Snowmen, dogs and foxes hang out in my back yard :D

I took this picture while the snow was coming down, lol.  Here are 3 snowman drawstring gift bags (tutorial here) that I made for Christmas gifting purposes :D  I want to make more of them so I ordered more large buttons from Ebay - it's way cheaper than buying them @ the fabric store in town :D  These will be uploaded to the Bag It challenge (ending December 16), and will go also go in Ho Ho Ho for December (when the link goes up) :)

 I've been making Batman capes for my niece, for her son's 5th birthday party next month :)  I think having a Batman party qualifies mom for the Coolest Mom Ever award!  I believe the superhero himself will be visiting - for some reason I wish I was a 5 year old boy now, LOL!  These ones are all size 6 ...


Here are a few more of the capes - the 3 on the left are size 4, then there's a size 2 and one of the size 6's.  

Here are all the capes that are completed (I have 12 done of 16 needed), hanging out on the clothesline for their photographic debut.  The penultimate one, far right, is shy, so he's showing off his lining instead of his emblem ;)

 A couple of Christmas gift pillowcases - dogs (left) and foxes (foxii?  ;D) (right) :)

A close-up of the dog fabric ...

... and a close-up of the fox fabric.  This print seems to dance and wiggle when I try to take a picture - like some prints I've seen, it doesn't like having it's picture taken!  It's mini foxes :D

I spotted a cute pin yesterday and got it made less than 24 hours after I found it :D  Tutorial is here, and includes a downloadable template for Rudolph :D  His nose, by the way, is a fluffy pom pom ;)  I think this is a great bag design for the gentlemen we know and love and have trouble shopping for!  Rudy counts as #26 in my not-very-successful 52 in 16 attempt (52 new bag designs in 2016) - I still have 18 days left in 2016 to complete 26 more bags - where are the sewing elves when I need them :D


Linking up to several linky parties with these projects:
Reindeer bag will go to New to Me, Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew, and Bag It.   The snowman bags will go to Ho Ho Ho and Bag It.  The pillowcases go to Ho Ho Ho, and the Batman capes won't be going anywhere other than Stittsville, Ontario (when I get the last 4 finished) :D

Ladybug ladybug - fly away home :)

Quicky post, as I have to get some finger puppets finished up today, and I haven't even printed out the pattern, oops!  I just finished this project off, and I'm so pleased with it that I had to post it right away :)

Ladybug drawstring bag :)

Presenting ... ladybug drawstring bag :D  The tutorial is here - I printed out her pattern - I printed it out scaled to fit my paper (8.5" x 11"), proportionately, then increased the size by 50%.   My bag finished to 8" tall x 8" wide.  The wings are separate from the main body bag, but I tacked them down at the very bottom so they'd sit in place nicely.  The black dots are little sequins I stitched onto to the wings :)  If I can say so myself without sounding boasty, this is a mighty cute ladybug bag, and officially counts as #25 in my "52 in 16" goal.  I'm pretty sure I won't reach my goal in the next 4 weeks, LOL, but at the very least, I should pass the half-way mark?!  :D

Drawstring bag and finger puppets :)

These are the finger puppets I finished up that needed a cute storage bag to keep them corralled :D  This set of goodies is part of a Christmas gift for a 4 year old girl - her brothers' gifts are almost finished as well, and will be posted when I get them finished :D

All the puppets and the ladybug bag are new projects for me, so I get to post them to Fiona's New to Me for this month ... and since they're Christmas gifts as well, they qualify for Ho Ho Ho for November as well - YAY ME :)  ETA:  Oh yes!  The ladybug bag is going in the Bag It challenge - I almost forgot!

OK!  Butt off computer and back to sewing machine in 3 ... 2 ...

;)

Tomorrow we're buying a fan ...

because my hot flashes are NUTS!  I have ceiling fans in most of the rooms  upstairs, but down here in the basement I have nothing, and I need to be able to cool down :D  These things are happening all day long, and I practically melt into the bed and pillow when I'm trying to sleep.  UGH!  Then there are the cold flashes, so I alternate between wearing a sweatshirt and then ripping it off, haha.  Fun times!  

A few recent finishes that I hadn't posted yet - most of these have now been packed up ready to go to Blue Hills :)

Retreat bag (I like them better without the frames)  :)

Fun and colourful froggy "use up scraps" zipper bags :)

Pineapple zippy - tutorial here :)  This one will likely be a gift - who doesn't need a purple pineapple zippy?  LOL!

