October's Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew :)

Welcome to my post for the October Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew linky party - I'm glad you could make it!  Each month Paula at Mud, Pies and Pins, and Fiona at Celtic Thistle Stitches, host a linky party where we can post our Christmas ideas and finishes - it's a great way to get Christmas prep inspiration and ideas throughout the year, and a kick in the behind to get busy if we need it :D  At the end of the post you'll find a link to this month's linky - everyone who posts a project to it has a chance to win (you don't have to comment to enter).  This month's giveaway is provided by Sarah at duck egg threads --- the prize is 3 X F8's of seasonal Liberty fabric - check it out - so gorgeous!

DELICIOUS Liberty fabrics - OH MY!

I like doing shaped zippies (a recent finish here) but the usual way of putting them together -  lining up odd shapes evenly, and getting the zipper aligned properly - isn't something I do well, so I do them my own way. I made a very simple ornament zippy for my tutorial, and have some other shapes finished to share as well.  I  kept the designs simple as I  need to make a dozen of these in varying designs for Christmas :D  Even Santa takes shortcuts ;)

I'm not doing a detailed tutorial of how to make a zippy - there are tons of those on the internet.  Rather, my tutorial will explain my method of doing the shapes in an easy way that has a "fudge factor" built in.  Certainly try to be accurate, but it's easier to stitch on a drawn pattern than it is to cut out curves and try to align them properly for stitching.  For me, anyways!

For my project, I traced a small plate onto cardboard and cut it out.  Mine measured 5 3/4" in diameter .  I drew a line through the center of the template for aid in placement on the fabric - my bag will have a center zipper, so that's where I drew the line.   I add about 1.5" "fudge factor" to my cutting measurements, so I cut out 7" squares of fabric, lining and batting (2 of each).  I also used an 8" zipper, a 3" piece of ribbon and 1" split ring for the "hanger", and a button to embellish the front (optional).

Make 2 stacks - one for the front, one for the back --- lining right side down, batting, outer fabric right side up.

Decide where your zipper will be placed - front or back, center or off center, horizontally or vertically.  Your shape choice will determine where the zipper would look best - mine will be on the back, centered horizontally.  Slice one of the stacks where the zipper will be installed.  Be careful with directional fabrics - make sure they're oriented properly.

Install zipper as normal, in the section you cut in half.  Again, make sure directional fabrics are oriented properly.  This photo shows the zipper installed on one of the two halves for the back.

This is what you'll have now - two sections - one with a zipper, one without.  In my case, the zippered section is the back - your mileage, of course, may vary :D

Gettin' there!  Stack the 2 pieces RST, with the zipper on top.  Trace around the template - since my zipper is centered, I used the center line on my template, and ran it along the center of the zipper  (don't forget to check fabric orientation).  The traced line will be your *stitching* line.

I wanted the "hanger" (tab) to be centered at the top of the pouch, with the zipper (in the back) centered horizontally.  I marked staystitching lines at the location for the tab (top center), and just outside the stitching line on either end of the zipper.  Those last 2 lines show me where to staystitch to keep the zipper from opening before its time :D  This photo shows the staystitching on either end of the zipper, and the tab placement top center.

Pin the hanger in place and - very important - open the zipper to the center of the bag.  If you've made pouches before you'll know that rule!

Home stretch!  Stitch on your traced line - I stitch around twice for strength.  Because you left your zipper open - you did, right?! ;) - you don't need to leave an opening in the shape, which makes life a lot easier when it comes to turning the item right sides out :D

Trim outside the stitched line about 1/4".  Be careful not to cut into your pouch or Santa's elves will be very angry with you :D  (I won't be angry with you though, because I've done that more than once, LOL)

Carefully turn right sides out, and give it a press on both sides.  Use a pressing cloth to protect your iron and your fabrics - my pressing cloth is actually a paper towel, but that's because Santa hasn't brought me a proper one :D

And ... it's done :)  I'm putting fun erasers and candy in mine.  While mine are very simple, the sky is the limit for designs, although the more detailed the design, the harder it gets to turn right sides out (even with my simple technique).  I hope to make more of these for the adults and am planning on adding pretty beading to them - I even have sequins I can stitch on for fun :)

