Graduation Here We Come..A New Dress and Two New Bags!

   A week from today my first grandchild will graduate from prep school and be off to college to become a chemical engineer  My attendance at his graduation is one of the items on my “Bucket List,” and it looks like I am going to get my wish.  All this weekend I have been plugging away finishing a special sundress for my little five year old granddaughter following Amy’s Finlayson’s precious “Simple Sundress Pattern”  and a new variation on the Anna Maria Horner “I Want One of Everything Bag” for me to carry. On this dress I used four grosgrain ties rather than one long one that Amy uses in her pattern. The little squares with the letters E-L-O-I-S-E in them above the ruffle on the are from Shrinky Dink plastic. For my bag, I made another modification to Anna Maria’s original pattern by bringing it in about an inch on each side and extending the straps by about two inches. This way it is a bit less bulky to carry, and it hangs nicely from my shoulder. I used Walmart fabric rather than the Amy Butler fabrics, and I think the result looks just fine. For my granddaughter’s bag, I made a smaller pattern the same as mine and used the leftover fabric. I’m a very happy camper tonight!

Making Quilt Labels

Whenever I make a quilt or any sewn, knitted, or quilted gift, I make a label for it saying I made it, when, where, and for whom. On lap quilts and larger ones, I write the information on a rectangular piece of white muslin with a Pigma Micron archival in pen #01, sew a border around it using left over pieces of fabric, and then whip it to the back of the quilt by hand using small blind stitches. I select a font and size in Microsoft Word, type in the information, print it out, and then trace over it onto the muslin. For totes, large and small, I use Shrinky Dink plastic. Usually I use the frosted or clear sheets and write on them with Sharpie pens. I punch one hole in each corner before baking, and use those little holes for sewing the label to the item. For knitted hats and scarves, I punch only one hole in upper right hand corner of the Shrinky Dink, and then after baking I thread a piece of narrow gross grain ribbon through hole and tie the label to the item. Both styles are easy and lots of fun to make.