Photo catch up -- May finishes #1 :D

Despite the fact that my dungeon is still freezing - around 60F - I managed to get a lot of sewing done in May - while wearing a very warm hoody and generally - long pants as well! My poor achy fingers though, lol >:D Many boxy bags were completed for Belinda's Place ...

... and some flickies were made for the kidlets at Blue Hills.

Lots more bags to share - I mainly did SMS front zip pouches and boxy bags last month, and got quite a few done!  I hope the ladies @ the shelter enjoy them - hubby and I will be doing a big drop-off sometime next week :D

I'm turning off commenting for a while - Google/Blogger is having problems with them, and I have things on the go right now - some good (spending more time offline with friends, and getting outside more), some bad (friends with health scares), and some in the middle (catching up on things around the house).  I got myself a pedometer and I'm actually enjoying "feeding" it and racking up the mileage!  I had no idea that would happen to me almost as soon as I started using it - I'm putting over 10k steps on it per day, which is pretty. darn. good.  :)

More pix to follow - but now, I'm going to go outside to chit chat with my neighbours, whose adorable kiddos are outside playing basketball.  When more than one neighbour is outside at the same time, there WILL be chatting!  :)

Ups and downs ... and life goes on :)

I'm not going to get into details but there have been some "ups and downs" in suddenlysandraLand, so while there has definitely been sewing going on, the computer was kind of taking back seat to other things :D 

The biggest thing that has happened is that the counselling center I've been sewing donation items for, has "changed direction" and no longer needs my goodies.  I contacted a women's shelter in a nearby town, who said they were happy to take what I could make.   I'll have to find another place that wants kid/baby stuff, but at least for now, I can concentrate on things for the ladies :D  There are 37 rooms in the shelter, so I planned on 37 boxy bags to start, so everybody gets one :)   I still need to sit down with them to find out their long term needs, but for now my goal is 37 :)  I've delivered 12,  have 16 more finished, and have 9 more kitted to stitch.  I have lots of supplies - fabric, zippers, batting, notions - I'm on it!  :)

Here are some finish photos - a blog post w/out pix is like a Buffalo run without visiting 4 Joanns stores!  ;)   This first set of photos is projects that I need to save until I find a place that needs kid stuff - most of these were made prior to the Blue Hills change.  I'll post the newest items on another post - Blogger has photo limits :D
 

6 pirate boxy bags :)

2 pirate Tiny Bags and a superhero boxy

For fun - a couple of monster zippies :D

More finishes, before I ship them off to their intended recipients :D

Lots of photos today!  I'm just waiting for hubby to get home from work so we can hit the grocery store and Costco - until I hear the garage door opening, though, I can play on the computer, hehehe.  The grocery list is made and the sale flyers are in order, so I'm ready to run :D

Here are a bunch of projects I've completed in the last few weeks - using up bits of this and pieces of that - everything (except the pillowcases) is being donated.  This represents a nice chunk of stash busted - wooooo!  :)

Loon pillowcases - I made these for some friends who have a trailer at Loon's Landing in the French River area ;)

Baseball zipper bags - during my last trip to Pennsylvania (hi Mickie! hi Carol!) I picked up some "sample" books from a lovely Amish quilt store - each one contained fabric samples in a particular theme - I'm currently working on the - as you can tell - baseball theme :D

This baseball zipper pouch doubles as a Dental Goodies bag - I've tucked in the goodies that my lovely dental hygienist (hi Rubina!) gives me :)  

Library tote bag  - my original post about these library bags is here - thanks, Pam, for the inspiration :)

Another library tote ...

Another library tote ...

Another library tote - this one is quilted, using fabric I was given by Mickie+Carol during my last PA visit :D  

I was able to make this pouch to finish off all the squirrel fabric :)

Close-up of the squirrel fabric - isn't it adorable?!

4 flickies :)

2 fall boxy bags :)

Fall Bella Clutch :)

Two more boxy bags - floral, and chickens --- the chickens fabric is from my friend Nancy - hi Nanc!

Stay warm, people - the groundhog knew what he was talking about when he forecast 6 more weeks of winter - we're not finished with this crap just yet!  (Don't believe a word that Shubenacadie Sam says - he doesn't know what he's talking about :D) :) 

A few pictures ... and then ... a few more pictures :D

It's been a productive start to the new year - hopefully that continues as the year progresses - I did a rough calculation last year and estimated that I stitched up approximately 70m more fabric than I bought.  That's not really a lot when I look around at how much fabric I have, LOL.  Oh well - when stacked against a wall, the fabric makes GREAT insulation!  Canada, eh?! :D  I'll try to better that number for 2018 :)

Here are a few finishes from the last part of December and from this month - some were gifts, most are being (or have already been) donated.

Two more Card Kitties for some greats - these were part of a set of 3.  3 fun decks of cards, a book on card games, some artists pads and a box of 60 pencil crayons (family is 3 kids) were added with the 3 card kitties, to complete the gift.  The recipients were away over Christmas so they'll get the gift when I see them next month :)

Two more pirate Tiny Bags - tutorial here :)  I did 3 in this line of fabrics (from Joanns), and with the rest of the fabrics I'll be making boxy bags - all will be donated :)

3 more kids wallets from this tutorial :)

Four use-up-these-fabrics pillowcases - I can't remember if these prints were from Joanns in the States, or from Sew Sisters in Toronto, but I've had them in stash for a very long time (5+ years, I think) - it was time they made their way into the world to make some kids smile :D

A Bella Clutch - this is a free tutorial, and makes a really lovely, feminine bag :)  I made another one today to use up some black and white scraps!

