The Awesome Bike Bag

Such an original title, don't you agree? 

And an awesome name for the bag tutorial.

So creative.

Just like the pattern for the bag.

;)

Right. The bag is very basic, but it gives me something pretty and sewing related to blog about. And maybe something to encourage you to sew your own.

You will need (estimated, based
- 1/2 yard of the main fabric
- 1/4 yard of the contrasting fabric
- Safety pin
- Scissors
- A seam ripper, just in case
And a sewing machine seems to help. ;-)

First, I cut a long rectangle and folded it in half. That way I didn't have to sew a bottom.
Then I cut the straps and the casing for the straps to go through, both of with were extremely long rectangles. There were only two straps, and each one was long enough for a whole side, the top, and some room to spare, so that I could actually use the bag as a drawstring backpack.

I started on the straps first.
I took each super long rectangle, folded and pinned it in half, and sewed the bottom and the side of each one. 

Just to be clear, you sew each piece with the right sides (the brighter side of the fabric) facing each other, and you back-stitch every time you begin and end a seam.

(like this, leaving only one short end open)

After sewing those, I had to turn them right side out.

That is a slightly frustrating process, even when the pieces are plenty wide enough to do it with. If you want, I'll show you how I do sometime.

For now, I'll introduce you to my best buddies - Mr. Spoon and Lady Pencil.

I don't know how I would do things without them.

Basically, I pull the short end that was sewed shut over the end of the spoon, or pencil, depending on the length of the item I am working with, and then scrunch the rest of the fabric down and over until the sewn end pops free through the open end.

Like I said, I'd be happy to do a picture tutorial for ya.

Just ask. =)

Then we wind up with a coil of good stuff that needs to be ironed flat (and even, so don't let it stay scrunched up!)

Then I moved onto the bag itself.

I decided it needed a pocket, so I grabbed my fabric and cut a perfect sized rectangle (adding in seam allowances) and sewed it onto the front of the bag.

I "hemmed" the top of the pocket first.
Then I zig-zag stitched the remaining three sides.

Next, I sewed the bottom of the pocket onto the bag (I laid it upside down, so that when I flipped it up, no seam was showing). But I didn't just lay it there and sew it. I folded over the long sides first. You'll understand why with the next step. =)

Finally, I flipped the pocket up, and pinned the sides in place, finishing the folding of the sides as I went. Of course, after pinning, I sewed down each long side, remembering to back stitch.

And then came the last major step.
The one I wasn't sure was going to turn out the way I thought.
And it didn't.
So I had to re-work it.
And I did.
Even now, I would go back and change a step.
That being said, my bag is done, and the pictures are taken.
So while I'll tell you what I should have done, you won't have any visual aide.
Hopefully you'll understand anyway.
And if you don't, please let me know. I can always come back and edit this post; plus, I will be making more of these bags for friends and family, so I can take pictures of things that you don't understand when I am doing those. This being my first tutorial and all, I'm afraid that I'm far from professional about it, and I am probably very confusing. I will need your help to get better! So thanks ahead of time for being such awesome blog follower peoples!♥!
Remember the first photo, the one that I showed my pieces cut out, and folded up altogether? Minus the "extra" pocket? Yeah, that picture. Ok, notice the rectangle pieces in the upper left? Well those are for the casing, so that this bag can be a drawstring bag.
FYI, the casing strips were each the same width as the top of the bag. (That's a bad idea - you will need to add about 1/2" to the width.) And double the height plus 3/4" of however wide the finished straps are. I do not have exact measurements. Sorry!
After zig-zagging/finishing the edges, do not do what I did.
See this?
This is my mistake.
Or one of them, anyway.

