Back to School Totebag

It's time for the kiddos to head back to school. Although it's been a while since I've been in school, I always get so excited to browse the school supply section. What's more fun than paper and pencils, except for crafting?!! I have already posted a tutorial for making your own binding or double fold bias tape. Now you can use that bias tape to make a tote bag with pocket! I chose a fun back to school printed fabric, but you can use any pattern that you like. This tote bag is great for books, or anything you need to carry to and fro. To make this easy tote bag, you need your binding, but you also need 2 pieces of canvas fabric (measuring 15.5 inches tall and 12 inches wide) and 1 patterned piece of fabric for the front pocket (measuring 12.5 inches tall and 12 inches wide). Sew binding along just the tops of each of the 3 pieces of fabric. Now place the 3 pieces of fabric on top of each other in this order: canvas piece, canvas piece, pocket piece. Make sure the edges are all lined up. Pin sides if you like, but the next step is to pin more binding all around the edges. The top of the bag is the edge that you previously lined. Pin the bias tape or binding all around the next three sides of the bag. This is how I fold the bias tape around the corners as I pin. Now you can sew these 3 edges on the bag. Make sure to leave the top open! When finished sewing sides and removing pins, you have a "case" or the main part of your bag. The last step is to add straps. You can use cotton webbing (as pictured here) or you can sew the open side of more bias tape and use that as matching straps! It is up to you which side you place your straps. I chose to have it on the outside, but it could go inside to. Sew the ends of the straps to the bag my sewing a square, and then and X in the middle of the square. Tie ends of thread and trim away. Now you have your very own bag and are ready to head back to school, or send the kiddos. Of course, if you used a different fabric, this could be a tote bag for any occasion.  The back of the bag is plain, but if you wanted to use a patterned fabric that would look good too. Here is a close up of the finished corners and strap stitching of the bag. Don't forget to use that cool pocket on the front too! Wasn't this a great back to school craft? I hope you enjoyed this project. Thanks for stopping by.

How to make your own Binding

Binding, also known as double fold bias tape, can be found in most craft stores that sell fabric. It comes in different colors and sizes, but can sometimes be limiting and expensive. No more! Make your own at home with any fabric from your stash.

This simple tutorial will teach you how to make your own binding! In fact, I'll show you two simple ways to make the bias tape for your sewing projects.

All you need is a long string of fabric (my pieces were 2.5 to 3 inches wide and about 45 inches long). If you do not have enough fabric to cut such a long piece, you can join smaller pieces together. Usually, you might need multiple strips of binding for your projects, especially if you are using it on a quilt.

Way #1

Lay the long piece of fabric face down (right side down) on a table.

Fold the sides of the fabric longways so the edges are close to touching.

Fold the fabric again lengthwise.

Pin this together.


Warm up an iron and run this over the folded fabric to create crisp edges, removing the pins as you go. You have finished your binding/bias tape!


Way #2


Use a metal bias tape maker. These can be bought in all different sizes, and are easy to use. All you have to do is feed the fabric (right side down) through the metal tape maker and it folds the edges over for you.



Take the end that comes out of the bias tape maker and fold that in half again (creating the double fold). Pin this strip of fabric together.

Once the strip of bias tape is pinned, iron the folded fabric to make nice creases, removing pins as you go. You have finished your bias tape!


Binding, or bias tape, can be used to finish almost any project you are hoping to make. It can finish the edges of your quilts, close the seam on your Christmas stockings, finish edges on clothing, and so much more. For your next project, why not use the bias tape you have created to make this Back to School tote bag? It's perfect for toting books from the library or homework assignments from school.

