Boxcar Tote Finished!

I finally finished the Boxcar Tote--check! And I love it so much I want to keep it. But I am sending it off to a good home, a surprise for an unsuspecting person. More on that later!

I will give a little review of the pattern and what I might do differently next time.

 This bag is pretty large. At first I didn't think I would like the size, but looking at it completed, I kind of love it. I can just imagine this being convenient for some large rulers, a stack of fabric, and lots of other supplies you would take to a sewing class. Next time I would sew a seam down the middle of the pockets to divide them. They are pretty large. It's too late to do that once you've assembled the bag as it is very unwieldy under the small throat space of my machine.

See those cute feet...I mean those chunky denim handles? I really loved that denim when I saw it in my stash. It is a nice neutral color and adds great textural variety. You can't tell, but it has a herringbone weave to it. However...that stuff gets really thick! This pattern calls for every piece to be interfaced with Pellon 809 Decor Bond. That's great for the structure of the bag. But next time I might consider not interfacing the denim. The handles were tough to turn and topstitch.

But look how nice it stands up on its own! I had fun adding those little scraps to the binding. Again, the denim was really thick and fussy to work with, so maybe I would choose a quilting weight next time. Or cut the binding on the bias to spread out the seams more.

The hardest part of this project was the binding around the top of the bag. The first time I tried it, I realized I needed to sew on a table big enough so that weight of the bag wasn't dragging and messing up the stitches. So I ripped it all out and tried again on my dining room table. Much better! But I still had a pretty hard time keeping my stitches even and straight, even using my edge stitch foot. Someone suggested using a walking foot. I would definitely try that next time. The other option is to hand sew, always a safe route. Looking at all the pretty pictures of others' Boxcar Totes on Instagram, I see so many pretty, neat, and straight bindings. I am just not good at machine binding! I am about to cry uncle on it and just hand sew!

I would recommend this pattern for a later beginner. Sewing the corners can be a little tricky, but definitely a good skill builder. The options for fabric choices on this project make it a great stash buster. And the final product is a sturdy, generously sized bag that will turn heads!

A friend brought me these dahlias from her garden. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

This one just takes my breath away.

One last little tidbit...I was at a yard sale today and fell in love with these antique quilts. They really had me in a swoon. But I looked at the price tags and then the condition of the quilts, and I just had to walk away. They were not in good enough shape for me to pay that much. Lots of soil, rips, and threadbare spots. It just kind of broke my heart, not that I couldn't buy them, but that they seemed neglected. Maybe someone will come along and give them the love they deserve.

Happy Mail Day

The weather has cooled off here, leaving it feeling more and more like fall. I'm sure there are several Indian Summer days ahead, but fall is definitely knocking on the door.

I am finally making progress on the Boxcar Tote. I had to wait for the 10-yard bolt of Decor Bond interfacing to be delivered. It came the other day, surprisingly fast. Way to go, Amazon. I laughed when I saw that it was an order fulfilled by Wal-Mart. Impressive, Bentonville!

I am liking the fabric combination. One way to test the contrast of fabrics is to look at a black and white photo of it. This one doesn't have a ton of contrast, but I am pleased with it. One thing about this pattern is that the layers are so thick! Nearly every piece is interfaced, and I chose a couple heavy fabrics in the first place. Yet again, Bernina does an amazing job muscling through all the thickness!

Happy mail came today! I had to order more Essex Linen for my churn dash quilt, so I added a "digital print" Kona sampler to my cart. I was expecting a cardboard poster. What a surprise when I opened the package and found it is a fabric panel! I love it! Isn't it pretty? I just want to hang it on my wall and imagine all the color combinations I could play with.

Another piece of happy mail arrived too. Sewn With Grace, whom I follow on Instagram, was doing a destash, giving away some of her fabric if she happened to have a specific piece named by any of her followers within a 30-minute window. I asked for Pearl Bracelets, and look! See, my bad Instagram addiction does pay off sometimes! Even better than the yard of fabric is the new friend I made. I plan on sending her some happy mail back. Thanks so much, Renee!

Baby Steps

I thought I’d post a few things I have been doing or plan to begin doing as we start the new school year. These are not earth-shattering ideas, but they are baby steps to a more orderly and pleasant routine. I am not good at making drastic changes. But these are little ideas, and by putting them here I guess I am making myself accountable.