Smurf Eunice bag --- 8.5" tall x 5" in diameter :) Note the Smurf charm (Ebay) - and the fabric was only $2/yard from a Walmart clearance :D  (NAYY)  

Eunice was a new to me pattern - I made her today, and will be making more, but I'll upsize them a bit.   This one was a trial run, and she worked out perfectly - she's actually giftable!  Next time around I'll add a tab at the bottom of the zipper to make it easier to zip and unzip :)  She counts as #23 in my 52 in 16 attempt :D

For Labour Day weekend in 2015 hubby and I went to a tractor pull and demolition derby in Port Perry, Ontario - we're going again this year - I do believe we have a new tradition now!  We both love the pulls and demo derbies - I have to remember to take my ear plugs because I'm not quite 100% yet after my accident, and loud noises bother me.  It's going to be a fun weekend - Port Perry is a very pretty little town, and it looks like the weather will be perfect :)

Have fun, and STAY SAFE - don't text and drive, and don't tug on Superman's cape!  ;)

Duck Duck Goose ... no ... Duck Duck Duck!

Despite many challenges presented by the horrible Lizard Lock downloadable version of this pattern (Burda 7754) I was able to make this little guy for a Christmas present for one of the greats :)  I used a store bought pillow form and I'm going to add some extra stuffing to it so it will fill out the cover more fully, but other than that I'm really pleased with how this guy turned out!  Of course, things didn't go smoothly ...

... yep, during construction I realized that I had stitched the head, 2 feet and tail with the right side facing the zipper side of the pillow :D  Froggy stitching ensued, appendages were rearranged and reinserted, and ...

Burda 7754 - duck pillow face :D

Burda 7754 - duck pillow DUCK BUTT!

Burda 7754 - duck pillow finished :)

Burda 7754 - duck pillow - which is my best side?  ALL of them!  ;)

Now I can cross this item off of the Christmas To Do list!  I like doing theme gifts, so along with this guy, I'm including (NAYY on the links):
- Lemon the Duck book (this page was actually the inspiration for this gift)
- Rubber Ducky (this is still on order - I hope it arrives soon :D)
- 5 Little Ducks board book
- ducky cookie cutter :D

Rubber ducky, you're the one ... you make bathtime lots of funnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn *sings* *badly* :)

And another recent Christmas gift finish ... beanbags!  Here's the bag I made to hold them ... along with the book I bought to go with them :)

Letter bean bags, storage bag and ABC book - gift set :)

... and here are the bean bags :)

Letter bean bags :)

These two gifts are being posted to the Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew linky party for August - I made it just in the nick of time!

And one last quicky - there's a tutorial online that I've seen for a while and have drooled over.  I finally got around to trying it out, and I'm very glad I did!

Train Case - tutorial from Choly Knight :)

It's a "train case", but this one is a simple version - it's made without having to stitch round seams or do intricate stuff - it's basically a boxy bag done easily with strategic zipper placement to give it the traditional train case shape :)  I had a bit of a problem with the thickness of the French seams (used to hide all the raw edges) and I made a few minor changes to the construction (to eliminate the raw edges around the zipper) but overall - WOW.  Useful, cute, and simple - that's a win/win :)  Thank you Choly Knight for the tutorial!  She does awesome fun designs, gives use lovely free patterns/tutorials, and writes books (I have 3 :D) - she's a woman of many talents :)  This project will count towards the New to Me linky party for August, and also as #22 in my so-far-not-very-successful attempt to do 52 new projects in 2016, lol.  

Posting to:
Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew for August :)
New to Me for August :)

Rush rush rush!

Hubby and I are headed Stateside for a wee vacation tomorrow, and I've been running around like a madwoman trying to get things organized and ready :D  My Ho Ho Ho and New to Me post will be short and sweet for July - I have laundry and packing to get done (along with printing off Joanns coupons, LOL) and I still need to finish my USA Shopping List (yes, it has capitals - it's an Important List to me!) :D


First up is my New to Me project for July -- tutorial here :)  This worked out pretty well, but next time around I won't add quilting to the pockets (back and front) AND the bag body - it's too thick, and sinks in to itself a tiny little bit.  I'll quilt the front and back, but not the pockets - that should solve the problem.  It's an easy make, and I have an extra set of strap hardware (that sounds rather fancy, but it's just a D ring and a plastic tri-glide thingy, bought on sale @ Fabricland, lol) and will make another bag when I get back :) This counts as #21 in my 52 in 16 efforts - I need to step up my pace!  21 in 7 months means I still need to do 31 in 5 months - yikes!

