Bird Seed Bags and Other Fun

In Irish lore, February ushers in St. Brigid's Day and the beginning of Spring. In ancient Irish mythology Brigid was a fire goddess and she represents the Irish aspect of divine femininity. As the patron saint of babies, blacksmiths, boatmen, cattle farmers, dairy poultry farmers, farmers, printing presses, sailors, scholars, and even travelers.

My busy years of traveling back and forth continuous times in a year from Oregon to Alaska came to an end with the loss of my parents, but remembering them and missing them continues on in my heart.

In their honor, I made small format art quilts for donation to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiation and the wonderful work of its founder, Ami Simms. Now, with both of them gone, I made small quilts for use by those with Alzheimer's Disease or related dementias.

January was my making month. I created and am or have given away 8 quilted items. The 9th I created and made for carrying those donations to and from my local Mid-Valley Quilt Guild.

For that purpose, I used re-purposed materials form our guilds 'free table' which gives our members a chance to donate any and all old materials they no longer have a need for. Most of the time, it shares very small bits and pieces that others don't necessarily want, so those items are often nabbed up by me and used for my small projects.



Here, I used cut off selvages and strips of fabric from pieces from that free table, as well as the larger scraps to create three mug mats.

But one month, a member had started to put together a vinyl bag made out of things like bird seed bags etc. With our love of birds, and the harbinger of Spring, I quickly found my own collection of plastic/vinyl bird seed and chicken seed bags, and created the 'Bird Seed Bag' seen below.

I made it quite large, so that it would be big enough to hold all of January's donations..5 Fidget Quilts and 3 mug rugs/mats that will be sold by our guild at its bi-annual quilt show to earn monies for our guild's charitable causes.

If you want to create your own re-cycled plastic bags into a large carry bag of your own..start saving just about anything! I save plasticized coffee sacks, cat food sacks, metalized candy bags..you name it!

Last year, I used Johnny Cat litter bags..remember it is made out of clay, a natural substance, and after all has not been used yet when you recycle those bags ;-) I combined it with a nicely handled bag that held oranges sold by the roadside. I made a gift for a family member whose cat was named Johnny to hold birthday gifts.  My grandcat loved the bag and thought it was his!

Yes, I know, only someone like me even saves kitty litter bags ;-)

And a tip! When sewing on any of these materials use hair clippees to hold seams and bag hands, and sides of bags together. Pins leave permanent holes and unless you want a fresh air bag for your veggies, you might prefer it to be rain proof as you run in and out of many different places as I do!

Early harbingers of Spring..birds, and eggs, and re-creating fun materials into craft and quilting projects!  And yes, I did make this little prayer flag garland out of maps and even those were free and re-purposed/recycled! In Spring, everything old is new again. Even if it's only Spring in Irish folklore!

LINKS:

Bags: Patterns, Tutorials, Links and Inspiration   

Making Fidget Quilts for Alzheimer's Patients

Michele Bilyeu blogs With Heart and Hands as she shares a quilting journey from Alaska to Oregon with thousands of free Quilting, Sewing, and Crafting Patterns and Tutorials. Help change the world, one little quilt, art quilt, and prayer flag at a time!

A Harvest of Creative Possibilities and Fun

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and wonderful Fall Harvest of Thanksgiving, creative opportunities and fun!

And please, do not let me forget to share that as much as I love to create, and as much as I love to share and to give to others.


Martha Stewart Doesn't Live Here




"Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. I'm telling you in advance, so don't act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won't be coming, I've made a few small changes:

Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.

So, please just click on the above if you want to remember just how clever and fun this truly was - especially if you're younger than I am - or maybe even older than I am, or maybe just me and don't remember the years this made the rounds and creative a bit of levity over the Thanksgiving shopping, cooking, gatherings, and clean up involved. Bit of post is link clickable to see the rest.

And the earlier part of this updated post was, of course, all about my doings over Halloween, and the meaning behind all of our various cultural celebrations!

Because, after all...
What fun it is to see the playful side of Halloween and have fun creating small themed gifts for others with Autumnal, Harvest, or Halloween birthdays! 

Some of my gifts feature 'traditional' Halloween themes, others are more harvest oriented items, and still others respectfully celebrate other cultures and traditions!

And having some cowboy boots fabric ..way back from 2005, I used that as well to make some fun pillows for October birthdays that seamlessly blend in with a variety of colors, themes or even holidays as well as a grandpup's quilt!!



