Today my firstborn is 14. Happy birthday, sweet girl!

 

 

It’s appropriate that today’s Things are gift bags. They’re not for Martina, mind you. But still.

 

 

Using scraps left over from Martina’s summer pyjama set, I cut out 15 pairs of squares and rectangles in various sizes. Then I figured out an assembly-line method that cut down the time per bag to a few minutes.

 

I finished each one off with organza ribbon from the stash.

 

 

Martina used one for a gift for a friend who has a birthday tomorrow, but the rest are for our jewelry sale on Saturday. I spent a couple of hours making jewelry today, and now I have something pretty to wrap it all in.

 

Cost of these Things: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €292.22

Remember this? In July I posted Work-in-Progress reusable snack and sandwich bags.

 

 

I finished them before the vacation so I could take them along for a gift.

I started with the velcro sandwich bags. They were quick and easy.  I cut the fabric into squares, folded over the top edges and sewed the velcro over the raw edges. Then I sewed all the way around the sides and bottom, using a French seam to conceal the raw edges. These were done in under an hour, I think.

 

 

The zipped bags were a little trickier and I wasn’t really happy with the zipper insertion until the last one (third one down in this picture). Otherwise they’re good, though, and the perfect size for small snacks like goldfish and grapes.

 

 

I still had some of the fabric left so I made two more velcro bags, a bit smaller than the others, giving me a final total of ten snack and sandwich bags.

 

 

I gave all but the last two to my favourite family in California. I was going to use those for Martina’s and Esther’s snacks. Grand plans, indeed. They’re still in the closet. Anyone want a couple of snack bags?

 

Cost of these Things: €8.23 (fabric 5.88, zippers 2, velcro .35)
Cost of all Things to date: €287.97

Remember Martina’s Dementor transformation last week? She won first prize for best costume at her school party. Huzzah!

Halloween continued into November for us. On Saturday we met up with a group of friends for another night of trick-or-treating, this one organized by the expat community in Wassenaar. The night was unseasonably warm — I think it was the warmest November day on record.

Esther wore the Dementor costume and her friend, Catherine, continued the Harry Potter theme and went as Ginny Weasley.

Martina and her friend, Jessica, wore the poodle skirt outfits I made for them a couple of years ago. In keeping with the fifties vibe they renamed themselves Shirley Ann Tate and Alice Petunia Presley.

 

Everyone needs an alter ego.

 

Today’s Things are a set for my niece, Kelsey. She’s lived in Lithuania and London so I picked this travel stamp fabric from my stash for her.

 

 

The lining is from Martina’s blue Hollyburn skirt.

 

 

And of course I made a… *all together now* … tissue pouch.

 

 

The summer backlog is dwindling. I should be through blogging about it by the end of this week, which means I’ll actually need to produce something new.

 

Cost of these Things: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €279.74

 

 

 

My baby, my firstborn. Isn’t she precious?

Martina had a school party this evening, so Esther offered up her Dementor costume.

Esther wore Martina’s pumpkin costume that I made a couple of years ago (still love that hat!) and went trick-or-treating in the neighbourhood.

 

 

 

Every year we get a few stragglers at the door. This year a few ambitious families tried to organize Halloween in our area, sending out flyers asking families to stock up on candy and welcome trick-or-treaters at the door. As a result we had a record 14 kids. (This tradition may take a few more years to catch on…)

Now I have a big bowl of leftover mini KitKats and Twixes. Must. Not. Eat.

 

 

Let’s change the subject.

 

Today’s Things are another set, this one for my niece, Nicole.

 

 

I used the fabric from the box I made for Martina’s desk to make a flat bag and lined it with yellow cotton from an old shirt.

 

 

And yes, I made a tissue pouch to go with it.

 

 

Cost of these Things: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €279.74

 

Look who lives in our garden!

 

 

We’ve seen this guy out and about even in broad daylight, though the most action happens after the sun sets. We’ve also seen offspring, so we’re pretty sure there’s a whole family settled in. As an added bonus, the slug population has taken a beating. Hooray for hedgehogs!

In less prickly news, today’s Things, taken from the summer backlog, are a set I made for my niece, Christine.

I used the leftover purple flower fabric from Martina’s summer pyjama set to make a gusseted zipped bag. I think I may have interfaced the outer fabric since it’s so thin, but as Christine has since carried it off to New Zealand I can’t check for sure.

 

 

I lined it with the solid purple that exactly matched the zipper. (At some point I stocked up on zippers at the Haagse Markt and consequently seem to always have the right colour in stock.)

 

 

And of course I made a tissue pouch to go with it.

 

 

It’s what I do.

 

Cost of these Things: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €279.74

 

* Bonus hedgehog pic. You’re welcome.

 

 

 

 

Today’s Things, taken from the summer backlog, were made for my niece, Emily.

The fabric is left over from the great tissue pouch marathon. (The supply is endless. I will be making Things with this fabric until the end of time.)

I picked two sections of fabric with lots of crazy stuff going on and kept the bag simple and flat. The hot pink zipper and pink polka dot lining don’t do much to tone it down.

 

 

I whipped up a matching tissue pouch and this gift was ready to be packed.

 

 

 

Cost of these Things: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €279.74