Book Sleeve #2 ... for a specific purpose

 In the last post, I shared that I had made a book sleeve for a year-long spiral bound Bible study book.  After I finished it, I realized I could really use another one for another year long Bible study, this one for scripture writing.

This is the front, I made the pocket deeper than the previous one and didn't divide it into sections.

The color in the picture is not a good representation of the actual color.  This is the back.

The lining is of the same fabric as the pocket on the front.

Here are both book sleeves/Bible study bags side by side.  I'm very pleased with both!

I so enjoy stitching up things that I need or want including gifts for others.  Being able to customize items to my specifications keeps down the waste of buying things that don't fit or work for the purpose it was purchased.  I hate that, don't you?

That's it for this post, what are you stitching up and or creating?

mrs. patsi @ Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine

My other blogs:

A Working Pantry

From This Heart of Mine

Stitching up a Book Sleeve for a Specific Purpose!

 I have seen so many pretty book sleeves and have contemplated making one for quite some time, but I knew I would never use it for just keeping or carrying around books.

But it struck me one day as I was looking at my current spiral bound Bible study book that it was looking quite worn.  It's a yearlong study and as you might guess, gets quite a bit of wear.

This year's study is coming to an end in a few short weeks, and I decided that for the new study, available in a couple of weeks, that I wanted to make it its own book sleeve, to protect it over the next years use.

Here are the pieces cut out, with notes of what to do next.  

(Note the sticky note that says 'quilt?'  In the end I decided not to quilt it!)

Shown are the pieces for the ...

outside cover ...

lining ...

and pocket ...

Here's the completed book sleeve that I made to fit this spiral bound Bible study.  (By the way, this Bible study has been such a good one, I've learned so much!  Cindy Colley's Bible studies are deep and will put you deep in God's Word with every lesson ... but oh, the precious things that one can learn!  It's truly worth all the effort!)

(This is the study that a friend and I meet online once a week and do together.  We each answer the questions before class and then discuss our answers.  If you don't have a Bible study buddy, I encourage you to get one ... it adds to digging deep in God's Word!)

The inspiration for this book sleeve came from HERE.  I did some customizing of my own but followed her basic instructions.

I customized the pocket to hold the pens I use in this study ...

gray/black for my answers ...

blue for my Bible study buddy's comments that I want to add and remember ...

green for the large online study group that also does this study weekly on Facebook ...

and red for the podcast and dig-a-bits done by the author herself.  By the time we finish each month's study, we have a thorough understanding of the subject we've studied from several different points of view!

I can tell at a glance whose comment I'm reading just by looking at the ink!

By creating this book sleeve, I can protect the cover of the new study as well as keep everything I need to do the study all in one place.  That's a win, win situation for me as it keeps me from running around looking for all the components when it's time to work in the study!

That's it for this post, what are you stitching up and or creating?

mrs. patsi @ Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine

My other blogs:

A Working Pantry

From This Heart of Mine

Customizing a New 'Teaching the Bible/Bible Study' Bible Bag

 The Bible bag I have been using for years was a gift and I loved it but ... alas, I wore it out and it has long since been time to replace it.

Here's what I replaced it with and how I customized it ...

It started out as a plain canvas tote that I got at Hobby Lobby for $6.95.

My old worn-out Bible bag had my initials embroidered on it and I wanted to keep those, so I cut out a rectangle, added batting and a backing, stitched around the edges and then pinked them using pinking shears.  I then punched a hole in one corner of the rectangle and tied a piece of fabric through it.  Next, I took just a plain ole safety pin and pinned it on the bag.

For the inside, I wanted to add something to the bottom to give it some structure.

I measured the size I wanted and cut two pieces of heavy-duty cardboard according to the measurements.  I then took thick, strong rubber bands that came off purchased produce ... that I had saved ... and banded the two pieces of cardboard together.  Then I made a cover for the cardboard, slipped it in and viola ... I have a structured bottom for my bag.

Into my Bible bag I put 3 zip lock art project plastic storage bags. (These came from Hobby Lobby as well.)  I use 3 ... 

One for the Sunday morning ladies Bible class that I teach (all the materials needed for this class goes in this folder) ...

One for the Wednesday night teen class that I teach (all the materials needed for this class goes in this folder) ...

and one for transporting the church bulletin that I do each week to church without it getting crumpled.

Next in my Bible bag are my note-taking notebooks.  The one on the left is almost full and the one on the right will be its replacement.

Next, are my two zippered bags that carry all the small things that I use such as ...

highlighters,

thumb drives, 

sticky notes,

extra pens, etc

(The bag on the left is one I made and the one on the right was given to me.)

Everything except my Bible stays in my Bible bag from week to week but, since I use my Bible in my daily Bible studying, I don't add it to the bag until before we leave for church.

Do you notice the small key charm laying between the handles?  It's attached to a loop attached to the Bible cover.  It represents and serves as a reminder that Bible study is a key in our relationship to God.

Here it is loaded and ready for use.  There's also room for my laptop when I need it in teaching.

There you go, a new to me Bible bag that's functional, didn't break the bank to create and that I think is classically quite pretty!

That's it for this post, what are you stitching up and or creating?

mrs. patsi @ Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine

My other blogs:

A Working Pantry

From This Heart of Mine

Baby Blanket!

 The fabric for this blanket was given to me by a dear friend.  She had purchased yardage of it and had more than she needed.  She gave me enough to do a blanket as well.  Her daughter even cut the small slits in it needed to crochet the foundation stitch all the way around.  Yes, they are amazing dear friends!

