Embroidered 5" Charm Bag Tutorial

Well, so after practicing my embroidery, I decided to practice my hand sewing skills.  And so, I decided to use my 5" charm squares to make a little bag.  Some of the pictures are sideways.  They look great on my computer, but shift when I upload them to Blogger.  You might need to turn your head. :-)

Here's how I made my bag:

I began with 5" charm pack squares, one embroidered, one plain, then cut 5" fleece and red cotton squares for my fabric sandwiches.  I also used scissors, a sliding ruler, washable fabric marker, sew-on snaps, needles, thread.  (not pictured: green thread)...

Two snap sets...

I marked 1" from the top of the red fabric, and 1 1/2" from the outside edges of the red fabric.  Where the lines intersect is where I sewed my snap on...

For the second side, I placed my fabrics together and made a little dot for the opposite side.  It was just a tiny bit off of the intersecting lines that I drew, but I wanted my snaps to line up perfectly...

I cut a charm square in half for the top binding.  I then finger-pressed them in half, then in half again to make finished edges...

I placed my fabric sandwich (outside charm square, batting/fleece, red liner) together and inside my little binding strip...

I then folded the other side over to enclose the top raw edges...

Here are the safety pins I used to hold the binding on while I sewed it...

Front binding is on, back binding is ready to be sewn.  I used green thread to match the green in the embroidery pattern.  I really like the look, as it looks like I spent more than a few seconds thinking about it! ...

Both bindings are sewn and the snaps are placed perfect!  Making those dots was really worth it! ...

Front...

Back...

I then sewed around the edges, beginning at the tops.  I started at one top, sewed around to the bottom, then stopped after the bottom corner.  I then began at the other top and worked my way around to complete the seam...

Other side...

Turned right side out, and found that when my fabric had shifted during my sewing, I had missed a section of the outside layer!!  I only bound my fabric sandwich with one safety pin for each side (1 front/1 back = 2 pins).  Next time, I will do some sort of basting that will hold everything in place for me.  I recently saw how to use Elmer's School Glue, so I am really wanting to try it! ...

Back...

Sad bottom...

Top with the snaps open...

Top with the snaps closed...

I turned my little pouch wrong sides out again, and stitched the part that I had missed before...

Other side...

NOW it is all sewn up...

And the back...

I then did a finishing whip stitch all around the seams.  I again began at the tops, though I started at the bottom of my binding, went up to the top edge, then back down and past the first corner.  I then began on the other side using the same method.  I used a third piece of thread for finishing the bottom...

Another angle

TADA!  I am happy with my embroidery and my little bag.  I have learned a lot making this!  I now have a lovely place to store my Lifesavers in my purse, until I find another use for it.  Maybe my essential oils. :-)

In the future, I will be using my sewing machine, so it will be way quicker and easier.  And have less mistakes.  I also will be basting my sandwiches together, which will cut down on movement and give me even seams that are complete.  I'm really glad I tried this and learned how to hand sew better.  I've learned more than I thought I would!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.  Please leave me comments or share with anyone looking for a quick project for their 5" charm squares!

Hand Embroidery with 5" Charm Square

I've recently been dabbling in the world of hand embroidery.  WOW!  There are some amazingly talented fabric artists out there!
I have plans to use the charm pack squares (5"x5") for making little zipper bags.  I have so many charm packs that I've bought from Missouri Star Quilt Co.'s Daily Deals that I need to get to work on using them for some lovely projects!  I also want to use the charm squares for mug rugs, mini-quilts, or other cute little projects!
Here are some that I've been working on...

Free-motion drawing, then embroidered with embroidery floss.

Tracing from a design I found online, flowers are embroidery floss, branches are all-purpose thread.

Free-motion drawing, embroidered with all-purpose thread, bordered, then I sewed another charm square on top, cut along the diagonal, and made my first charm en pointe.  All hand sewed.  I still need to wash out the washable fabric marker.  More pictures soon!

After washing...

 Here are all of the embroidery blocks (5" charm squares) that I've completed.  It's sideways, for now.  As you can see, I also embroidered hot air balloons, which came from a design I found online and customized.

I hope you enjoyed my work, and I hope you make some of your own!  Share your projects with me.  I love to see more fabric art!

