Carrot Treat bag {spring treats tutorial}

Oh, I know...I said, "come back this week and..." we'd be chatting about flowers and we will.  VERY soon.  All kinds of little posies and fun ways to use them! BUT I realized I had this cute little treat bag and with the Easter holiday just weeks away - yikes!  Thought I'd share it first so you could crank a few out for your wee ones!  It's a pretty quick project - an hour or less!

Designed to hang on the back of a chair but you could easily add a full length strap to this little carrot bag and turn it into a cute Easter purse.

Materials needed include orange and green fabrics plus additional for the lining {scraps or fat quarters would suffice}, some heavy fleece interfacing {again, some scraps or single fat quarter is enough}, 24" of velvet ribbon.

I made two different versions.  Options are:  1) A green leafy top as one piece and standing up OR a green leafy top that lays down and is cut into strips.  2)  Plain carrot OR decorative stitching on carrot to add texture.  3)  Ribbon handle stitched into the bag OR ribbon handle stitched on the outside of the bag.

Ready?  Here goes...

1)  Print the pattern.  I've designed this to be printed on a legal size sheet of paper.  Click on the picture and then print.

Cut 2 from your orange exterior fabric.  Cut 2 from your lining fabric.  Cut 2 of your interfacing - cut your interfacing at least 1/4" smaller than your orange exterior fabric.  Additionally, Cut 1 from the green fabric 21" x 6".

2)  Fuse your interfacing following manufacturers instructions to the wrong side of the orange exterior fabric.  If you wish to add the decorative stitching, do this now.  Stitch randomly back and forth, slightly curving.

3)  With right sides facing, pin your two orange exterior pieces together and using 1/4" seam, stitch around the long edges leaving the top of your carrot open.  Turn right side out.  Do you want your ribbon handle sewn into the bag with no excess hanging?  Now is the time to stitch the handle on - match raw edge of ribbon to raw edge of bag and stitch ribbon at each side seam.  If you like the look of the ribbon on the outside with some excess hanging, then the ribbon handle is added at the end.

4)  With right sides facing, bring your two short ends of the green fabric together and stitch together making a tube.  Your tube is 6" high.

Next, fold green fabric, wrong sides facing, in half as shown.  Now your tube is 3" high.

With right sides facing, pin your green tube to the orange exterior fabric around the top, raw edges matching.  Start by matching the seam of the tube to the seam on the carrot and pin. Next, finding the center point of your tube, pin that center point to the other seam.  Then, randomly tuck and create pleats and gathers with your green tube until it fits around the top of your carrot.  Pin in place and stitch green tube to carrot.

5)  With right sides facing, pin your two lining pieces together and stitch leaving your carrot top open as you did the exterior AND leaving a 3" opening along the side towards the bottom for turning.  Leave lining turned wrong side out.

6)  With lining turned wrong side out and orange exterior fabric turned right side out, take your orange exterior and put it INSIDE of the lining so that you now have right sides of the fabric from the exterior carrot and the lining facing.  Pin all around top.  Stitch.

7)  Next, pull your carrot exterior through the hole you left open in the lining.  Stitch lining closed.  

8)  Push your lining down into your carrot.  IF you have chosen to have a leafy green top stand up as one solid piece, well, then you are done!  Handle?  If you choose to have your handle on the outside, then stitch it at your side seams on the exterior of your bag now.

IF you have chosen to have a leafy green top that is cut into strips, randomly cut but not all the way in!  Leave about an 1" uncut.  Topstitch around the top edge?  Up to you...I topstitched the carrot with the cut leaves.  I did not topstitch the one with the solid leafy part.

Easy wasn't it?  Now, fill them with treats and hang them on the back of your child's chair after they have gone to bed and wait for the squeals of delight when they wake up in the morning!  Why wait for Easter!  Make it a fun Springy Saturday morning treat tradition all through Lent.

Have fun making these for your wee ones!  I'd love to see what you stitch up!  Share them over on my Flickr page or on the Two Peas facebook page.  Have your kids make one of these, a Baxter Bunny to put inside your carrot!

Next time - blooms and blossoms!

xoxo,

Trish

Thinking Spring...{of blooms and blossoms}

I've got Spring on the brain.  Just waiting for the cold winds to go back to where they came from and some warmer air to blow through our side of the world. I had asked before about things you'd like me to write about and one of my friends asked if I'd share a tutorial about how I make all of those little blooms and blossoms embellishments.  Simple, classic, been done for decades little blooms and blossoms...like these?