And of course some of my own Paper+Fabric gift cards, these are four layers with collage on fronts and backs and machine sewn greetings on the interior pages.



And finally some upholstering off cuts - long narrow pieces. Hmm, tiny little crossbody purses, perfect! And a lovely autumnal color, too!



With this left over marred Halloween panels of Daisy Kingdom fabric, I knew the missing edges or incorrect pieces would not keep me from makings some fun items for others!

So out came the scissors, extra fabric for backing the aprons, the potholder hot mitts,the little puppy bandanna, a fun Halloween mice riding broomsticks and vacuum cleaners through the starry night sky puppy pillow and even some quickly appliques onto kitchen like fabric dish towels!



 

All were well received and are already in use -  especially by my little grandpup who loved his simple minky covered empty water bottle chew toy,his puffy pillow and quickly tied fleece ribbon toys!

And with a lot of family staying with us for from one to three plus weeks in early autumn last year, why not dye silk scarves with fiber reactive dyes outside when the weather was still nice and our energy levels high?

Great fun! Two days later we hung them from my loft rails to dry...wonderful harvest of homemade gifts for all!

But what about Halloween itself? Why do we celebrate such a strange holiday and just how and when did it all begin???




(image courtesy of wikipedia)
The origins of Halloween, may have begun with Roman festivals of harvest, but is typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-an or sow-in)",which is derived from the Old Irish and means roughly "summer's end."

The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the "lighter half" of the year, and beginning of the "darker half", and is sometimes regarded as the Celtic New Year. It is believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honored and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm.

All Saints Day, or All Hallows or Hallowmas, is a Christian feast day celebrated on November 1, or the first Sunday after Pentecost. It a day meant to honor all of the saints, both known and unknown. Because Halloween preceded this feast day, that day actually took it's name from this feast day and thus became "The Eve of All Hallows', and eventually 'Hallowe'en'.

In many of the Christian cultures, All Saints Day honors those who have attained beatific vision in heaven, while November 2, All Soul's Day, commemorates the departed faithful who have not been so purified and entered heaven. In the tradition of using holy names taken from the Greek, early names such as All Hallowmas referred to hallowed or saintly, and mas, to the early Christian mass.

The Day of the Dead (Día de los Difuntos or Día de los Muertos) is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico and the Mexican immigrant community living in the United States. The holiday is based on the complicated blended cultures of their ancestors, the Aztec and Maya, and the Spanish invaders, layered with Catholicism.

For more than 500 years, the goddess Mictecacihuatl (Lady of the Dead) presided over Aztec harvest rituals using fires and incense, costumes of animal skins, images of their dead and offerings of ceramics, personal goods, flowers and foods, drink and flowers.

The Aztec, Mayan and other indigenous traditions have enriched the Mexican's attitude about death. From these ancestors has come the knowledge that souls continue to exist after death, resting placidly in Mictlan, the land of the dead, not for judgment or resurrection; but for the day each year when they could return home to visit their loved ones.



Los Dias de Los Muertos is a time for remembering friends, family and ancestors. In the Mexican tradition, people die three deaths.

The first death is when our bodies cease to function; when our hearts no longer beat of their own accord, when our gaze no longer has depth or weight, when the space we occupy slowly loses its meaning. 

The second death comes when the body is lowered into the ground, returned to mother earth, out of sight. 

The third death, the most definitive death, is "when there is no one left alive to remember us."



The act of preparing an altar by placing photographs, flowers, candles, favorite foods and drink of the loved one provides a special time to remember, and to transform grief into acceptance. The living invite the spirits of the family to return home for a few hours of laughter, tears and memories.

Once the night has passed, and the spirits have returned to their world, the ones remaining know that for another year they have triumphed in the struggle of life and that the only way to celebrate death is to live with courage.

Beware of the following superstitions of olde! • Many people used to consider that owls would dive down to eat the souls of the dying on Halloween. They believed that if you pulled your own pockets out, and left them hanging, the dying would be safe. (Good to know, especially the next time you get caught with your pockets hanging out from the dryer!)

• To ward off evil spirits on Halloween, bury all the animal bones in your front yard, or even put a picture of an animal very close to your doorway. (I'll assume they mean collected wishbones and leftovers from Thanksgiving for the burials, and not those of anyone else, for the photos.)

• People used to believe you could walk around your house three times backwards before sunset on Halloween, and that would take care of all evil. (Next time you can't find the kids for dinner, remember you're keeping your family safe at the same time.)