Video: D.I.Y. Dreamcatcher

Last week I went on WDRB in the Morning to make this handmade dreamcatcher. It's really not as difficult as it looks, I promise! Just by pulling the string taut as you make the loops around the circle, the web happens naturally. It is a good craft for kids or adults!
Julee from D.I.Y. Louisville was on WDRB too and made a really cool bubble blower craft with her daughter! We have so much fun making crafts on television every other week. I hope you will subscribe to our youtube channels at Craft E Magee and D.I.Y. Louisville. 
I will be on WDRB in the Morning again next Wednesday, August 14 at 7:45 and 8:15AM (EST). I always post the video to my Facebook page and youtube channel afterwards. 

Make It: Dreamcatcher Decoration

Locally the weather is getting a little cooler--surprising since it is still July--but it reminds me that summer is winding down and school is starting soon. I think a great transition between summer and fall would be to make a craft that brings the colors or shapes of the outdoors inside. I think this ocean-hued Dreamcatcher, with beads, feathers, or shells, is the perfect choice.

I love the folklore surrounding dream catchers. The idea is that when this decoration is hung above the bed, bad dreams get caught in the web while the good dreams pass through the circle and travel down the ribbons and feathers into the head of the sleeper. It is a very popular craft, taught in summer camps around North America! Feel free to use any supplies that you have on hand, whether it means using sticks and feathers from the yard, shells and driftwood from the beach, or yarn and ribbon from the craft store.

For my dreamcatcher I used fun yarns, string, dyed feathers & beads, and the inside ring of an embroidery hoop for the circular base. You could also bend the hoop shape from wire or anything else you can come up with in your imagination.

To start, tie one end of a small spool of string or thread to the wooden embroidery hoop. Once the end of the string is secure, wrap the string around the wood a few inches to the right, bringing the spool through the middle of the hole. Leave the string loop a little bit loose and repeat these steps all around the ring. 

 

When you have done this around the entire circle, repeat steps but wrap the string around the center of the first loop of string this time, instead of the wood. Continue making loops through the first row of string all around the circle. Once you reach the end again, repeat steps by looping through the second row all around the circle.

 

You can add beads to the “web” as you go, in whatever pattern you like. To do this, just bead the string and make a loop. Continue the loop-making steps until you are close to closing the gap in the center of the web.

 

You do want to leave a hole in the center of the web you are creating. The size can be up to you. To do this, just finish a row of loops and then tie off the end of the string to the web. The knot will be too small to notice. Cut off the excess string.

 

The final step is to decorate the your dreamcatcher. You can wrap an alternate color of string around the wooden hoop to give it a different hook, or you can leave the bare wood. I used teal string around the wooden hoop and white string for the center of the dreamcatcher. (Optional: You can also wrap the hoop with the different color string before you begin creating the web. That might be easier for some crafters).

You also want to hang some feathers or string on the bottom of the dreamcatcher. I think that using a stash of eclectic yarn, ribbon, and string and looping them around the bottom of the circle is the best way to go. You could go with matchy matchy stuff, it’s just not my taste. If you don’t have beads, you can use shells. If you don’t have feathers, you can use leaves or fabric. It is really up to you!

 
Be sure to add a loop on top to hang your dreamcatcher above your bed. Sweet dreams!
 
I hope that you enjoyed this craft, which I will be making on WDRB in the Morning today. I always have fun teaching crafts on television (every other Wednesday with Julee Lair of D.I.Y. Louisville). You can check out our past WDRB segments on my youtube channel and her youtube channel.

Super Sixth Birthday Blast!

We had a 6th birthday this weekend, complete with a super-hero themed party for my nephew. This might actually be the third superhero themed party that he has had. He had a Spiderman party at 3 and a Batman party at 5. This time he just picked all of the superheroes-The Avengers and The Justice League! What can we do? He loves Superheroes!


Since his birthday falls in the middle of the Summer, it usually makes for a very hot party. My parents spoil C with a air bounce with a water slide to keep the party cool for the kids. We also had a pinata, which all the kids loved, and pizza and cake.

