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!  :)

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) :) 

Lots 'o pictures :D

I'm seeing my Blue Hills contacts tonight for aquafit, so this was a good time to get some finishes photographed so I could pack them up to deliver :D  Here's a random collection of projects I've finished up that hadn't made it to the photography stage yet, hehe.

More carrot zipper pouches :D

6 flickies for Blue Hills :)

I was trying to use up the last of this pickle fabric and managed to finish this front zip pouch  :)  I tucked some extra dental supplies into this one :D

Composition Book Cover with crochet flowers embellishment :D

 Using up scraps sometimes results in 5 drawstring gift bags :D  The 3rd and 4th ones were made with Osnaburg for the main, which is a fabric I recently discovered @ Joanns, and quite like :D  

Envelope style elephants pillowcases, using up a long ago purchase of fabric from a Joanns sale :D

Here's a close-up of the envelope closure :D

More pix to come, if the sun stays out :D  We have rain in the forecast but the weather network site tells me I still have several hours before it arrives.  I have a load of clothes on the line and another load ready to go out - I hope the forecast is correct ;)

Oh!  A bonus picture!  Here's my rhubarb last weekend before we headed out for our little USA holiday --- I wanted hubby to pick it before we left, so I could get it into the freezer, but he wanted to wait.  It's even taller now, lol.

LOVE me some rhubarb!  Some of this harvest is destined for our dinner table in 2 days, when the kids come for supper -- rhubarb strawberry sauce (for them to take home), and rhubarb cake are on the menu - YUM :)

A good start to the sewing year ...

Like most sewers, I plan on getting much done this year - much stash denting, and much less shopping.  For fabric, that is - I've already sent an order to Connecting Threads for 15 spools of thread, hehe.  I put fabric in my cart and then took it out ... which made me happy and unhappy at the same time :D  Baby steps!

Here are some of the quicky finishes I have under my belt for January.  With the exception of the pillowcases, these items will be going to the counselling center (I'll be delivering them to my contact tomorrow, as long as she shows up at aquafit, lol!):

A couple of denim zippies, and a use-up-some-Batman-fabric-scraps cat pouch :D

6 flickies, using some of the fleece leftovers from my dinosaur quilt :D

Doggy and soccer pillowcases - these are part of several birthday gifts I'm working on for spring birthday gifting :D

Eunice zipper pouch (a $$ pattern from IThinkSew)

Monkey Retreat bag (without the frame) :)

Orange Retreat bag

Floral Retreat (blue zip)

Floral Retreat, pink zipper

Skip to my Lou Pleated Pouches

I actually have more finishes - I'm hoping to get some pictures outside but the back yard is sheer ice, so I need to wait until it's safe for me to be out there :D

Last of the June finishes :D

Some of these are projects that were finished in May but I didn't get around to getting pictures for my "Completed" file :D  I used up, at a rough estimate, 37 zippers in June (along with 12m fabric, 10m ribbon and 10m rattail).  However, my final "zipper out" tally was closer to 18, as I ended up buying 19 during the month :D  Hey - a girl who loves zippers can't turn down a 50% off sale ... especially when the fabric store has increased the price of zippers substantially (30% on some - OUCH!) and I was snatching up stock that was still priced at the old, lower price :D

It's no wonder I spend so much time in the basement - we had a lot of hot days in June, and the furnace and air conditioner are in my sewing dungeon, so it's way cooler down here than it is upstairs.  So much so, in fact, that I frequently have to put on a sweatshirt and socks to be able to spend time in here, haha!

Happy Canada day to my Canadian friends ... and Happy 4th of July to my American buds!  It's funny that we're sharing a long weekend to celebrate our countries' birthdays, but they're on opposite ends of the weekend - Friday - Sunday ... and Saturday - Monday :)  Stay safe!

(photo source)

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