Easy Peasy Sunglasses Bag

So I really REALLY fell in love with the material I got from Spotlight for the back of my Country Kitchen Apron, and I've been trying to find a use for as much of it as possible.

When I carried my sunnies around with my in my hand bag they always ended up really dusty and needed to be cleaned almost every time I put them on (which isn't a good thing when you're driving!)

So there was a pretty long piece of the material left over, and if I folded it then it was just the right width to hold my sunglasses. So I sewed it together up the sides, and using a pink sheet of felt cut out the same size and sewed up the sides of that to make the inside of the bag.
Next I got a small length of pink ribbon and folded it in half tying the ends in knots so they wouldn't get lost inside the bag if you pulled one side too hard.
I flipped the material inside out so the stitches are on the inside, and slipped the felt inside the material (leave the stitches on the outside).
Stick the ribbon between the two layers all the way around the bag, and then fold over a small lip on the material side of the bag. Sew all the way around the bag leaving just enough of an opening for the ribbon to slide in and out of, leave a gap between the ribbon and stitch the gap closed.

Easy Peasy! Just make sure you don't catch your ribbon in your stitches, then slide your sunnies inside and pull the ribbon tight and VIOLA!!! You have your very own sunglasses bag!

Country Kitchen Flair!

So my favorite pair of jeans ended up getting a hole in the thighs. It couldn't be fixed with sewing or even a patch, and I didn't want to throw them away...

Bright idea? Turn them into my very own cooking apron!

So here's what you need:

• old pair of jeans (not too ratty you need to have the legs in decent condition)
• seam ripper
• scissors
• 1.5-2 meters of lace (optional)
• 1 meter of thick strapping
• sewing machine or needles
• 1/2- 1 meter of your own chosen fabric

Now for the steps!

1. Take the seam ripper and rip apart the legs of the old jeans. (you can also cut them apart if you are in a hurry or don't want to waste a lot of time trying to get them apart.)
2. Cut the legs off the front of the jeans, I cut mine off just at the crotch because of the holes in the thighs.
3. using the legs from either the front or the back you need to cut out the top part of the apron. I had a slight flair to my jeans so I cut out just under the knees and measured to the top of my chest. But you need to cut them long enough to cover from your chest to your waist.
4. Decide on how you would like the top of the apron to look and cut the shape out accordingly. I chose a heart shaped top for mine you you can have a square top if you like.
5. After cutting out the shape for the top, sew one side of the legs together, this will be the top of your apron.
6. Open the legs, using pins attach it to the waist of the jeans. Using your sewing machine or by hand sewing, sew the top to the bottom of the jeans. Open it up and this will be the front of your apron.
7. Pin your straps into place. (make sure they are long enough to tie around your neck and waist. Stitch these into place.
8. Pin your lace around the front of the apron, it can be any color you like and any material you feel comfortable working with. Or if you choose you can NOT use lace at all
9. Using your sewing machine or by hand sewing, attach the lace to the front of the apron.
10. Cut out the shape of the apron from the material, if you have enough left over you can make a pocket to go on the front.
11. If you make a pocket (or wish to put on an applique of any kind on the front) do it at this point.
12. Sew the material to the jeans, right sides together. I didn't leave an opening around the edges because I left the zipper open to turn right side out. (If your jeans do not have a zipper or you have sewn it shut then you will need to leave an opening to turn the project right side out)
13. Turn the project right side out and sew up any holes you have left.
14. Iron over the seams to make the project flat. 

TADA!!! That's how it goes! Now you know how to make your very own apron using an old pair of jeans. This is also a great project for children, since its machine washable, you can use it for art projects, painting, or having the little ones help you out in the kitchen.

Update on Harry Potter Night!

Alright, lets just get it all out here on the table...

I've been a lazy LAZY little girl lately with my arts and craft projects...  at the moment I have about 4 things laying around half finished. BUT it's all OK.

Why? I can hear you asking yourself, let me tell you why. I've noticed it! Plain and simple truth... I'm slipping back into my old habits of starting stuff and never finishing it so now I'm doing something about it!

First thing's first, the Harry Potter night goodies. I have finished the Hufflepuff set of bags and scarves, and am 80% finished with the first Ravenclaw bag (the last of the sets that I need to make) And I've found that as long as I am doing other things while crafting I get a lot more done.

So I've been watching movies, and even the Australian version of Kath & Kim, and have almost finished this bag in record time!

Now if only things will stop interrupting me... either some one comes to visit us, the dogs have  been escaping our back yard because our next door neighbor is a moron who has no respect for his neighbors, or we have had to go out to see other people....

This week I have no plans to go anywhere, all I need to do is my housework and my crafts.

So with you all as my witnesses, I plan to at least have my Harry Potter sets finished and photographed by the end of this month!