DIY Felt Xiao Long Bao

My family loves eating xiao long bao (soup dumplings).

I recently thrifted a bamboo steaming basket (xiao long), which my mom has always wanted, and thought it would be cute to give it to her filled with felt xiao long bao. I cut 6 circles of off-white felt, and pinched around the top while sewing the flaps down, to make little dumplings (bao).

They look (almost) good enough to eat! Though they are filled with stuffing instead of meat and veggies.

<3 Mandy

DIY Spaceless Neck Pillow

Whenever I travel, I like to carry a neck pillow with me on the plane to keep my neck supported, especially if I want to sleep on a redeye. The only problem is that it takes up so much space, and is only useful for the plane; you just have to lug it around for the rest of the trip. I saw an ad in an email from REI for a puffy jacket that has a carrying case in the form of a neck pillow, and thought it was a great idea. I carry my rain jacket in a carrying case to keep it packed away until I need it. I didn't need to buy a new puffy jacket, and thought it would be easy to make my own pouch. The project only took 20 minutes to complete! Here's how I made it:

Using my usual neck pillow as a guide, I traced the outline onto a folded sheet of fleece fabric. I cut the shape out, leaving one edge intact.

I sewed along the edges with a sewing machine, leaving a hole the size of my fist, to be able to stuff my puffy jacket into it.

It worked out perfectly, is just as comfortable as my favorite neck pillow, and takes up practically no space. I can wear the jacket while at my destination, and the case is flat and small.

Comfy travels!
<3 Mandy

Crocheted Raffia Bag

I thought it would be fun to make a summery pouch, and have been loving the straw bag trend.

I bought a few spools of raffia ribbon - a fun material that feels like thin paper, and is made from palm trees from Madagascar. I was inspired by some bags I saw from Anthropologie and Free People, but came up with my own pattern to crochet.

To make a raffia circle, I developed the following pattern:

row 1 - single crochet 5 into loop, slip stitch at end

row 2 - half double crochet 6

row 3 - half double crochet 12 (2 in each space)

row 4 - double crochet into each space, single crochet after every 2 for spacing

row 5 - make flower petal design - single crochet 3, slip into space (14 total)

row 6 - 3 single crochets to connect the tops of each petal (slip into middle loop)

row 7 - half double crochet 28 (2 in each space), single crochet every 2 for spacing

row 8 - half double crochet 84 (2 in each large gap , 1 in each space)

row 9 - double crochet into every loop, single crochet every 3 for spacing

row 10 - double crochet into every loop, single crochet every 2 for spacing

I started crocheting a long strip of double crochets to use to hold the circles of raffia together, but decided instead to just crochet the sides together instead of also connecting a strip. I only crocheted halfway up the purse to leave an opening to reach the pouch.

To make a purse liner, I cut out 2 circles of unbleached muslin and used the sewing machine to sew a 9” cream zipper onto each of the pieces. I made sure to line the pieces up properly, which proved difficult, but worked out.I sewed the zipper on with the fabric inside out, but turned the fabric back out properly to seal the pouch. I wanted to be able to open the purse and not see the seams, so I sewed the pouch closed from the outside so the seams would be hidden inside the raffia bag but not visible from inside. I sewed the liner onto the raffia circles to hold it in place.

Since the top half of the raffia bag was not sealed, I added a loop to the center of the opening and added a toggle to the other side (made of knotted raffia).

I single-crocheted 3 long strands, and braided them together and attached the ends to the purse to make a strap.

I love how summery this purse makes me feel. It's the perfect size to throw in my phone, wallet, lip balm, and a couple other small items.

<3 Mandy

Embroidered Handkerchiefs

For my best friend's birthday, I wanted to make and personalize something special. Here's how I made embroidered handkerchiefs:

After choosing out some simply patterned cotton fabric, I cut out squares and hemmed the edges using a zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine.  I decided to use patterned fabric instead of plain white to help them appear clean after being used over time, and in shades with yellows since yellow is my friend's favorite color. To prevent lumpy embroidery after washing, I pre-shrunk in the laundry.

cut fabric squares

sewing machine settings

hemmed edges

bottom view

top view

completed square

After completing the squares, I chose yellow, lavender, and purple floss to decorate the corners. On the printed beige fabric, I monogrammed her initials with some floral detail in one corner, and continued the design onto the two side corners.

I embroidered her name and outlined a flower on the yellow/blue floral fabric, and kept the design simple since the fabric print was already busy.

I hope they last a long time! They can also be used to wrap small items or for other alternative purposes.

be green and use less tissue
<3 Mandy