Hot/Cold Bags Tutorial...

Do you remember my last post about the

hoodie scarves?...

I told you that Kass and I made something to go with them and I am finally

getting around to showing them to you now:)

We made some handwarmers to go

in the pockets at the end of the scarves!

Here in Utah the winters are long and cold...so handwarmers are a winter staple at our house.

I usually make a bunch this time of year and keep them in a big bowl in my pantry where they are handy and close to the microwave for a quick heat up on a cold day.

The nice thing about these hand warmers is that they work for cold packs too if you put them in the freezer first....

headaches and owies are quickly soothed

by using one or two of these little cuties! 

So here is how I make them.

I like to use 5" x 5" squares...I'm sure you all have a few of those laying around

 so that you can play along... right?

I use 2 different squares of

Sew Cherry for each bag...

one for the front...

and one for the back.

I also like to line them with flannel.

It helps to keep the heat/cold in longer.

I cut two 5" x 5" squares of

flannel for each bag. 

 I placed a piece of flannel on the wrong side of each square...

And I placed 2 squares with

right sides together.

Then I stacked them all up in

a pile for sewing!

I used a 3/8" seam allowance and stitched all the way around the edges... leaving an opening for turning and filling later.

I backstitched where I stopped and 

started sewing. 

I also used my walking foot because there

are 4 layers and it really  

keeps them from shifting. 

Before turning...

I clipped off the corners for less bulk.

I turned and used a crochet hook to get a nice point in the corners.

(my favorite turning tool)

I used a funnel...

and filled each bag with about

3/4 of a cup of rice.

I stitched the opening closed using

 my machine:)

I stitched them up in matching pairs...

one for each pocket!

Each set takes about 30-45 seconds on high

 to heat up in my microwave.

And there you have it...fast,easy and cute little square hot/cold bags...

what else could you ask for? 

Okay...maybe longer and larger hot/cold bags for your feet and neck?

You got it!

I made a few of those too!

I made them the exact same way ...

I used Daisy Cottage fat quarters

for these bags and I cut 2 different

pieces of  fabric 6" x 20"...

again...

one for the front and one for the back.

I also cut two pieces of flannel for

each bag the same size.

I stitched them up and turned them...

Filled them up with about 6 cups of rice

for each bag...

which is about halfway full.

I stitched them closed...and laid them out to show you!

These take about 2 minutes on high because they are quite a bit larger.

I like to put one at the bottom of my bed so that my sheets are nice and toasty for my feet when I climb into bed on a cold winters night!

 They also work nicely for a neck, shoulder or backache after a long quilty day!

And they also work in the freezer too!

After I have been out working in the garden on a hot summer day...it feels heavenly to lay one across my shoulders and neck to cool me down a bit...try it and see if it works for you too!

Until tomorrow...

have a quilty kind of day my friends:)

xx

Lori

Kassidy Sews...

Today I thought I would show you what Kassidy made her friends for Christmas.

For those of you who might not know...

Kassidy is my 12 year old daughter

and my baby!

She has been sewing with me since she was very young and got her first sewing machine

when she turned 9.

We have regular "Sew Nite's" together so that we can play with fabric, have fun together and improve on her sewing skills...which I think are important for a young girl to have!

The winters here in Utah are so very cold so she decided she wanted to make hoodie scarves.

We saw some at Target that were way cute but at 20 dollars each...that wasn't going to happen as she has 8 friends

that she wanted to sew for....

so she decided we could make our own.

We took a trip to JoAnn's and she picked out

3 colors of nice thick fluffy fleece.

It was 10.00 per yard but was 50% off...and each scarf needed 3/4 yards...so I say that was a pretty good deal!

Fleece is so fun and easy to sew with because it doesn't fray and so there is no hemming needed...so these scarfs went together quick....no need for a pattern...just a scarf with a hood sewn to the top center.

She made the scarf extra long so that she could fold each end up twice and stitch down the sides for pockets....

and cut fringe on the ends.

We used muslin to design and cut out a test pattern shape for the hood before

 cutting into the fleece.

Kassidy made 9 scarves total...

8 for her friends and 1 for herself.

She did a great job...thay turned out really cute and the girls all loved them!

We also made additional little gifts to go with the scarves that I will post about later.

When I was a girl growing up in a large family with lots of sisters, we would sew most of our own clothes.

My mom taught us all how to sew when we were young and it seemed that her tan Singer sewing machine was always set up on the kitchen table....we would always have to put the sewing away to set the table for dinner and then it would go right back on after the dishes were done!

We made some cute outfits and lots of cute dresses for church.

My sister Tammy who is a year older

than I...was the real seamstress...

what a talent!

She could sew anything but depended on me to choose the fabrics and styles and coordinate the outfits because that 

just happened to be my talent.

Mom would take us girls to the mall to check out all the good stuff...

my sisters and I would find what we liked and then I would sketch them.

Then we would go look for patterns that looked like what I had sketched ...alot of times Tammy would combine two or three patterns for a certain look.

I would choose all of the fabric and coordinate the outfits...

and even do some designing!

 My sisters would pick out the outfits that they wanted (but we all shared anyway as we were all pretty much the same size) 

Each sister was in charge of cutting out her own outfit from the pattern pieces and marking them ...and then Tammy would sew them

and make them fit us.

We always got compliments on our clothes and were always asked where we got them.

I'm proud that I have a mother who 

taught me to sew.

Thanks MOM! 

 I am taking her example and passing it on

to my daughter.

I love the fact that Kassidy saw something in a store and decided to make her own...

a continuation of a family tradition:)

xx

Lori

A Big Project at the Cottage!...

Well hello cute people...it's been awhile!

I took a small break from blogging but now I'm back to my regularly scheduled program:)

Can you see the reason for my little bloggy break in the above photo?...

YEP!

We have been painting at my little cottage!

So far we have the kitchen walls painted....

when I say "we"...I mean Mr. Honey and I.

Kassidy and Sterling have been helping out too which makes it a family project...a big one!

The walls above the beadboard have been butter yellow for 9 years and now they are aqua!

We are installing wood flooring

throughout the house...

and so I decided it was time for a change all around and that the perfect time to do it would be during the long winter months ahead.

The cupboards, doors, beadboard and trim have been white for 9 years too and are still in great shape ...but while we were at it it...we put a fresh coat on them too.

I'm letting the paint cure for a few days before putting the handles and knobs back on. 

I'm also repainting each piece of

furniture in the kitchen...

this is my vintage little girl's cupboard

now painted yellow.

It used to be a jadeite green.

 I love my little cupboard...

I bought it years ago while thrifting

and have always kept it in my kitchen.

When the kids were little I kept playdough, crayons, coloring books, paper,

colored pencils and art supplies in it

so they could sit up to the table and be creative while I was in the kitchen.

Now I keep my baking supplies inside:)  

I'll show you what it looks like inside when I put everything back together!

I hope you had a lovely Christmas...we did!

I did take some time to do a

little bit of sewing for gifts...

I took plenty of pictures and I will show you everything I made in my upcoming posts.

It's good to be back...I have missed you!

xx

Lori