Summer Sewing Contest!

Happy Friday, Friends!!!

Thanks for stopping by! I’m thrilled to be today’s stop on Ellison Lane Quilts’ Summer Sewing Contest blog hop. What a fun event! If you haven’t checked it out yet, read all the details here, and hop on over to all the fabulous blogs that have posted about their inspirational summer sewing projects to kick off the fun.

May 7: In Color Order

May 9: Sew Crafty Jess
May 11: Stitched in Color & Canoe Ridge Creations
May 14: Don’t Call Me Betsy & Sweet Deisel Designs
May 16: Olive and Ollie & I Like Orange, Too!
May 18: Diary of a Quilter & Craft Buds
May 21: Lots of Pink Here
May 23: Love Affair With My Brother & Sukie
May 25: Stitchery Dickory Dock & LR Stitched
May 28: The Busy Bean & Fresh Lemons Quilts
May 30: Random Thoughts Do or Di & Sew Sweetness

Grab a button and spread the word! Then get sewing!

So what summer stitching am I up to? Well, today I’m all about these cutie pie drawstring backpacks I made for my little girls to take on our upcoming trip to Disney.

I love the idea of them being responsible for toting their own snacks & small toys onto the plane- gives them a sense of control and pride over their special little belongings (and frankly, I’m sick of cramming everyone else’s stuff into my carry on!). I’ve seen many kiddos pulling those little rolling suitcases or zip backpacks, and that’s great ‘n all…but my crystal ball shows little chubby hands and legs growing weary somewhere around Terminal B, and a frazzled mama hen huffing down the ramp, lugging everyone’s bags.

But not with these cute little totes! They are super lightweight, hands-free, and just the right size for a few little treasures.

These are super easy to improv. Just whip up your favorite drawstring bag (Jeni Baker of In Color Order has a fantastic tutorial, as well as a downloadable pattern with tons of sizes- check it out!)…and instead of tying off the ends of your drawstrings, make them a bit longer (I actually doubled my normal length) than your pattern requires, and stitch the ends into the corners of the bottom seams.
Ah, you can never have enough drawstring bags. I’m about to whip up a couple more before the trip- for my sunglasses, my camera…maybe I should surprise hubby with a backpack of his own? “It’s not a purse, it’s a man pack!” Hehehehehehehe. :)

Hope you have fun coming up with your summer sewing project, and checking out the Summer Sewing Contest!

XO