A Christmas tote :)

I finished up this Christmas gift today - lined tote and 2 co-ordinating zipper bags. Also pictured - some zipper bags I've finished in the last few days :D Nancy - (the Tavern Wench, hehe) should recognize some of the fabric! ;)

She sews, she knits :D

Three more zipper bags completed for the shelter ... and I started knitting another dishcloth - this one - I got 7 rows done and had to rip them all out when I realized that not only had I done a couple of K2P1 [and P2K1] patterns incorrectly, but I somehow managed to increase from 31 to 32 stitches, hehe. I think I was so surprised that I was following a real pattern, that I jinxed myself, LOL. I've been paying closer attention and 12 rows later I think I'm still error free - 40ish more rows to go :D

My cross-stitch challenge buddy got her ornament done right on schedule - I can't wait to see it!

Knitting, first aid and shopping :D

My first knit dishcloth - I need a refresher course to reintroduce me to some techniques I've forgotten over the last 30 years :D

Here are some first aid bags I made today - I need to get the zipper pulls made :)


Hubby and I went to New York last weekend and I got in a bit of shopping, of course ;) Missing from the photograph is the Lazy Girl Runaround Bag pattern I purchased - I was studying the pattern and forgot to grab it for the photo :D The 5 FQ's are sitting on a 5 yard cut of batting :D

Pizza bread and reindeer :D

First off, this Pizza Bread was WONDERFUL. It took under 10 minutes to prepare it (using premade pizza dough :D), and 25 minutes to bake. Next time I make a double batch - it really was good! I got the idea from Meadows08, who got the recipe here. My changes - I used pizza dough instead of homemade dough, and after I rolled it, I brushed the dough with olive oil and sprinkled it with onion-garlic spice. Next time I'll sprinkle a bit of parmesan on too. Try it - you'll LIKE it!! Thanks A. for the idea!

And speaking of A ... I got my challenge ornament done :) I love this little guy - I made one last year as well :) The pattern is available here - thanks Sharon! I hope A. got hers done - she posted an under construction picture and it's sweeeeeeeeeeet!

More pics to upload but I'll do them in a separate post so it will load quickly :)

Ornament Challenge progress :D

A few days ago Meadows08 and I challenged each other to get a cross-stitch ornament completed by September 7. She's doing beautifully on her project - it's gorgeous - I'm pretty sure she'll be done by Monday! (And I'm definitely trying that pizza bread, loL!) I'm almost finished the stitching on mine - it just needs the beads around the neck :) ( I'm thinking red beads). Zoomer was a willing model - thanks Z!!

A gift for some travellers :)

I mailed this gift on Monday so hopefully it has already arrived, or will arrive by tomorrow! The original intention was to make a travel set - some bags that could be used to organize packed goodies for trips. The laundry bag didn't work out the way I wanted so I'll redo it eventually, but the rest of the bags came out just as planned! There are 2 boxy bags, 4 zipper bags and 6 luggage markers (reversible). I hope the recipient likes them, and I hope they will get used VERY SOON! ;)

I think I need to make myself a display shelf for photographing my goodies - my picture background is pretty crappy, LOL!!!

A few more Christmas gifts (from 2008)

HAaaaaaaaaaahaahahaha I forgot about the Butt/Face towels I made - cute, eh? LOL!!! Then there was the bath towel personalized for my "fleiki" noblog friend Deb, for her darling grandson :) The snail items - grab 'n go bag, coasters and fabric basket - were made for my noblog friend Julie - we "met online" over a snail project that was posted somewhere, hence our snail theme :)

Enough about Christmas 2008 - it's time to work on Christmas 2009 - only 15 weeks to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas gifts (2008) I forgot to post!

I just came across my December 2008 photo file, and found a folder on it called ... "Post these to blog after Christmas" ... which I forgot to do, LOL. Here are a few pictures of projects I did last year as Christmas gifts - they weren't posted as I made them, in case the recipient figured things out :D





The cross-stitch lavender bag (or lavande, en Francais!) was for my sister - the pattern came from Les grilles de Maryse (I don't know if the pattern is still there - I looked while I was typing this post, and couldn't find it).

The tote and small bags were made for my SIL Heather, for her trip to Punta Cana. You can see that my Zoomer enjoyed the project before it got mailed!! ;)

I have a few more pictures to post but they'll have to be uploaded separately - blogger won't let me add any more to this post - I hate how they changed their picture coding!

It's officially a CHALLENGE!

I recently got into a bit of a back and forth email convo with Meadows08 about getting some ornaments done in time for Christmas - we've decided to challenge each other to get ONE ornament done by September 7 - I just started on mine, so wish us both luck!

Here's what I'm making right now - I made one last year and loved the pattern (by Sharon Bennett @ Daffycat) so I'm making another one. I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with for her ornament - I've been poking around her site and she does AMAZING stuff!

Last finishes for August :)

The gingerbread trim on these bags was a gift from a friend of mine (hi, Cat!) - I spotted it in my fabric basket the other day and decided to use it in some zipper bags - I think they worked out very well! They went into my gift box for Christmas - I meant it months ago when I said everyone was getting a zipper bag for Christmas, LOL!

I have one more picture to post - I'm mailing the project tonight so I'll post a picture when the recipient receives it. I hope she likes it - I'm always so nervous!

My oldest son gave me a pair of shorts a few days ago that needed a button sewn on - I decided to work on them today - when I picked up the shorts I could hear paper crinkling in a pocket. I pulled out the paper and found ... $15!! As I'm pretty sure the lad wasn't paying me for my services, I left a message on his cellphone that I had found some of his money :D Finished shorts + $15 should put a smile on his face! ;)

Orca plays with dog ... hunh??!?! Amazing!