• It has been said if a bat flies into your house on Halloween, it is a sign that ghosts or spirits are very nearer, and maybe they are in your home and let the bat in. (Living in the country, I've had bats in my house on several occasions. My friends claim they live in my own 'belfry', as well.)

• People used to believe that if bats are out early on Halloween, and they fly around playfully, then good weather is to come. (The bats in my belfry are beyond playful. I've been known to be borderline manic.)

• If a bat flies around your house three times on Halloween, death is very soon to come. (Doesn't this negate the good luck of the above?)

• It could be the spirit of a dead loved one watching you, if you watch a spider on Halloween. (And if you're watching, do so respectfully, and don't squish them!)

• Going in for what was once called a 'dumb' supper, meaning that nobody will talk while having supper, encourages the spirits to come to the table. (Well, not only is that term antiquated and not p.c., most families today with teenagers suffer from this predicament, so it's no wonder that most teenagers appear possessed.)

• It is believed that if an unmarried girl keeps a rosemary herb and a silver sixpence under her pillow on Halloween night, it is quite likely that on that very night, she would dream of her future husband. (If you have young daughter's, check their pillows tonight and remove those sixpence.)

• It is said that if you hear someone's footsteps behind you on the Halloween night, you should not turn back because it may be a dead following you. And if you commit the mistake of looking back, it is likely that you might join the dead very soon. (You just can't win on this one. I'm staying home and wearing ear plugs.)

• People believe that if on the Halloween night, a girl carrying a lamp in her hand goes to a spring of water, she will see the reflection of her life partner in water. (This sounds dangerous to me, especially if you believe in the superstition just above, and the one following you is already dead. Sure wouldn't want him for my life partner.)

• People have a superstition that if an unmarried girl carries a broken egg in a glass and takes it to a spring of water, she will be able to catch the glimpse of not just her future husband, by mixing some spring water in the glass, but also she can see the reflection of her future kids.

(OK, this is just too much. Now we are being followed by the dead, stuck with them for life and sharing common ghouls.)

• There is the old saying that "black cats are bad luck". It was once believed that black cats were the devil, or consumed by evil spirits. (I've had several black cats, I loved them dearly, they slept with me every night. Time for an exorcism. Now, do I exorcise all black cats or just me?)

• People used to believe that Satan was a nut-gatherer. Nuts were also used as magic charms on the day of Halloween festival. (At this point, I'm feeling nutty. I think the exorcism has to be on me.)

• If you put your clothes on inside out as well as outside walk backwards on Halloween night. At midnight you will see a witch in the sky. People used to believe witches were the devil, or that they were consumed by evil. (I've been known to do both, on a fairly consistent basis. No wonder I run into so many witchy people and was gifted with a sign that says "If the broom fits, ride it"! It fit and I do.

• There is also an old saying "if the flame on your candle goes out on Halloween celebration; it gives you the meaning that you are with a ghost". (Stocking up on matches, lighters, and battery powered lanterns)

• If you ring a bell on Halloween it will frighten evil spirits away. (Ding!)

Free Ideas and Tutorials for Making Magic of Your Own:

Happy Harvest: Gifts Tutorials from the Heart



Make Halloween Banners or Prayer Flags:
My little trio of holiday flags, given as an October gift. These simple burlap and felt banners can be seen as prayer flags for those in their colorful costumes and festive spirit and not those darker aspects of this season that so many shy away from.

Making Magical Devil's Club Lip Balm in Alaska

One of the things I most love to do while I am in Alaska, is to be able to take small bits of spare time, and do creative and unusual things and often using free, recycled or inexpensive ingredients. 

One of them one year was to learn how to make lip gloss using native materials - many of them indigenous to southeast Alaska.

This is continue on the original post at:

Making Magical Devil's Club Lip Balm in Alaska

Michele Bilyeu Creates With Heart and Hands sharing an imaginative, magical and healing journey from Alaska to Oregon. Creating, designing, sewing, quilting, and wildcrafting from "my heart and with my hands".

Free Bag Tutorials: Wallets, Purses, Cases, Boxes, and Handbag Patterns

I made myself a newBadge/ID/Phone/Notepad Wallet for using at the months Mid-Valley Quilt Guild Meetings that require ID shown for entrance (we have 350 members in two different meeting times, so we really need ID to be worn at all times to remember who we are ;-)

I got such a positive response, that I am going to have to make a pattern for it, it took me all day to design it and get it exactly how I wanted it and just the right size for a smart phone, a pen, a notebook, the badge ID, my business cards, and a place to put in a little cash to buy chances to win the doorprize/raffle items. But most of you can use these photos and your own measurements to create your own pattern from my ideas!

