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Dear Diary, I need a new Messanger Bag…
I’d like to welcome Amy from Diary of a Quilter. Amy is not only very talented and funny, she’s also a good friend. We met through blogging… but luckily for me our friendship has spanned into real life. Amy and I have more than a few things in common: We both love all things British and Jane Austin. We also both love fabric, Barbacoa Grill, our sewing machines, and being moms- not necessarily in that order. Thank you Amy for sharing your wonderful Messenger Bag Tutorial. I love it’s simplicity and functionality. I also love the Wonderland Fabric you’ve used. I still have some bits of Wonderland in my stash that I’m saving for something special. Maybe it wants to be an messenger bag! So here’s Amy:
You will feel so proud of yourself when it’s done in no time!
For an adult/bigger-kid size bag the fabric requirement are 2 coordinating half yards.
For a smaller child’s bag you will only need two pieces at 3/8 of a yard.
I will demonstrate with the larger bag
and give the measurements for the child’s bag at the end.
First: from both half-yard pieces, cut a 4″ strip off one end.
This will be for your strap.
Cut the remaining piece down to 14″ x 30″.
(You can save the remnant for a pocket, if you want.)
If you are going to put a pocket on, do it now. To make the pocket, fold the remnant in half and sew three sides shut with a 1/4″ seam, leaving an opening to turn right side out. Clip corners and turn right side out. Press, tucking edges in at opening. Fold outside bag piece in half and center the pocket where it will appear on finished bag. Pin in place and sew close to the edge along three sides, sewing opening shut as you go.
Now on to the bag: Place two 14″ x 30″ pieces right sides together and pin together at ends.
Now take to your ironing board.Bring the seams to the center and match them up.
Press seams open.
You will now have your lining-piece folded in half on one side and
your outside piece folded in half on the other.
Pin open sides together, leaving a 3″ opening on one side of the lining fabricfor turning right side out. Sew 3/8″ seams on both sides.
Turn bag right-side out and top-stitch opening closed. It will look like a flat, empty pillow.
Tuck lining fabric inside the outside bag fabric.
To make the band of trim around the top of the bag,roll the lining fabric above the bag about 1/4″.
Pin to hold fabrics in place and press.
Top stitch around the edge of the bag at the top of the outer fabricAND at the top of the lining fabric.
Now, place both strap pieces right sides togetherand sew down both long sides using a 1/2″ seam allowance.
Turn right-side out, press, and top-stitch along both edges.
Now is the time to decide how long you want your bag strap.(This strap is meant to be worn diagonally across the chest.)
For an adult, it’s about the right length as it is.
For an older child, you might want to cut-off a few inches.
If you leave one end with selvage edges on the end you don’t
need to do anything to the strap before you start sewing.
If you cut-off one end, you may want to tuck raw edges under and press.
Now, pinch the end of the strap in half to find the center.
Line up that pinched crease with the seam on the side of the bag.
Pin the strap in place
And sew around the edges and along the top of the bag,creating a rectangle to secure the strap in place.
And Voila! You are seriously done. Pretty awesome, huh?
To make a child size bag cut a 2 1/2″ strip off the side of both pieces.Repeat all the same steps.
(You will probably want to shorten the strap.)
These are so fast, you really might get addicted. And the possibilities are endless.We used a heavier, canvas fabric on the cowboy bag.
The other bag is made from the Wonderland by MoMo collection for Moda.
Cheers ta, Calli
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it's no biggie in the kitchen
Well, I’m driving to Disneyland as we speak, but lucky for me, some mighty talented ladies have kindly consented to fill in for me while I’m away. And you are all in for a treat.
Here to kick start my vacation is Kami from no biggie. If you’ve never dropped by her blog, you must and right away… well right after you read about her unbelievably delicious salad. It’s Gorgonzola Pear Salad… and Kami, you had me at Gorgonzola.
It’s the perfect salad to make this weekend. Thanks, Kami!
Hi there! Kami here. I’m the thrifty maven who runs the blog: no biggie – a montage of all my favorite things, including: crafting, cooking, and thrifting. I’m happy to be a guest here on Make it do!
You know this is going to be a killer salad with a title like that one. This recipe is a family favorite.
Here it is in a nutshell: The ingredients: green leaf lettuce, pears, avocado, gorgonzola cheese crumbles, purple onion and pecan pieces.
slice, dice, rinse, spin and repeat
Carmelized Pecans: This is the tricky part. You place the pecans in a hot pan on high heat and you have to stay with it, constantly turning them around. Once you start to smell the pecans (you are going to love this smell), then you add the 1/4 cup sugar. Constantly stirring once again. Watch the sugar turn to a liquid state and toss the pecans all around in the syrupy goodness, until they are all coated. Then remove them from the hot pan and let them cool. Keep them at room temp and then add them in at the very end, just right before tossing.
Here are the dressing ingredients all lined up, they are all listed below.
You can make this ahead of time (maybe a few hours) I would not refrigerate the dressing.
Toss everything together just right before serving, and ENJOY! It’s a good one.
The Recipe:
Gorgonzola Pear Salad
1 head red leaf or green leaf lettuce (preferably red leaf if it’s available)
3-4 pears sliced (and peeled – optional)
1 pkg gorgonzola crumbles
1 avocado sliced
1 purple onion sliced thin
Carmelize together:
1 pkg pecan pieces
1/4 cup sugar
The Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbl. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/4 tsp. mustard
1 clove garlic (or garlic powder)
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
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