DIY Sling Bag

Here is how I made my Sling bag, I'm so excited to show everyone! I love the fabrics I chose. I made it a little larger, good for our beach trips. And maybe one day when a baby comes I could make a similar version for a baby sling....it's big enough LOL!

Supplies:
1-2 yards of 2 coordinating fabrics
coordinating thread
Disappearing pen
Straight pins
Measuring tape
scissors/rotatory cutter
sewing machine
Iron and Ironing board

Cut 2 pieces of 14x30 from both pieces of fabric. I use a disappearing fabric ink pen to measure on the back of my fabric.

Now take one of each of your pieces of fabric and put them together. The next steps you will do one on one pair of fabrics and then again to the other pair of fabrics. Put your first pair of fabrics right sides together. Now make a 1 1/2 inch seem and sew the two pieces long ways together. Then take your iron and iron down the seem flat. Repeat with the 2nd pair of fabrics. So you will have your outer piece for your bag and then your lining for your bag.

Now fold your sewn fabric over right sides together. I did mine folded with the sewn seem at the bottom making it longer and it makes one side of the purse one fabric and the other opposite. BUT if you rather have the bag deeper do the opposite, fold the fabric so the sewn seem is down the middle. This makes your bag have both fabrics on both sides.
OK now after you have folded your fabric I went ahead and ironed it flat. Now sew a 1 1/2 inch seem down both sides of your purse. Repeat with the 2nd pair of fabrics. MAKE SURE your right sides are together so you are sewing on the WRONG side of the fabric. 
Then make a 1 1/2 inch crease with your iron on the tops of both of your pieces of sewn fabric all the way across the tops. This will be helpful for a step later on.

Next we are going to make some little tucks (boxes) on each end of both pieces. Tape your measuring tape to a corner, make the corner flat and measure from the top down 2 inches. Tape your disappearing ink pen or a straight pin and pin across. Now go back to your sewing machine and sew across the line from one side to the other on all four of your corners. 

At this point both pieces for your bag the lining and the outer part should be wrong side out. Take ONE piece and turn it right side out.
Time to make some pleats on each side of both pieces of fabric. Lay each bag piece flat. Make a mark in the very middle of your bag pieces on each side. Now measure over  two inches and make a mark, again from that mark 2 inches and then one more time from that mark 2 inches on both sides of your middle mark on both sides of both of your bag pieces. After you are done marking get out your straight pins. Pull over both first marks on the right and left and pin them to your middle mark. Now go to your last mark and pin it over to your 3rd mark. Repeat steps.
Now that ironed crease from earlier is going to start coming into play. Sew straight across all the way around along the crease to sew your folds down.

Take your lining piece and tuck it into your other piece. LOOKIN GOOD!

At this point before you sew the pieces together if your wanting to add any embellishments this is a good time. Also if your wanting different straps then the fabric ones I made sew them in now.
Here is the main reason for that previous ironed down crease. Now that the pieces are together we need to sewing them together. Get your pins out. Go all the way across the tops of your purse and match up the creases and crease them inward, hold them in place with your pins. Now sew across the top all the way around about a quarter inch seem.

Perfect, now grab your left over fabric so you can make the straps. Cut out a 7x28 inch strips of each fabric. Now match them up, putting right sides together.You are going to sew a 1 1/2 inch seem down one side of the 7 inch side and go ahead and iron the whole strap so it's flat.

Fold each sewn strip over length wise, right sides together. Cut at an angle a  slant across the ends. Now take the strap back to your sewing machine and sew a 1 1/2 seem all the way down from one corner to the other leaving a small opening about 3 inches to pull the strip right side out.

Go ahead and iron again. Now make a mark from each corner 10 inches in. You are going to place the strap on the outside of your bag and sew across the 10 inch mark you made. Do it to both sides. And take the piece of fabric that is hanging down and tie it in a knot.

WA-LA!!! LOVE IT!

I added a tie to the middle ;-)

XOXO,
Jess

And TTC month 2!

OKIE DOKIE well needless to say being off BC after 7 years is about to drive my hormones INSANE!!!! OMG I thought I was going to die I felt HORRIBLE for over 2 weeks straight! I was over a week late. I was exhausted I felt sick I couldn't tell what was wrong with me. Tests came up negative. AF finally. So now on to the next cycle. And since my cycle seems to want to go from 29-35 back and fourth I'm now trying the whole Basal Thermometer thing. So far since last Monday I've forgotten twice to take my temp. Once was Wednesday. I set an alarm for myself to remind me......but I didn't set it for the weekend so today I forgot again. That's OK  from the stories I read sooner then later it will become an automatic thing like going pee as soon as you wake up in the morning LOL. I have been reading all the emails from Fertility friend and I'm going to try keeping track with that website. So any-who that's that! Start of TTC month 2!

XOXO,
Jess

DIY kids craft - Pinterest Pick of the week

Here's my Pinterest pick of the week. I saw where a lady froze some colored water and let her kids play with it. It was FREE EASY AND AWESOME!
Here is what I did....I made two to try to keep the arguing to a minimum LOL. Why do we always think that will work?! It never does....

Supplies:
Tupperware
Ice
Food Coloring
Kids with Imagination

I took two pieces of Tupperware filled them with water and put in blue die and froze it over night. I have one of those fridges with a big drawer so it was easy for me. Not so sure how it would work with a regular two door fridge....

I added ice into the water to see what it would do. It had a slight affect one only one LOL. It a little Ice mountain.

Here is the end result! I took a knife to kind of get it chopped up. Then I added crushed ice to the tops. Next I sent my kiddos to pick out toys and sent them outside for fun!

Apparently we had a frozen farm and Ice Road truckers LOL. Later on the princess' got pulled out and it some kind of Mario Brothers save the princess....or something like that ;-)

XOXO,
Jess

School Days Memory Album

Got this super cute School Days Memory book at Hobby Lobby! Love it! It's Pre-K-5th....wondering why it doesn't go to 12th hmmmm. But It's big and spacious and very durable. Great for some special moments from their school year ;-). The big opening I was excited thinking it could fit the class picture but it does not. I am able to slip in the big class picture into the folder opening though. I will probably just put in a school picture into the small slot and a 5'7 of a picture I took of her class on field trips ect. into the big opening. And it was NOT on sale so take your 40% of Hobby Lobby coupon ;-).

XOXO,
Jess

My 1st DIY curtains

Hey everyone! Well I finally took 20 minutes to myself and made my first curtains! Here is how I did it!
I had a cheap un-opened curtain rod already. It's for a long small window in my down stairs half bath. I took my JoAnn Fabric coupon and bought some in expensive fabric and got to work!
Supplies:
Measuring tape
Fabric
Curtain rod
coordinating thread
Iron/ironing board
Stick pins
Sewing machine
Scissors

This is my window I am covering

First measure the length and width of the window that you want to cover with your DIY curtain. Then get your coupons and head to your craft store to pick your fabric. Add 3 inches to the top and bottom of your measurement and 1 inch to both sides of your fabric.
When you get home if you have bought extra fabric cut your fabric to the right size and plug in your iron. I like to iron down my seems and use straight pins to hold it in place. Do the sides first, so the length of your curtain. Fold in each side a 1/2 inch twice. For your bottom hem fold a 1/2 inch then again 2 1/2 inches. For your top hem where your rod will be fold an inch then fold 3 1/2 inches as well. Iron then place your pins.

Now get to sewing! Sew the lengths first, then the bottom hem. Then the top hem.

Annnnnd WA-LA!!!! Just waiting for hubby to come home and hang it ;-)

XOXO,
Jess