Make it so --- Merry Christmas!

Completed iPad pouch from this tutorial - fabric from Joanns :)

Time to shut down for Christmas - whatever I could get done is now done, and I'm going to relax and eat Christmas cookies and watch Dr. Who on TV :D  Certain projects, as most sewers can attest to, got "post-poned" because - well - life :D  I know I'm not the only one that that happens to, lol.  My kids will be by today and tomorrow to visit, and we'll be seeing hubby's family tomorrow for lunch - it's bright and sunny and green outside - no white Christmas here, and I do NOT mind :D  I hope everybody has a SAFE and happy Christmas!  See you in a few days :D

The Christmas sewing is almost finished :D

I got these panty pouches finished a few days ago - they're "indirect" Christmas gifts - I offered to make them for our oldest son's girlfriend, to give to the ladies in her family :)  She popped over the other night (after we had a girls night out!) and picked some fabric from my rather extensive stash - and I whipped up the bags and dropped them off for her - I hope she - and her ladies - like them!  :)

And now we have some new projects :D  First up is a poop pillow, but unfortunately, it didn't work out very well - I should have trimmed the inside seams better - I think that would have given me smoother curves.  I could make any number of jokes here but I'll refrain :D Will be trying this again in the new year, LOL.  Bay Leaf I like yours way better!  :)

Another new project - here are a few simple bear puppets I made for some neighbour kids - they worked out quite well, but I think they look very plain.  I'm going to make more (but after Christmas, lol) and will change them up a bit to make them snazzier :)

So sorry about this picture - it's so dreary and rainy outside, and dreary and dark inside the house - I just can't get a good picture of these pillows.  I made them for some young family members - I call them Storytime Teddy Pillows - I thought the kids could plop on them when mom and dad are reading (or when the oldest is reading to the younger ones!) - they're from this tutorial.  I wanted bigger pillows - the tute calls for a 12" pillow form, but I used 18" pillows for extra comfort :D  One last new to me project for today!

As these are all Christmas gifts, I'll link this post to December's Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew and New to Me in December linky parties :)

Two more Not a Hot Pad Zipper Pouches :D

Christmas sewing continues - these two pouches are for my sweetie little neighbour girls (5 & 8) :)  There will be goodies tucked inside these pouches - can you say ... lipstick pens?! ... and other fripperies - girls are a lot of fun to sew and shop for :D  The tutorial and pattern are available here - it's in hot pad format, but her hot pads always looked like zipper pouches to me, so there was simple hacking involved :D  Staci thanks again for such a cute pattern (and the whole hot pad of the month THEME, which is providing me with many zipper pouch ideas, LOL!) :)

Up next - some housework (boo hiss), some mending (boo hiss) and then [working on a poop pillow] or [getting ready for dinner out with DS1's girlfriend] - I'm not sure in which order those last two things will happen as it depends on timing :D There will be fun - I just don't know which fun is coming first, lol!  If you're wondering about the poop pillow ... you ARE wondering about that, aren't you??!! ... this is a topic a bloggy buddy and I have been discussing for a month or more - she beat me to the toilet punch!  Check out her version here :D  Hi Bay Leaf!  :D

Posted to Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew for December :)

One last entry for Bag It! ... and toilet bowl cleaner :)

My goal for today was to finish up two more bags but I only got 1 finished :D  I used embroidery thread for the quilting on this one - it has a sweet shimmer that I couldn't capture with the camera :)  It's a very lovely girly bag - I'm very happy with it, and it's my last entry for Bag It!  Patty you're awesome - thank you for the fun and the tutorials!


