Christmas 4 in 1 Gift Box

 Using up your Stash

As I said in my last post, I loved making the gift box and took a look at Christmas card and papers to make another version of the 4 in 1 gift box. 

I have several pads that would have worked well, but decided to make it  more of a challenge and see if I could use up an old Create & Craft Card  kit. The kit included A4 foiled card along with C5 cards and envelopes. 

As I was unlikely to use the cards (except as a base card) I decided to use 4 cards to make the boxes and then I would just need  3 of the A4 sheets, 2 for the cover and 1 to make the box lids. 

 In order to use the cards for the boxes I had to line up the centre fold  of the card to use as the 2nd line of the box section leaving enough space on either side to score the 12 box sections and the 1/2” tab on the end.

The foiled card stock was heavy enough and decorative not to need any additional papers to finish the boxes. I did however use more card to line the inside of the covers, so there was no plain card showing. I just finished the top of the gift box with one of my ribbon bows, with a poinsettia centre. 

I decided to use Velcro dots on the front flaps. I placed 2 on the inside flaps and then placed the other side on top of the 2 dots and then placed the flap carefully over the side of the box lining up the top edges before securing the 2 sides of the dots . 

The bow was added using a hot glue gun as was the poinsettia in the centre of the bow. 

I have enough of the kit left to make another box, and my card kit will be finished .

Take a look at what you have in the cupboard and see what projects you can make. It is a great feeling when you craft an item and produce something from materials that would otherwise be abandoned.

Happy Crafting 

Dee

Fabulous Gift Box - 4 in One

Four in One Gift Box 

It’s great to be back with the paper crafting, after quite a break. 

I have done some card crafting whilst I was sewing all those bags, but only a little at the craft club I attend weekly, and I have struggled with ideas and organising my time a little. 

However, after making the wave card (see previous post), and packing away the sewing machine, my enthusiasm and ideas have started to flow again. 

This gift box, from Sam Calcott is just up my street, I enjoy construction work and this is not difficult once you get into it. It does require 6 pieces of 12 x 12 or 7 sheets of A4 plus papers to decorate. I will place the link below as there are a lot of parts and her videos are great for instructions. 

https://youtu.be/njaMNzhLoqM

In line with my new thoughts of using what i have in the cupboard, the boxes were made from canary yellow card which has been in the box for years and covered with K & Co papers as was the top. I was then able to use up the K & Co toppers that I started when making the wave card.

I enjoyed making this so much I thought I would make some more. I will need to check the cupboard and see what fits the design. 

Happy Crafting 

Dee 

Butterfly Wave Pop-Out Card

Special Occasion card

This lovely card comes from Sam Calcott on YouTube.

I thought it was a great design and had to try it. 

Sam used stamped butterflies punched out, while my butterflies have been made with multicoloured papers that have been die cut and then put back into an embossing folder to give it additional markings. 

Take a look at her demonstration for sizes etc as her videos are really good. 

https://youtu.be/Lj7C2RltYB0

I showed it to the craft group I go to and they wanted to have a go at making it, so I demonstrated it for them and gave them some ideas for other toppers. I used flowers for the demonstration, and thought I would like to try a mans card made from steampunk, or seaside theme, so we are making it again next week. 

Here is the one I made for the demo, it used a 6 x 6 card and I used up some K & CO toppers I had in my stash. I am trying to use what I have and design my makes to suit what is already in the cupboard. 

Next weeks card I hope to use The Paper Tree papers I have with seaside theme. I will post it if I manage to find a way to design the card around them.

Happy Crafting 

Dee

Bags of Bags for the Craft show

 A Great Selection of Bags

Back again…..

Have been gone a  few weeks,  sorry. 

Six months ago, I lost my husband after 45years of marriage and it has been hard enough to get up in the mornings,  but with great support from family and friends I am getting back to what will be “normal” life, and this includes crafting.