Here's a quick finish I threw together yesterday - it's part of a Christmas gift - I sized it for the item that's inside :D  I managed to calculate the right height for adding the name applique - that doesn't always work for me, lol.  

OK gotta run - I have a million things to do!   We're going on a boat tour on Sunday and my brother and sister-in-law are driving down from Osgoode, Ontario to meet us in Alexandria Bay, NY - we're all going on the tour together :)  Mickie and dear sweet Seamus - I'm so sorry that we won't be able to see you this trip - I hope Shayme feels better soon, and we'll come down another time :)


Posting to New to Me for July ... and Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew, also for July (OMG check out Heidi's rug tutorial - totally awesome!) :)

More finishes - it's going to be a stash-bustery July :)

First up - Retreat type zipper pouch, made with scraps of basketball fabric a sewy no-blog friend gave me :D  Hey Chris - I used up every inch of the fabric!

Close-up of the zipper pull - a basketball net :D

I really like making these Retreat bags (I prefer them without the frame, even though I have lots of frames!) - this one, although you can't see it, has tiny seed beads stitched into the center of a bunch of those flower patches :)

You've seen me make a pineapple bag before (well, you didn't see me MAKE it, but you did see the finished version, LOL) - when I made the first one it worked out so well that I gave it away as a gift, and kitted 2 more to stitch up.  And now - the 2 more are stitched up, ready to be gifted as well :)  Tutorial here, pattern here :)  What do you think - pink next ... or purple, maybe?


And one last finish to post for now - I follow a site called SewCanShe - each month Caroline's readers pick an "untutorial" that we would like Caroline to write an actual tutorial for - she lets us vote, then when the decision is made, she -- writes up a tutorial!   June's project was a Peek-a-Boo pouch with two vinyl pockets (one with a zipper closure.   I took some liberty with the closure, changing it to a magnetic snap ... which then necessitated me fixing a rather glaring booboo - the ugly back of the magnetic snap was dead center on the outside, HAHA.  A few stitches on a crocheted flower I had in stash - and booboo is hidden :)  See the little Eiffel Tower in the last picture?  That was my first booboo - I cut the holes for the magnetic snap ... in the wrong spot, so had to cover up the hole.  I stitched a little tag over top, and now it's a Design Decision :D  My first new to me for July, and #20 of 52 in my "52 in 16" quest :D

Have a great day - I'm headed to a friend's house for a get-together - I met the two ladies online, in a chatroom!!!, back in '97 for one of them, and '99 for the other.  We've been friends since then, and we try to get together every couple of months :D  Actually we'd get together more often than that, but with 3 couples, 10 children and some greats between us, scheduling is somewhat difficult, LOL!

Strawberries and farm animals and vinyl flexation :D

Strawberry zipper pouch - tute here :)

Here's a new to me (19 of 52 in 16) project that worked out so nicely that I decided to put it in my Christmas box as a gift :)  It actually has red seed bead "seeds" but I couldn't get a clear photo of them - they do give the bag a pretty little glitter!  I think I'll tuck strawberry lip gloss and Strawberry Shortcake stickers inside, making it a a sweet gift for a young lady :)   The tutorial for the bag, along with the strawberry applique pattern, is from Jennifer Heynen (aka Jennifer Jangles) @ JenniferJangles.com :D  The little inset picture on the right, is a close-up of the strawberry zipper pull ;)

Farm finger puppets - tute here :)

Another Christmas gift finish --- this was a tiny little finish, but it was the last item I wanted to make for this specific gift, so I'm really happy to have all the pieces completed, ready to be "bagged and tagged"  :D   The pattern for these little farm finger puppets is here :)

The gift consists of a Cargo Duffle bag with some goodies tucked inside.  There's a set of farm animal hand puppets and a book to go with them ... they were posted here.  I made a drawstring bag to hold the puppets and book ... it's posted here. The finger puppets are ^^ above ;)  What do you think - is this a cute gift for a young lad?  I think (hope) so :)

Oh!  One last new to me (18 of 52 in 16) project for June - a vinyl flex frame bag!  I've made vinyl bags, and I've made flex frame bags, but combining the two - that's a first!  The tutorial is here - I have more of these cut out already - they're a great way to use up fabric scraps!  Next time around I'll put a gentle curve in the bottom - it was impossible to get the square corners completely turned RSO :D



Posting to:
New to Me for June 2016 and Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew for June 2016 :D

Happy Fishy Drawstring Bag Day!

