Finals Done... Crafting begun!

Jill Atkinson... don't read this post! It involves a little gift I made for Tripp and Jetty - so unless you don't want to be surprised... don't read! :)
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Well friends - you know how much I love to sew and craft... but also how hard it is during school to do projects! During the school year, all my 'crafting' time is taken up by reading and writing.

I turned in my last final yesterday at 4:30 and as I was going to bed I was thinking of a friend of mine who recently had a baby. I was thinking of visiting and decided to make my traditional baby gift (thank you to Liz Hehman for the idea) of "designer" burp rags.

So I woke up at 7 this morning (even with out my alarm - sad, huh!) and the idea was still there... so I got started! I already had the fabric and trims, so that was pretty easy. I decided I also wanted to make something for this baby's big sister - who I babysat over the summer.

I knew she would enjoy a little purse and so I searched on line and found a great pattern at this site: http://www.purlbee.com/mollys-little-purses/ .

I modified the pattern a bit, because I had cute coordinating fabrics on hand in fat quarters, which are not 20-24" square. So I made the smaller version, and instead of cutting out 10" squares, I did 9" squares (and made the pocket 4 1/2 "). Fat quarters (FQs) are 18" by about 22", so there was enough to make the purse out of two fat quarters (which are just over $1 each - this purse was a great value!!). In the pattern, the purse has an inside pocket, but I loved the little coordinating fabric so much, I put the pocket on the front, and added some coordinating grosgrain ribbon. I did love the handles from the pattern, but there are no craft stores around where I live, so I used the extra of the main fabric to make little handles*.

*this is easy - just cut two strips, 2-3" wide, 18" long (if you're using the FQ). Fold them right sides together and iron flat (I didn't have an iron, but it would be easier if they were ironed). I sewed a line right down the center, and then attached a safety pin at one end and push it through the center, pulling it through the middle to turn it inside out. Then iron it flat, right sides out. The last thing I did was fold up the ends of each handle just a teeny bit and sewed them, so that there were no raw edges and then sewed them to the inside of the purse itself.

I think it turned out really cute, and it didn't take me long - maybe an hour or so from cutting to completion. Probably faster if I was working at a table and not at a footstool.... :) See pictures below to see how they turned out!!

Here is the little purse - -- isn't it sweet!?
(I was thinking about adding a button at the top and a little loop on the
backside to make a "clasp", too - or a velcro square to hold it shut)

Here it is so that you can see the inside a bit, too - I love this little design!

The burp rags! I thought they turned out pretty great for being made of things I had "on hand",

My little "workstation" - I could have used my fold out table.... but I
was nervous it wouldn't handle the weight of the sewing machine...