Thursday, October 2, 2008

oilcloth lunch bags

So, I got some oilcloth from Mendels.com to make lunch bags with.  I found too many cute patterns and ended up buying a bit more than I needed.  When the package came, Asha saw me admiring the cute cloth and had a great idea.  Why not make 10 more!  Give them away as part of the party favors at her birthday party!  "Oh, sure, what a cute idea!" I thought, but then had to think through before responding.  It was going to be at least four hours of my precious time.  Five if I put velcro on.  Is it worth it?"  


In the past, Asha has managed to put many things on my sewing list that I didn't enjoy doing.  Some of the worst ones include setting sleeves in Barbie's wedding dress to make it more modest, mending rips in princess dresses, and making a padded cover for her chin-up bar so her tummy wouldn't hurt when she practiced gymnastics moves on it.

I decided the lunch bags would still be a fun project to do.  I followed this tutorial, but also added the overstitch on the bottom sides.  They turned out really cute, and I love the patchwork one I made with leftovers.  


Quinn, now almost 11 months, took two steps.  The shutter speed on my camera is too slow to capture the walk, but you get the idea from the picture.  Scott is wearing Jerome's sunglasses to motivate him to "stay up".   

19 comments:

Danae said...

Marie -
You are amazing and so creative. I love seeing everything you do and it is so fun to see your sweet children:)
Danae

gillian said...

Cool bags! I didn't realize that sunglasses could be a motivator for babies. I'll have to wear sunglasses while Petey eats to motivate him to be a better nurser.

adrianne said...

Totally cute bags. Asha is right though... great idea for the party bags. She's event planning at such a young age!

On a side note: Hannah asked if her gymnastics class was going to be in the pool today and if Asha wears a leotard like hers.

Marie' said...

Danae,
It is all thanks to the blog world. I get great ideas all over.

Gillian,
That would be funny... to see you nursing in sun glasses.

Adrianne,
Today Asha was planning games and cake. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. Sigh.

Allison said...

Those bags are so cute! The only bad thing about making them for party favors is that you have to wonder if the kids will appreciate that special time you put into making them. Asha is a real sweetheart. I thought it was really cute at pack meeting when they needed to find a partner for the games and she went right up and grabbed Hans' hand. They made a perfect pair for the wheelbarrow race--both light and agile.

Melissa said...

What darling little bags! There is no end to your talent. I love Asha's projects. If Nicky had a Mom like you, she'd be so excited. She has plenty of doll clothes that need alterations.

Anonymous said...

こんな写真入りの説明があるなんていいね!Amy Butlerの小物作りの本を買ったけど、文字ばっかりで…。

Meredith said...

Thanks for another inspiring project! Where do you buy most of your fabric? I have to know.

Marie' said...

Allison,
True about the possibility of kids not appreciating them. I guess I would feel sad if the girls went home and just chucked the bags. Asha saves and remembers every little thing people give her, but I do need to remember that not all girls are like that.

Melissa,
Doll clothes are the worst because they are so small. I have bought a Barbie clothes pattern book in Japan a while ago. I wish I had made the clothes BEFORE I had kids. There is no way I am doing that now.

カローラちゃん
確かに文字が多いよね。編み物の本もそうでしょう。
編み物大好きだけど文字が解読できなくてこっちの本はまだ挑戦してないの。スコットのセーターなんかはこっちのパターンで作れるとサイズもいいんだけど。

Meredith,
Most of the designer quilting fabric comes from Z and S. The best price I can find. Watch for the 10% off sale. The shipping time is about a week if not longer.
http://www.zandsfabrics.com/

I have also bought from the following two. Great customer service and fast delivery.
http://www.ciaspalette.com/index.html
http://www.thefatquartershop.com/

For high end European and Japanese fabric, I go to one of these three. The fabric Fairy has cute knits for children's clothes.
http://thefabricfairy.com/
http://www.superbuzzy.com/
http://www.reprodepot.com/

I have just bought from Pink Chalk Studio shop for the first time. Great selection on Kona Cotton solids and fat quarter packs.
http://www.pinkchalkfabrics.com/

Mommymita said...

I can't keep up - I'm still working on library book bags. Now you've got me wanting to try these!

I don't think any mom in her right mind would junk these bags - I'm a huge dejunker and I would not only keep them but put them to good use.

What is the care on the bags anyways? Are they jam proof?

I also can't wait to see what you will accomplish this conference weekend

Marie' said...

Alison,
The oilcloth I bought is pretty much plastic covered fabric (not the real oil cloth), so you just have to rinse it off with warm water, or wipe it off with dish cloth. Jerome has lost his first three lunch bags in the first three months of first grade. Thank goodness they were store bought, but it sure makes me nervous to go back from paper sacks to one of these. I will post the boy version in the next post, but it has a wood grain pattern.

I don't know about this weekend. Scott is in Texas for a week, and I am trying really hard to keep things simple. I even went to bed at ten last night.

Meredith said...

Thanks Marie! I'm always looking for better places to buy fabric.

yurika said...

なにこれ超可愛い~!!
私にも作って下さいm( _ _ )m

大丈夫!ポイッ、とかしませんから!

Keiko said...

まりえちゃん!やっぱり、すごい!カイくんの長袖レイヤーのアイディアから、このランチバックまで。ランチバック、フィオナに作ったら喜ぶだろうな〜。

Marie' said...

ゆりかちゃま
かわいいでしょう!
厚手のテーブルクロスみたいなビニールの生地なんだけど
とってもかわいいのよ。ちょっとサンドイッチとフルーツなんていうランチにはぴったり。

敬子ちゃん
絶対に喜ぶと思うよ。ちなみに0.5ヤードで2こ作れるの。

1384 n said...

I love seeing your projects. I remember when I came to your house and you showed me the first quilt you made. I was so astonished because your first quilt had more detail than my 50th. I will never forget it either. It was so pretty and the little matching one for Asha's dolls was priceless!

Marie' said...

Janene,
So nice of you to say. You made my day! Scott has been gone since Wednesday on a week long business trip, and I am feeling fat from lack of exercise and bad food, and I haven't even touched the sewing stuff.

Golden Girl said...

Marié;

Cute, cute lunch bags! Thanks for sharing!

Doré Jolley

Marie' said...

Hi Dore',
Thank you for dropping me a line! I tried to go to your blog but was not successful. Is it private?