This picture arrived in my mailbox tonight - it made me laugh my head off :D  I have Amazon Prime and I sometimes send random inexpensive items to friends and family because I can do it without paying ransom to Canada Post for hostage release mail delivery :D  I recently sent my adorable oldest son something that was a whole two bucks, along with a note that said ... "I've seen your toilets!" - this was his response :D  I can assure you he's not really mad at me - I send him home with enough groceries and home baked goodies for that NOT to be a possibility ;)

And now - I'm off to get dressed for aquafit - see you shortly, Miz Nancy!  ;)

Hunky fireman - comin' up! ;)

Christmas sewing is well underway - here are a few more finishes to report (and to cross off of my To Do list - YAY!) :)

Up first are a couple of superhero capes, made with superhero fabric, which seems kind of Inception-y ;)  These will be mailed out tomorrow :D

Our oldest son is in a Secret Santa swap with his girlfriend's friends/family.  The lady he got paired with is a rather feisty, as we understand, senior citizen.  I offered to make her a zippy because - well - I like to make zippies :D  I hope she'll enjoy this one - I had some serious fussy cutting to do to get this guy front and center ... front and back, LOL! The sMiLe tag is stitched to the lining so when the bag is opened, the recipient will see a command to smile ... and hopefully ... they will :)

This bag will be entered into Bag It!, and both of these items are posted to Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew for December :D

[X] Superhero capes
[X] Zippy for Secret Santa
;)

The boys come over every Sunday for supper :) :) :) so as soon as I get this post finished I'm off to the kitchen to bake a cake for dessert - I'm putting them to work when they arrive, putting up the new Christmas tree.  If the cake turns out well, I may even be able to persuade them to help me decorate, lol!  Christmas sewing will recommence tomorrow!

More December finishes

Here's a bib I whipped up for a little guy who shall not remain nameless :D

I already posted the Retreat Bag on the right in this picture, but not the one on the left.  This is such a great bag design - I got a bunch more frames in the mail from Janelle so after Christmas there will be more Retreat Bags coming out of my sewing dungeon, lol!  This one bag (on the left) will go into the Bag It! challenge (the other one has already been sent in) :)

I did a couple of simple puppets for a birthday gift -  I was able to use up some bits and pieces of fleece scraps to make these - I even used up some rattail scraps, lol.  Wish I'd thought of the latter when I first started stitching them, but I'll remember for the next ones :D  I couldn't put buttons on them because there's a baby in the family, but when I make more, I'll add some of the eye beads I have in stash - that would be really cute :D  I do believe that a frog will be joining the group soonish :D

Posting to Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew for December :)

December bag it finishes - lots of work :D

Of course Christmas sewing is now in full swing, so I have a bunch of finishes to post - and lots of them qualify for the Bag It! challenge, YAY :)

Up first are a couple of drawstring gift bags for some little guys I know, who shall NOT remain nameless ;)

Here's a new to me project - Shark Week pouches :D  The blue one was my trial run, and after I redid his eyes (which were too high), he looks a lot better :D  These close with a snap, and I'm giving them to the younger ladies on my gift list :D




Here's a gift that I'll be mailing out soon - a Retreat bag (without frames), a Shark Week pouch, and some goodies to tuck inside - bone and syringe pens, kitty sticky notes, kitty key cap cover, EOS hand lotion, and chocolates :D





Another gift ready to mail - Retreat bag (without frames), book suitable for a grammie who wouldn't need a Shark Week pouch, chocolates, owl key cap cover, EOS hand lotion, bone and syringe pens, and little leaf sticky notes :)






One last gift ready for mailing - a treats Retreat bag (no frames) with Shark Week pouch, chocolates, bone and syringe pens, sticky notepad, EOS hand lotion, and chocolates.

