I found the perfect pattern and instructions for making these simple zipper pencil pouches in Craftsy's Bag Making Basics: Reversible Tote and Zipper Pouch FREE mini class (affiliate link)! I printed out the materials list and cutting instructions and then grabbed some colorful fabrics I had received from Blend Fabrics. I used four different prints from Maude Asbury's Geofabulous collection. These were the perfect to make both a masculine and a feminine pencil pouch for each of my children.
In case you didn't know it, Craftsy has a large selection of FREE mini-classes (affiliate link) for a variety of topics ranging from how to make cake pops to mastering zippers. I've taken two or three of the sewing mini-classes now, and they are great resources for learning some basic sewing skills. I highly recommend them if you are new to sewing or if you are new to Craftsy!
Another great place to find lots of FREE sewing tips, tutorials, and information on patterns is The Daily Sew on Facebook. I'm a part of this collective group of bloggers who routinely take turns hosting the Facebook page for the day.
Wondering what it means for me to "host" The Daily Sew Facebook page? Well, when it's my turn, I share sewing tutorials (some are my own sewVery projects while others are great projects I've stumbled across), sewing memes, sewing tips, and occasionally ask readers for their advice on a sewing topic. Everyday on The Daily Sew is new and exciting! If you haven't checked it out yet, please do!
Today is a Super Saturday Giveaway over at The Daily Sew!
If you haven't heard about it yet, each hour on August 23rd, a different blogger will announce their own special giveaway! What does that mean? Lots of opportunities for you to discover new blogs and enter to win some amazing prizes!
For my sewVery giveaway, I'll be sending one lucky winner (must be a US resident) a bundle of 6 fat quarter pieces from the collection Turkish Delight by Josephine Kimberling for Blend Fabrics.
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| All the prints shown except the gray ikat print are included in the giveaway bundle. |
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Now go check out The Daily Sew for other Super Saturday Giveaways and then come back here on Tuesday, August 26th to see if you won the sewVery giveaway!
Have fun sewing!
Gah! I really don't like when these little fires erupt but when they do, we try to reach a compromise, where hopefully everyone is satisfied.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we negotiate a trade or exchange when the kids are arguing over the same item.
ReplyDeleteFind something new to distract all involved and then find a way to share the item that caused the argument.
ReplyDeleteTry to reason with them. Implement fairness. When all else fails... take the item in dispute away.
ReplyDeleteMy kids are grown (21 and 24) but I'm sure they would still argue if they lived at home together. I never found just "one" thing that worked, but I would separate them, send them to their rooms, or find something completely different for them to do.
ReplyDeleteAsk them why they are arguing and they normally can't remember. LOL!
ReplyDeleteLove your Pencil Pouches! The bright fabrics you choose are perfect!
ReplyDeleteMy kids are grown now but depending on the age distraction, reasoning, take turns. Don't miss those days ;)
ReplyDeleteSplit them up...each kid takes a break in their room!
ReplyDeleteMy children are adults now but when they were little I would sit between them ask why they were fighting. I would then move from between them and tell them they needed to tell the other why they were upset with the other. They would then appologize and go play together.
ReplyDeleteDuct tape. J/K ;) I usually let them try to work it out themselves first.
ReplyDeleteDuct tape and rope... I always say they're family trip necessities. LOL
Delete~ Carey
I only have one child right now...but hope to have another soon. My parents used to make my sister and I sit on the couch and hold hands...it didn't take long for us to start giggling :)
ReplyDeleteI only have one child right now, but I grew up with a sister and we fought like cats and dogs. My dad would usually lecture us for however long it took us to forget our squabble.
ReplyDeleteVery cute bags! Nice work.
ReplyDeleteMy boys are only 3 so it is very easy to distract them from the object if we do not know who had it first. However if I do know or if it is a toy that belongs to them specifically then we tend to talk about sharing and get them to play together.
ReplyDeleteWhen my children were small we would try to work out a compromise. It wasn't always easy, though. Cute bags!
ReplyDeleteI only have one child so far, but when I was an elementary teacher, I would listen to both stories and try to make a fair decision based on that information.
ReplyDeleteCute pencil pouches
ReplyDeleteWell so far one is too small to talk back!
ReplyDeleteI have only one child so there is no arguing with other siblings in our house
ReplyDeleteIf they were arguing over an item, it was taken away until a compromise could be reached. More often than not though, it was "stop, because I said so" :)
ReplyDeleteLet them work it out.
