October Sewing Group - Halloween Treat Bags

Hello Mommies!

This month the Sewing Group will be making these adorable Halloween Treat Bags. Anna Theurer has send the message with the step-by-step directions and everything that you need for the project. The Sewing Group will be meeting at PSCC on October 18th, at 7pm. So come on over, even if you don't have a sewing machine (you can borrow someone else's), bring your supplies and spend a fun evening with your friends.  Below is the note from Anna:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Halloween!  Did I mention that I love Halloween?  The costumes, the candy, the black cats like my Tama Boo, pumpkin spice coffee, the smell of Autumn. . . sigh. Anyway, this post is about making trick-or-treat bags in less than 1 hour.  It is easy peasy and it does not require a lot of sewing skill.  Trust me on this.  I am not a great seamstress and I still was able to make a little trick-or-treat bag.  I learn best by pictures and so bare with me as I post every single step.

Materials: Sewing machine Thread Scissors Iron + Ironing Board Contrasting pieces of fabric:

• Two squares of the main fabric measuring 20 inches by 20 inches
• 2 handle pieces from the main fabric measuring 12 inches by 6 inches
• Two squares of contrasting/lining fabric measuring 20 inches by 20 inches

4 squares measuring 20 x 20.  Two from main fabric and two from contrasting fabric. Handles not shown.

You are more than welcome to change the dimensions of the bag.  Just be sure that the large pieces of fabric are all the same size because you are making the main bag and a lining.  You can also make the handles longer if you like.

At the bottom of each large square, use your scissors to remove 2x2 squares from each side like so:

2 x 2 square removed on each bottom side of the fabric.

Do this to all four large pieces of fabric. Take two matching bag pieces. Place them RIGHT sides together.  You are going to sew the two sides and the very bottom together.  Leave the little squares on the bottom unsewn!  By doing this, you should have to holes on each bottom corner.  Repeat with other two matching pieces of fabric.

Sew the sides and bottom together.

For the bottom of the tote: Open up the holes at the very bottom of the bag so that the end of the side seam meets perpendicularly to the bottom seam.

End of the side seam meets end of the bottom seam.

Sew the corners together like so.

Sewing corners together.

Your bag should now have a flat bottom. Turn the lining bag inside out so that WRONG sides are touching.

For the handles: Fold each 12 x 6 piece in half length-wise.  Iron. Open each piece and press both sides for of the fabric in towards the center crease.

Press each side towards the center crease.

Press the center crease on each piece closed again.

Press the center crease closed on each handle

Stitch length-wise down the center of each handle and ~1/4"-1/8" on each side of the handle to make it sturdy.

Stitch down the center of the handle.  

Stitch on each side of the handle length-wise.

This is what the completed handles should look like:

Okay, so this looks pretty sloppy, but notice that there are 3 vertical stitches on each handle--one in the center and one on each side.

Now you are going to pin the handles onto RIGHT side of the lining.  Make sure the handles are not twisted.  I pinned the needles ~2 inches in on each end of the fabric.

Pin the handles onto the RIGHT side of the fabric

Baste the handles into place. Place the lining of the bag into the other bag so that RIGHT sides are together.  Make sure the handles match up and are inside as well.

Place the lining into the main bag with RIGHT sides facing. Keep the handles between the two bags.

Pin around the tops of the bags and stitch together.  Leave about 4 inches unsewn.  Remember to stitch only 2 layers together otherwise you will be sewing your bag shut.

Pin along the top.  Sew two layers together.  Leave a 4" gap for turning.

Now, to bring the right sides to the outside by pulling the bags through the 4" hole.

Fancy, huh?  See the little unsewn portion of the bag?--that is where I pulled the right sides through.

Top stitch the 4-inch gap closed. Shove the lining into the fabric so that you have:

A completed, reversible Trick-or-Treat Halloween bag!

Letter from the President...

Happy New (Club) Year!!

Well, the new (club) year is here!!! Can you believe it?! I can NOT…but, the slight drop in temperature has helped me to face the fact that summer is gone and it's time to get going with NAMC!!! 