And I fit them all into this compact this unit which I just love and think looks pretty darn cute, too! So, pattern coming soon! Meanwhile, for those who can sew, just looking at my photos is a valuable resource for just what worked for me..and trust me, it works extremely well!

And then, I made a carry bag to match! 

Bags, purses, wallets, cases, boxes and bags - I love them all and my house has so many and I give away so many that I have made and given 14 away (for free) in just one day and some of the people I gave them to, I'd never even met yet! It's just what I do and it sure feels good to do it when I can! 

No matter how busy I am, it is just one of those mood elevators for me - first floor to penthouse in a couple of hours ;-)

 And I can make a bag out of just about anything! This is a an orange sack combined with a kitty litter bag! The better quality version of this product not the paper one. Stores sell both versions for the same price. 

And  my grandcat our Johhny Cat's

in the bag!

It went to a family that have a cat named Johnny with gifts inside and gave me and them, a good laugh at me and my gifts!

When I found out that my youngest SIL had Stage 4 Lung Cancel. and would need to travel between Alaska and Seattle every three weeks for Chemo, I made her this teddy bear travel bag.  

She loved it so much, that my brother told me the only thing she could possibly have loved more if it had been teddy bears WITH Seattle Seahawks on it! 

Above: "School Days" a gift of a "teacher's school bag".

Using my same DIY drawn "paper bag" pattern,  I also made burlap bags with tree limb buttons!

The summer, when I'd bought my 32 or was it 36+ yards of burlap to make table runners for my youngest daughter's forest wedding with a barn reception, I had so many narrow lengths and bits and pieces leftover, that I starting bag making in the middle of wedding preparations and gave them to all of the immediate family members who helped grow flowers, find or decorate vases, or actually would be helping us to set up and decorate. They fit our theme perfectly, and everyone could bring extra clothes, makeup etc. to the event in their burlap bag and it was great fun!

So, if you think you don't have time to make yourself a new bag, think again! And yes, I did lose my entire first free bag patterns link list you know the one that took me three years to compile?  Bad email, bad!

Now, I know that if you save drafts too long, they disappear! And who knows if blogger might not be the same! The whole Internet might disappear on us any day now, and you will STILL needs purses, handbags, cell phone cases, gift bags, travel bags, cosmetic cases, well, you get the picture and yes, there are lots more pictures, below!

Make yourself a new bag today!

Japanese Knot Bag Tutorial

 

How to Make a Simple Petal Bag

"Origami Bag"

 instructions

Because you asked:

***How to create a lining general instructions!

Noriko Handbag- my own process with photos and directions:

Using a free down-loadable pattern from Lazy Girl Patterns, called the Noriko Handbag, I made a small bag that was both small and portable, and yet fun and different at the same time. Plenty of room for my wedding essentials and any take home momentos.

As I made my little bag, I took photos, so a simple photo tutorial follows to add further description to Joan Hawley's own detailed instructions.

Make Your Own Re-usable Shopping Bags!

  

  

For this week's "Frugal Friday Freebie Fun" I am showcasing some really fun shopping bags I made for family members to bring along when they need to zip into - let's say "Home Depot".

My  hardworking husband  gets a "caution tape orange" one and a sunny days yellow one. The lovely coral works just great for putting into a jacket pocket for spur of the moment purchases of my own!

The fun is that just like a quillow, this shopping bag rolls and folds into its own little pocket pouch and can easily fit into small spaces like pockets or purses!

1. Pieces required are: bag front and bag pieces, which include the handles, a simple facing section and the little pocket.

Approximate measurements can be taken from the markings on the cutting board and rulers.

2. I love excuses to use my serger, so I serged facing hems and seams on this nylon, but its also great for any easily frayed fabrics.

3. Seaming out handles curves and 'neck' edges, right sides together.

4. Version 1, only with side pocket, inside.
Make the little pocket piece, with its open edge out. and include its inner edge in side seaming, as you sew them together, as well



4b:Version 2, only with a kanaroo front pocket, just like making a pocket on a 'quillow'.

Add front pocket with or without a label to front of bag, up close to the 'neck line.' This can be done in early pattern stage or later, as I did by adding a second thought label to the front of the pocket ;)

  

5. For both versions: Time to seam those bag straps together, be sure right sides are together, again...or do as I did, and use the french seam technique!