ReplyDeleteWell I've only got my 5 year old and our next is due in February! I'll have to read through all these comments for ideas for the future! ;)
ReplyDeleteIf they were arguing about an item, one child got the item and we set the timer. When the timer went off, the first child had to give the item to the second child.
ReplyDeleteMy kids are 26 months and 17 months so I just divide and conquer!
ReplyDeleteMine are grown, but I love the "get Along T-shirt" idea. Put them both in one of Daddy's t-shirt - together to get along. crystalbluern at onlineok dot com.
ReplyDeleteI make them sit next to eachother and hold hands. they tend to work it out after a while
ReplyDeleteI like your pencil pouches. Usually I see the zipper at the top, but I like it on the side a bit. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOne of them can't talk yet, so no arguments here. At least not for a few more months. If one of them wants a toy the other one has, I make them find a suitable trade.
ReplyDeleteMy "kids" are all grown up! I honestly cannot remember, but I think that there were many conversations about everyone's right to be different...
ReplyDeleteI only have 1 kid left at home, so the only arguments are with us. And since he's 16, there are many!! Hubby and I make sure we're on the same board with each other first and then discuss with him.
ReplyDeleteWe have always made our kids sit on the couch and "think" about how to solve their problems. Then after awhile we discuss it. They have gotten to the point where they say, NO, Not the couch!
ReplyDeletekdavis1@centurytel.net
my two 11yrs (girl) & 13yrs (boy) bicker all the time mostly i try to ignore it but i step in if serious, I did see on FB or on a blog an XX large t shirt used as a get - along shirt showed my two they were not impressed back to school Monday...Yippee
ReplyDeleteLove this fabric
ReplyDeleteFor now it's my husband and son, lol! I try to be very soothing in anything I say and that always seems to help! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't have kids, but I nanny. It depends on the kids, but I always try to hear both sides of the story.
ReplyDeleteKids are all grown now, grand babies are too young for pencil pouches. I do like making them traveling bags for spending the night at Yaya's....
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while since my girls were young, and they rarely argued, but I remember the first thing is to separate them slightly for a short time and let them both calm down, think about what really is happening and then have a discussion.
ReplyDeleteI tell them that if they can't work it out, I will and probably neither one will like my idea so they usually solved it themselves.
ReplyDeletei only have one! yay! ;-)
ReplyDeleteMy oldest is 31 and youngest is 24 so it's been awhile. I don't remember a whole lot of arguments(not saying there weren't any I think I just have a very selective memory now). They are all 4 girls and all very different. We treated them as individuals and they have all grown to be successful productive women.
ReplyDeleteSeparate them - and then they usually forget what the problem was!
ReplyDeleteI separate them or black eyes and bloody noses will happen
ReplyDeleteOnly have one child ;)
ReplyDeleteThey are 4 & 2. We redirect :)
ReplyDeleteRedirect...pour a glass of wine
ReplyDeleteListen to what the argument was about, figure out who is right, then explain why to the children.
ReplyDeleteGet them focused on something else. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI have them settle it themselves. If they cannot come to an agreeable solution they both get punished. Pair that with wine and mom is a happy camper. ;) Maria
ReplyDeleteI settled arguments by only having one child! LOL! Cheating, I know, but....
ReplyDeleteThey do a time out!
ReplyDeleteAnother reason I'm happy I only had one kiddo! ;-) Running a church youth group and having foster kiddos in the house growing up I can tell you the fastest way to end an argument is to remove the item being argued about completely and send everyone into a separate time out area. ~ Carey
ReplyDeleteEasy, I have only one child. We shall see when the second comes along.
ReplyDeleteIt's been awhile since my girls were young, but I used to put them in separate rooms until they were ready to have a reasonable conversation about the issue at hand. (That's if I had the energy . . . there were times when I just ignored the fight. :)) I never sewed two pencil pouches to settle a fight though. Bravo to you! Thanks for the fun story and the generous giveaway. This fabric is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWow, you ask very hard questions. I try and make them settle them between themselves...
ReplyDeleteMy littles aren't old enough to argue with each other (my second is a newborn) but my oldest argues with us a good bit. We try to have him calm himself and then tell him to say it a different way. It gets him to stop and think, and it turns out that most of the time it's just a miscommunication.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we negotiate permission an activity I want them to do. Other times they alone understand the importance of the activity
ReplyDeleteOnly had 1, but between friends, I just go in and have them sit down, count to 10 and then tell me what the argument is about. Then have each one reason it out and then make up. Works pretty good.
