More and more I find myself trying to come up with homemade gift ideas for birthdays and special occasions. Now that I'm getting more confidence in my sewing skills and willing to try new things, it's a little easier. I have a friend that knits and I really enjoy all the things she has made for me, so I know homemade stuff makes a great gift.
One of the teachers I've supported the last 2 years just had a milestone birthday so I decided to make her a tote bag. What girl doesn't like a good selection of bags?? I used beautiful batik fabrics - they make everything look richer and deeper with their wonderful colors and patterns. I followed a pattern from
AllPeopleQuilt.com.
I love having sewing gal pals to bounce ideas off of. Deanna helped me pick the fabric colors, and Dionne and Judi gave me the button closure idea. The pattern doesn't call for a closure so it had to be done after the fact. I made a skinny strip of fabric and since it couldn't be installed between the lining and bag without taking it apart, I tied the ends and put beads on so it would look like a decorative addition. I used 2 different colored beads because of the two tone log cabin. Since I haven't met a girl yet that doesn't like a little bling, I added the jewels along the bottom edge of the blue as well. I think it really finished the bag off and made a big difference in the final outcome.
I have a confession to make: every time I walked by the bag I couldn't help but admire it. It was probably the sparkles... they make everything better!
I was going to put homemade cookies in the bag, but ran out of time to bake them. I put my favorite historical fiction novel in, "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet". A friend from England said whenever they gift a bag or purse they always put a coin in for good luck. I found one from her birth year and added that too.
Happy Birthday Nicole!
~ Enjoy ~
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