New England Suffers Maple Woes - NPR

New England Suffers Maple Woes - NPR

Candy Stripe Table Topper

Welp!  I decided to learn how to quilt and then make everyone's Christmas presents last year (2013).  I began looking up videos on YouTube (this is also how I learned to knit), and came across Missouri Star Quilt Company!  They are AMAZING!  They have the best quilting tutorials on YouTube I've seen so far!

In addition to their fabulous quilting tutorials, they have an online store with a HUGE variety of pre-cuts, quilting tools, and fabric yardage.  AND a Quilter's Daily Deal every day!  As you can tell, I really like them!  Their main business had been long arm quilting, which you can still take advantage of.  Just send in your quilts and they quilt them for you and send them back!  

Anyway.... back to my projects for Christmas.  I had been stocking up on fabrics and notions, much to my favorite husband's dismay... And one of those notions was the Simple Wedge Ruler from MSQC.  Merry and I were playing around one day, and she began putting my wedges together like this...

BRILLIANT!! I loved it!!  So, I sewed eight of them together, two-by-two, then four-by-four (all with 1/4" seams), then it was together, like this...

I thought it looked like a big peppermint candy, which I really loved!! ...and a peppermint candy needs some winter snow to rest on, right?

I used 4" strips of my background fabric to make the corners, then rotary cut them to line up with the sides.  Then came the side pieces, which are 2" strips of the background fabric.

...and then it gets measured and squared up.  After measuring and squaring, I used the Self-Binding Baby Blanket Tutorial to finish it.

As you can see in this last picture, it is finished!

Amazing 10 minute table runner!

Prenatal Yoga Video

Prenatal Yoga Video

Rights for Birth in Arizona

I have recently been reading up on the scope of practice changes in Arizona and found it to be both sad and outrageous.  This is an issue that will affect all the women of Arizona, not just those who choose to birth at home with a midwife.  I have become part of a few Facebook groups where there are many concerned citizens, many of whom have birthed at home, and want to again with their next children.  There are so many great points.  The biggest issue right now is that the restrictions upon midwives will be so enormous as to endanger women and babies, which is totally backwards of how medical care should be.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead
"If it is to be, it's up to me." -Bradley Method teacher training materials
I wanted to put all the great links to information in one place, which will be easy to find for someone just coming into this discussion, or those who may just find it helpful to have everything in one place.  So, to that end, here are the links:



Here is a direct link to post public comment about the scope of practice. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YX8VYBP


Proposed draft to the scope of practice for midwifery: http://www.azdhs.gov/diro/admin_rules/documents/midwifery/licensing-of-midwifery-draft-rules-may-2013.pdf


 "The College guidelines now clearly say that women with two previous low-transverse cesarean incisions, women carrying twins, and women with an unknown type of uterine scar are considered appropriate candidates for a TOLAC," said Jeffrey L. Ecker, MD, from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and immediate past vice chair of the Committee on Practice Bulletins-Obstetrics who co-wrote the document with William A. Grobman, MD, from Northwestern University in Chicago.
 "The College says that restrictive VBAC policies should not be used to force women to undergo a repeat cesarean delivery against their will if, for example, a woman in labor presents for care and declines a repeat cesarean delivery at a center that does not support TOLAC. On the other hand, if, during prenatal care, a physician is uncomfortable with a patient's desire to undergo VBAC, it is appropriate to refer her to another physician or center." http://www.acog.org/About_ACOG/News_Room/News_Releases/2010/Ob_Gyns_Issue_Less_Restrictive_VBAC_Guidelines


 "Although The College does not support planned home births given the published medical data, it emphasizes that women who decide to deliver at home should be offered standard components of prenatal care, including Group B Strep screening and treatment, genetic screening, and HIV screening. It also is important for women thinking about a planned home birth to consider whether they are healthy and considered low-risk and to work with a Certified Nurse Midwife, Certified Midwife, or physician that practices in an integrated and regulated health system; have ready access to consultation; and have a plan for safe and quick transportation to a nearby hospital in the event of an emergency."  http://www.acog.org/About_ACOG/News_Room/News_Releases/2011/The_American_College_of_Obstetricians_and_Gynecologists_Issues_Opinion_on_Planned_Home_Births