I must preface that we have 10 people living in this house. There are always dirty dishes. Period. However, I have been really trying to get all of them put in the dishwasher ASAP so that my sink is empty. Every time I handwash, I scrub the sink. I love it so much more. That leads me to…

Mrs. Meyers, oh how I love you. Washing dishes and scrubbing the floor will never be the same. You transform housekeeping into a heavenly experience!

Not too long ago I learned about Grove Collaborative, an online subscription service for household items. They have great prices, automatic shipments (if you want them), and no membership fees or requirements. If I want to skip a delivery or have something shipped before the delivery date, that is no problem. Their customer service is fantastic, and they have options for free shipping if you order a certain amount. They also give a generous referral bonus if your friends join. Some other products I especially love are their walnut scrubber sponges (I use them all the time!), their kitchen towels (I give the as hostess gifts), and their glass spray bottles (pretty and functional).

Other simple things I have tried in the past and plan to re-implement: posting the weekly menu for the kids to see. When each kid asks me separately what’s for supper, that gets to be a lot. The same applies to my weekly personal commitments. They are now posted on the wall so no one needs to ask me who is coming or what the schedule is.

I like the idea of “pegging,” which is simply attaching a task to something you already normally do, like taking a shower or washing your hands. Wash your hands, clean the counter. Take a shower, immediately do daily Bible reading. I did some of this last year, and I loved it. I am actually well on my way to reading the whole Bible this year simply because I have pegged it to another routine.

Big things happen when you do them one little bit at a time. With that in mind, I am really looking forward to a great year!

Cold Water

Most people seem to have gone back to school already, but where I live we don't start until after Labor Day. We are still living the summer life around here...late sunsets, staying outside until dark, open-ended bedtimes...hanging on to the last bits of summer freedom that I love so much.

Last night I confess I really got a case of the back-to-school jitters. I was listening to a homeschool podcast, which I really enjoy, but it just really got to me last night. I don't have my perfect binder all printed up and organized, I don't have any charts made up, I don't even have pencils sharpened. I don't get all excited about school supplies like maybe I should because I know the newness is so short-lived. The erasers get chewed off the new pencils right away, the crayons break, and papers get scattered. And that's OK. I would rather step in the shallow end of Newness and get my feet wet first, 'cause that water's cold! I have had to repeatedly remind myself today that we are not cookie-cutter homeschoolers. Each family has its own personality and set of circumstances. I don't have to meet so-and-so's expectations, only God's. And He is with me, beside me, behind me, and before me. He already knows how we are going to get all this done this year. I like to remind myself that God is bigger than all I have to do. We will pass through the water on dry ground. And by the way, I do get excited about a stack of books! I do have those prepared and waiting on the shelf.

I have been working on my churn dash blocks. As with any project, I have run into a little roadblock. I did not have enough "Dove Gray" Essex Linen to cut out all the pieces. I have searched and searched, and only one website had that color. I am wondering if Essex Grey is the same shade. It has been a little frustrating. I feel like I need to buy more yardage in order to make the shipping cost worth it. Then I feel like I am buying something I don't need. Ahhhhh! The problems we have!

This Pam Kitty print reminds me so much of alphabet soup. I really like the grey linen with the pink.

Last night my husband said he thought it was great that I had such a nice stash of fabric. He was genuinely proud of my collection. Well then. He loves me an awful lot.

That Thing You Keep Looking At

There has been a mess in my kitchen I have passed so many times this afternoon without wiping it up. I have started to but then just walked away. I don't know why except that it's peanut butter, and I really don't like the smell of peanut butter on my hands, or anyone else's hands for that matter.  But why did I not stop the first time and grab a tissue and wipe it up? I can't answer that question. It only took a second to put the smelly mess in the trash.

I have felt the same way about my fabric stash lately. I walk by it every day, but I rarely take time to dig into it. If I have a project, I will grab pieces from the scrap box because they are more convenient to get into. Isn't it true that sometimes your stash can actually stifle your creativity? That thing you keep passing by, neglecting to pay attention to, sucks energy right out of you.