I immediately started to sew the casing and bag together, right sides facing each other.
But I want you to rise above, and conquer!
Haha.
Ahem.
Well, uhm, anyway . . .
Take my advice, and turn over just a tiny bit of first short end, and sew it down. Repeat on the other end.
And don't skip it! I'll point out why in later photos.
NOW you may sew the casing and bag together, right sides facing each other.
Once you have done this to both the front, and the back, it's time to sew the sides!
Now this is a little tricky, because part of it, I don't have a picture of.
But I believe in you. You can do it!
1. Find the straps.
2. Congratulations! You've done the hardest part already - I can never find anything when I need to, lol.
3. Fold the bag inside out. You know, so that the right sides are facing each other. At the very bottom corner, you need to put one end of BOTH straps a little bit through the side. Think of it like a super duper short tail. Out the side of your new bike bag. Yeah, it seems a little weird to me, too. Don't worry, it won't stay for long. Now pin them in place. You should have a fair amount of straps dangling out one side, and a prickly line of pins on the other.
4. You have my permission to sew. But only up the beginning of the casing! I know this photo shows the stitching through the casing as well, but trust me, you don't want to do that. Or you'll be doing what I was doing - ripping out the seam and fixing it. Remember to back stitch!
5. Repeat on the other side. However, do NOT sew the straps into the other bottom corner. Instead, leave about an inch of open space there: enough so that you can play peek-a-boo with your finger, and wiggle it around. This is very important!

 This is how the casing should be...except for the fact that you should have finished edges. I did not.

Keep your bag inside out.
Here's where we fold down the edge of the casing 1/4", and then fold it in half, and pin.
(Like so)

Being careful to not sew the other side while you're at it, sew along the very bottom edge.
It should look like this.

If you have done this to both sides, you may now turn the bag right-side out.
Grab a safety pin, run it through the other end of ONE of the straps (hopefully you picked the one closest to you/that made the most sense, so that the straps don't twist), and thread it through the side of the casing also closest too you, or the side that will make sure that the straps don't twist.
Do this with the other strap, with the other casing, being careful not to let the strap twist while inside the casing.
You should have two successfully 'threaded' straps, and one convenient little hole available...
See those raw edges of mine? Tsk tsk tsk.

Find out the best way for you (this took me several finger pricks and even more frustrated sighs), but what you need to do now is pin those straps into that space that you left a few steps ago, and sew them in from the INSIDE. Yep, you have to turn it inside out again.
I think it's like extreme yoga for fabric and pins. And somehow these poor, innocent fingers get mangled in the process. Not very nice.
Oh, whatever you do, don't get blood on your bag. That would be bad.
But GUESS WHAT?!?
After that, you're done!!!

Yay! I managed to finally complete my first tutorial!
It's far from perfect. But hopefully this will prove helpful when you make yours.

Oh, and about the Watermelon Splash set? I tried to list it today, but something went wrong, so I had to deactivate it. I'll try again tomorrow. =)


Love y'all!
~Paige

Tutorial Tuesday {Hopefully the 1st of Many}

SURPRISE!

I told you last time I posted that I had a surprise for this week...

were you surprised?!?

So the week before we left for camp, I decided that the backpack that I was using to carry my lunch and schtuffs to work and back, since I bike in and out, was not doing a great job of being functional and painless.

It was too bulky, and since it was big...I kinda always managed to fill it to the brim, adding 20-30 lbs. to my weight.

I weighed it. I should know.

I was hurting a lot.

And I couldn't seem to only fill it part way. 

EVER.

And it wasn't very pretty.

Seemed like enough grounds to make a pretty new one to me!!!

So I did. 

=D

I even took pictures of almost every step so that I could show you!

I have been at work all day; I came home and finished working on and uploading camp pictures; and now I have to rush to give you a tutorial. 

Hopefully this will turn out well. 

Tomorrow.

=)

I couldn't very well label the post 'Tutorial Tuesday' on Wednesday, now could I? So I had to do that today.

But I can't do the actual tutorial tonight, because I only have half the pictures ready, none of the explanations, and no time left to my computer time.

So I'll post the belated TT tomorrow.

Okie dokie?

See ya then!

I'll give you something to look forward to, and call it a night.

God Bless!!!

~Paige

Brave

Howdy y'all

So I know it's Paige's week, but I didn't get to posting this last week.

Just wanna let ya in on what Paige and I did last Thursday

 

So last Thursday Paige and I with some of our friends went and saw the movie Brave.

 

I l♥ved it!!!!

 

Warning: if you haven't seen it then don't read the rest of this

 

 

I have to say the mom turning into a bear was priceless to watch. It was hilarious.

And the three little brothers just made my day.

 

My favorite part of the movie has to be when the three little boys were scaring the maid.

 

The movie itself had a good message in it.