"Pregnancy does not obviate or limit the requirement to obtain informed consent. Intervention on behalf of the fetus must be undertaken through the body and within the context of the life of the pregnant woman, and therefore her consent for medical treatment is required, regardless of the treatment indication. However, pregnancy presents a special set of issues. The issues associated with informed refusal of care by pregnant women are addressed in the January 2004 opinion "Patient Choice in the Maternal–Fetal Relationship" (20). This opinion states that in cases of maternal refusal of treatment for the sake of the fetus, "court-ordered intervention against the wishes of a pregnant woman is rarely if ever acceptable." The document presents a review of general ethical considerations applicable to pregnant women who do not follow the advice of their physicians or do not seem to make decisions in the best interest of their fetuses. Although the possibility of a justifiable court-ordered intervention is not completely ruled out, the document presents several recommendations that strongly discourage coercive measures:
•"The obstetrician's response to a patient's unwillingness to cooperate with medical advice . . . should be to convey clearly the reasons for the recommendations to the pregnant woman, examine the barriers to change along with her, and encourage the development of health-promoting behavior." 
•"[Even if] a woman's autonomous decision [seems] not to promote beneficence-based obligations (of the woman or the physician) to the fetus, . . . the obstetrician must respect the patient's autonomy, continue to care for the pregnant woman, and not intervene against the patient's wishes, regardless of the consequences." 
•"The obstetrician must keep in mind that medical knowledge has limitations and medical judgment is fallible" and should therefore take great care "to present a balanced evaluation of expected outcomes for both [the woman and the fetus]." •"Obstetricians should consider the social and cultural context in which these decisions are made and question whether their ethical judgments reinforce gender, class, or racial inequality."  http://www.acog.org/Resources_And_Publications/Committee_Opinions/Committee_on_Ethics/Maternal_Decision_Making_Ethics_and_the_Law


"In honor of Mother's Day, Jan Crawford introduces viewers to Ina May Gaskin, an Iowa farm woman who is helping to revive a natural childbirth process used by more and more American mothers."  http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50146659n&tag=api


Official link to email Governor Janice K. Brewer (appoints head of AZDHS)  http://www.azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp

Midwifery community upset over new DHS guidelines

http://www.kpho.com/story/22287054/midwifery-community-upset-over-new-dhs-guidelines

Arizona State Representatives roster
http://azleg.gov/MemberRoster.asp?Body=H&SortBy=1

Perinatal mortality and morbidity in a nationwide cohort of 529,688 low-risk planned home and hospital births. (PubMed)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19624439

"The practice of medicine is as much an art as it is a science. There are subtleties that demand one’s attention as well as an appreciation of the risks, benefits and alternatives to treatments that confront every patient and physician. The practice of medicine is never black and white.
The Arizona Legislature is pushing several bills under the guise of “protecting” the health of Arizona’s women. Though the social impact may superficially appear laudable, these are not just simple anti- abortion bills. They are weighted down with many entanglements that violate standard obstetric practice, interfere with the doctor-patient relationship and are adverse to women’s health.
As obstetrician/gynecologists, we are at the forefront of caring for the women of Arizona. We are deeply troubled by lawmakers’ attempt to legislate the practice of medicine against the standard of care set by the American Congress of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ACOG), our national organization."

Read more: http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2012/04/06/abortion-bills-out-of-line-with-accepted-standards-of-prenatal-care/#ixzz2TZWbwXkV


The European Court of Human Rights held both that women are the ones with legal authority to make the decisions of childbirth, and that the state cannot use the force of law to take away their options. The basic options that the court discussed in the Ternovszky case were the choice between giving birth at home or in the hospital, and also the choice to be attended during childbirth by a medical doctor or a midwife.
http://www.humanrightsinchildbirth.com/blog/125-welcometohricblog


Arizona American Civil Liberties Union
http://www.aclu.org/affiliate/arizona


Pre-hospital Emergency Medication Policy Statement
"BACKGROUND: From the beginning of paramedic systems in this state, pre-hospital care providers have 
used prescription and non-prescription drugs to provide lifesaving care. In spite of the widespread use of 
drugs by prehospital care providers, no rule has ever been written specifically devoted to the distribution, 
possession, storage, security, administration and replacement of these drugs and controlled substances. 
As a result, important policy questions have arisen from time to time concerning the supply and resupply 
of drugs in prehospital care. This policy guide is based on the Arizona Board of Pharmacy interpretation 
of existing statutes and rules related to drug distribution by Arizona hospital pharmacies."
http://www.azpharmacy.gov/substantive_policies/pdfs/sps4.pdf


This seems to cover quite a bit.  What information should be available to those asking for changes, as well as parents who will need to be informed about the care they are to receive around the time of pregnancy and birth?  Please comment with any suggestions or new information!