I've been big-time into boxy bags for a while now - they use up a nice amount of stash, are very useful for those who receive them, and are rather quick to whip up.  Win/win/win :D  Here are several that I've whipped up this month - butterflies and mice ...

... and superheroes and cars :)

Library Bag #2 - I originally posted about Library bags here.   This one was made using some FQs I purchased from Joanns ages ago ... and to go with the pupper theme ...

Scamp!  This book reminds me so much of ??? something from childhood - I'm not sure exactly what, but when I see that picture, it takes me back 45 or 50 years.  I can't pin down the memory, but it's certainly a happy one, because I smile when I see that little guy!

In addition to making library bags, I'm going to make some art bags to hold the collection of colouring books and crayons I've collected over the years - more stuff that has been bought for gifting, but which ended up being extra, or which didn't fit with the theme/recipients :D

Colouring book and crayons added to the art bag :)

That's a lot of sewing, and a nice amount of stash busted!  This past weekend I hit the fabric store to buy one X 9" zipper.  *ahem*  I ended up with one X 12" zipper, and 9.9m of fabric.  It was on sale!  I had gift certificates!   It was fun!  That's kind of the reason my output isn't larger - input happens!  :D

'tis the season ... part 2 :D

Well - I got laundry sorted and started, unloaded the dishwasher, made a pan of gingerbread cookie squares, made a pan of simple scalloped potatoes to go in the oven soon, texted back and forth with my SIL, and did some tidying.  What I thought could be done in an hour, took me twice that long, lol.  It doesn't often happen that things get done faster than expected - they tend to take longer!  And life goes on, and we're having scalloped potatoes for supper tonight so YUM :)

Here's the other set of bags I recently completed - these ones too, are from fabric from a friend, but these were quicky projects without a lot of extra bling - I just wanted to get them finished and sent to the counselling center.

Two floral zipper pouches :)

Close-up of the embellishment and zipper pull on bag #1 ... buttons from stash on the contrast band, and a bronze flower for the pull :)  It's quilted with soft golden yellow embroidery thread :D

The second bag is quilted with the same embroidery thread, and embellished with a fabric yoyo and button, and a little birdy zipper pull :)

Bags 3 and 4 are small pouches sized to use up the last bits of the floral fabric.

These ones are embellished with a heart and a flower zipper pull :)

Done and done - a bit of fabric and zipper stash used, 4 more bags done for the counselling center, and 4 more bags that qualify for Patty's Bag It for 2017 :)  Oh yes - and did I mention - scalloped potatoes for supper tonight - LOL!!  (No wonder I'm not skinny - I'm literally sitting here thinking about those cheesey oniony potatoes!)

'tis the season ...

... to be sewing!  And I have been doing so, between appointments and outings and visits from our boys and aquafit :)  Speaking of visits, I had to tear up the stairs to answer the doorbell just now - in time for the lovely UPS delivery man to hand me off a package - I didn't open it yet but judging by the weight of the box, it's my vitamins from Costco, haha.  There's another parcel coming from them as well, but I think it was coming from a far off distribution center (Calgary, I believe) so it'll take an extra day or two.  Are these cute or what?!! BTW - does it make your day when the delivery man is friendly and has a smile on his face?  It makes mine for sure :)

And back to our post in progress ... aka our irregularly scheduled post :D  Here are some of the bags I've finished lately - as per usual, I notice no dent in fabric or zipper stash - c'est la vie ;)  These 2 are going to the counselling center :)

Floral zipper bags from some scraps a friend gave me a LONG time ago :D

One of the bags is embellished with buttons - can you see all 7 of them? :)

The 2nd bag is embellished with beads and a button.  Most of the beads are a bit bigger than seed beads and I couldn't get a good close-up of them, but there are 7 beads and a button blinging this bag :D

Acrylic teardrop charm for one zipper pull ...

... and a (faux) (and large!  1 1/2" in diameter!  I even remember where I got it - on clearance at a Joanns near Bradenton, FLA several years ago, while shopping with my SIL :D) Mother of Pearl charm :)

The reverse of the bags, showing the cotton labels I added :)

Handmade #1 ...

... and Handmade #2 :)

Blogger won't let me add any more pictures to this post, so I'll do a 2nd one (in a little bit - I need to get supper and laundry underway first) to satisfy their whims ;)  These 2 bags are being posted to Elm Street Quilts Bag It for 2017 - hi Patty! 

Floral and teacups fabric = no more :D

I've used up the last of the pretty floral and teacups fabrics that my friends Mickie and Carol gifted to me when I visited them in August :)  These 3 bags qualify for Bag It 2017 - hi Patty! :)




I ended up making 10 bags with this collection of prints, and all of them are going to the counselling center.  Mickie, Carol - thank you, and I hope you like how your gift ended up :D 

More stash sewing - I used up these 2m cuts of fabric for a set of pillowcases for the counselling center :)  I have more fabric picked out for stash busting pillowcase creating purposes ... as well, and also along the lines of stash sewing, I'm working on a Christmas gift project that should use up a few meters of stash.   It involves zippers.  SURPRISE!  :D  Details to follow at a time and place TBD ;)  So far, flamingos and dinosaurs and doggos* and sharks are involved ... and I think some mice will be joining in for fun :D

*BTW - speaking of doggos, have you seen the We Rate Dogs site on Twitter?  I don't Twitter but I get occasional updates about funny posts, so I hop over to check things out.  This compilation arrived this morning and made me laugh ... the Iraqi Speed Kangaroo is particularly funny :D  If you have a few spare minutes and could use a laugh, check it out (NAYY) :)