I can Sew?!?!

Awhile back, sometime before Austin went to BNCOC in Arizona, I got a newsletter from the FRG (Family Readiness Group) and in the newsletter there was an article highlighting a soldier's wife and her crafty handiwork. She makes bags out of soldiers' uniform pieces; the inside of the bag is decorative fabric of the bag-holder's choice, and the outside is an army uniform. I believe she's made some for other branches, but she started out just doing Army since she's an army wife. She calls them "camp follower bags" because as the wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters of soldiers our hearts follow our soldiers as they travel from camp to camp. (you can see her work at http://www.campfollowerbags.com/)

Her bags are a little pricey for me, and her wait list is about 5 years long, so I didn't get too high of aspirations of being the owner of one of her bags. However, one day it dawned on me that while Brian is deployed my mom would probably LOVE to have one of those bags to carry with her. It is special because its a uniform the soldier has actually worn, and you're carrying a part of him wherever you go. I thought to myself, "With Kaila's help, how hard could this be?" I emailed the idea to Brian and a few months later he sent me a uniform top.

Prior to last month, I had sewn twice in my life. A few years ago my mom asked Alfredo for a sewing machine for Christmas (I'll hold my comments on that...) Of course he got it - Alfredo does what mom wants, like a good husband would - and I sewed a coin purse. Then a couple summers ago Kaila and I were in north Dakota at her mom's house and we decided to make a quilt. Kaila is the queen for starting projects or getting ideas and never finishing them, so the quilt still isn't done, but we did sew all the squares together that day. So where I got the idea that it would be a piece of cake to sew a bag - I'm not really sure. But, unlike Kaila, once I have the idea in my head I'm too stubborn to give it up :)

A few weekends ago was our last possible weekend to make the bag. I needed Kaila not only for her sewing advice, but for her sewing machine!, but our schedules had been conflicting all summer so we couldn't ever get around to making it. I wanted to give the bag to my mom when Brian and I were both in Houston before Alexis's wedding, so 2 weekends before that Kaila and I got down to it. When I left the house Saturday morning Austin asked how long I'd be gone, to which I responded, "I don't know, I can't imagine it'll take more than 4 hours"

4 hours to cut the fabric, that is. We worked for about 6 hours the first day and 3 hours the next - though there were quite a few banana bread breaks, text message breaks, and a trip to the quilting store mixed in there. So I'd say if we had been busier worker bees it would have taken 6-7 hours, being our first attempt at a bag and we had no pattern. The final product looks really good, if I can say that without sounding conceited, but I must add that each seam was sewn at least twice...the thread puller/seam ripper/finger poker tool came in handy more often than I had expected! So, it wasn't without mistake and it wasn't a quick job - but it is done, and like I said I think it turned out nicely.

I plan to make myself one, and once my aunt sends me my cousin's uniform I'm going to make one for her too. I had a lot of fun and found that I really like sewing. Maybe I'll make a new hobby for myself (you know, cause filling my time is often a difficult thing for me...)

Ok I'll stop blabbing and just get to it...here she is...my first bag...

I'll keep you posted on future projects!