Care package

My boss is going on an important trip, so for her birthday, everyone at work contributed to a care package that she could take with her.  Some stuff people put into the care package was an itunes gift card (for watching movies on the plane), magazines, travel shampoos, snacks.  I made this tote bag to put all the items in:

I got the tutorial for the tote bag from oh my! handmade goodness.  It’s a great little tutorial, with very clear step-by-step instructions.  I know I say this all the time, but this bag was super-easy to make, just a lot of straight lines to sew.  The bag I made from the instructions was about 19” long x 13” wide.  But with a little bit of math, I’m thinking you could use the tutorial to make any size tote bag. 

I also made this lavender eye pillow to aid in relaxation.  I love the smell of lavender.  So relaxing.

The "eye pillow" has three parts: the actual eye pillow (which is just plain fabric), the slipcover for the eye pillow, and the carrying case.  I used coordinating fabrics from a fat quarter pack, which is much easier than picking out your own fabrics and trying to decide if they coordinate.

This is what the carrying case looks like on the outside:

The tutorial suggests adding a fancy button or pin on the outside.  I wasn't planning to add this, and I probably wouldn't need it if I was making the eye pillow for myself.  But it does look a little plain if you're giving it as a gift.  So, I went to Nordstrom in hunt of a fancy brooch, but they don't have any brooches.  Weird, no?  I ended up getting a pair of earrings and attaching them to the flap of the pouch.  It fancied the pouch up a bit.

I got the tutorial for the eye pillow from Amy Butler.  For those who may not know, Amy Butler has some lovely fabrics and patterns.  I made the baby girl’s bibs from her laminated cotton fabric.  The eye pillow was another easy pattern with only straight line sewing.  After I cut out all the fabric pieces, it took about an hour to sew up.

It’s been a while since I sewed clothes, and I kind of miss it.  The stuff I’ve been doing lately is easier and faster, but I miss doing some of the more intricate stuff.  So, I’ll have to work on something for the baby girl’s fall “wardrobe” next.