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!

Peace and Healing

As I think back to the horrible roots of this day...September 11, 2001...I think back to the horrors, the loss, the grief and the mourning of a nation.

But I also remember, the goodness of those lives we lost, the heroes from that incredible day of tragedy.....those amazing and courageous people who rose above and beyond themselves to help others..... the patriotism, and the amazing sense of unity that manifested so much caring, and so much good in the world. Goodness in direction of helping and giving.

It was this coming together with love and patriotism that spread a healing balm for such deep pain. The pain of loss, of separation, of the polarization of so much ill will and so much fear and hatred contrasted by so much intense emotions of love over hate, helping others over fear and anger.

So, I look at myself, as we all need to do, and take note of how and why quilting is a healing art in my own life. And all of these days of record and note, I do what I usually do...I quilt for a cause. 9-11 has become a day of remembrance of community, and patriotism in the deepest unifying sense of the word.

So, while I might not always be working on a patriotic quilt for donation to wounded soldiers, I am working on community quilting..whether by myself, or in a group...and whatever I am making gets donated within that community of purpose.

When I first began blogging in the fall of 2006, my quilting life centered around community quilting. I sewed with a local band of quilters that was formed after a two day marathon of sewing quilts for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

200 quilts banded together with donated fabrics, patterns, threads and the most patriotic sense of community support that I have ever experienced. We made 200 quilts in those two days and we sewed on our bindings and labels and boxed them off for shipment in donated shipping trucks for transport to Louisiana, Georgia, and other hurricane ravaged states.

It was so uplifting, so inspirational, that we found a local church that gave us the use of a huge quilting space and began to meet every Monday for 12 hours. I would stay there from 9 am until 7 pm and literally sewed every minute making a quilt a week for continued donation.

When Hurricane Rita quickly followed Katrina, we just kept sewing. And when the weather calmed down,we sewed for Inter-faith charities, for babies in hospitals, for families in need, for Habitat for Humanity etc. etc.

By the following year, I was also sewing for 5 or 6 hours on Tuesdays, too. And I did that for another 6 months until we decided Mondays were enough and we could just sew at home for the other 6 days of the week.

9-11 hit all of us with a blast that changed a lot of us forever. I began my Patriotic sewing period where I literally made dozens and dozens of quilts and bags to give away to various causes.

My community spirit grew with all of this nurturing and feeding and so, I also joined my local quilt guild. There we have leftover and donated fabrics also available and between all of us, we donate probably 50-100 quilts a month to various groups, as well as hundreds of pillowcases for children in foster care, and lots and lots and lots of potholders to raise funds for our charitable causes.

So, what arose from that terrible day for me?

Community
Patriotism

Pride

Giving
Doing
Being
Hope
Regrouping
Rebuilding
Unity
Community.

Community pride, community giving, community quilting.

It brings all of the layers of ourselves and our lives together, softens our spirits with caring and reaching out to others, and it binds us all together as one. And that goodness of humanity, can only grow and grow and grow....until it almost seems to sprout goodness out of nowhere and everywhere!

shown above;
my beloved little Keira and the 'morsbags' (part of a big international  group started in the UK) I used to make to give away. I spontaneously would make a dozen and hand tnem out to friends, and to people I've never met who just seem to need an environmentally friendly cloth bag. I made dozens and dozens and dozens.

Patriotic Heartstrings Quilting Project: Liberated Stars and Stripes

Free Patriotic Sewing and Quilting Patterns

  How to Make Blue or Gold Star Banner

Km

Making recyclable or environementally friendly cloth bags (mine are morsbags)

Michele Bilyeu Creates With Heart and Hands as she shares her 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.