I use these on all kinds of things and I'll share with you very soon a whole bunch of ideas on how to use these blooms and how to make them.  Start gathering some materials!

You'll need some felt (used for the backings), hook and loop tape like velcro, pin backs, hair clips, headbands, d-rings, fabric, buttons and vintage baubles, and a glue gun.  (Plus your sewing machine and needle and thread).

Now, go gather up your gear and come back next week and we'll chat over some coffee and make some cute little blooms and blossoms, ok?  Cool!  See ya then!

xoxo,

Trish

Introducing Baxter Bunny and the newly redesigned Hipster!

Here he is!  Baxter Bunny.  (And don't miss the new redesign of my hipster found at the end of this post!)

I hear it all the time. You’d love to be able to make something but you can’t sew. Or you don’t have time. Or you are completely creatively and craftily illiterate. This project is FOR YOU!

This could not be easier but everyone will think you spent hours stitching away on this little guy. You CAN do it! I know you can! And it takes very little effort so everyone can do this!

Please note, Baxter Bunny is not designed for small children and he does pose a choking hazard.

Baxter Bunny © Trish Preston,Two Peas in a Pod Homegrown Designs

First, here’s what you will need:

• · Scraps of fabric (you could also use flannel, maybe some old flannel sheets or pillowcase you aren’t using anymore or you could use felt / felt squares that you might have from other kids craft projects) On my project shown here, I used a cotton fabric that I lightly interfaced with fusible fleece to give it a bit more body – the fusible fleece is easy to find at your fabric store – even Walmart has it in their fabric section.
• · Steam a Seam (optional) You only need about 2 square inches of the stuff.
• · Scissors
• · Needle and thread
• · Batting for stuffing
• · Buttons for eyes

I hope this pattern prints ok for you...it should fit on an 8 .5 x 11 sheet of paper.  Baxter stands roughly 7 inches tall.

1.  To start, you’ll want to gather all of your materials. Using the pattern, cut 2 of each for the body, ear lining and pocket.

1. 2.  If you are using the cotton, I fused interfacing on my pieces to give it some oomph! Interfacing is easy to use. You only need a small amount and you can skip this if you want. But just cut your interfacing a little smaller than your bunny body pieces and with the glue side facing the wrong side of the fabric, fuse with your iron.

1. 3.  Using the Steam a Seam, again, easy to find in your fabric / craft stores – it’s used for appliqué. Follow the directions and cut out your ear lining and fuse to the ears. If you want to skip the steam a seam, you can just use a running stitch to attach your ear lining.

1. 4.  Next, create your bunny face. Find two old buttons and attach for the eyes. I used two that didn’t perfectly match in size to give him some character. Cut a little nose out of your fabric and stitch in place. Then stitch on some whiskers and a little mouth.

1. 5.  For the pocket, lay your pocket right sides together with the wrong side of the fabric facing out so you can see it. Stitch across the top of your pocket. Turn right side out and press your seam so it lays nice and flat. This will give you a nice clean edge on top since you’ll want to fill the pocket with a treat!

1. 6.  Pin your pocket to your bunny’s belly. You will have raw edges on the sides of your pocket. Next, use a blanket stitch to stitch the pocket on.

7.  Blanket stitch. I love this stitch. It’s fun to do and it’s quite easy once you get started. Working from left to right, bring your needle from the right side of the fabric (the top) and point your needle out to the edge. Keep the thread from the previous stitch under your needle and pull through. It’s hard to explain but I hope the photo and the text together show you how. Practice on a separate piece of fabric before doing it on your project if this is the first time you’ve done a blanket stitch.

1. 8.   Now pin your bunny together, wrong sides together, your right sides facing out. You will have raw edges. Blanket stitch around your bunny leaving an opening for stuffing.

2. 9.  Stuff your bunny and make him good and round!

1. 10.  Finish stitching up the opening and you are done!

All together, I think this project took me about an hour to make. Hope you enjoy making it and send me your photos of your Baxter Bunny and I’ll show them off here.

Congrats to our giveaway winner!  She will receive the newly redesigned hipster just ripe for Spring!  The new pocket panel on the front is angled and has the perfect little pocket down low for your iphone or other device and then the larger side of the pocket could hold a water bottle or other gear.  It also has 2 interior pockets and a magnetic snap closure.

The new hipster is available now for custom orders.

And finally -  giraffe print "platterpurse" on it's way to Marysville.  Love this print!

