A Teddy Bear Picinic

Ever want to make plush toys? I have for many years. Being an anime fan of the mid to late nineties and a girl, I wanted ALL THE PLUSHIES. My favorite anime, you may or may not know, is Sailor Moon and one day I will make the whole crew! That will be some feat seeing as I want to make the villians as well. But before I tackle that, I thought I would start off with something a little more basic.

The humble teddy bear.

This pattern is by Joy Kelley. The pattern and tutorial is on her blog HowJoyful. I warn you, if you are not very skilled in sewing or not adventurous, maybe sit this one out. (Read my blog post by all means! Heck, check out her's too! But maybe don't attempt something that may be too advanced for you. Of course... I didn't follow this advice, so it is up to you to decide whether you think you can attempt it or not.)

I have made two of these bears and I do intend to make more. My first was a large pink felt bear whose seams don't quite match. I went with her exact pattern and seam allowance. This gave me a bear WAY larger than I bargained for. I don't know what happened, but if you are looking for a bear that is larger than your typical bear, then have at it!

My second attempt was using this same pattern, however, I reprinted the pattern at 75% and added seam allowance as instructed. This bear is a more standard teddy size. He is made of two different flannel fabrics. This makes for a soft and cuddly bear.

The pieces in this pattern line up very nicely, just be sure to mark all of your notches as specified on the pattern. She also talks about sewing the whole front and back sides before sewing the arms and legs together. I feel that the arms and legs should be sewn together before they are sewn to the body. This should make it line up better. 

Of course, there is the point where I am just a humble house wife and mother who knows very little about technical sewing... so maybe being more experienced in this department would have given me that clue before I even started. 

I want to make more of these bears. My next attempt will be of the 75% pattern without the added seam allowance. Perhaps this time I will actually make a face for the poor dear. As it is, neither bear has a face, but Isaac is just happy he has a bear, so I don't know if I will attempt it with this hypothetical bear or not. Only time will tell. I had a thought to make a bear out of his old onesies he can't fit into, we shall see if I can pull it off or not.

If this is your first time reading one of my blog posts, please, stay! Read up on my misadventures in crafting! Hopefully I have given you some kind of joy as you travel through my past projects. Maybe I haven't been thorough enough for you. Tell me! Right here, or through Facebook. I am always looking to improve and I can't do that until I know what needs to change.

This Purse is a Cinch! Lol

While this bag wasn't the first bag I ever made, this is the first drawstring pattern that I had ever followed. It is also one of the reasons I enjoy making bags. The Cinch Top Tote by Shabby Fabrics on YouTube is a tutorial rather than just a pattern. I found this pattern to be super easy to cut out and make.

The entire pattern is made of nothing but different sized rectangles. Jennifer, our hostess, goes through how to cut and interface each piece. This bag is one I would highly recommend for a beginner. No zippers and fusible fleece is used for the stabilizer, making this bag an easy starter bag. The drawstring is the trickiest part in my opinion.

I didn't add anything to this pattern when I made all of the bags I have from it. I did misunderstand the instructions the first time. Though I don't even know what it was that I did wrong. (Well... wrong is relative. It isn't necessarily wrong, so much as it is not constructed as per her instruction.) I put the cover piece on wrong for the first bag, but every bag I made since the prototype has had the correct construction.

If I were to come up with any ideas as to how to change up this pattern, I would say of course you could always alter the size. But even better, pockets are always a great addition. I have also thought about putting in a very simple loop to clip your keys to. I also used paracord rather than making the drawstring. Then there is also the thought of changing the interfacing.

As I mentioned earlier, the original bag calls for fusible fleece, but if you were to use insulated fleece, you could make it into a cooler sack. I haven't tested this theory though. I worry that maybe you wouldn't be able to fully insulate the bag. But perhaps you could use foam if you wanted a bag that would be sturdy. In my opinion though, it doesn't need it. The fusible fleece seems to be enough to make it stand alone, but it by no means will be stiff. I do recommend you interface the handles to keep them flat, other wise regular use will cause the handles to wrinkle. Though, if you are short on SF101 and don't mind wrinkly handles, then by all means.

I have used these bags as my personal purses and also as project bags. I have been able to fit upwards of four regular sized skeins of yarn in one purse! If I need a new project bag, this is the first pattern I turn to. I have sold a few as well. It is a fun sew and if you want something simple and a tiny challenge at the end, give this one a try!

Thank you for reaching the end of my thoughts! I write reviews like this and post them here every Friday! Please, enjoy your stay and comment below how I can make this blog better! 

Back Packs or Book Bags?

This year, before school started, I saw a pattern for a back pack (or book bag if you prefer, I will probably interchange the terms throughout). I had longed to make book bags for my children for many a year, and Joann Fabrics helped me to fulfill that dream with their wonderful pattern. 

The pattern I went with (seeing as the pattern has three different styles to choose from...) was the Hey Arnold Bag. I feel as though this was not as thorough a tutorial as some of the others I have followed. If you have never worked with bags and zippers or never interfaced with foam before, maybe make a little something smaller first. 