Isn't that SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought two patterns today!

I was out shopping with a friend - we went to a delightful little quilt store in Stouffville, Ontario, and I spotted a couple of patterns I just *had* to have :D

Abbey Bag by Abbey Lane Quilts (it's a pincushion/thread catcher combo)


- and -


Fruit Salad Pincushions by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. :)

A few photos ...

Here are a few zipper bags I've finished in the last little while ... some are gifts, most are donation items. You can see by some of the designs that I was using up bits and pieces and scraps of fabric!




A few days ago I decided to make a "set" of items for a specific purpose - I won't reveal the details yet - if the "set" works out I'll mail it and will post information after the recipient receives it :D Sometimes my projects either don't get finished (more than a few times on that one, lol) or don't work out as well as I had hoped, so I ditch them. Hopefully that won't happen this time!

Here are the first two pieces in the set ... these are boxy bags from the Patchy Apple website :) I did mine a little bit differently - I did some quick meander quilting to affix the batting to the lining, then pretty much followed her directions. What an EASY bag to make!! I should have stuffed it with plastic bags to show off the boxy shape - I'll probably do that when and if I get the entire set finished ;)
Sherry - remember I asked you about a specific date recently? This "set" has something to do with that date :D But shhhhhhhhhhhhh, just in case :D

Susan Branch - I think I love you :)

A friend dropped by my house yesterday and gave me some adorable fabric scraps. I love scraps. There's *something* about ragtag bits and pieces left over from projects - special little morsels of pretty - love 'em! Some of the scraps were from a fabric designed by Susan Branch - I haven't been able to find a picture online of a the specific print, but there's a partial picture here, somewhat obscured by the charm pack wrapper. What fun fabric! I need to find a metre or two - I really like it :) I decided that the fabric needed to be showcased, but only had very skinny pieces - so of course - I made zipper bags :D The bags are lined with the same red print as I used in the middle of the piecing - the back of the bag is the same red print. Thanks Nancy, for the scraps!!!!

Fruita$$es - I think she liked them :D

I recently made *someone* these fruity lady zipper bags - they were a birthday gift, and the recipient received them yesterday. I think she liked them :D I'm not going to say who it was that received them because I didn't ask permission to post her email, so she can remain incognito - and fruitassed - should she so desire :D (Sorry, person to whom I sent the bags - your email made my day, and I have to post it :D)

Woohoooo -- got a pkg today -- and at the risk of getting smited/smoted/smote/smot ~~~~~~~~ I OPENED it EARLY!!!!!!!! They are SWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEET!! FRUITASSES!!! I GOT FRUITASSES for my bday PMSL!!!!!!! LoLoL -- can't wait to use and show THESE off -- MUCHOS GRACIOUS!!!!!!

Got an ouchie?

Here's a prototype first aid bag I made this morning - it's pretty cute! It measures 7 1/2" tall x 7 1/2" wide (at the top), 5" wide (at the bottom) and 2 1/2" deep. I still need to make the zipper pull to finish it :D

#@$()*&)@#$(*&$#)@ !!!

Dessert is ready!!! *rolls eyes* :D

Chocolates, shopping and beasties :D

I whipped up a trio of zipper bags today (birthday gift for a friend) - these are all lined with the pink gingham that I used for the zipper pull on 2 of the bags. I wish I could remember where I got that fabric - it's much nicer than the thin crappy gingham that my local fabric store sells - it's a nice medium weight and sews like a dream! I'm quickly running out of it, so I use it sparingly :D

Here are the goodies I purchased at Joanns when hubby and I went Stateside a week ago ... it was a last minute trip and it turns out that the sale they were having at that time, was pretty damn crappy (that's twice in a row we've gone down during a shitty sale!) - because it was last minute I didn't even have any coupons - next time I check the sales flyer BEFORE we decide to go! :D

And here's a photo of some beasties that my son took yesterday @ Reptilia, when he and his girlfriend went to visit. This was the only picture I could bear to look at - they seemed to have liked the snakes an awful lot --- PASS!!!

Edited to add a correction: OOPS! The two ribbons (flamingo and flowers) in the shopping photo were from a wonderful seller on ebay - ribbongeek! :) Excellent prices, excellent service (I ordered the flamingo ribbon and they included the floral ribbon as a bonus - NICE!!) and reasonable shipping to Canada - 5* sellers in my book :)

It's hot upstairs but cooler in the basement ...

so I'm enjoying spending time down there with my sewing machine :D A few weeks ago I made a boxy bag for a friend, and today I made the zipper bag to match - hubby will deliver the set tomorrow (her husband works with my husband). They spend a lot of time at their trailer on the French River so I hope she can use the bags :)


I also finished this UFO cage quilt - I think a girl kitty will be happy to stretch out on it :D

Meat and potatoes and veg and dessert - oh my!

Here's a set of hotpads I started a while ago (probably 6 months!) - I decided to get off the pot today and finish them :D They measure 8.5" square, and were made with the Canadian Fabricland no-name version of InsulBright :D This set makes me chuckle because of the fabrics I chose for the backings (pics 2 & 3), LOL. Yes, I'm easily entertained :D

A few finishes ...

The bibs and shelter quilt (24 x 26) were finished in June but I forgot to take pictures of them. The sealife zipper bag (7x8) is my first finish of August - it's lined with the same batik that the pull tab is made from :)

Dogs and cats :)

The pink/black zipper bags are for my son's girlfriend (she has two kitties) - the rick rack one is lined with black, and the other one is lined with lime green batik :) She liked them (at least - she SAID she did!).

The doggy tote and zipper bag are for a fundraiser - the tote measures 15" x 13" x 4", and the zipper bag is 5X7 :)