Wednesday, September 30, 2009

I changed up the zipper bag pattern :)


I've been poking around etsy and decided to modify my zipper bag pattern by adding pleats :D I think they turned out cute! My friend the tavern wench is coming over tomorrow to help me do some beaded zipper pulls - I'd like to add some pink and black beads to these bags :) I don't have a lot of bead colors - I guess some shopping is in order --- poor me!! ;)

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Use it up, finish it off :)

I know the cuff design on the pillowcase goes the wrong way, but it just happened that I had a scrap of fabric that was 10" X WOF that I wanted to use up, so that's just how it worked out :) The pillowcase went into the sock sack because it's a surprise little "just because" gift - notice the beads on the sock sack - I'll be doing THAT technique again - it really looks sweet!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Assisted by a tavern wench :D


My friend The Tavern Wench (aka Nancy, lol) came over for a visit today - she brought me some pretty vintage buttons, and she also showed me the proper ink to use to stamp on fabric ;) Thanks Nancy - now I can sew my cute little kitty label on stuff, so people will know who to blame! ;) I taught her how to do the Heart of Mary zipper bags - hopefully she'll post a picture of hers - and then I used the leftover cuts to make my own matching bag - mine is just trimmed a bit differently than hers :D Maybe her people will be having a zipper bag Christmas this year like mine are!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Fall is in the air :)



I finished the tablerunner tonight - it worked up to 18.5" square (well, almost square, LOL). Then I made a sock sack in the same fabric, but I made it an extra 2" tall so I could roll up the tablerunner and tuck it inside :D If you get that sock sack in the mail - or if I show up on your front doorstep carrying it - you'll know the tablerunner is for you, LOLLLLLLLLL!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Regular ink that has been heat set = NOT indelible or permanent


I made labels with a stamp I got from a lovely ebay seller - I stamped the fabric, heat set it with my iron, then gave it a test wash ... it sure did look pretty BEFORE it got washed! I need indelible/permanent ink, and will toss these labels :D

I worked on my floral tablerunner this afternoon - it needs borders (same pinecone print as the sashes) and then sandwich/quilt/back/label. It'll finish to about 18" square - just right for a little fall table topper gift :) Maybe I'll make a sock sack to tuck it into ;) I'm also thinking of making small fabric yoyo's to make the centre of each flower - that might make a nice dimensional addition :)

Monday, September 21, 2009

Decisions, decisions



I drafted a tablerunner pattern in EQ6 based on a photograph I saw somewhere online. This is going to be a fall tablerunner - a gift. I'm trying to decide which colors to use - the picture with the pink fabric is a bit outside of the box for me (I usually play it VERY safe), and the all fall tones photo is - to me - safer, but ... perhaps not as much OOMPH. I thought I'd throw the pictures up so I could look at them both together, to hopefully help me make a decision! The top left fabric is the block background, and the bottom left fabric is the sashing/border. I think I'm going with the colorway with the pink, now that I can see everything laid out, lol. If it looks like crap when I get the blocks made, I'll change them!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Terry Atkinson - it's all your FAULT!

Two more Terry Atkinson sock sacks finished and GORGEOUS!! Look at my zippers - they are perfection, if I do say so myself!! *struts for a moment, then goes back to her normal humble self* :) These are gifts - or rather - they're wrapping for gifts, and a gift themselves :D These little guys finish to about 7.5" X 9" (going by memory, because I'm laying on the couch now and I don't feel like getting up and going downstairs to measure them) :D


Also completed - a lined totebag with matching zipper bag - a gift :)

Thursday, September 17, 2009

2 more gifts completed :)


Here are a couple of projects I finished yesterday and today - the "real gift" will be tucked inside, and the "wrapping" becomes a gift too :D I've mentioned before that everyone on my gift list is getting zipper bags this year, and I was NOT lying, LOL!!! The peacock bags are lined with the trim fabric :) The Sunbonnet Sue bags were paper pieced (thank you, Stitchers Needle, for the patterns!) - the denim was upcycled from my son's worn out jeans :) I'm pretty sure the recipient will appreciate that aspect of the project :)

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Freebie tutorial - sock sacks!