6. Now, do the same for the side seams. Shown here...stage 1 of it's french seam using the regular sewing machine on Version 1 with inside side pocket.

 

7. Using my regular machine, here's the finished french seam edge...nice and neat.

How do I fold it into the pouch? you ask:

Version 1, with side pocket:

  

  

You want it to be 'inside out' for starters. A little column shape, roll it, roll it, and tuck it into the pockets...ta da! It's a pocket pouch!
An easy scrap saver's method of creating wonderful little re-useable shopping bag with their own little storage system!

Version 2, with 'quillow' pocket on front:

   

Version 2:
1.Make just like a quillow, and put your pocket on the outside of the bag, and fold and tuck it in, as above. Pre-sew your label on the pocket ahead of time...and you have a neat bag with a little signature ad of your work!

Other options:
1. Put a casing in the top seam of your side pocket (pattern shown version 1), first. Add a drawstring to the casing and you can 'zip' up the pouch and make it even a wee bit smaller for purse or pocket storage.

Use any of my other re-useable shopping bag stylings, and do the same pocket plan for them, as well. Add a morsbag label, give them a way, and join the million of morsbaggers worldwide!!

My tutorial on How to Make a Quillow
Posts and photos on some of my other dozens of re-useable shopping bags that I give away!

Patriotic quilting: bags filled gratitude and blessings and not just loss. 

I am a long time member of the morsbag movement to make and give away free fabric shopping bags. 

Here is their free use pattern etc.

Basic Bag Directions from morsbags.com(PDF) or Basic Bag Directions (MS Word)

Previous morsbag post and instructional photos

For one thing, I love to give quilts in bags!  For a gift, I make a quillow (quilt+pillow) and then a matching bag. You can fold up the quilt and have it look like a quilt rolled into the bag, but even more fun, turn it into its own Quillow /Pillow (with instructions for folding and opening it from quilt to pillow and back again!




First the quilt and then a bag to put it in. This one given as a gift to a niece graduation from high school. And the bag shown below:

Here is the inside showing how I add bits of leftover block to create pockets. It was cut at 18" x 20" and used in a vertical placement with handles cut at 4" wide and 22" long. It takes two handles with placement in a loop shaped on each side of the bag center spaced 5 1/4" from each outside side of the bag. 

I lined it by cutting doubles of bag fabric and added my own pockets‐one on the front of a quilt square block and two on the insides, one on each side. Peeking inside, you see:

The inside with contrasting pocket, makes pocket easy to find in the dark insides of the bag!

From Oregon With Love

But for baby gifts, I just make a regular small quilt and a bag that can double as the gift bag for the quilt!  This set became an instant favorite, and I've heard that the little on is now 3 and still loves both the quilt and the bag and they are well loved and used!

And these sets donated to a childrens charitable cause here in Salem originally named Chelsea's Place and now Family Building Blocks. My bag and the quilts it contained were in honor of a dear friend who was on their Board of Directors and had just passed away. Miss seeing you Dixie!

I made a label giving credit to the group of Salem Community Quilters that I then belonged to. (One of our founders brought them in for me at the time as I donated them on behalf of the group even though I was the only one who made anything at the time. One of the quilts was hanging on their welcome hall for a very long time and oh, the joy that brought me in remembering our dear friend, Dixie.

Each arrived in its own little home sewn bag as my intent was for them to go to families served.

 

      

Make a Re-useable Shopping Bag: Pocket Pouched!

And when my husband needed a couple 'emergency' packable into a pocket sized shopping bags, I quickly created my own pattern and made these two out of rip-stop nylon scraps. Perfect for our Oregon rainy season which can sometimes run year round!

 Making a Noriko Bag: Photo Tutorial

When I needed a bag to match a dress I was wearing to an Asian styled wedding, I made this bag, above. I loved using it and it matched everything, me the decor, even the table settings. What fun!

 

Japanese Knot Bag Tutorial

 

How to Make a Simple Petal Bag

"Origami Bag"

 instructions

Because you asked:

How to create a lining general instructions!

 

Bird Seed Bags repurposed and sewn into my Sewing Bag!

Michele Bilyeu Creates With Heart and Hands  sharing an imaginative, magical, and healing journey from Alaska to Oregon and back again. 

Creating, designing, sewing, quilting, and wildcrafting from my heart and with my hands.