A few years back my Uncle Bobby made this awesome corn hole game for a cousin of mine.  Ever since then I've been thinking that might be fun to make one for us here in NJ.

My husband and I have been working on a few wooden projects ever since we purchased a table saw at a garage sale.  Yup - it was our lucky day - brand new and in the box!!  We worked with our table saw outside - because our basement is too small.

We worked together on this project.  My idea, my husband's design, my manual labor, many helpful suggestions given along they way.  We make a great team.

So here are the photos.  I had made a few more bean bags, but a friend's little one thought they were great "balls" to throw in our pond and we had to throw them out.  Boo!  So I need to make a few more in the next few days.

Front View


In progress photo - the plans were a bit complicated, so we glued templates on the wood to make drilling the holes easier.  (Yes - I realize it's pretty dark outside, we were on a role and kept continuing on even though it was getting dark.  It's hard to stop when the end of a project is so close.  It also helps keep the smell down of the spray glue.  And the fourth was coming up so we needed to finish the project before our BBQ with friends)


Side View


Bean Bags


Thumbnails of other views




We sure did have a lot of fun making it!  The game was a hit this fourth of July!!

[Please don't forget to vote for this as your favorite. Thanks!!]

So, long story short....
I purchased a gift card at Sephora for my sister and did not want to accept their ugly mirror gift box it came in.  After receive a few confused looks (like the ones I get when I don't ask for a plastic bag), the sales lady let me leave without the mirror compact.

Instead, I made some small chenilled gift pouches.  I already wrapped the one for my sister, so here are some mock-up photos with cards I had lying around. 

Without further a do...here they are:



There are four layers of fabric sewn together (three up and one down).  Then the fabric is carefully shredded and beaten up with a wire brush. 


Another picture with the zipper displayed for you.


Lastly, just to show you the colorful insides.  I always make the inside fabric contrast the outside and the zipper.


Please don't forget to vote for this as your favorite.  Thanks!!  
I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years.  Many blessing in the new year.  Hope we all get to be as crafty as we want!

Hello all...I'm looking for some advice

My girlfriend gave me a skirt made in Uganda.  The skirt is HUGE!!  So I've been working on making it fit me.

Now the waist fits just fine, but the skirt is very unflattering to me.  How do I fix it?  I'm not normally use to fixing or constructing clothing and I'm not sure how to proceed.  Any ideas.  Here are the pictures.  Yes, I realize the berries go up instead of down.  That's how the dress was made.

Front View

Back View - This the best view I think

Side View

Angled View


How to I make the front and side view also look flattering.

Thanks!

This is the first bag I've ever made.  No patterns used, but some inspiration from other sources.  I've always wanted to own a LLBean bag, but never felt like paying the price for one, so I decided to make my own.  The handle technique came from Mary Jo Hiney's book Quilted Bags and Purses.  The cost of the bag was 50 cents because I used fabric I had lying around.  Since green is my favorite color and green is often used in eco-friendly phrases I decided the green fabric was perfect for this challenge.  The handles are made from old denim I had lying around.  And the phrase is sewn on using fusible interface and machine embroidered onto the bag.  The bee was so much fun to make.  I don't have an embroidery machine, so I just used a zig-zag stitch and created it free hand.  I hope you all enjoy.


Completed bags.  The small one is for produce and other small items.
I squared off the bottom to allow for more storage.


Pictures of the bag handles being sewn on.  I cut strips of denim to be 2.5 inches wide and sewed them together (good side to good side).  Then my husband and I spent over 1 hour trying to turn the fabric right side out.  Note to self:  next time make the fabric strips wider.  I would have greatly appreciated another 1/2 inch of fabric.


Attaching the outer pocket to the bag.  I sewed the bottom of the pocket to the bag and then sewed up the sides to secure the sides of the pocket


Up close shot of the appliqué


It's large enough to hold many jugs of juice and milk. 


The bag is HUGE!!  Just wanted to give you all an idea of it's size.  I    like it that way, but next time I will make the bag a little bit smaller in height for easier access.

I really enjoyed making this bag and love the fabric I chose.  The denim handles hold the weight of the bag's contents rather than the fabric itself.  Thanks for the challenge.  I'm looking forward to making more bags in the future.