Watercolor Butterfly and Floral Gift Bag

A couple of weeks ago, during one of my regular Tuesday Morning cruise-throughs, I bought a large gift bag with a watercolor design of butterflies & flowers. I opened it up and used a variety of Sizzix dies to cut tags and pockets. I went crazy on the tags & didn’t have many big pieces for pockets, which I regret. More pockets next time! This is the original bag (both sides are identical.

I untied the purple ribbon handle and saved the butterfly hang tag and a decorated bag seal. I also cut a tag from the label on the bottom of the bag.

The bag sides were long & narrow with a fold down the middle. Avoiding the fold, I cut 19 tags from the two sides. Most are blue with handwriting, a few also have some of the floral design.

There was one large butterfly on each side. I fussy cut one butterfly and placed the second butterfly so it fell on the front of a library pocket. I cut two almost identical journaling cards.

I cut four large and two medium tags.

I cut two slotted cards and a small pocket.

I cut ten more tags out of the leftover paper.

The last photo shows all the items I cut from the gift bag. I saved a few pieces of the bag in case I need to cut a specific size or shape when I use this beautifully coordinated watercolor butterfly/floral set!

FYI: I used these Sizzix Dies: 662697 - Stitched Slots, 658784 - Tag Collection, 660271 - Tags & Words, 560195 - Tags & Words by Stephanie Barnard, 660700 - Library Pocket, & 5658349 - Inserts & Envelopes/Mini Correspondence.

Workbasket, May 1953 - Mail Order Patterns

Most issues of The Workbasket have a page or two with ads for sewing patterns. These are the patterns found on Page 40 of the may, 1953 issue. These patterns could be ordered for 35 cents (in coins), with an additional five cent charge for First Class mailing.

Mail Order 4839 - Cool and comfortable, cover-all apron or jumper. It wraps and buttons. Easy to sew. Misses' sizes 12-20. Size 16 takes 4 1/8 yards 35-inch fabric.

Mail Order 9247 - Perfect for short, fuller figures. Smooth lined, scalloped capelet gives a suggestion of sleeves. Half sizes 14 ½ - 24½. Size 16½ takes 3 7/8 yards of 39-inch fabric.

Mail Order 9028 - Easy to make sundress. Bodice wraps and ties for a sleek midriff look. Smart princess liens, adjustable halter. Misses' sizes 12-20. Size 16 takes 5 1/8 yards 35-inch fabric.

Pre-Opening Day, Opening Day, Whatever....

April 4, 2016. The first Monday in April. Baseball is back. The Void is over. Opening Day. Except it isn't. There were 3 games yesterday. Do we call Sunday Pre-Opening Day or Opening Day Eve? Or is Opening Day now the first Sunday in April? I have embraced Sunday Night Baseball, even the Pre-Opening Day Eve game. But make the season stretching stop!! ALL teams should be in first place on Opening Day.

Today, on the REAL Opening Day, I will watch all the games on tv. I will wear my Joey Votto jersey. I will dream of being at the ball park. I will remember the sun on my face, the taste of frozen lemonade, the 7th inning stretch, the joy of keeping score. I will recall some of my favorite calls: Back, back, back, back...Gone. -Chris Berman; It's deep and I don't think it's playable. -Keith Olberman; Stick a fork in him, he's done. -Leo Durocher. And my favorite: And this one belongs to the Reds. -Marty Brennaman.

During the season, I'll watch Sunday Night Baseball, Wednesday Night Baseball, and Baseball Tonight. I'll miss Jon Miller and Joe Morgan calling the games on Sunday evening. I'll laugh at and with Dallas Braden. I'll anticipate hearing Jessica Mendoza in the booth often. Hear that ESPN? More Jessica Mendoza!! I'll admire double plays and home runs, power pitchers and strike-outs, finesse pitchers hitting the corners, a perfect sacrifice bunt. I'll keep score at the College World Series, hopefully rooting for the Arizona State Sun Devils. I'll watch the Reds at The Great American Ball Park in July. I'll pray to the Baseball Gods that the absolutely stupid idea of bring the DH to the National League is buried. Forever. I'll check box scores and standings. I'll wonder if my Reds will ever make the play-offs again. I'll watch the play-offs and the World Series no matter who plays. Baseball is back and I'm a fan.

"Sure, opening day is baseball's bandwagon. Pundits and politicians and every prose poet on the continent jumps on board for a few days. But they're gone soon, off in search of some other windy event worthy of their attention. Then, once more, all those long, slow months of baseball are left to us. And our time can begin again." -Thomas Boswell (Why Time Begins on Opening Day)

Helpful Hints for Plaids!

Today's sewing tips came in Simplicity 7052, an apron pattern. One of the aprons is shown in a gingham, none in real plaids. Hmmm. I wonder why Helpful Hints for Plaids was chosen for this pattern?

If you are interested in apron patterns, I have this one and more for sale on www.DellaJane.com.

Back to plaids.... Know Your Plaids. There are even and uneven plaids. Seeing the difference easy in a picture.

When working with a plaid fabric, there is one thing to do that makes all the difference!

The next step is to determine where and how to match your plaids

And of course, the last step is to sew the plaids so they match where you want them to!

I hope these tips from Simplicity help with your next plaid project, apron or not!

Dolls and Dwight!

Doll clothes, Dwight Eisenhower, elections and military physicals. What do they have in common? Someone in Corsicana, Texas, used a bit of newspaper to cut out a doll clothes pattern that she wanted to make just a little modification to. The result, tucked into Simplicity 3729, is a bit of history!

Who won those elections? Charles C. Sapp became the mayor of Corsicana for one term. Walter Erwin served as City Commisioner and later as mayor. Albert Fullerton was a Corsicana City Commissioner and has a park named after him (Fullerton-Garrity Park).

In other news: Bill Hill won the "Ugly Man" contest. "Chip" Bohlen was named Ambassador to the Soviet Union by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. No info available on the service of the 16 men who passed the military physical exam.

I'm glad this doll clothes pattern crossed my path so I could find this clipping!

Neckline "How To"

Today's "how to" on finishing necklines comes from Simplicity 1283, a 1955 blouse pattern.

Whether the blouse has a collar or just a facing, this Simplicity "How To" gives valuable info for making your creation look great!

How To Reinforce Kimono Sleeves

I'm going to share the tissue pattern instruction sheets I see in vintage patterns. Simplicity did a How-To-Sew series of patterns. Today, the pattern is Simplicity 5532, a cute 1960's pajama pattern.

Kimono sleeves are easy-peasy compared to set-in sleeves! The down side is that with less structure comes a tendency to rip open. Simplicity came out with some fixes and included them as a tissue paper insert in this pattern. Here's the 4-1-1 on How To Reinforce Kimono Sleeves.

I prefer A and D - both are easy to do and will not show if you use matching thread. B seems a bit complex. And a Zigzag Attachment? Most of us aren't sewing with vintage machines - kudos to those who are! I don't like the use of seam binding shown in C. I think it would result in the edges of the bias tape sticking out and rubbing skin. Which one do you prefer?