The cake was an awesome 3-tiered creation from our good friend Kruti of Kruti's Cake Bites. The Hulk's fist on top really makes this cake. Kruti says that the trick is molded rice krispy treats. For the other layers she used dyed frosting, fondant, and printed edible designs. There was one plastic Batman ring stuck in the side of the cake for the Birthday Boy to keep. He loved the cake and the tiers were each a different cake flavor, per his request. The top layer was 'birthday cake' flavored with sprinkles, the middle was chocolate, and the bottom was yellow cake.


I can't believe it, but in all of the madness I actually didn't get to eat a piece of the cake myself! It was gobbled up so quickly. I've had enough of Kruti's delicious cake bites to know why! Her baking skills are #1! C had the best time with friends and family to celebrate his special day.

My favorite part of the party was when C opened his present from Joe and his eyes lit up. Ever since C was a baby, my boyfriend has given him a hand drawn card with money for his birthdays. The tradition began with an Elmo drawing and $1, then a Mr. Krabs card and $2, a Spiderman card and $3, and so on. On Saturday, he got a framed Thor drawing with $6, and he exclaimed to his friends, "This is from my Joe. He's a great artist!" It just made my heart melt.


I am so glad to have spent such a fun day with the people I love, celebrating the little guy that we love on his big day.

   
 
 
 
 

Easy Banana Bread

Do you have one of those foods that just puts you in a good mood? I'm talking about one of those foods that the sight, smell, touch, or taste just makes you happy! For me, that food is banana bread. I don't know why it is, but there is something about it that is so comforting to me. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but pour me some chocolate milk and I'm set!


Even the process of making the banana bread is calming and relaxing for me. I am not really much of a cook, but I do sometimes enjoy baking, and when you make banana bread it smells so sweet and yummy from start to finish. We have bananas around the house a lot, but sometimes a few of the bananas are overripe for eating alone, so I have been using them in this recipe by Elise Bauer! 

What I like about the recipe is that the ingredients are pretty standard. We keep most of these things on hand at home. All you need are 3-4 bananas, 1/3 cup of melted butter, almost 1 cup of sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, a pinch of salt, and 1 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour.

My other favorite thing about this recipe is that you do not have to use a mixer. Talk about easy! You can combine the ingredients just by using a spoon in your hand. First you mash the bananas, and then you gently combine all of the other ingredients (making sure to add the flour to the mixture last). 

Once you have mixed your yummy banana bread concoction, scoop the ooey gooeyness into a buttered pan. Try to use a bread or loaf pan if you have one on hand. Bake up the bread in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the banana bread is nice and golden, and puffed up in the pan, remove it from the oven and set to cool on a rack.
 
That is all you need to do to make this yummy banana bread recipe. Hard to believe it right? The last step is to eat it! I also like to change things up by adding walnuts or chocolate chips. It's my special secret to keeping this recipe exciting and fulfilling. In one batch, I added mini milk chocolate chips and the banana bread disappeared in less than a day!

What about you? Do you have a recipe that is your go-to for comfort food? I would love to swap recipes with you! Send me a link or leave me a comment below.

Book Look: Crafty Chloe

One of the things I have noticed, which I think is pretty cool, is a new wave of kid's books involved crafts, art, and making stuff. As a kid, I loved being crafty and I loved to read. Of course I always checked out craft instruction books, but craft story books would've been fun too!


That's why I like "Crafty Chloe." I discovered this book on a recent library trip. My nephew is learning to read, so I thought this would be a fun book. Turns out that I really like it too!


The book follows Chloe, a crafty girl hoping to make a birthday present for her best friend. I love the illustrations, which are by Heather Ross, an amazing fabric designer. The book is written by Kelly DiPucchio, who coincidentally wrote one of my nephew's favorite books: "Zombie in Love."


We were also excited to learn that this book will be a series and another Crafty Chloe book is due out this August. How exciting!

Are there any books you or your kiddos are really into lately? I will share some of my own reads later. In the meantime, my nephew and I recommend this read!