For the Moms

So, it all started several, several weeks ago, as I was walking the aisles of JoAnns... I found the quilting supplies and they were 50% off! There, I found fabric sheets, specifically designed to go through a printer. 

An idea was born.

And here's the final product! 

(They are the same size, but I was experimenting with the strap lengths... the purple one just has longer straps!)

I made my mom's bag first. I knew she would use it for carrying her schoolwork to and from her classroom, so I wanted to use pictures she would love to show off! I had the purple cotton on hand as well as the pink/white stripe lining. I did purchase the cream canvas/suiting fabric as a remnant specifically for this project.

Grizz came up with the idea that his mom's bag should be designed for camping and/or boating. Thus, I used a few pictures I had as well as a few pictures I asked Grizz's sisters for. I think it's perfect for the outdoors! I also had the green cotton on hand along with the brown bottom and the red stripe lining. Thankfully I had just enough of the cream fabric for both bags :)

I went very traditional with Grizz's mom's bag - double sewing lines for a more professional feel...

Mom's got a little more creative in order to fit in with the little first graders that she teaches reading too...

 Mom also got a little bit of sparkle. That's Mom's thing... sparkle. I heard that word a lot last year while planning a wedding... :) These are just buttons attached with invisible thread.

Here's a better picture of the dark brown fabric I used on the bottom of Grizz's mom's bag - I figured it would be outside a lot, and I'm not sure how well that cream will clean up, so brown for the bottom!

 One last picture :)

I used the tutorial I wrote here to make the bags and the linings... then I attached the straps and sewed the outsides and the linings together. To make the fabric for the outside bag, I just kind of did a building block, adding the colored and then measuring how much of the cream/brown I would need to get to the right dimensions!