Friday was Pineapple Day, and today is a new and fun theme day, lol.  Did YOU remember to celebrate Fishy Drawstring Bag Day today?  No?  Well then pull up the tutorial (which was created to take care of an UNtutorial problem :D) that Caroline from SewCanShe.com was sweet enough to write for us - and make yourself a fishy bag :)

I made the simplest version with no embellishments - I wanted to try out the pattern and wanted instant gratification, LOL.  It worked out perfectly, and it's a SIMPLE sew.  I used about .8m fabric, and 2m rattail (instead of fabric drawstrings) - nice stash busting!  It's unlined, so I zigzagged all the raw edges to give it a nice finish.  I appliqued an eye on either side, so it's reversible ... in a manner of speaking, haha.   I'm SO very pleased with this bag, and glad that it was chosen for May's Untutorial project - I voted for it myself :D THANK YOU CAROLINE for your work and for sharing it with us!

Bonus points for me, as it counts as #17 in my quest to try new designs in 2016 (52 in 16) - plus I'll be able to post it to Fiona's New to Me for June - I am ON A ROLL :)  I'm going to print off the pattern at 50% to see how it looks as a smaller bag --- this one measures about 28" long from mouth to tail, and about 18" wide, so a half size bag would be cute to hold a kiddy item :)

Posted to New to Me for June, @ Celtic Thistle Stitches :)

Happy Pineapple Day!

Pineapple zippy - front :)

Pineapple zippy - back :)

If Pineapple Day isn't an official holiday, it should be ... to honour my latest finish :D  Tutorial is here - pattern is here :)  I did change the pattern up a bit - I quilted the outside in a cross-hatch design (which doesn't really show because of the zigzag print, hehe) and eliminated the embroidered design from the original.  The bag worked out perfectly, and tomorrow she's headed via snail mail to ******, who has a birthday coming up :D  I've tucked a little notebook, a key cap cover and a book of stamps inside as a bonus :D  I already have 2 more of these little sweeties cut out ready to make!  This counts as #15 in my 52 in 16 attempt :D

Pocket Tote Library Bag

Here's another new one from this week - a simple Pocket Tote Library Bag.  I spotted the tutorial online and thought it might make a good stashbuster project - making bags to send to the counselling center, with the added bonus of busting some fabric :D  I used leftover corduroy for this one and decided to quilt it. Next time, self, don't quilt corduroy.  That was definitely not necessary, and made for some mighty thick seams, lol.  I'll be making more of these - it's a simple bag, and very cute :)  It's fairly small, though - 12.5w x 11t x 3.5d - that would suit a younger kid.  I'll upsize a couple of inches in each direction to make it more versatile, for older kids.    Yay for #16 in 52 in 16 :D

Here's part of a Christmas gift I got finished earlier this month - I made it to hold the farm hand puppets I made last month.  I tucked an Old MacDonald book inside, and I have some farm finger puppets printed out to make, which will finish the gift off.  When I get them done I can post this to June's Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew linky party :)


Pineapple bag posted to Celtic Thistle Stitches New to Me for June :)

May owls ... and things :)

One of my goals for May was to use up 5 owl charms I've had in stash for a while. Mission ... almost accomplished :D  I did get 5 bags done, but I still have one kitted to use the last charm - I had a brain fart and used a wood bead zipper pull for one, lol.   5/5 done ... but not quite as planned ;)

I got some flickies done for Nancy ...

15 flickies :D

... a humbug/triangle bag finished (for Blue Hills) ...

Ladybug humbug bag (pieces cut 5.5" x 10.5") - note the cute gold birdy zipper pull - a great find from Ebay :)

... a rocket drawstring bag completed (to go in my gift box) ...

Rocket drawstring bag

... two Pokemon bags finished for my neighbour's daughter and her BFF (note the zipper pull I used, indicative of the purpose for the bags :D) ...

Pokemon Shark Week Bags :D

... and last, but not least, another New to Me project - a "Jungle Jalopy" zipper pouch.  I simplified the pattern by putting the zipper in the middle of the back, instead of on the curved top.  I think it needs button tires, and I'm going to pick some up for the next bags :)  Posted to May's New to Me linky party :)

Jungle Jalopy :)

I still have a few projects in the pipes to work on in the next few days, but hubby and I are going to Pennsylvania on Friday for a few days, to visit Mickie and her delicious poodle Seamus, and hopefully her husband ... aka The Phantom :D My hubby suggested the visit 2 months ago so we got our passports renewed and we're heading out :D  There will be some time @ Joanns - guaranteed :D