This project has been making the rounds on one of my Yahoo groups - one of the members, Angela, has made them using orphan embroidered blocks - just gorgeous! Look here and here! I decided to give it a try too - it's quick and easy and makes a really cute little bag! Mine is a little boring compared to hers, but it was my first draft :P I'll be making more of these, but I'd like to make them a bit bigger :) The original tutorial can be found here - thank you Terry Atkinson for sharing such a fun project, and thank you Angela for inspiring me :)
P.S. I finally found the flickr "set" where she posted her other sock sacks - I knew there were more photos! As always, your work is spectacular, Angela!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

A Christmas tote :)

I finished up this Christmas gift today - lined tote and 2 co-ordinating zipper bags. Also pictured - some zipper bags I've finished in the last few days :D Nancy - (the Tavern Wench, hehe) should recognize some of the fabric! ;)

Monday, September 7, 2009

She sews, she knits :D

Three more zipper bags completed for the shelter ... and I started knitting another dishcloth - this one - I got 7 rows done and had to rip them all out when I realized that not only had I done a couple of K2P1 [and P2K1] patterns incorrectly, but I somehow managed to increase from 31 to 32 stitches, hehe. I think I was so surprised that I was following a real pattern, that I jinxed myself, LOL. I've been paying closer attention and 12 rows later I think I'm still error free - 40ish more rows to go :D

My cross-stitch challenge buddy got her ornament done right on schedule - I can't wait to see it!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Knitting, first aid and shopping :D

My first knit dishcloth - I need a refresher course to reintroduce me to some techniques I've forgotten over the last 30 years :D

Here are some first aid bags I made today - I need to get the zipper pulls made :)


Hubby and I went to New York last weekend and I got in a bit of shopping, of course ;) Missing from the photograph is the Lazy Girl Runaround Bag pattern I purchased - I was studying the pattern and forgot to grab it for the photo :D The 5 FQ's are sitting on a 5 yard cut of batting :D

Pizza bread and reindeer :D



First off, this Pizza Bread was WONDERFUL. It took under 10 minutes to prepare it (using premade pizza dough :D), and 25 minutes to bake. Next time I make a double batch - it really was good! I got the idea from Meadows08, who got the recipe here. My changes - I used pizza dough instead of homemade dough, and after I rolled it, I brushed the dough with olive oil and sprinkled it with onion-garlic spice. Next time I'll sprinkle a bit of parmesan on too. Try it - you'll LIKE it!! Thanks A. for the idea!

And speaking of A ... I got my challenge ornament done :) I love this little guy - I made one last year as well :) The pattern is available here - thanks Sharon! I hope A. got hers done - she posted an under construction picture and it's sweeeeeeeeeeet!

More pics to upload but I'll do them in a separate post so it will load quickly :)

Friday, September 4, 2009

Ornament Challenge progress :D

A few days ago Meadows08 and I challenged each other to get a cross-stitch ornament completed by September 7. She's doing beautifully on her project - it's gorgeous - I'm pretty sure she'll be done by Monday! (And I'm definitely trying that pizza bread, loL!) I'm almost finished the stitching on mine - it just needs the beads around the neck :) ( I'm thinking red beads). Zoomer was a willing model - thanks Z!!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

A gift for some travellers :)

I mailed this gift on Monday so hopefully it has already arrived, or will arrive by tomorrow! The original intention was to make a travel set - some bags that could be used to organize packed goodies for trips. The laundry bag didn't work out the way I wanted so I'll redo it eventually, but the rest of the bags came out just as planned! There are 2 boxy bags, 4 zipper bags and 6 luggage markers (reversible). I hope the recipient likes them, and I hope they will get used VERY SOON! ;)

I think I need to make myself a display shelf for photographing my goodies - my picture background is pretty crappy, LOL!!!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

A few more Christmas gifts (from 2008)





HAaaaaaaaaaahaahahaha I forgot about the Butt/Face towels I made - cute, eh? LOL!!! Then there was the bath towel personalized for my "fleiki" noblog friend Deb, for her darling grandson :) The snail items - grab 'n go bag, coasters and fabric basket - were made for my noblog friend Julie - we "met online" over a snail project that was posted somewhere, hence our snail theme :)

Enough about Christmas 2008 - it's time to work on Christmas 2009 - only 15 weeks to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas gifts (2008) I forgot to post!

I just came across my December 2008 photo file, and found a folder on it called ... "Post these to blog after Christmas" ... which I forgot to do, LOL. Here are a few pictures of projects I did last year as Christmas gifts - they weren't posted as I made them, in case the recipient figured things out :D





The cross-stitch lavender bag (or lavande, en Francais!) was for my sister - the pattern came from Les grilles de Maryse (I don't know if the pattern is still there - I looked while I was typing this post, and couldn't find it).

The tote and small bags were made for my SIL Heather, for her trip to Punta Cana. You can see that my Zoomer enjoyed the project before it got mailed!! ;)

I have a few more pictures to post but they'll have to be uploaded separately - blogger won't let me add any more to this post - I hate how they changed their picture coding!

It's officially a CHALLENGE!

I recently got into a bit of a back and forth email convo with Meadows08 about getting some ornaments done in time for Christmas - we've decided to challenge each other to get ONE ornament done by September 7 - I just started on mine, so wish us both luck!

Here's what I'm making right now - I made one last year and loved the pattern (by Sharon Bennett @ Daffycat) so I'm making another one. I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with for her ornament - I've been poking around her site and she does AMAZING stuff!

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