Thomas Backpack

Thomas and Friends Backpack

I made my preschooler a backpack after meeting with his teacher and told us that she preferred her student to have a bigger bags so that she can put in the take home folder. So, I been thinking of where should I get a backpack that just fit on my small little boy. My husband suggested to buy one, but if I buy a new one still bigger than he is. 

My final decision was to make one, and I used the pattern from the green bag lady website.

He likes it because he can see the train pictures.

another shot of him

... and of course my little daughter want to try it too.

Green Bag Project

The other night, I started making some of the shopping bags. My goal this summer is to make 50 bags to send in the Philippines to give away to the kids and families who needs it.

I followed the patter from the green bag lady website here. She has the easiest pattern ever and it was not complicated to follow at all.

A week ago, I asked a friend to show me how to make the lining for the back to make it a little nicer in the inside part. I do not have the serger to make the edge of the seam look nicer, so I followed the tutorial from my friend website here  ( THANKS SIS CLAIRE!), but I forgot to lined up my handle on the same side and it was twisted oh boy!

But my second bag was all good! I am learning :) I am trying to make with different sizes because I want it to be more usable for children.

Also, I was meaning to make more bag to give away at the fund raising event on Saturday and Sunday, but I was not able to make some more :( because my kids were demanding and was busy for other stuff in the house.

Here is another one that I think is a good size for them. I made this one out of an old bed sheet that was given to me by a friend. I bought many fabrics, but I was trying to make it inexpensive as much as possible.

Thanks to Sis Claire for the tutorials and to the green bag lady for the pattern and for the inspiration.

Shopping bag from the Green Bag Lady

I won a shopping bag from the green bag lady website which was introduce to me by my good friend Claire F. from NY.

The light blue shopping bag from the green bag lady and the two peach color shopping bag are my very first made shopping bags.

When I found out that I was one of the receipt out of 80 winners, I feel inspired! I went on her website and watched the video of her making the green bag ( shopping bag), looks easy to make. Since I am not a sewer, I need motivation to sew and the green bag lady site give me that motivation.

This week I received the shopping bag blue in the picture) from the green bag lady named Teresa. Since, only couple days before the sales day ( Wednesday is the day I shop for food) and was anxious to use my shopping bag. I decided to try of making my very first green bag.

My very first try: I put a pocket because I like to put my receipt in the bag pocket.
P.S this bag made from my old bed sheet :)

It was not a good as the bag that I received, but I am working on it. The thread was going all over the place of the fabric :)). Well even though my first try was not as good as I expected to be, it did not discourage me to give up, instead I made another one ( above 1st pic). Today , I used it! The cashier at the store joke about not taking other store shopping bag. But I said, ' no these shopping bags two of them I made and one from the green bag lady, and she told me that it was a great idea to make your own bag. Well , I said "thanks to the green bag lady for the motivation". I even showed the cashier the website that she can go to for the pattern.

Anyway, as soon as we got home I took picture of my with the bag and as well as my daughter check out what I bought.

Eagerness to have the lettuce... yahhhh!

Here she is she got it! then...

Later in the morning after I picked up my hubby from school, we went back to the store and bought some fabric. I am making more shopping bags and bags that I can send to my family back in the Philippines. I am also planning to make  bags for kids that do not have money to buy a school bag in the Philippines ( I was one of them using a plastic bag as a school bag). Of course using the same pattern from the green bag lady, because it was easy to follow for the first timer like me.

To Teresa, thank you very much for the nice, light weight shopping bag and for inspiring a lot of women to sew. More power to you!