Along with the "cooler" weather has also come very dry conditions and as we all know some extreme fires. I hope that everyone is safe and sound, and that all love ones and friends are as well. For the month of September, we will be accepting donations from our members of water, non-perishable food, clothing, gift cards, monetary donations, etc. Please visit this link http://www.kvue.com/news/Austin-area-wildfire-donations-129263013.html to see what types of items are needed. These will be distributed through several channels in the community to help the victims of these tragic fires. We will be collecting items at the meeting on Thursday, Sept 8th, and at each playgroup this week. Please give what you can! 

We have a lot of great things planned for the month. Each one of our Special Interest Group (SIG) leaders have planned some fun events for Mom and kids! Please check our Facebook page, Events tab, for all the details. 

We will be hosting Game Night at the church after the Monthly Meeting on Thursday so plan to hang out a little while and play some games. I think we'll be playing Apples to Apples this week. That being said, we still need someone who can coordinate the Game Nights for the rest of the club year. This is not a huge job, mainly choosing dates for the event each month, selecting a location (has been at someone's house, at the church, or at a restaurant/coffee shop in the past), and choosing a fun game for the evening. This is a fun monthly event and we hope to keep it going for the year! So please let me know if you are interested in heading up this SIG. This automatically makes you a leader of the NAMC Board as well. 

We'll be discussing the "new plan" for meeting planning on Thursday, Sept 8th. But, for those of you who can't make it, here's a refresher. We will be dividing up the Membership list and dividing into groups to organize meetings.  The first meeting will be done by the Board, as well as the Last meeting and possibly the Holiday Celebration.  That leaves October, November, January, March and April.  These meetings will have a Committee or around 10 people for each one and will handle organizing food, drinks, set up, clean up, speakers, games and community outreach.  You don't have to attend this one meeting but you then need to volunteer for a piece of the meeting that can be done from home (for example, calling to set up a Speaker or dropping off something for the meeting).  Our thoughts are doing this will allow you the opportunity to meet some people who aren't in your playgroup.  It will also take the burden and responsibility off of one or a few volunteers.  Everyone will get a chance to participate and take ownership over some aspect of the club.  The Boards hope is that this will unify the club and make it even more fun for everyone! I'll be sending out the "Monthly Teams" as well as creating Google Groups for inter-group communication, and sending them out shortly. We appreciate your participation, it can ONLY make the club better!!! 

I think that is it!! Ha! I didn't even know ho much I had to say..I guess that goes to show you how excited about the new year I am!! I am looking forward to being the club president this year. I know it's lots of work, but I also feel great about all the wonderful women who will be helping lead this club as Special Interest Group Leaders and Board Members. And of course…all the wonderful women that we get to hang out with at all our events!! 

See you soon! 

Missy

Letter from the President: May 2011

Hi Ladies,

This is my last time to address you via blog as President of NAMC.  Tomorrow night is the official "hand off" and announcement of our incoming President and Board.  The Board official transfers in August but many people start handing off positions at our End of the Year Mommy Meeting tomorrow night.  The Presidency transfers officially at this meeting.  So, with that being said, I have really enjoyed being President for the past year and a half.  We have made many exciting changes and have had a fun filled year plus.

At our last Board Meeting we voted in another "big" change.  This next year, the club will require 2 hours of mandatory service on the honor system.  This could include things like, making and taking a meal to a Care Calendar mom; setting up a movie night with your playgroup moms, helping set up or clean up a meeting, and much much more.

We will not require a limit of years to this service and we will not require meeting attendance.  We will be dividing up the Membership list and dividing into groups to organize meetings.  The first meeting will be done by the Board, as well as the Last meeting and possibly the Holiday Celebration.  That leaves October, November, January, March and April.  These meetings will have a Committee or around 10 people for each one and will handle organizing food, drinks, set up, clean up, speakers, games and community outreach.  You don't have to attend this one meeting but you then need to volunteer for a piece of the meeting that can be done from home (for example, calling to set up a Speaker or dropping off something for the meeting).  Our thoughts are doing this will allow you the opportunity to meet some people who aren't in your playgroup.  It will also take the burden and responsibility off of one or a few volunteers.  Everyone will get a chance to participate and take ownership over some aspect of the club.  The Boards hope is that this will unify the club and make it even more fun for everyone!