Here are a few more that I've completed for this Christmas.  Note that for the stockings, the zipper location changed to front/top, so when I cut the fabric for that, I cut the *front*, and I cut it higher than center.  The area where the zipper is stitched, is about 3 1/2" wide - I wouldn't go much smaller than that because it would be hard to get into the bag to tuck the goodies.  Next time I'm going to patchwork white fabric at the top of each piece for the stocking cuff - I thought of that after I finished these :D

These ones are my favourites - I hope I have more of the holly fabric as I would make more of these but put red seed beads on the berries (for adult recipients) :)

There's also my Ho Ho Ho and On We Halloween pouch - in case you celebrate Christmas on Halloween?  ;)

And one more pair that I just finished up:

I hope my photos and explanation for this technique are clear enough - this is a simple project - I finished those  2 Christmas tree pouches 30 minutes after I took the first picture.  Please ask if I've missed anything, or if anything is unclear!  I drafted my templates based on images I found online (or based on a plate, HAHA) - they're so simple that even I could do most of them freehand.  You can get inspiration by image searching, for example (and without the "s) "colouring book pages Christmas" or "simple line drawings Christmas".

I hope you'll get a project done and hook it up to the linky party for a chance to win some lovely fabric!  Be sure to visit my co-hostess - Ella and Nesta @ Ella and Nesta's Little Room - I wonder what she's going to share with us :D  Thank you to all of our amazing sponsors - have a look around their sites when you have a chance - that's where I'm headed when I hit "Publish" on this post :D

http://www.patchworkelephant.com/

An InLinkz Link-up

This is for you, Allie :D

I started a project recently so I would have some handwork to take with me during our road trip last weekend to visit my family for Thanksgiving.  I'm making a couple of very simple zipper bags, but I decided to add some beads to them to tart them up ;)  I did a couple  last year for my old aquafit teachers - they worked out really nicely, and the recipients were VERY happy with them (which of course made me even VERY HAPPIER :D) :)  Allie - here's the fabric I was telling you about - isn't it pretty?  I don't even remember where it came from, and I only had a small piece that was just big enough for two zipper bags. The colours are really rich - it's a lovely print - it may have come from our Canadian Fabricland, but it would have been years ago :D

Fabric has been quilted, and some beads have been added

Beads!

More beads :D

Here are the beads I'm working with, and at the top are the 2 zipper pulls I made to go on the bags when they're completed :)

I think these will be really pretty when they're finished!

Zero calorie candy corn :D

I wanted to make a little Halloween zipper pouch for a young lad I'm going to see this Thanksgiving weekend - it turned out pretty darn cute!  I'll get some candy tonight and tuck it in the bag for a treat :)  I printed this colouring page at 75% of the original size, and got sewing.  I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, and I hope the recipient likes it!  It measures 5" wide at the bottom, and is 7" tall.  It's big enough to hold several treat sized candy bars and some Halloween erasers ;)  (Shhhhhhhhh don't tell, I already ordered a Halloween DVD to be delivered to him next week - I love Amazon Prime :D)

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends and readers - I hope you get to see family, and have a wonderful meal, and feel as stuffed as a turkey afterwards :D  That's my plan, anyways - my husband and I and both of our boys are headed out tomorrow to visit my family for the weekend - there may even be a quick run into Ogdensburg for a Joanns visit - I'm taking my coupons and always on-going shopping list, just in case!  ;)

Stay safe on those long weekend/holiday roads, my friends!

The days are flying by :D

September has been a productive month - not so much for blogging, but at least, for sewing :)  I've finished up bits and pieces of fabric and supplies from stash, made some goodies for Blue Hills, and finished up some Christmas gifts.  I even found time to research and buy a new dishwasher - my old one was in pretty bad shape, and Maytag wanted $250 to replace JUST THE BOTTOM RACK.  Unbelievabley rude :D  (Of course, I'm replacing it with another Maytag, so the joke just may end up being on me, LOL).

Here are a few recent finishes:

Michelle Patterns Zip Pocket Pouches - the pattern must not be available now, as I don't see it listed in her store (NAYY).  I'm glad I got it ages ago - it's a great design :)

Boxy pouches - using up fat quarters :)

Sea turtle bibs - embellished with sea turtle fabric to use up the last bits and pieces :)

Sea turtle stuffy - a new to me project :)  I had to use the wayback machine to bring up the pattern and tutorial for this project, as it's no longer online - just call me Miss Marple :D

Sea turtle quilt - sorry about the fold marks - it's been sitting on the couch for a few days while I waited for the sun to come out for the picture :)  It's a D9P quilt, and it measures 51" x 51" (approx.).  The sea turtle and yellow TOT fabrics were from Joanns, and the batik is from a local quilt store.  