I recently decided it would be prudent to go on a fabric-buying freeze (maybe except for the scrap basket at my LQS and for necessary solids and supplies). I also bought Natalia Bonner's book Modern One-Block Quilts with the intention of sewing through it. I like that she gives 3 different sizes for each project, and I like that some of them can be made scrappy. Seems like a great stash-busting project.

I hauled out a big bin of my favorite prints this afternoon and reacquainted myself with them. I chose a few to put together a mini-churn dash block quilt found in this book. I think it will piece together quickly.

I like to mix up collections--here is Tanya Whelan, Pam Kitty, Tasha Noel, Bonnie and Camille, and Essex Linen Dove Gray

I am still waiting on the Decor Bond yardage so I can move along on the Boxcar Tote. I had ordered it, then the store informed me they were out of stock. So I just went on Amazon and ordered 10 yards of the stuff. It ended up way cheaper per yard, especially since shipping was free. I did get the pieces I had fused to the fabric last night. I really don't enjoy that step--glad it is mostly done! Almost ready to sew the pieces together.

I picked up some books on free-motion quilting from the library yesterday. I have dabbled in it before, but it takes consistent practice to get good at it. I would love to get better at it. I have it on my radar to practice a little every day.

Got the little peanut butter mess cleaned up. The hardest part is just deciding to do it. I am going to go cut some fabric!

My Sewing Machine Story

I started sewing on my Grandma's old Singer when I was a teenager and young adult. I don't remember very much about it except I was terribly afraid of making mistakes. And that machine didn't work so well. I really didn't use it that much for those reasons. 

When I was first married, I decided to start sewing in earnest. Out came that old Singer again. I managed to make myself a semblance of a maternity dress (which has since been relegated to the scrap stash) and a flannel blanket for my first baby which was two squares of cloth badly bound with bias tape. I still have that blanket, and it still has the ugly black marks that old machine left on it. How frustrating to learn on a machine that didn't work right, and how was I to know any different?

I remember briefly discussing this with my husband. I wasn't dying for a new machine or anything, but he thought it might be nice to get me something a little better. He asked what brand was good, and I had really no idea what to say.

I don't know that he will ever be able to surprise me like he did then. One day he came home from work with a present for me. Mind you, things were pretty tight financially at that time. We were just starting out and had just had our first baby. But it was tax return season, and he had an idea up his sleeve. He blew me away by coming home with a brand new Bernina he had picked out all by himself. I wasn't even that surprised when he gave me my engagement ring! That moment still is vivid in my mind. I just couldn't believe it.

With that little Bernina came a sewing class. I packed up my baby boy and sat through that class drinking up every piece of information presented. During breaks I would browse the offerings of the shop, drooling over all the accessories, the fabric, the books...

As the salesperson gave me that first tour of my new machine, I remember just being taken away with how smoothly and quietly it stitched. That built in automatic buttonhole! Those fancy stitches!  Automatic reverse! And this was just an entry level machine. I was utterly and hopelessly in love.

Fast forward 13 years (has it been that long?). That trusty Bernina is still humming along cheerfully. I love it to death. I am not sure I could ever trade it in because of its sentimental value to me. I had no idea back then what a Bernina really was. It didn't take me long to figure out I was given the Cadillac of sewing machines.

That's my little sewing machine (love) story! Somebody really loves me.

Old and New

I pulled fabrics last night for a new project. Item #1 on my Bust the Stash list is the Boxcar Tote from Green Bee Patterns. I ran out of Pellon Decor Bond, so I have to wait for that to be shipped in order to finish this, but it should be a quick sew. It does eat up the yardage as it is a large bag. Great for using up your stash!

From top to bottom: denim herringbone found at Value Village, a Cosmo Cricket print I have had forever, part of a muu muu circle dress thing I found at a yard sale, Denyse Schmidt print, vintage floral I found at Value Village

I am loving the mix of old and new. I was a bit daunted by selecting fabric for this project since it has big pieces. And because of the person I hope to send this to (more on that later, I hope). But I am going with my gut here.

Here is that muu muu thing I was talking about. It is just huge. My son thinks he is sailing in a boat. I loved the dots when I spotted this thing at that sale years ago.

I have all the pieces cut, except for that interfacing. Can't wait to get going on it.