Happy Easter all!

Ciao, xo Trish

Giveaway and another year...going, going....

Almost gone! First, a giveaway and the time is almost gone! I have a sweet little spring hipster (see the fabric selection in the previous post) waiting to find a new home. Post a comment or send me an email and we'll put your name in a hat for this little bag. The winner will get their bag shipped out to them next week. SO COMMENT NOW!! OK...and so, another year has come and gone. I celebrated a birthday last week and I'm not exactly thrilled at the aspect of moving ever so closer to...gulp, 40. I mean, really, 40?! I still have a few years left but it's out there, looming ahead and just waiting to snatch me up into its clutches. So when I woke up to yet another birthday this week, I have to say I was not feeling all that chipper about the day.

I went off to work and sat in my office in silence most of the day. Our students are off on Spring Break and so most of them are out sunning on a beach somewhere or hiking in the mountains. Nothing exciting about the day. Just an ordinary day. But wait...

I knew something was up when I called my sister on my commute home. She said, as we were about to sign off, "have fun tonight with everything". What everything? What are you talking about? She says, "oh, I don't know." I asked her, what do you know - did you call my house? She said, I might have called your house. Just have fun, ok. Smiling to myself, I pull down our street and promptly lose cell connection (you've heard me groan before about all of this right? We have no internet, no cable and very intermittent cell connection from our house. Drives me nuts!).

I pull up to our driveway and I wonder...why has someone marked the trees? They had tape around them - or so I thought. When I actually pulled in I realize that my entire driveway has crepe paper strewn from tree to tree that goes back and forth blocking the entire length of the driveway. My twins are standing in the doorway yelling "drive through it! drive through it!" and jumping up and down laughing and screaming as I drive slowly through all of the paper and get to a garage that is equally covered! Too fun!

I enter into our house - same thing! A combination of crepe paper, christmas garland, easter decorations and birthday balloons everywhere. They had a delicious lasagna dinner waiting for me compliments of my MIL, and a cake that had dots (?), yes those are my favorite polka dots on there, and my "birdies" that I applique on various things. The girls did the design work and I think it was quite clever. They presented me with a new hummingbird feeder, garden gloves, a bracelet and earrings, and my hubby gave me a dozen roses. I have to say, my blah, blah, blah birthday turned out to be the best ever. I "heart" my family - especially my husband. All that effort meant a TON to me...thanks.

Also this week - just pure random-ness here - Sprouts hair has been wild. Crazy! She's been sporting this crazy hair all week and I keep wetting it down and it pops back up! Too funny. But with her hair getting longer I can finally really use the barrettes I bought from Suann at Bows and Blossoms. They stay put - well - when she isn't pulling it out - and I love this one with her initial on it. Suann makes uber cute things, super great price and SUPER fast shipping. Check out her site here because she has some of the cutest new things for Spring.

Coming up next - bunny tutorial!

A little something you can handstitch for the easter baskets or decorate your table with or just love on! Fun!

Ciao! xo, Trish

Contagious in Columbus

I bet you think I have fallen off the face of the earth, eh?  Almost.  Heavens...all 5 of us in the family got nasty colds and from there all heck broke loose.  I ended up with strep throat and was out, flat out, for 6 days and the twins ended up with pnuemonia.  Even the baby got an ear infection.  All is well now...we are on the mend, thankfully.

So much to write about I don't think I possibly can get it all in!  First, before we all got sick...we played hookey!  Oh yeah!  I decided we needed to do our own little field trip and so I took the little ladies out of school to attend the dress rehearsal of Alice in Wonderland put on by BalletMet.  It was great!  Amazing effects - the girls loved it! 

We walked a bit around downtown.  The girls loved it - they even started yelling when they saw the NBC studios - our own little mini times square kind of affair.  So cool! After, we hopped across the street to our statehouse and wondered around.  How cool is it to just walk in your statehouse and meander any old place you want?  Too fun!  Wait?!  Is that Abe Lincoln?  No...just pea goofin off in the gift shop.  They have a bunch of programs planned for Abe's 200th and of course, what celebration of Abe Lincoln would be complete without the hat?

We had lunch, and ice cream of course!  And the next day a fun day at the waterpark - Coco Key at the Cherry Valley Lodge.  Clean, nice - loads of fun and probably where we picked up our mega germs as we all were sick 2 days later.  Oh well!

Not much sewing or anything going on lately.  Some design work coming along -

a sweet "Little Sophie" bag went to an expectant Mom recently.  I'm still taking individual custom orders if you are interested...let me know.