I'm so pleased to have these all finished and ready to mail - up next at my sewing machine are some puppets :D

Posted to Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew for December :)

I'm just a puppet on a string ... or on a table, at least :D

Gift sewing is well underway now - here are some photos of finishes from the last week :)  Blogger, as usual, has it's own ideas about photo and text placement - apologies for the weirdness  >:)

"Use up scraps" flex frame bags - they'll go to Blue Hills :)

I'm very pleased with this hand puppet!  I didn't have a pattern to go by so I found a basic puppet pattern online, and modified it to be more beaverish.  He's perched over a spool of bobbin thread to keep him upright - you can see him leaning against it in the last picture.  He may or may not have gotten into the eggnog last night, hence the leaning ... ;)  This is a Christmas gift, that will go with Brandon Beaver that I made recently :)

This bag is made from fabric from a set of FQs I picked up ages ago @ Joanns - this will go to Blue Hills - the picture at the bottom is a close-up of the doggy charm I used for the zipper pull - it's antique looking, not holey or damaged, lol. 

 This bag is a Christmas gift for someone with a much loved dog - they travel with her so I thought that she could use the bag to carry her immunization information, any medication she takes, and perhaps some fancy doggy treats :D  The close-up at the bottom shows the twin needle quilting and the bead I used for the zipper pull :)

After I took this picture the camera went blaruupzzzt so I didn't get to take a photo of the inside.  This is my second Retreat Bag, and will be a Christmas gift.  I love this design :D  The pattern is free, and the frames are available here (NAYY).  I have more frames coming, and will be making more of these for Christmas gifts :)   My first Retreat Bag is here - it turned out a bit floppy because I didn't use enough interfacing.  This one is quilted with regular quilt batting layered with Pellon Featherweight sew-in interfacing - that's what was easily accessible to me so that's what I used.  The combination is JUST right :)  The lining is also interfaced, but with Pellon lightweight iron-on interfacing - I buy it buy the bolt from Joanns, where it's 1/4 of the price it is here in Canada :D

Hmmmmmmm I just looked at all of my pictures - the fabrics for all the bags came from Joanns trips, and the fabric for the puppet was from our LQS - apparently I do a lot of shopping @ Joanns ;)

Posting to Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew for November, New to Me for November, and Bag It!  :)

This is what I do instead of housework :D

When I read this post from Elm Street Quilts, I knew immediately that I had to try it out.  I grabbed some vinyl and got sewing.  Well, actually when I grabbed the vinyl (shower curtains purchased from the $ store a few weeks ago) and opened the bag, the chemical smell was very strong so I had to hang that puppy outside to air out.  Then I cut up the bag it came in, to use for this project, lol.  This was FAST and it is CUTE.  I posed it with some Wonder Clips because they're very helpful when it comes to sewing with vinyl :D  Another one for Bag It! and for New to Me for November - I'm on a roll!

I guess I should go do some housework now - sewing is more fun, but sometimes, as we know, you have to pay the piper ;)

Boxies for Bag It! and Busy Brown Beavers :D

I've been busy!  I wanted to make some boy themed bags for the counselling center this month - I still have more cut out, but here's what I have so far.  The first 4 can be entered into Bag It!, but the shark bag was finished in October so it's not being entered.  It would win a prize for sheer cuteness, but just not in Bag It, LOL!

Boy boxy bags for Bag It - I have another one (or two?) bag(s) kitted from this fabric as I wanted to use up the whole piece :D

Several more boy bags for Bag It! ... and check out the goldfish zipper pull on the fish bag!  ;)

SHARK!!!!!!   I'm very sure a young lad will quite enjoy tucking his treasures inside this cutie (I can't resist picking some of this fabric up whenever I go to Joanns - I hope they carry it forever :D:)

My first Brandon Beaver project - pattern from Shiny Happy World (NAYY) :)  He's very easy to make!  Thanks Nancy for the wool for his sweet cheeks :D  The book behind him is another part of the gift - I got it from Amazon.ca :D

This is what he looks like from behind - the stitches closing him up look like they were done by a mad scientist or drunken surgeon - if the fabric had been more patterned my poor stitches wouldn't show so badly :D  I'm going to have to rip them out and redo them - I can't gift it the way it looks - it's making me crazy :D

His tail, though!  I like big tails and I canNOT LIE!  :D

This post will go to Bag It!, Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew for November, and New To Me in 2015 also for November :)

Bag It! Retreat Bag version :D

I recently completed a new-to-me bag design that uses special internal frames:

Photo shamelessly stolen from Janelle @ emmalinebags.com (I hope you don't mind, Janelle!)