Sewing has been a useful diversion for me and helped me through this difficult time. I started speculatively but as I made half a dozen totes and then 6-8 medium tote bags I started to get large scrap pieces and made these into purses to use them up. 

I have added:        Messenger Bags

                                Glass cases

                                Doggy Poop bags

                                Water Bottle bags with pockets for a phone or keys 

                                Cleansing pads 

                                Phone Wallets

                                Shopping bags 

                                Beach bags 

I am ready for a craft show on Bank Holiday Monday and will spend the next week working on displays for the table.

This first show with the bags will be a little messy as I have a lot of different bags to show, I want to see what bags are best received by buyers. I will then look again at practical makes for Christmas.

All my bags are made from Reclaimed fabrics, I buy end of roll bundles of furnishing fabrics, or use fabrics from clothes no longer in use. My husband loved clothes and so I have made myself some memory items. Some are very practical like the cord tidies.

This one is holding my sewing foot pedal cords and I use others for my iron, and my laminator.

These are made from his pyjamas tops and shirts and are a simple length of fabric with a piece of elastic inserted one end and a couple of buttons added to the outside so you have a selection  of lengths.  

I will have a number if items that have used up the pieces left over from  the bigger projects that will sell for £1, so there has been very little waste. 

selection of tissue holders, cord ties and small coin/jewellery purses.

Bigger purses that can been used for money or makeup etc use bigger offcuts and will sell for £2

Others are particular to me, ( a favourite jumper has become a reading cushion with pocket) 

It was quite straightforward to cut out but difficult to complete as sewing wool is not easy to get straight edges. But as it for me I am happy with the result (definitely not one to sell).

This cushion was made from a sweater that I purchased for my husband and particularly liked. I could not bear to part with it, so decided to make a reading cushion for myself. The main cushion uses the front and back while the pocket is made from a sleeve. 

I have managed an awful lot of sewing in the last few months, and I note the irony, this has only been possible as I have been using the dining table and leaving my machine set up, but then I would not have needed to fill my days in the same way, so I guess there is always different ways of looking at things. 

The sewing machine is currently back in the cupboard and I have started some new paper craft projects. 

I will report back after the craft show and let you know how it went. 

My next posts will be  some of the new paper crafts, so check back if that is what you like.

Happy Crafting

Dee

                                 

                

Sew Useful Bags Mini IPad Cover & Folio FIle

 Project 3 

IPad/Folio Bag

My next bag is a great Folio Bag or IPad case/bag. I have an IPad mini with keyboard and so I thought I would make a bag for it. I am also treasurer for my WI and attend meetings and present accounts, so a folio folder to carry my paperwork would be useful. 

I adjusted the small purse design from Ae PooiM. This require a piece of fabric 14” wide and 52” long. Non directional print is easier to use. On some I have added a handle and others instead of a popper closure I have added a small piece of elastic to the top if the bag that allows it close over a button.

The Blue printed fabric is showing A4 paperwork, (I think this would look lovely in the office meeting),  while the very pretty oriental bird and floral black fabric is showing the ipad mini. The bag for the ipad mini is a little bigger than the pad but this allows some paperwork to be added if required. 

The Blue bag has a handle to allow for easier carrying if you have an armful of other bits and pieces, and the button closure with elastic at the top.

 

And the Black bag has a flat popper closure, ideal for packing into a weekend bag. 

I also make phone wallets 

Back soon with the pictures and sizes for them.

Happy Crafting 

Dee

Medium Tote - Project bag

 Medium Tote - Project Bag

This lovely bag is a derivative of the one shown in my last post. 

The pattern shown on on the YouTube video produces a small tote bag and I could not think what I would use it for except as a gift box, so I sized it up to make it a more usable bag for me.

This bag is very quick to make as it consists of 2 pieces of fabric and 2 handles made for the same fabric. I make the handles first and then lay them on the right side of one of the pieces of fabric either end and lay the second piece over the top face down, finishing it the same way as the large tote bag with pockets. You can make it any size you fancy, but may need to add a stabiliser,  if your fabric is thinner cotton, as I use mainly soft furnishing fabrics I do not think I need it. 