 

Family is important. A family that sticks together is stronger together.

If you are going through a tough time with a family member or even a friend, pray about it. Don't just let it get ignored and think that it isn't important.Your family and your friends need to know that you are there for them, and you need to know the same thing about them. Believe me life is so much easier when you have them by your side.

Don't let the argument or the situation just go on and on. Strive to fix it.

So whether you are going through an argument or a misunderstanding or whatever, I have some words of advice

 

Realize when you are wrong. Saying you are sorry is a good step to fixing the relationship.

Forgive. Hatred and Bitterness will never fix things. They will just build up in your heart and then maybe make you do something you will regret later.

Pray. Let God know what you are going through and then let Him fix it. Don't just give the problem to Him and then take it back later. Completely surrender it to Him.

 

Have a great rest of the week and God bless

~Elisa

 



Prayer

Haha YES!!!!! Paige only got to one blog post last week. That means I won't feel so bad if I only get to one...not that I'm planning on that of course ;)

Two jobs sure does make your life hectic...yep that's my excuse. I'm also sick, but I think that excuse sounds better...

OH! I just wanted to let you guys in on a little secret...wait for it...this might surprise you a little...I'm not the most organized person in the world!!
Yep I know, I shocked all of you...even Paige {yes I can see her rolling her eyes, maybe holding onto her sides cause they hurt so much from laughing at me...she does that ya know}

My post is going to be short and sweet today {just like me :D}

Prayer

It's a super powerful thing.

Sometimes you may not even realize how powerful prayer is.

I didn't.

 

Has anyone ever felt like God may not care about the small things in your life? Like your day to day activities?

Well I have.

 

At camp two weeks ago {man time flies...literally...just throw a clock out the window...yes I know super bad joke, but hey it's me...I'm friends with Paige, what else can you expect? lol} my counselor told me that if I just wanted to see God in my life to be very specific in my prayers. I liked that. It reminded me of Gideon in the Bible.

 

So what to be specific with God about? I couldn't think of anything for a week.

Then this past Sunday happened...

 

Every year my youth group goes to Great Escape (for those that don't know, it's an amusement park owned by Six Flags). It's sort of like an end of the summer activity. To some of you it may not seem like that big of a deal. It is to me though. I look forward to it every year. My cousins come down, and we just have alot of fun hanging out.

 

My best friend tells me Sunday that he can't make it...instant stomach ache. I could see he was not happy about it either. He was looking forward to it just as much as I was. He told me it was practically impossible for him to go.

Well I knew that God worked with the impossible, so I told him that I would pray about it, and pray I did.

 

 

Now did God care about my little youth activity? Surely not...it's not that big of a deal. Maybe it's too selfish of a prayer anyways...

These were the thoughts that were going through my head as I prayed.

 

Well then a story about George Muller came into my head. It's the one about the little girl who came to him and asked for him to pray with her about a present she wanted. She wanted rainbow, colored yarn. Mr. Muller prayed with her, and the next day she got exactly what she wanted.

 

Still...could I?

 

I then went down on my knees and begged God to please show me that He does care about my little, every day life. Please let my friend be able to go. Please show me that you are listening to me.

Then I wanted to get a little more specific. Could God answer my request that day?

I hesitantly asked Him if He could please give me an answer that day. Then I also said that if it couldn't happen it would still be okay.

 

 

Two hours later, my friend texted me and said he could go.

 

wow

 

Yeah it's not that big of a prayer...it's just an amusement park.

Yet, it showed me that God is listening to me. He does care about the small prayers. He does care about my youth activities and my every day life.

 

 

 

It's the same with you. God does listen to every prayer. Here are His answers:

• Yes
• Yes but you need to be patient for it
• No

 

The answer may not always be what you want. However, His answer is the very best.

If we could know what God's will was for our life, for every single day, we would want it also.

 

My favorite verse:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that l♥ve God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

 

Keep praying and believing!

 

Have a great week and God bless!!

~Elisa

 

 

Bad Blogger - Yep, That's Me!

Oh my.

I have been such a bad blogger this week.

Sigh.

Not that I'm trying to make excuses or anything {rolls eyes}, but I HAVE been sick. 

Today I can finally start to think coherently.

