Christmas is coming!

I made a trip to JoAnn yesterday, and I spent way too much time there. Therefore, I spent way too much money there. But hopefully the things I got will be purchased before too long! One thing I don't want purchased, though, is this fantastic cutting mat. This has already made a huge difference in my measuring and preciseness. It definitely speeds up the process. I got a small one because they're expensive! Whoa!

I also got this white webbing to make my grocery bags quicker and easier to make. This bag was made for my mom - she wanted longer straps and somewhat different dimensions. This is the best bag I've made yet! Well, until you see what I made next...

A Christmas bag! I saw this fabric and just had to have it. It's so pretty! You might not be able to tell so well from the photo, but some of the snowflakes are gold.

After washing the material, I ironed it and set to work making a reusable drawstring Christmas bag. It's super simple, and very satisfying. I decided to try my hand at a french seam, which closes off all raw edges, and I was successful! I was afraid I would screw it up and have some edges showing, but that didn't happen!  I'm pretty proud of this bag. So proud, I made two!

Cody wanted to get fancy with the camera, so I let him have at it. These pictures are what he ended up with. He even went outside and found some freshly fallen leaves from our front yard. We put one of Ava's stuffed animals in the bag. :)

Well, I must say, I took the last photo. I wanted to show the detail of the gusset (I didn't know what a gusset was a week ago). Isn't it pretty?

I went to JoAnn again today. Heh. I got more drawstring material, this time a gold rope instead of the satiny one I used on this bag. And three more yards of fabric. Different ones, but I have the same plans for them. Christmas bags! They're eco-friendly, as they're reusable, and they make Christmas wrapping super quick and easy. I plan on making some different sizes, too.

Maybe I should try to make something other than bags...