more bags

More bags, more hours of sewing.

a quick peek inside the bags shows cute little pockets tied with ribbon.. of course this idea was dreamt up when I ran out of zippers but still wanted to provide a little coupon/goodie pouch.

Of course I'm saving these two for me :) Had this been an official stitch gift I would have felt morally obliged to give Sara to match her birthday bag.. sorry Sara, but I love the fabric too! :~j

I've got a little more fabric, so we'll see if I'm still inspired in 2009.

presents

Sometimes Christmas on a budget can be nice, for those on the receiving end especially. I enjoyed picking out these fabrics from my stash and creating the pattern using my Trader Joe's bags as a reference.

I used to be a part of a group of very creative women and we'd exchange presents each year along with a fabulous coordinated potluck dinner where the ground rules dictated that we spend only $6 or less on our gifts to each other; there once being 13 in our group! These were my favorite Christmases and gifts. I'd come home with 8 to 12 handmade gifts made especially for me. We'd each spend hours deciding what to make, often contemplating prototypes, then sometimes choosing colors specifically for each friend.

Alas, our group has fallen a part and though we all stay in touch, we don't celebrate like we used to. Note these photos were excitedly published prior to any ironing. These are round bags with 4 panel sides.

My cost?
Fabric: Free (paid long ago and hopefully on sale)
Zippers: $2.30 each
Handle cording: $0.80/yard I think.. each bag: $0.30

Bag costs:
$ 2.60 -my bank account cost this Christmas
$18.60 -had I purchased fabric & thread also
$ 1.99 -Trader Joe bag sale price
$ 1.49 -local grocery store reusable bag sale price

Fabricating tips:

• Create pattern with newspaper for size desired

• Use different color threads to match fabrics as desired. (note I didn't swap out my threads going for that rough hewn look.. but if your recipient wishes to use the bag for more than groceries, you might consider this.

• Use as many panels around the bag as desired.. the more the merrier. Note that my original Trader Joe's bag had two.

• Adjust circular bottom for final bag/tube shape when pinning

• Sew the handle cording right with the fabric handle tube to save time. Granted it won't look as pretty, but remember.. this is a grocery bag.

• Line the bag if you're so inclined, especially if recipient will use for alternative uses.

lake effect

Air temps 35 degrees less than the lake temperature = water vapor escaping into the air

Water vapor escaping in the air = lake effect snow

lake effect snow =

Merry Christmas!

or as they say in France, 'Mer-rie Krist-mous'!

almost a new house

You know how you know you should do the 'right thing' yet you are tempted to do exactly the 'wrong' thing? No, me neither. Yet as I talked with my insurance company, over and over again it became obvious that doing the 'wrong' thing would actually work in my benefit. Seriously, I need a new roof. I'd like a new kitchen, I could use a 2nd stall in my garage. and frankly I'd save a boatload in heating costs if my residence had to be temporarily moved to a hotel while my house was repaired. What the heck am I talking about? Let me recap with data:

$1,000.00 - my out of pocket cost to remove a split tree limb

$40,000.00 - minimum cost to rebuild shattered home structure, replace roof, kitchen, and other details destroyed from multiple heavy tree limbs falling on the house due to crack at base of branch. Cost may or may not include hotel stay due to not being able to inhabitant the house after incident and during the reconstruction.

$500.00 - my out of pocket cost for such a calamity as the above would be covered by my house insurance.

Of course being a good citizen, I removed the limb. Financially it would have been better for me to just let it fall. Why does it have to be this way?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!