I'll try to be more current with my postings from now on...send me "good germ" vibes, would ya?

Seriously? Could my life BE a bit crazier...really? Really.

I complain a lot here don't I?  I am SO glad you all are out there and just let me unload my woes.  Yeah, seriously.  I'm taking the day off of work tomorrow to clean house.  The MIL is coming to hang with the little one so I can zoom around and sort through junk that has been deposited...well, everywhere in my house so I can put some order in place.  And quite frankly, I'm looking forward to it.  Really.  I mean it.  I have a lot to look forward to this Spring and a good place to start is an organized house.  I have 4 bins of clothes and 2 bins of junk to go through and I can say...I am done.  I have gone through every closet, corner, nook and all of our house.  Started when I was pregnant...ah, in the fall of 2007.  Sprout is 9 months...I'd say I was fairly efficient, right? Don't laugh!  I hear you snickering out there...you got junk laying around too, don't you?  Come on,  you all email me on the sly and nobody ever wants to comment out in the open but hey, don't be shy.  You can own up to it.  Makes us all feel better to know we are not, gasp, perfect.

Anyway, still have some major cabin fever going on.  The kids are back in school..and guess what, they have Friday off!  Let's see, snow day, snow day, snow day...oh yes, let's have another day off.  I don't even know why they have it off but I for one, am headed off to our local science museum where we have a membership with the girls.  I can't take not even ONE more day in the house with them and their - oh I hate to admit this - crafting everywhere.

What have I done?  My little designers...they each made a quilt this week.  With scraps.  And a lot of glue.  A LOT of glue.   Once they dried, cute...and they put their new quilts on their sock monkeys (see sock monkey post) you should see the mess they left behind.  Now, they'll clean it as best they can but really, right now, my nerves are just frayed.  I'm crazy anxious about this whole - sewing industry leap - I'm about to take and...I don't know.  Is it just me?  Am I over sensitive?  Oh whatever!  :>)

I did get out on Sunday. 

Sprout took her first whirl around the park in the backpack.  Check out the thumb in the mouth.  Her top tooth just cut through that day.  We all enjoyed the sun although the trails were covered in ice so not so good for hiking.  It just felt good to get out.  And who would have guessed that it would 45' and everybody would be running around town with their car windows down and no coats.  Does that tell you how much we've become accustomed to subzero temperatures.  The 40's and we are all..."it's like Spring!".

And Thursday, I'm off to a meet and greet with Amy Butler. Like a stupid starstruck fan, I'm packing my camera along for sure.  My husbands aunt invited me - she's a buyer with the Limited brands.  She travels ALL the time to Paris, Rome, New York, Milan, etc for Limited in the textile industry and she's been trying to find me some connections to get my fabric line looked at.  So, she invited me to this little event and I'm really very excited and also nervous.  Will I get to talk to her?  If I do, what do I say?  "Ahh, hi.  I wanna be just like you."   No, that's stupid.  True, but stupid.  I'll just carry my bag I designed made with her fabrics and stare, I'm sure.  Listen, hope to glean off some secrets that will help motivate me to move MOVE MOVE these fabric patterns off to the testers and off the printers.  I just feel like I'm paralyzed though.  As long as I don't move, nobody has said no yet.  This is the whole anxiety thing.  See what I mean?

I'll end with this - there are much greater things in this life to fret over than a messy house and my nerves over my artwork.  My dear friend Kris, from LivyMarie handbags - you hear me chat about her once in awhile with her 5 kids she homeschools?  Well, her husband is having some heart issues and having surgery tomorrow morning.  Please lift them up in prayer as you read this.

Along with that, we have a local twins family who had their sweet peas born much too early.  They have been in the NICU and I made some quilts and hats for them last week.  My peas will deliver them next week and I'll share a photo later.  Please lift them in prayer.  Visit their journal and send them warm happy thoughts of the life to come for their family.

4:17pm.  I was going to leave the office today at 2:30 so I could work on some orders.  4:17pm.  Ugh.  Aprons are the hit lately...here's some more on their way to Morroco (is that how you spell it) to travelinmama who bought these on my etsy site.   She does some seriously cute paper crafts!  And I hope her little one likes the american girl set.

NOW I'm really, seriously, really...no I mean really, going home.  Really. Seriously.

Slan Leat, (a new one for me - goodbye in gaelic - a little nod to my Irish father)

Trish