For the month of May we have several events.  The first upcoming event is our End of the Year Mommy Meeting tomorrow night at 7:30 at Iguana Grill.  We will be celebrating the outgoing Board Members for their help and contributions and announce our incoming Board and President. We will also complete our Raffle Basket Fundraiser. There are three great baskets left so bring your dollars and get ready to fill out your tickets!  In addition, this month contains our End of the Year Family Fun event on May 27th at 5:30pm at Brushy Creek Sprinkler Park in Cedar Park.  Watch your email for details to come.

Please come check our Face Book Group Page for all of the other upcoming Events in May.  Our Special Interest Groups have lots of great activities planned!

Thanks again for allowing me the opportunity to serve as President.  I trully appreciate it and look forward to the year to come!

Love and Light,
Danor Padden
NAMC President Jan 2010-May 2011

Letter from the President: April 2011

Hello Ladies,

Spring has sprung and our Spring Fundraiser has too!  Please make sure to come try your luck and win some fabulous gift baskets at our upcoming meeting, Thursday, April 7th at 7:00pm.  The drawing will be at 8:00ish for those that can't come right at 7:00.  Amanda T. will be speaking around 7:30 at our meeting as well.  She will teach us some exercises we can do at home so dress comfortably!

This month we will also have many fun filled events like our retreat to Hyatt Lost Pines this Friday and Saturday. We still have 3 spaces left for Saturday night so jump on the inner tube train and come float the lazy river with us!  Let us know by Wed if you can make it and we will hold a spot for you.

We are also going to have another Family Meetup on April 15th.  This time we will be take a picnic to a local park (tbd) so start planning for some fun in the sun.

Please check our Facebook Events for other fun and excitement this month.  We will have lots to choose from as well as our Board Meeting at the end of April which anyone can attend.

We still need people to volunteer for Board Positions.  It takes lots of folks to put together all the fun so please take a look at what is available and sign up to help out.

Nicole sent out a survey regarding setting up a Babysitting Co-op for next year.  Please check your email and make sure to let her know if you are interested.  Also, our own Wysteria has had a very difficult year.  Kate has kindly set up a Care Calendar for her so please make sure to sign up and bring her a meal.  She isn't veggie only but she does enjoy them so please keep that in mind when selecting a meal.  Also, it is VERY important not to bring any germs her way.  Today I ordered her a Pizza just to be safe since I seem to have some allergies.  Please make sure to only drop off meals and not to stay unless requested.  Thanks for being understanding regarding this matter.

I hope to see everyone on Thursday night or this weekend on the retreat!

Happy Spring!
Danor Padden
NAMC President 2010-2011

Who I Was Before...

By, Carrie Chavis www.whoiwasbefore.com


At this moment, I am at a coffee shop…by myself…with no kids…for the first time in six years. It’s bizarre. I keep listening for one of my boys to call my name. I feel like I need to go pick someone up from the various carpool maze which I feel could be made into some complex flow chart. I have this horrible, nagging feeling that I have left my three year-old in the car even though he’s in preschool for five hours. Being a mom has become so ingrained into who I am that I’m having a hard time adjusting to this new situation.

If you ask any of my friends or family, they will tell you that I have waited for these moments of freedom with baited breath. I could not wait to have silence, get things done and try to start thinking of getting back into the work force. I thought I would feel giddy, productive and sort of like my “old self”.

But I don’t feel any of these things. In fact, I feel kind of lost...and dare I say it, even lonely without my boys. When my oldest son started Kindergarten at the age of six (he missed the cut-off by one day, and it felt like an eternity until he started school), I really MISSED him during the day.

I felt sort of disappointed in myself. I was turning all soft and mushy. Even though I am a stay-at-home Mom, I seem to downplay that role to people because it doesn’t seem like a real job (even though we all know it is the REALEST of jobs). But there must be some reason I have chosen to stay home this long. I could’ve easily gotten another job. I didn't want to leave my babies (and could afford to stay home), and that was my personal choice.

Years ago, I swore I would never live in the suburbs, be a housewife, drive a minivan, lose my identity or live a cookie-cutter life with cookie-cutter ideals. Sometimes I feel like I'm a liberal, city-dwelling working mom stuck in a kept woman's body. But I need to get over all this...

