Going Green

A friend of mine asked me if I knew how to make re-usable sandwich bags. I didn't, but that got me interested in how they are made and if I wanted to get into it. I found a few great tutorials and then ran to Joanns, Hobby Lobby, and my quilt store! I made 2 different kinds and I have an idea for another way to make them. But that is going to have to wait till tomorrow. I am tired and need to get to bed. Here is what I have so far.

This is my first one. It is made with laminated cotton from Moda. I left the bread in it for 3 1/2 hours and it was still fresh and good. Then I washed the bag and found it to be completely water proof! This is a great bag for sandwiches and snacks. I found this tutorial on Craft Buds. Check it out!





My second sandwich bag is more of a wrap. I love it because it could work as a place mat for my kids lunch at school. Then they don't have to lay their food on the dirty tables there. I used canvas on the outside and waterproof nylon on the inside. I got this tutorial from Chica and Jo, check them out too! Both sites are great and walk you through every step!

Newly Remodeled Halloween Bags

I went to JoAnns today and Halloween was everywhere. It gave me an idea to spruce up their trick or treat bags. I bought some fun feather boa type stuff and re-did their bags. They are so excited to use them again this year. I have to make one more for Jacob now. I will have 4 little trick or treaters this Halloween! :)

The Quilt I Hope To Finish

I have been putting this quilt to the side now for 3 years! I worked on it off and on for about a year and then could just not do it any more. I was thinking about turning it into a bunch of table runners, but now I think I will make it into a small quilt. Maybe with some big borders it will be a full size quilt. This pattern is called, "Stars In, Stars Out," by Joan Waldman, from the magazine Quiltmaker July/August 2008 issue.


This is one of the red squares. I only have half of them done. I haven't even started the blocks with the red part of the star. So for these I am going to finish what I have and turn these into table runners. I look forward to finishing all of this one day!

It Starts With An Earthquake! Well Actually That Came Second...

Tuesday was a crazy day for our family here in Fredericksburg, Virginia. My husband had to have shoulder surgery for the second time. He is not allowed to pick anything up over a pound. That is challenging alone and more so with 4 kids. He came home around 1 pm. We got him all situated in a lazy boy chair in our room and on lots of pain killers. Then I went down to the kitchen when the house started to shake. It was so scary. My first thought was to grab Jacob, our 7 month old, and then call the other kids to me. So we all huddled together in an archway in our house. It did not feel safe. All I could think was that I didn't have an earthquake plan! We had a 5.8 earthquake, the largest in over 100 years. Then a few hours later my daughter hurt herself and we left for the ER. People say things come in 3s. Maybe they are right.

Because of the earthquake the first day of school was cancelled. We had our first day today, Thursday. I had 2 kids go to school, one in 2nd and the other in Kindergarten. They got on the bus without looking back. Kylie, my kindergartener, was so excited. Haley was upset about being left behind, but I am looking forward to this time with just her and baby Jacob. The house is so much quieter with only 2 kids. My plan is to use this time wisely and get the house cleaned and organized. I am going to try to clean every school day for at least 30 minutes. I really need to sort through the toys and kids rooms. It has become a mess over the summer. And somewhere in there I must sew! :)

Meet Your Teacher Day

Today was a big day for our family. Kylie and Brian went to meet their teachers. Kylie is starting Kindergarten and Brian is going into second grade. They are both so excited. The great part about today was that Kylie's teacher was Brian's Kindergarten teacher 2 years ago. So she wasn't nervous about it at all. She has heard so many good things about Mrs. Raines that she wasn't worried. Brian's teacher is his teacher from 1st grade! She decided to move up to 2nd grade this year and requested to have him in her class again! :) The makes us so happy because she is a great teacher for him and keeping him on track!


So I am trying to keep most of my posts related to sewing. What does this have to do with sewing? Well I made this amazing nap mat for Kylie to rest on. She loves it. I got the idea from Jenny Garland's blog Kylie is so excited to take naps on it! I wish she was excited about taking naps at home!

I also made a gift for Brian's teacher on the last day of school. It was so exciting to see her using it next to her door! I am posting pictures of this too. I love what I can make with my embroidery machine. Gifts that are personalized, meaningful, and useful! :)




Here it is after I made it at home so you know which sign I am talking about. And on the back I wrote a little note so she would always remember who it was from.

The Skirt Project

I am teaching a few classes at our local quilt store. This weekend I taught how to make skirts. We had 3 hours to make one in. I had thought this was enough time, but no one finished. I think next time I will say 4 hours. It was fun teaching how to make them and talking about who they were going to be for. I made mine for my etsy store. Not as much fun, but my girls have enough skirts. :)

Some Days Never Go As Planned

Today is Sunday. Normally we would go to church, but today my son had to go to the urgent care. Kids have a way of changing plans. It makes life interesting. So today ended up being a stay at home day and I got some extra sewing done. I started working on some tote boxes for a friend. The picture listed is them in progress. The planes are upside down because when they are turned into a cube they will be flying the right way. I had to explain this to my husband so I thought maybe others would wonder too. :) My plan is to finish them this week!

My Sewing Corner

I thought I should post a picture of my sewing corner. I have it in the play room so I can sew while the kids play. I get more done at night once they have all gone to bed though! :) This is what it looked like 2 years ago before I got my Bernina 640 and the one day it was actually clean! We just moved into our house and finished painting. This picture is motivating me to get organized!

Vacation Dresses

I made the girls beach dresses for our trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. It was a relaxing family vacation and the girls loved their dresses. Bright colors always look great at the beach!

The Beginning

Hi! My name is Sarah Quiroz and I am finally getting into the blogging world. I know it is a late start, but better now than never. I am a mom to 4 amazing kiddos! My oldest is 7 years and my youngest is 7 months. I love being a stay at home mom, but sometimes I need a break. My time is my sewing time. I love to sew and create new things. I love making dresses and skirts for my girls, table runners for the house, quilts for the beds and new babies, and tote bags for friends. My grandma taught me how to quilt and I have been hooked ever since. So this blog will be about what I love, family life and sewing! :)