scripture totes

I finished this a couple weeks ago - just in time to give to Kate for her baptism. (and by "on time" I mean I finished it at 1:00pm in time to go to her baptism at 2:00pm)


These may seem like not the typical "girl" colors - but Kate loves 'cheetah' prints. If it's cheetah - it belongs to her. :) I had some misgivings while sewing it. I almost scrapped the entire thing and started over with some blue fabric ... but Kate loves it. And her smile eliminated all the doubts.

The bag is lined, has a pocket inside, and is big enough to hold a composition note book, scriptures, a couple pens/pencils, and gum. Perfect for an eight year old to carry to church.

The pattern - uh. The dimensions are taken off of Kate's older sister's bag. I put fabric on the handles like the ikatbag tote. I played with the section sizes until I liked the proportions. The font is just one I liked. (So far, each bag has had it's own font.) I need to write down all of the dimensions here - but I keep forgetting to look them up. Maybe later.

I've made two other bags - one as a birthday present for a niece. The next as a Christmas present because a younger brother needed a bag for church too.

Plarn?

Question: What do you do with plastic bags? Answer: Use them to make another bag.

I've been wanting to make a "plarn" bag for a while, but I was intimidated by them. Luckily my sister found a great tutorial on etsy (here) and I knew I had to make one. Bags were collected, folded neatly, carefully cut in 1" increments (yes, I used a ruler), loops connected, how to make a center pull ball was looked up, and a ball of plastic yarn (plarn) was created.

(Check out the cradle! Isn't it the coolest. Dad made it and Mom painted the flowers and the "brand" on it.. Plus I love the doll.)

It's coming along really fast. I'm using a smaller crochet hook than they recommended. (I think it's an "I".) I have a tendency to crochet tightly so I was a little worried that I would make it so tight I couldn't stitch it, but the plastic has just enough give to it that it hasn't been a problem. It's a lot of fun to work on. I took it to book club when it was about 4" tall (I watched "The Blind Side".) and after book club here is what it looked like. I also used this pattern for the increases on the bottom that created the "curves".I think it is also helps form the "base".



I think I want it another couple inches and then I'll start working on the handles. The only problem - I'm out of bags. Time for another grocery trip.