Broadening my Horizons on the Sewing Frontier

This is the year I am going to sew other things.  I can sew, I know I can, I just haven't had the patience to learn new things.  Like pillow covers, and bags, and iPad covers.  So far this year I have now made an iPad cover, and now not just one but TWO pillow covers AND a bag.  Go Me!

I used this tute on the Sew, Mama, Sew Blog, and I had some left over Sherbet Pips fabrics.  I thought the pillow covers would be a nice addition to the Snawder Sherbet Pips Quilt I made last year.  

And since this was my first time tackling a pillow cover, I decided to make two, I'm nothing if not ambitious.  This pillow cover has a bound edge, and I'm not sure I absolutely love it.  I have other tutorials though, so I will press on.  And these covers turned out well enough to gift to the family with the Sherbet Pips quilt, so they will be passed on.  After I show them off.

You know how you are just clicking along the internet, reading blogs, checking links?  And then you hit one, and go 'oh, I'm going to make that.  Right now'.  That happened, it was this link to Toy Sack.  My nephew was having a birthday, so perfect.  Except I had to go to JoAnn's to get the vinyl first, and I really wanted to finish those pillows, I'm trying to finish things not just start them.  So it wasn't quite right away, but it was the next thing.  I decided to add a panel with his name to the sack which isn't on the tutorial, because I am EXPANDING, and my machine can write words.  

Really, it took me only 4 tries to get it down correct.  This was one of the times I thought it was right, but I didn't realize I should stop at the end of SACK, I thought it would be automatic, but it just kept going.  It looks like 'sackity'.  

Fourth times a charm.  Looks good, no?

The front and the back.  The clear vinyl allows you to see the toys inside.  Very clever, the tute writer must be a Mom.  We like to spy.

Front of the toy sack.  

Back of the toy sack, and it is only  a week late for the birthday boy.