I can't even remember where I first saw the finished bag, but when I realized that the frames were from emmaline bags, I knew I could order them without incurring huge shipping fees, as she's also in Canada :D  I ordered 2 sets of frames to play with them, and shortly after they arrived (ok, it was more like a month after they arrived - I don't rush into new designs quickly because I'm a big ole chicken, LOL) ...

Oh wait - PLAY TIME FIRST - having fun playing @ fotoflexer :D

Blueprint :D

Drawing (this one is my favourite!) :D

This one is called Lomoish :D  I have no idea what it means, but it's cool :)

And here we go - the photo before it got flexered, lol!

I like my bags on the soft side so I didn't use the "dense fusible fleece" that the pattern called for - I only used my usual batting, with matchstick quilting.  I'll add something more the next time I make this - I think it would look better with a bit more body.   The bag is easy to make - VERY easy to make - I'm waiting for Janelle to get more frames in so I can make more of these little beauties!

Posting to Bag It! and to this month's Celtic Thistle Stitches New to Me linky when it gets posted :D

I'm Bagging It! again :)

Last week I posted some projects I had finished for the Bag It! challenge that Patty is hosting over @ Elm Street Quilts :)  I've finished several more bags to add to the challenge, and I'm not done yet, LOL.

Up first are a couple of sets of Double Zip Pouches that I finished - these were actually all made with fat quarters I got on sale recently @ The Quilt Store, and with zippers I won on Ebay :)  The pattern is really easy to do!  Just be careful if you use directional prints - they're not the best thing to use for this design, LOL.  I didn't take a picture of the back, but let's just say that on the back, my airplanes are headed for a crash landing ;)

And last (for today), but not least - a Lazy Girl Designs Bendy Bag, and a flex frame bag made  with the leftovers :)

Pom pom photo embellishment idea shamelessly stolen from my friend and fellow Canadian Katherine, who blogs all the way from Alberta :)  Her poms are nicer than mine - they must be Alberta Clipper poms or something - maybe mine are Maple Leafs poms!  *groan* :D

I notice today that Patty posted links to bags that have been entered in her challenge, so I'm headed there now for some "baggy" inspiration :)

Oh yes, I bagged it :D

A couple of days ago I posted about a challenge I recently found, called Bag It!  Patty from Elm Street Quilts is running it - basically, we create and share bags that we've made (between Nov. 2 and Dec. 14).  This one definitely has my name written all over it, LOL.

Here are several of the bags I've made since November 2 - my first entries for Bag It! :)  I've actually finished several more but I try to do them in sets so when the set is finished, I'll take pictures :D

This is the one I started on Saturday - I like to call it my "I'm not a  hot pad! birdy pouch", as this is Crafty Staci's August hot pad of the month, in zippy form :D  This was a new to me project, and I'm very pleased with how she turned out :)

Here's beaded butterfly pouch #2 - I posted the first one on November 3, and got this one finished a couple of days ago.  I wish I was able to get close-up photos of the beading, but I don't have a great camera.  I used clear and turquoise beads on some of the butterfly spots - it does look sweet, IIDSSM!

 Here are the two bags, side by side - both are Christmas gifts :)

This is a pattern I did once or twice a while ago, and decided to revisit for this challenge.   I forgot that this is a bag better suited to non-directional fabrics - my scotties on the back are upside-down, and then, while that goof was fresh in my mind, I cut out two more bags ...with directional fabrics as well, lol.  Hopefully I won't make that mistake a 4th time :D

 And here are the bags I worked up this morning - they were inspired by this post, and I've already made one (that I can recall!) :D  I thought it was a good one to do for the challenge!