I didn't think you wanted to read blog posts about the woes of allergies, post nasal drip, phlegmy coughs, short attention spans, the inability to think straight, almost passing out at work, and purple polka dotted monkeys laying eggs on a bicycle.

Aren't you glad I saved you from all of that?

Even if it deprived you from my pure awesomeness and wit?

Even if it stopped me from properly photographing the Phoenix Dress?

Even if it meant that I didn't share something delicious, or new photos?

And even if it meant that I have to save a surprise for a little while longer?

. . .

Nah, you didn't really miss out on all of that. Once I realized that I was sick on the way back from camp, I already mentally canceled all those things. But you did miss all the lovely stuff I described above....about woes and monkeys.

I feel sorry for you.

Really I do.

How many people do you know who have gone through a week of being sick and were blessed enough to spot a purple polka dotted monkey? 

You missed out, and for that I am ever so sorry.

You can tell I'm feeling better, just by reading my arrogant post. Isn't it great to be yourself? I'm so glad I'm back to 'normal'. Or close to it, anyways.

Despite all the negatives this week (and I struggle to see past those, most of the time), I did manage to find little bits of sunshine.

For instance, I found 

7

baby watermelon in our garden on Monday.

Today, there are more, and one of them has gotten fist sized already! From thumb to fist in almost a whole week is wicked awesome, in my ever so humble opinion!!!

And there are more of them, too. =)

We harvested some tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and broccoli.

I started working on a simple but cheerful outfit for our 14" crowd.

I finished planning our fall line, and drew them out.

I made piles of fabric to go with each outfit.

I just ordered two new patterns to use.

I am feeling better.

The sun is shining.

Ice cream.

No, that wasn't in order.

Right now I'm on the wrong computer to upload pics of camp, or of the garden, so I'll save those for my week.

Elisa is up next blogging, and I hope that she will put me to shame by her posting consistency. (Since I am technically blogging during her week by blogging today, I skipped my week entirely....naughty me. I did plan to blog though; I was sicker than I thought).

I've missed you guys!

OH, one other thing - when we opened our Etsy shop back up, we updated our policies. We might make a few more changes to them before Christmas time, too. Just be aware that if you thought you knew our policies, you might want to check again. =) Especially before ordering.

While I'm forgetting things, I suppose that I should avoid forgetting about my lunch, again. It's almost suppertime, and my sandwich is lonely. =(

Thanks for your attention - I didn't do so well. Too many squirrels.

~Paige

Camp♥

Hey blogger fans!

I'm am sooooooo sorry for not blogging more this week. Life got busier than I expected.

Monday Paige and I will be heading off for New Hampshire..."Why there?" You may ask. Well there is where we go to teen camp located in Deering, New Hampshire at the Wilds of New England.

It is a fantastic place, filled with games, laughter, smiles, sunburns, awesome food, lack of sleep, swimming, counselors that are there for you, great sermons and classes.

I will be sure to tell you all about it. I know Paige will have her own version of the story ;)

Here's some pics of us from last year:

Enjoy!

Some of Paige's photos they will be soften around her...no I'm not trying to highlight Paige (though she probably thinks I'm trying to shine a spotlight on her :D ). I do not have permission from the other people in the photos to show their faces, so I'm giving them their privacy.

This is Paige's endearing look...or why do I put up with you? look

Yes it's a sombrero...and yes I look fantastic in them :D

UNO!

I l♥ve tire swings!

hehehe she's going to hate me for this one :D :D

enjoying camp...extremely!

She's rocking those shades

 Have a great week! God bless!!

~Elisa♥

It's Here!

It's here.

Just as we hoped

it would be 

-

finally, 

a new listing

in our Etsy shop!!!

=D

Yeah, it's only the end of the summer, and we are finally getting around to listing the 3rd and final piece to our Summer Line 2012.

At least it's out. 

And just in time, too. Next week we're at CAMP!!!

Obviously, that means no listings next week.

And that also means no work.

And no laundry.

And no weeding.

On the flip side, that also means

no family,

no electronics,

no privacy (most of the time),

and 

very little air conditioning/heating when you want it.

Back to the new listing. Here are the photos. 

 The Denim Flirty Skirt will also become a separate listing as time goes on.

For now though, it's just this listing.

~Paige and Elisa