a pre-teen craft project

As most people know, I’m the queen of finding fabric remnants and buying them for super-cheap prices. I never buy fabric at full price.

Several weeks ago, I found a fleece panel that had ‘High School Musical’ ALL OVER it. I called my grandma to see if she thought my cousin would like it, and we agreed that she probably would. Before that find, I had found another flannel fabric with an ‘HSM’ design, and I picked it up, just in case I could use it for something. (The fleece panel I got for $4.50. The flannel piece I got for about $1 for 3/4 of a yard.) This past weekend, I spent the afternoon with my 11-year-old cousin (who happens to be moving away from Asheville in a week) and I asked her if she even liked ‘HSM’ and she said yes…and then rattled off the other things that she loved, like Justin Bieber and iCarly. Basically anything that airs on Disney and Nickelodeon, I guess.

Last night, Nancy came over to sew, and I decided I had to sew the edges of the fleece blanket, so my cousin would have it before her move.

The finished product (it’s covering my couch):

It isn’t perfect, but it shouldn’t unravel. I sewed over the corners so much, that they’re pretty stiff. I just wanted to make the edges indestructible.

Then I pulled out the flannel piece. Nancy mentioned this twenty-minute tote bag that she had bookmarked on her computer, so I found it and decided to give it a try. I modified it a bit (I added a pocket to the front, and made the handles out of fabric), but I think it is pretty cool:

Finally, I rolled the blanket up and stuffed it into the bag. Perfection.

I believe both sewing projects took me less than 2 1/2 hours to do. Obviously, the blanket doesn’t need to stay in the bag, but I thought that I could at least give it to her in the bag. And for under $10, it’s perfect for someone who will probably stop liking ‘HSM’ in the next year or so.