ReplyDeletencjeepster@aol.com
Unfortunately no children so no discussions.
ReplyDeleteOh man my girls argue all the time and now they are pretty much the same size they argue over sharing each others clothing! I thought I still had about 10 years before that started!
ReplyDeleteThey are adults now so I stay out of it. When they were children I separated them for awhile then made them talk it out.
ReplyDeleteThankfully,my children no longer have arguments. They don't see each other any more. They each have busy lives and live two states away from each other. I don't think they have seen each other in five years and they rarely talk to each other. I think I keep each of them updated about the other one.
ReplyDeleteUgh! Usually it's over sharing an object, so I set a timer or take it away.
ReplyDeleteI typically take away whatever they are fighting over and then the argument stops.
ReplyDeleteseparation.... set the timer...
ReplyDeletecree4108@yahoo.com
We go for a time-out and then if that doesn't work we all sit together and talk it out
ReplyDeleteWe are just figuring this out now that my son is almost 2. He often gives in to make big sister happy
ReplyDeleteI have an only child so I don't have this problem.
ReplyDeleteHave them do something nice for eachother
ReplyDeleteI only have one. Sorry. I'm no help.
ReplyDeleteDaria
I was Blessed w/ only one child & Thank God she was pretty much the PERFECT child!! Ya know when parents tell their children, "someday you will have a child JUST like you", especially when that child is misbehaving? Well I was the second born of 4 & just happened to be the most calm of all. My Mother didn't curse me, she & God BLESSED me w/ a daughter who is just like ME! Great giveaway Veronica, I LOVE your blog & can NOT imagine your 2 ever arguing as they always look SO angelic & loving in your pictures of them!!!
ReplyDeleteI have nine siblings, seven of which are younger than me. I usually just make them share or give the others something different. If they still argue, I take it to my parents who can make them stop just by sayin so :)
ReplyDeleteNever had that problem. I only had one child. She was a very good kid. thanks
ReplyDeleteOK, third time posting might be the charm....
ReplyDeleteWe make the teens hug it out and say "I love you". This de-escalates the drama and they can then have a rational discussion to solve the problem!
These are very pretty. They remind me of the turkish rug maker I visited in izmir/ephesus. They were silk, devine and very expensive...but so beautifully made.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I dont have children but wanted to comment onthe fabric.
DeleteCompromise and if that doesn't work my oldest does reverse psychology on the younger one
ReplyDeleteAshley Wheeler
Mercifully, I had 3 perfect children---just ask them!! LOL! My youngest is going to be 31 next week, so I believe whatever they tell me :)
ReplyDeleteYour pencil cases are absolutely lovely, great fabric and great design!
I just made them get away from each other (boy & girl) and eventually they were fine - now they are both in college in different states & are constantly messaging each other. Closer than ever!
ReplyDeleteI only have one kid. HA!
ReplyDeleteStill searching for the perfect solution! Lately, I've been making them work it out!
ReplyDeleteMy sons are grown, yay!
ReplyDeleteNo children yet, but expecting one to pop out any day now!! I think sewing duplicates of things is a good way to settle it though :)
ReplyDeleteI don't have any.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't have kids, and my nanny-ing experience was awful . . . so, no comment.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any children, and my husband's kids are grown up. As for my two cat daughters, one strong calling of their names generally stops them! Thanks for the give away! jacklynnsteven at netzero dot com
ReplyDeleteI only have one child, and he doesn't usually argue with himself, so... :)
ReplyDeleteA lot of variables come into play on this. Sometimes I settle it and that is that. Sometimes we sit down and talk about it and all of us come up with a satisfactory solution. Sometimes I will sit with them and let them talk about the situation, and figure out how to solve it. But at all times it is know that it is ok to have differences, but that we need to know how to solve these differences that are good for all envolved.
ReplyDeleteI tried to get them to compromise. If they couldn't settle it, no one would get the item of dispute.
ReplyDeleteI give them all catnip! Or get out the laser pointer - sometimes they are hitting each other because they are bored. Thanks! notwendy gmail
ReplyDeleteI don't remember! My kids are grown now.
ReplyDeleteNow that my children are in their 30's, I just walk away.
ReplyDeleteMy children are 5 years apart, so when they argue we compromise.
ReplyDeleteI run and hide in the bathroom and let them duke it out.
ReplyDeleteI like reading about how you solve those minor problems...grandkids get to go home!
ReplyDelete