This is a fun pattern, don't get me wrong. And I did learn a bit of things that I had never done before. I have never worked with webbing before these back packs. I didn't buy any new webbing, I just used some webbing that came with one of my youngest son's toys.

I feel as though this pattern would have been better with a more concise tutorial. It does have one, but it could be more informative. I had to improvise on the straps. Though it is entirely possible that I had to improvise because I didn't have enough foam interfacing at the right size. The strap sides are covered using bias tape (well... it isn't on the bias actually, seeing as there aren't any curves on the straps.) that I made myself using fabric left from my cuttings, as you can see.

Once again this is a pattern that can be changed up. I wanted to add a divider to the Star Wars bag. But with the way that the inside is constructed (which I also had to improvise) I couldn't make it work. I do want to try this again sometime, but I, at the current moment, don't have the know how to make that portion work. 

I tried to construct the inside lining as a birthable bag, rather than a drop in lining. If I would have made the lining the way they suggested it would have been very hard to keep from hand stitching the zipper panel to the inside lining. Of course, this is because I also improvised on the way I made the zipper panel. 

I constructed the zipper panels the same way I would make an inserted zipper pocket. In this way I didn't have to hand sew the lining to the zipper, but it did cause the problem that made it so I couldn't make the divider as previously mentioned. The next time I make this bag, I think I will be doing the zipper differently. You could also add pockets to the inside, though this is something I didn't do either.

As I said before, I do plan on making this back pack again, though it may be a few years. There is of course the possibility that I will make new bags for my oldest two children next year. Zack was super excited about The Child being on his bag and squealed at delight from seeing it! Kara was likewise excited to see Frozen fabric for hers.

I would recommend that if you make this pattern yourself, that you cut the sides slightly larger. You might make it a little longer for an older child. The pattern as is was perfect for my seven year old, but it may be a little small for my twelve year old son. Junior high school does constitute needing more space for books.

Thank you once again for reading through my ramblings. They aren't always helpful, I am sure, but perhaps I am at least fun to read. Lol Enjoy your stay here at Crafts By Adrie and remember to leave your comments here, or message me on Face Book. See you again next Friday!

Speaking of Diaper Bags...

This diaper bag pattern comes from Vikki Lee Bags on YouTube. It is a free tutorial and is quite thorough. Once again I have made this pattern a few times, three to be exact. Sadly I was not able to find any pictures of the second bag, but I have a fair amount for the other two.

Firstly, let me talk a little bit about the pattern itself. It is a fairly sizable tote, with two zipper pockets inserted and a large zipper panel. 

I feel the zipper panel makes it look rather professional myself. She recommends a jacket zipper because it separates. I would agree, this allows you to fully open your bag should you ever feel the need to do so. To add to the multitude of pockets there are two inside and two outside small side elasticated pockets. Perfect for bottles of any kind. I put my drinks in there because my son uses a sippy. Then there are also the large inside elasticated pockets. I use these to transport the actual diapers, but you could use yours for a myriad of other reasons. I used the camo one for a project tote. The polka dot one is currently in use as my diaper bag for my youngest son.

I found the elasticated pockets to be the hardest part of the whole pattern. Maybe it is just the fact that I personally have not worked with elastic all that much... Once you have those pockets figured out though, they make for wonderful storage! Remember, just because it is billed as a "diaper bag" doesn't mean it has to be used only and solely for a baby. I kept a whole afghan and it's pieces in the camo one. I was able to fit the entire finished afghan in it as well as the bits and bobs to work on it. Also having the separate pockets meant I could keep my hooks and scissors off of the project. No holes in my afghans unless I meant for there to be! Lol 

The first of my diaper bags was made with light canvas material and solid cotton for the lining. This bag in particular has very little structure due to using fusible fleece for the stabilizer (not that there is anything particularly wrong with that). Just that the foam I used for the second and third bags made more stable bags that stand on their own with out anything in them. This first bag can't. It still works well, but the structure of the other two bags is much better.

I warn you, however, if you have never worked with foam before this not a project I would start with (I did and I am not nearly as proud of that bag). My preference has come to be the cheaper sew in foam. I made back packs for my two oldest kids this year, both bags used the fusible foam. I feel as though the fusible kind wrinkles the fabric and doesn't stick very well. When you use the sew in kind, you have to cut back your seam allowances to reduce the bulk. I would also size my foam to the same size I intend to stabilize. In this way you are guaranteed to catch the foam in the seams and then cut down the foam after. 

Over all I have learned a lot from this pattern. The zipper panel and the elasticated pockets being something I had never done before. In fact, it may have been the first time I inserted a zipper as well! This tutorial assumes you know very little about sewing and that was quite helpful indeed! She teaches you how to make the handles and everything.

Thank you for reading more of my ramblings and I hope this helped you in what ever reason you may have found my blog. Please, enjoy the other posts and leave me comments! I want your thoughts about how I suck and what I can do to improve! Follow me here on my blog for more crafting blogs every Friday!