Here is the cold, hard truth. I AM a stay-at-home Mom, and I liked doing it, and I still like doing it, and I miss my boys. Maybe I will go back to work soon, maybe I won’t. But as hard as I try to distance myself from my role, it is mine, and I have done a damn good job. We have had many challenges (health, behavior and otherwise) along this child rearing journey, and I have managed to get two kids in school with my sanity in tact.
As I watched my oldest son walk into Kindergarten, and his whole life flashed before my eyes - the joys, the struggles - I could hardly breathe. I felt like part of me was being left in that big, grown-up building. And I realized this is where his journey begins on his own. Where I start to give him wings and start to find my old roots. I can nurture both my boys' growth while nurturing my own dreams along the way. We will all grow together in this "Modern Family". But, I'm not joining the PTA,...and you can't make me.

March's Letter from the President

Spring is upon us and we are a month away from our Spring Retreat!  We will be heading to the Hyatt Bastrop http://www.lostpines.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp for some much needed mommy rest and relaxation. If you are looking for me that weekend you will find me in floating on the lazy river, margarita in hand.  So...have those garage sales ladies and raise some funds to join us for the weekend.  Where there is a will there is a way!  The cost is $90 per night with 4 people to a room.  It is worth every penny, I promise! 

This is also the month we start planning for the next year.  Please send in your survey (sent to you via the club email list) to let the Board know how we can make this club wonderful for you.  It is also time to make a commitment to help out for the next year.  We ask that everyone contribute some time and energy to the club.  This is your chance to pick how you will spend that time and a great way to get in the mix and get to know others.  I will have the job descriptions and sign up sheets at our meeting on Thursday night.

At the meeting this Thursday evening, we will have Shannon Spear come to speak to us.  She is a professional Stylist and will be discussing current trends and giving us style tips.  We will then head out for Mom's Night Out to make some pottery and drink some wine at Marmalade Skies.  Please remember to bring Tapas to share or a non-alcoholic beverage while we are at the church.  Also, remember to bring your canned goods for Austin Children's Shelter.  

This month holds many fun Special Interest Groups so make sure to sign up on the Events section on our FB Group and participate.  The club happens when you get involved! 

I hope to see you Thursday night! 

Danor Padden

President NAMC 2010-2011

February's Letter from the President

Hi Ladies,

We have made it through the holiday season and are now looking to the Spring. Unfortunately, we will get a cold snap in tomorrow so don't put away those winter close just yet. Make sure to button up for Thursday nights meeting too. It should be chilly. We will serve some yummy hot chocolate to take off the chill.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner so this monthly meeting will be dedicated to LOVE. My favorite subject! :) We are going to discuss the 5 Love Languages after a brief business meeting. We will also work on making hand-crafted Valentines. Please bring a yummy Valentine desert to share with the crowd. Sewing group and Scrapbooking will meet after the meeting. This is a great opportunity to try out one of our most popular special interest groups and visit with friends.

This month we will also be taking a Field Trip to Kiddie Acres. This is a great field trip with lots of good picture opportunities, so fire up those cameras and sign up. Later in the month Jessica N. and Anna T. will be hosting Game Night (Thanks for taking over girls!) We will have a wine tasting Mom's Night Out and on Valentine's Day, Arts and Crafts for the kids. Towards the end of February, we will have a Family Meetup so we can get those hubby's out and making friends too. Make sure to check out the listing of Events on our Facebook Page where you will also find the Book Club's next book and meeting date.

This time of year is also when we start looking forward to the next year of Mom's Club. This is your club, you create it. I invite you to consider what position you would be interested in filling next year. We ask that everyone in the club take on something during the year. It can be as big as the Presidency or as small as working on a Committee for a party or fundraiser. This next year will be filled with opportunities to participate so join in the fun and show up for yourself and the group. Oprah hosted a show on creating Happiness last week, and in the show, they said if a woman attends one women's group or club meeting a month her happiness level increases dramatically. So, it isn't only good for you it is good for everyone. The survey for next year's opportunities will go out soon.

Happy February!

Danor Padden

President NAMC