. We are giving her a couple of Bare Books and Bare Crayons (which my 2 oldest absolutely LOVE themselves) and decided to make a personalized tote to put them in.
I used some off white twill fabric and cut a piece 10" X 20". I taped masking tape in the middle and folded it under a cutting mat and taped the top half down and let her make a picture with fabric markers. She drew a stick picture of her friend and sky, grass and stems for some felt flowers I had on hand. Kalla picked out some fabric for a dress for the girl. I cut a small triangle with the fabric and ironed it on with wonder under lite and then a topstitch. I hand stitched on the felt flowers. Then I cut a piece of fabric in the same print as the dress for the lining 10" x 20".We also picked out a ribbon to make a bow for the girl's hair and I sewed it on after sealing the ends. Kalla also drew a big rainbow for the back and I sewed on some fun colorful buttons (back not pictured).
We folded the fabric in half to be sewn. With my machine on the lowest speed I let Kalla sew the sew the side seams of the tote and liner.
Turning the outside fabric right side out, we fit the lining into the bag and straightened it up. I folded and pinned the opening down to make a hem along the top. Then I sewed it down.
We made a simple strap simply by cutting a piece of twill 26" X 3". I ironed it in half and then folded the edges in and ironed then pinned down.
I then sewed along all the edges with dark pink thread.
Then I secured each end onto the outside sides of the tote with a stitch all the way around. It would be cute to sew a big bright button here too for extra embellishment.
This particular bag is for a gift and we put the books and crayons inside. We have one cut and colored ready to make one for Kalla. She has multiple girls on hers and they are waiting for their dresses at the moment. :)This bag can be made a bit bigger to make a pool/beach tote or library tote.
15 comments:
That's so cute! I need to get some fabric markers because my two kids would love to color their own bags.
I love it, what a great personalized present for Grandma's from Mother's Day! I can't wait until my daughter is old enough to do more than scribbles, but they might make a fun picture too. Did you use fabric markers?
Hi Deanna, it's Katie again. I also left the above comment. I loved this project I added it to an upcoming post on my other blog ABC & 123 about Kid Made Mother's Day gifts. I used your top photo, gave a brief description, and linked back to your post. I hope this is okay. Please EMAIL me if it is NOT. Look for the feature next week! Thanks!
Katie, yes linking it would be awesome! Thanks and thanks for your sweet comments. I thought it would be a good mother's day gift too. :)
I am stealing this idea for the next birthday party we go to. Fabulous!
Thank you for introducing me to Bare Books! I've just ordered some for my two children. They are both very creative and I'm sure they will love them. I'm also excited about ordering more in the future for gifts. Love your blog.
It's such a great idea, I love it! I'll be linking.
Ginny, the Bare Books are AWESOME! My 7 year old makes whole stories based on the cover theme. They are so cute to read and see the pictures. I just ordered a whole box full to take to birthday parties this summer. The comic ones look cool too! And we are doing something special with the Bare Game set...I'll post about soon. Oh and the crayons can NOT be beat...I won't buy any other kind now.
Thanks Rachel! :)
Oh Katie, yes those are fabric markers.
This is such a sweet project! I posted a link to it on Craft Gossip Sewing Blog: http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-sewing-your-kids-drawing-super-sweet-tote/2009/04/25/
--Anne
What a C.U.T.E. idea! My oldest daughter already sews and has her own machine. She would absolutely love to make a gift like this! Thanks for sharing this wonderful idea!
Hey what a sweet little bag - just lovely. I hope I can make things like that with my little girl one day soon.
love this! thanks for the great tutorial. i linked to it from my blog http://crafty.littlerockmamas.com/index.php/2009/08/08/crafty-mommy-and-me-tote/
What a neat idea! I have a tote bag pattern that I like - I think I'll adapt it so my daughter can make one of these for my mom.
I really love this project!
Their drawings at this age is so precious, so it is a great way to showcase them.
Thank you for sharing this with us. Love it!
Post a Comment