Sunday, October 30, 2011

Oh my! What have I done?

Oh, my goodness...what came over me? Whatever possessed me? Did I really just do this.....



bought one of these.....




Yup, I surely did! (Sorry, I should have warned you to sit down before giving you such a shock.) Yes, the woman who professes to hate sharp needles and claims she can't sew, finally broke down and bought herself an early Christmas gift! It seemed a good idea at the time! (I blame all my fellow bloggers who can create the most amazing things using these scary contraptions...you know who you are.) As I stood there in the store pretending that I knew what I was looking at, reading all the boxes as if I were making an educated choice as to which machine would serve my purpose best, I was just hoping and praying that no-one would ask my advice (or even ask anything!) as then my whole pretense of being a knowledgeable shopper would come crashing down!

So I came rushing home with all these wonderful ideas in my head of what I would be able to whip up with  my new toy. I could make Christmas ornaments, cushion covers, heck I could even start quilting...the sky's the limit, there's no stopping me now! So I get home, open the box, gasp at the thickness of the instruction manual, but undaunted charge on....I will conquer this...and then I realized....I'd  forgotten  to buy some thread! Duh!

So, after a second trip to the store this is what I made...


Ok, so a drawstring bag isn't exactly heirloom quilting but it's a start!
So let me tell you about these little bags...they are from Santa. So have you been naughty or nice? If you have been naughty, then you know that Santa will bring you a bag of coal. How many times have you threatened that (or been threatened with that!)? I know I have used that threat many a time! So now you can actually follow through with that threat! Bags of coal from Santa! Don't worry though, you're not going to break anyone's heart or have to pay for years of therapy because you scarred someone for life....these bags are filled with candy! Can you imagine these little bags under your Christmas tree or in someone's Christmas stocking?Wouldn't they make awesome classroom gifts or party favors? Even adults would chuckle at these little gifts. They make great inexpensive and fun gifts for co-workers too. Why should the kids have all the fun?!!

Here's a closer look at each of the bags and the designs. The first one is for those people who hate sewing, you can stitch up the design and cut it to size and attach it to a pre-made felt bag that you can buy from most stores.


I used some little red buttons to attach the stitching. I thought it made the whole thing pop!

Then using my new toy I whipped up some drawstring bags. Actually it was more like aerobics as I had to keep jumping up from the sewing machine and dash through to the computer to follow the instructions that I had googled!

The first one, from the North Pole Coal Company, has a string on the outside...


The last one, from the Santa Claus Coal company, is a basic drawstring bag...


The charts for the designs for Santa's bag of coal can be found here  under the Christmas section, and the instruction for making the bag will be under the 'Project of the Month' (that's still on my to-do list!)

Anyway, aren't they adorable? And can you guess what my kids are getting for Christmas?  lol

Until next time...happy stitching!

Rhona

15 comments:

cucki said...

i love you your new friendly toy..enjoy it and the bags are so lovely..i love them soooooooooo much..
have a lovely sunday and happy sewing xxx

Fiona said...

Love these designs!!! Ordered them a couple of days ago and I'm just about to start stitching, I'll send you a piccy when it's done!!!

Rhona said...

Thank you Fiona, can't wait to see them!

L.O. said...

I love your new toy. Bet you come up with even more cute things now. And your bags are adorable. Great job!

Gillie said...

Oh get away with you! Hates needles? Nonsense, those are wonderful, great job!

Ana Luisa said...

Oh, aren't those sweet! Well done!
Oh, my, you have one of those fancy digital sewing machines. ;)
I have just a basic straight and zig-zag stitch. LOL!

CalamityJr said...

Looks like you and your new friend hit it off from the start! Enjoy many more great projects!

Mouse said...

hahahahah.. have just picked myself up off the floor and gone really ??? she has an all ..lol ... ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo that is a wee beasty of a machine with oooodles of stitches and you've jumped straight into the deep end with that one ..lol but oooohhhh my can I come and have a play pleaseeeeeeeeeeee :)
ps don't believe you haven't used one before .. love mouse xxxxxxx

Lynn said...

My DH suggested the same thing for me for Christmas but I'm not sure I'm ready yet. That instruction manual scared me away!

Poppypatchwork said...

I love my machine but I don't use half of it, have fun playing and be brave with it.

Caitlin @ Naughts Cross Stitches said...

Machines are great. You would be really scared away by mine its got a computer in it and everything!

I'm looking forward to getting it out to make mini cushions soon.

Helen Philipps said...

Your little bags are lovely, and perfect to fill with festive treats! Enjoy your new machine, Rhona! Have a happy week.
Helen x

Anne said...

Oh Rhona! These are soooo adorable!! Yay for getting a sewing machine! You have inspired me to use mine more often and I'm going to make a stocking for my husband. Where did you get the tutorial for the drawstring bag, the first one? I have a tutorial for the one on the bottom but not the top. I made some of those in high school but can't remember for the life of me how to do it!!

Wonderful bags :D

Hugs!!

Unknown said...

Congratulations on taking the leap. You won't regret it.

I love those santa bags. I wish I had time to stitch one. LOL

Erica said...

I love your bags!
They are so cute, but they look very professional too!
I think you are well on your way to being a master seamstress!