I made a batch of 5 with the same fabrics as the larger totes so anyone wishing too, could buy a set. Having made a few I thought I would add an inside claw clasp to clip keys or purses to so you can find them easier. So some have this added item.. All are finished with top stitching 

The size of the finished bag is approximately 

8” Tall - 15” wide - 5” deep 

Or 20.5cm Tall - 38cm Wide - 13cm deep

and the handles have been lengthened on some to allow them to go over the shoulder

Having finished a selection of these medium totes I came across some fabric that I had purchased from a charity shop. The fabric looked new and had been made up as table clothes, but as they had teddy bears on they would really only be useful for a Teddy bears picnic or child’s tea party. I had planned to make some drawstring gift bags but decided to make them into storage/gift bags. They would be perfect for storing toys or baby items in the nursery or child’s bedroom or taking toys to Grandma, that could easily be packed up again at the end of the visit. 

Doubling up the fabric so it was a lined bag I made the handles first again and then sewed up the storage bags. The print had been cut with bags in mind so worked well for their storage bags showing the bears off well. I managed to make 3 with the fabrics I had and was very pleased with the outcome.

As you can see one bag is empty and the other has books and soft toys in to show it in use.

These will also go in my Etsy shop soon. 

These bags take roughly an hour to make and as I am selling them at £7.95 they are a great price. If the weather stays as sunny as it has been the last couple of weeks it would also make a great picnic bag.

Happy Crafting

Dee.

Great Tote Bag With Pockets

 Tote Bag with 4 Pockets - Great Craft bag 

The next bag I wanted to make was this great Tote with 4 pockets. I thought it would make a useful craft bag. The design incorporates the  pockets with the outside of the bag from a series of folds and so no need to line up the pockets and sewing on the outside before putting the bag together. . Another great bag from Ae PooiM.  Having purchased some lovely end of rolls fabric on Ebay to recycle into useful bags, this 4 pocket Tote Bag was the perfect fit. 

I have added the link for the bag below.

https://youtu.be/Vsjj-Oie-iA

The beauty of this bag is the simplicity. The pockets and bag are made from one piece of fabric, with handles and the lining added. The sizes and pattern pieces from Ae PooiM are easy to make up. I made the first couple of bags as shown in the video, and then decided to adjust it a little as I wanted a little more room between the top of the pockets and the top of the bag. .Once I had a shape I really liked I set about making 5 more and this time I timed the make to see how long each bag took to make. If I wanted to sell the. Bags at a craft fair I needed to have a pricing structure based on cost of materials and time to make.

This size makes a perfect craft bag. The 4 pockets can hold the tools, with the main body of the bag taking the crafts. 

Here is the one I made earlier for my craft club trips.

Pockets have glues, gems, ribbons, ,dies, and glue gun

While the main body has the card,  pens, watercolours, scissors and general use items.

I love the fact that all these bags are made from reclaimed fabrics. They are end of rolls from fabrics used for soft furnishings. This means that every part of the roll has been used with no resources wasted.  

I have now made a few ready for my craft fair in August, and have put some  in my Etsy shop, as well as cutting out a few more ready to make. Next I have to consider a price. Whilst the fabric has been sourced at a great price, I still need to consider the fabric, sewing cotton, wear and tear of my machine (just serviced at a cost of £54, as well as the time taken to make the bag. This large bag requires a length of 52”, and the bag takes 1.5hrs to make. So I looked at other bags on Etsy and have come up with a price. £14.95. 

My next project will be the a smaller tote with no pockets and if there are any pieces off fabric left suitable to make a wallet bag I will add those as well to make a set of bags. With a bot of luck I will have a great collection of bags for future holidays. 

Happy Crafting

Dee.