Here's the back of the bags :)   6 bags so far - the counselling center is going to score big-time after this challenge!






The hot pad zipper bag will be posted to Celtic Thistle Stitches' [hi, Fiona - Novelty Pouch Factory signing in, LOL!!] New New To Me linky party for November  :)

Bag It!

A few days ago I came across the Elm Street Quilts blog post that mentioned a fun project Patty is hosting in November (and into December) - she calls it Bag It!  Of course I had to investigate further - I think I could be persuaded to make a zipper bag or two (or twenty!) to celebrate Bag It :D  I've put her button on my sidebar so you can go take a peek at the latest posts about this fun series :)

I've already completed a few bags this month to post - hopefully the sun is out tomorrow so I can get some pics.  In the interim, here's something I started today that I hope will finish into a worthy entry ;)  I'm planning on trying some new and fun bags for this - if I don't post some new goodies, please feel free to give me a figurative kick in the a$$!  ;)

YAY Vicki is the winner :)

Last month I hosted the October Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew linky party - there was a draw for the people who posted to the party, and Vicki won, with her parade of snowmen - YAY!  Congratulations Vicki!  Lucky lady - she won F8's of Liberty fabric *swoon* (fabric generously donated by Sarah of Duck Egg Threads :D) :)

 Now - also on the Christmas sewing front - I finished a zipper bag this morning - the recipient doesn't know I have a blog so I have no worries that she'll see this :D  I posted about it a few weeks ago when I was almost finished the beading - I got that part finished last night, and got the bag done today.  I actually had enough fabric for 2 pouches but I haven't started beading the second one yet.  In front of the bag you can see some little odds and ends I'm going to tuck inside - along with chocolate, of course :D  She's a nurse, which is why I'm including syringe pens, hehe.

Here's a close-up of the beading - I only beaded one side, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out :)



The parts for the second bag are sitting beside the couch so I can work on the beading while I watch TV with hubby :)

Halloween and Christmas finishes :)

I can never figure out why two photos taken in the same place within seconds of each other, will come out so differently. Case in point - these two pics were LITERALLY taken seconds apart, in my basement.  Bizarre!  Weird colour shenanigans aside, I made a bunch of candy corn zippies this year for the greats (niece + nephews) and my young neighbour kiddies - I tucked candy inside, then tucked the zippy into a Halloween cello bag with glow in the dark bracelets and rings - I think the kids will like them :D

Here are most of the other candy corns I did - I think I made 11 altogether :D  I'm quite pleased with how these turned out - IIDSSM, I think they're adorable :)  (The actual colour is brighter than the photo shows - this is another example proving my lack of camera savvy!)

Halloween pillowcases for a couple of the greats - I had different fabric bought for the cuffs but - as other sewers know, fabric can shrink a LOT when it gets washed, and mine did!  It shrunk so much that it wasn't usable for the cuffs, so I used stash fabric instead.  Thank goodness for a huge stash *ahem* :D

May I introduce you to Casper?  I finished him last night - he's a Christmas gift for a little one in the family :)  The pattern is Cosmo Caterpillar from Two Little Banshees - I can't find it available online anymore - I got it, ages ago, @ fatquarershop.  It's very quick and easy to work up.  I got the Very Hungry Caterpillar ribbon (used on the bib) from Ebay a while ago - it's actually what the gift is themed after :D

Things don't always work out as planned - my first attempt at the caterpillar gift set, didn't go as well as I would like.  I matched the flannel I used, to the colours of the actual Very Hungry Caterpillar.  The sewing is fine, I didn't (and still don't) like the look of the finished pieces - they look too plain, too boring.  I knew I wouldn't be happy gifting them because they don't feel *right*.  When I saw Casper in blue, I knew I'd made the right decision to redo him :D

Posting to Celtic Thistle Stitches' Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew for October (blue gift set) and to New to Me for October (the candy corn and caterpillar #1 :D)