This is why you shouldn't drink and sew :D

 So ... yesterday I sat down at the sewing machine to work on a Christmas gift, and this happened ...

Yep - spilled my Diet Dr. Pepper on the table beside my sewing machine ...

... and on the floor ...

... and of course, all over the fabric I was sewing :D  Fortunately I had cut extra pieces so I brought these upstairs to soak, and continued on with the project :D

I severely underestimated how much time it would take for the gift - I thought I could get it done in a couple of hours one afternoon - I was wrong :D  I worked quite a bit yesterday, and today I sat down and finished it up.  It wasn't difficult in the least - it was just BIG :D   And here we have the finished set :)  I took these pictures outside - with the windchill it was -11C.  I was wearing boots, but no gloves/mitts - my fingers were FROZEN :D  Oh - and it was windy, LOL.  I persevered, though:

The project is called Pyramid Bean Bag Toss Game, but I'm calling it Flying Monkey Toss game because of the fabric I chose :D  The tutorial is here - mine is a bit bigger than the original and measures about 30" tall by about 48" wide at the widest part.  The bag on the left is the drawstring bag I made to hold the entire set - the game "board" folds up and will fit easily in the bag, as do the game pieces.

Here's the back of the game board - I added a tic tac toe board (made from ribbon) so the kids could play that game as well - they can use the game pieces from the Flying Monkey side :D  

And here are the game pieces - sorry, the picture got cut off a bit on one side - the sun was in my eyes and I was really cold :D  If you count carefully you'll find 12 bean bags - 6 in polka dots, and 6 in monkey fabric :)  They're stuffed with polystyrene pellets (from Joanns) so they have a nice little heft to them.  The kids toss them onto the game board and try to score as high as they can - I think they'll have fun :)  

Two mesh drawstring fish shaped bags - I made these for some greats that get to visit warm places more than I do!  I thought they could use these for carrying shells and/or beach toys :)  The tutorial is here - I resized these down to about 75% of the original pattern.  The mesh is from some mesh drawstring bags from a $ store - I can't find them anymore, sadly - this is really nice mesh - firm and plasticy - very easy to stitch!  Need to find more :D

Those projects finish the gift "set" I wanted to make - I have to get everything packed off and mailed ASAP so it arrives in time!  The two fish bags and the drawstring carry bag qualify for Bag It, so I'm off to upload them there - then I have to go clean up my sewing room and get ready for the next project that I need to get done, LOL.  Nothing like leaving things until almost the last minute! 

I can now close down November :D

More Christmas sewing -  I tend to assembly-line projects when it's something I like - it saves time, and uses up a nice lil bit of stash.  Here are a few projects I've finished this month in multiplicate :D

First up - more Eunice bags - I've now made 9 of them, at last count.  These are Christmas gifts for my neighbour girls - they'll have other goodies tucked inside (stickers etc.) :)

Eunice bags

Wallets - tutorial here - I did some of these last year for Christmas gifts, and this year I'm doing some for the kids that didn't get one last year.  Some of them will get goodies tucked inside - gift cards or maybe even a little bit of $$$ ;)

Kids wallets

Close-up of the inside of the wallet

Snowman hand puppets!   I used this pattern, but I sewed mine together - I don't actually make *glued* projects, generally - it's great for kids, but I prefer something a little more permanent :D  These are for some neighour kids - I'm going to make one of my snowman drawstring bags (tutorial here) to hold them - I think it's very appropos :D

Snowman hand puppets

I'm not very happy with my rocket finger puppets - things went awry from the first moment I started them, and didn't improve as I continued to work on them. They're too plain, and there's a problem with the ric rac on some of them - I'm just not pleased with the finished items, and will be making a new set.  Not everything works out well, and these fit that description :D  (The pattern for the rocket is from a Rocket Toss game I bought on Craftsy years ago - it's no longer available)

Rocket finger puppets - not a success, lol

Christmas gift pillowcases :)  Nice stash busting (about a meter per case), quick to make up (even with all the raw seams zigzagged) and best of all - useful :)   I hope the kids like them :)

3 kids pillowcases - ants, ants and ladybugs 

Close-up of the ladybug fabric (from Fabricland)

Close-up of the red ant fabric (Fabricland)

Close-up of the blue ant fabric (Fabricland)

Recently I posted a picture of some Eunice bags I had finished up - one of the bags was made with soccer fabric (from Joanns).   These 2 items will be tucked in that soccer bag - a wallet, and a flex frame bag - I wanted to use up the scraps, and I thought these would be fun for an 8 year old boy :)

Flex frame bag and wallet front

Flex frame bag and wallet back

That's it for now - I'm tempted to take a break, but I have lots of things I could be working on - and besides - sewing is fun :D  I'll be back in Santa's workshop dungeon tomorrow, I expect, working away on something :D

Linking up with several linky parties:
- Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew for November (all of these items, lol)
- New to Me for November (snowman and rocket puppets - a success, and a fail!)
- Bag It - the 2 Eunice bags :)

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 ...

;)

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 :)