August OPAM in September

As the end of August approached I realised that I would once again have no finishes for the month, and nothing to report to Kris for OPAM (one project a month).
But then I got thinking; there were a couple of quick projects that had taken my eye...you know the sort; it would be cool to make that one day, and then never get around to it.
I decided Saturday would be the day! The first chance to sew after three busy days in a row, and the last day of the month. I figured that if I got organised I could make a couple of things.
First up, I'd seen Carole of frommycarolinahome blog make tote bags from empty birdseed bags a long time ago and the idea had stuck in my head.
I'm always looking for a bag or a box to put fruit and cartons of eggs in to give to the family. The days of a ready supply of plastic supermarket bags in the cupboard are long gone! I'd put aside a couple of empty chicken pellet bags —

One down, one to go

These were quick and straight forward to make. I did have to take my sewing machine out of it's set-in bed though to sew around the top. The 'fabric' definitely wasn't as nice to sew as quilting cotton, but wasn't too bad!

Sewing at a precarious angle!

They're distinctive enough that they should come back to me for more eggs and fruit (and so on), so if I make a couple more there should always be enough to circulate between our four families :-)

Two made and being admired.

Just for the record, so that I remember when I make the next ones, I trimmed the bags to 20" high, cut one 3" strip off for the handles, and the boxed corners were 4 ½". As always, Carole's tutorial was well worth following.

And while I was on a roll, I thought I'd have time for another wee project. I also came across this idea the other day; making small 'ouchie' bags that are stored in the freezer for the bumps and hurts that young children have on a regular basis. I had followed a couple of links and ended up on Lori's Bee In my Bonnet blog.

They were an even quicker make than the tote bags, apart from the fact that I didn't have enough rice on hand to fill the last one. Just as well we had planned a trip into town after the afternoon cow/calf/milking session to stock up on a few groceries. (That's code for, we feel like takeaways for tea, and if we get a few groceries at the same time, it's a worthwhile trip to town!)
 I was able to fill the last one and sew it up while it was still August!

I quite liked that Lori lined the inside of the bags with a piece of flannel (I used wincyette scraps). She suggests the bags stay cold for longer, and I like the double layers to keep the rice under control. Plus they feel nicer.

So how about that - 6 finishes for OPAM for August. A little bit cheaty in a way, but, hey, six, useful and ready to use items - not bad for a day's sewing!! Thank you Kris of Tag Along Teddies, for hosting OPAM for us; linky parties and blogland commitments are a great motivator!

PS As a follow on from my last post, I finished my Foxley Village block four the other day, doing the piecing needed for the bottom of the applique part. I'm hoping to start on block five tonight :-)

Whoops, it still needs a good press!

It's a beautiful day today so I'd best get moving and do some bits and pieces - washing on the line and so on. I think we have family visiting later so I might make some muffins too.

Enjoy your day,

'til next time,

happy stitches,