Despite what my dear hubby says, I don't think any woman can ever have too many bags! So to add to your collection, here is a fantastic tutorial from Artsy-Crafty Babe that INCLUDES a pattern as well. So all of the hard work has been done for you. A super simple design, but SO cute! You could make a bunch for yourself, in different fabrics to suit the occasion, or you could be super generous and make a bunch for your friends! Grab the tute link at the bottom of her blog posting or from the right hand column on her page. You'll be so glad you did!

We have a number of visitors here to Split Hemz that are REALLY new to sewing. So to help the newbies here is a very clear tutorial showing you how to thread a basic sewing machine. There are clear, step-by-step photos so you can't go wrong. At a later date we'll also show you how to wind and thread your bobbin. In the meantime, enjoy this tute from Ruffles and Stuff.

Hey everyone! We've recently updated our list of sewing projects (on the right hand side of the page) so that you can now see a preview of the project before downloading it!! There are halloween projects to start thinking about, as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas ideas. All of the projects are free so why not download a few today!

At my local mall there is a fancy shop that sells personalized bath towels for $40.... yep expensive huh! But using this tutorial from What I Made Today you can make your own for a fraction of the price. This would make a perfect, frugal gift and once you've made one you'll want to make one for every member of your family. What a great way to use up some fabric scraps too!

Because we only have girls in the family, I sometimes forget to promote enough boys projects. So here's one for the lads!! This awesome tutorial is from I am Momma - Hear Me Roar and it's super easy and a great way to use up scraps of fabric or bits of unwanted clothing that was destined for the landfill. These trendy upcycled hats are only limited by your creativity, so go wild with them! Oh, and not wanting to forget the girls, you can just use appropriate girly fabric so they don't miss out on this cuteness!

In 1998 my husbands grandfather passed away. When we went to visit grandma, she was adamant that we take a few of the grandfathers shirts. My husband looked a little confused at the offer because the shirts were too small, but to make her feel good I grabbed them right up (at that point no one knew that I had a special plan for them). I spent the next couple of weeks cutting them up into strips, and then picking out other fabric colors that would go with those strips and I cut more strips. I then sewed them all up into a lap size quilt and returned those shirts in a different form back to my husbands grandma. I was told that she put that quilt on her lap everyday, and was so happy about having something of her husbands so close to her.

In the close up the 3 lightest fabrics were cut from grandpa's shirts.

My husbands grandma loved blue willow china so I made sure that I got those colors into the quilt. When grandma passed away I got the quilt back....when my kids are older I'll pass it on to one of them.....what a special memory.

We often have people ask us how to make a shirt for their dog. Well Obsessively Stitching has a great idea to convert a baby/toddler/child's shirt into a fitted shirt for your dog. Depending on how big your dog is will determine what size shirt you need to start out with, but it's a really easy project customizing it to fit your dog (depending on how co-operative your dog is!!) To be extra frugal, check out the bargain bins next time you're out shopping for a cheap, but cute shirt.