When I saw the fabric, I knew I wanted the stars to be surrounded by puffy clouds.  So, I purchased a package of Bernat blanket yarn in the color white and set to work.  First came the foundation stitch and then a series of crocheted loops giving it a ruffly look all the way around.  (I used about half of the yarn package for the whole project.) It was super easy to do!

Once I got it finished, I decided it needed something in one of the corners and using the same yarn spelled out the word 'baby' and stitched it down with my sewing machine.  If you were making this for a specific baby, instead of spelling out the word 'baby,' you could use the baby's name or initials.

It really is so very cute, and I can't wait for the occasion to gift it as a baby gift.  In the meantime, it has been carefully bagged up and added to my gift trunk.

That's it for this post, what are you stitching up and or creating?

mrs. patsi @ Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine

My other blogs:

A Working Pantry

From This Heart of Mine

This is Not My Style nor My Size ...

 I saw this dress at a thrift store, looked at it, felt the fabric, examined it for stains, tears, etc and then walked away because, honestly, it's just not my style, nor was it my size.

But the fabric just kept 'calling' me back, so I went back, took another look at it and decided that there was enough fabric in it that I could make something 'spring/summer' with it.

After giving it much thought I considered making a blouse with it ... but here again honestly, the pattern was not flattering when I draped it across my shoulders.

But, since I still loved it, I decided to turn it into a skirt and choose a top/blouse in a more flattering color for me (such as a solid color of purple or beige) and utilize the 'fabric from the dress' that way.  The skirt turned out really well and was really simple to do ... cut off top of dress, stitch up a casing for the elastic, insert the elastic and stitch up the opening.  Done!

Off to my closet I went to see what I had that would work with this skirt and I found a beige dressy t-shirt that compliments the pattern in the fabric perfectly.  When I shop for clothing, I shop for classic basics that can be worn with lots of different things.  I want something a little different with the styling of this outfit so I'm going to play around with it for a little while.  When I decide upon a style I like, I'll post a picture of the outfit here.

As I've shared before, I like fashion, I always have, and I look forward to styling this skirt and top into a modest stylish outfit that I'll feel good wearing.

That's it for this post, what are you stitching up and or creating?

mrs. patsi @ Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine

My other blogs:

A Working Pantry

From This Heart of Mine

Repurposing Again!

 It started with this dress.  It was a cute dress, and I really like it, but its shoulders just didn't fit my shoulders right and it bugged me, making wearing it an unpleasant experience!

Have you ever had a piece of clothing that just bugged you when you wore it?

So, I cut it off and made a skirt out of it!  

The remaining top part, I took apart and added to my 'fabric pantry!'

And voila ... I added a t-shirt blouse and turned it into a summer outfit.  This morning, I wore the skirt and t-shirt down, without the embellishment, with a denim jacket and short boots.  It made a cute outfit that worked well for the morning cooler temperatures ... I'm filing this under transitioning our wardrobes from one season to the next!

Update:  a reader asked about what I used to hold the edge of the t-shirt up with, here's a closeup picture.  It's a 'charm' pin that I got at a craft store quite some time ago.

The pin is heavy duty and does the job of holding up the t-shirt with ease.

I've had little time for sewing this week, but I did manage to sneak in this small repurposing project!  

Don't throw it away, give it away or make a rag out of it until you try to repurpose it into something more useful!

That's it for this post, what are you stitching up and or creating?

mrs. patsi @ Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine

My other blogs:

A Working Pantry

From This Heart of Mine

Drawstring Bag Tutorial

If you read my last post, you will know that I needed to make 20 drawstring bags this week for an upcoming event.  After creating the pattern and making a couple of mock-ups to get the measurements right for the size I needed, I made a schedule for getting them done in the time frame I was working with.

One day I did all the cutting and clipped together the body pieces readying them for sewing, which was Tuesday's task.  The 'body' should measure 12 x 12.5, with the fold at the bottom and the clips on the side.

For each bag, I cut:

one 12 x 25-inch rectangle for the body (If fabric is directional, take this into consideration when cutting.)  

in addition, for each bag I cut ...

one 2.5 x 23-inch strip for the facing (I folded this piece in half making it 1.25 x 23 and pressed it.)

one 5.5 x 11-inch rectangle for the loops (I turned under a quarter inch on both sides and stitched it down.  Then cut each in half into a 2.25 x 11-inch piece.  That piece then got folded in half and pressed with the finished piece measuring approximately 1.12 x 11) Each bag needs two of these pieces which will be the loops.

The next day I stitched up the body pieces using French seams.

I clipped the 'loop' pieces to each side of the bags (front and back)

Next, I fit the facing piece to the size of the bag opening, stitched the facing closed making a circle and then clipped it on over the loop pieces.

I stitched it all down, turned it, top stitched it and pressed it all.

For the last step I ran the cording through creating a 'draw string' for each bag.

I loved the way these turned out and can't wait to show you how they will be used for an upcoming event.

These make up really fast and once I got the design down and the kinks worked out, I speed through the sewing process.  This is definitely a method that I will use over and over, in fact, I think I will make up several to go in my gift trunk for gift giving purposes.

What's next in my sewing world?  Well, it's time to get the summer wardrobe out, see what I have, what I can restyle if I didn't wear it last summer and what I need to add.

What are you stitching up and or creating?

mrs. patsi @ Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine

My other blogs:

A Working Pantry

From This Heart of Mine