Here's a closer picture of the sea turtle fabric ... and the folds, LOL.

Picture of the quilt back - notice that the center block is patchworked from scraps :)

Close-up of patchworked center block.

The sea turtle items are part of a gift which will also include this book - it's been pre-ordered - I'm just waiting for it to arrive :D

Touch 'n Feel Little Turtle board book - ordered from Amazon.ca (NAYY).

Posting to Celtic Thistle Stitches New to Me in September linky party ... and to the Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew linky party, also for September :)

New to Me and Ho Ho Ho ;)

Happily, I'm getting some sewing projects done now, and I'm quite pleased with my progress :) Actually I'm mainly pleased that I finally feel like sitting down and sewing - I hope my mojo keeps mo'ing and jo'ing :D

First up are a couple of Christmas gifts to tuck into my Christmas box - these will be posted to the August Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew linky party :)

Zipper bags using the last bits of the train fabric you see in each bag.  These are scraps from a basket set I completed a while ago :D

Another scrap user-upper, I made this basket with the last of some fabric I used for Christmas pillowcases :D

This next picture is a birthday gift that has now been given to the recipient's nonna and nonno :D They'll deliver it to the birthday boy when they see him in a few weeks :)  The set consists of a pillowcase, wallet, cups, DVD and book in a TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) theme - I added a fun car pen because it was the right colour, lol.

TMNT set for a soon-to-be 5 year old :)

I bought a Bendy Bag (Lazy Girl Designs) pattern over a month ago and finally got to try it out.  The technique for the cool bag shape is new to me (and VERY creative!) but the steps to complete it, are very simple.  So I tried it.  And was successful :D  Here's my first one - it worked out so nicely!   This will be posted to the New to Me linky party for August :)

First attempt at a Lazy Girl Designs Bendy Bag :)

I was so pleased with my first bag that I got 3 more kitted ready to sew, lol!

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

A bunch o' finishes ... and some tomatoes :)

Here are some "use up that big stash of black and white scraps I have" zipper bags - I used teardrop beads from Ebay for the zipper pulls, and the one on the left has a bunny ring (also from Ebay) as an added treat :D  Sadly, I saw no evidence of stash reduction - I guess I need to keep sewing ;) 

 Here's how I used up some butterfly fabrics I had in stash - these bags measure 8.5x4.5x2.5" :)

 Strawberry bags made with some fabric scraps - they measure 11x4x3" and 8x3.5x3" :)

 A mishmash of use-up-fabrics boxy bags, these, like the previous bags, have been sent to Blue Hills.  Black and white measures 10.5x5x3", blue Disney print measures10.5x5x3", and the pink floral (which I recall was a remnant from Evelyns in Newmarket) measures 7x4x2.5" :)

 I think this was another remnant from Evelyns - my friend Nancy and I raid their remnant bin whenever we go to the store :)  Sometimes it's empty, much to our horror dismay!   To me, remnants and scraps are the jewels of the fabric world :)  These bags measure 7x3x2" and 11x4x3" (X 2 bags).

Tomatoes!  My lovely neighbour Maria has a garden in her back yard that is producing a LOT of beautiful veggies!  Here's a picture she sent me a week or so ago, of produce she picked in one day :D  She's an awesome cook - our family benefits from that as she sends over goodies (and produce!) on a regular basis :D

She called me today and told me to go look at (our shared) fence - this is what I saw when I went outside (couldn't resist a bit of photo editing, LOL) :)  She is the BEST neighbour! 





I have a new-to-me project to post when I can get some proper pictures outside - my trial run of a Bendy Bag by Lazy Girl Designs.  I was very intimidated by the instructions (they look very long and involved).  When I finally sat down to sew it, I realized it was no more difficult than doing a boxy bag like the ones above.  The awesome shape comes from some very creative - but simple - sewing steps :D  Can't wait to share it ... and to make more, lol.

Linky parties, Christmas gifts and trying new things :)

Needed a break - and took it :D 'nuff said :) I wasn't doing as much sewing as I normally do, but I managed to get some small items finished. It was the photography that bogged me down - it really is a huge job, isn't it? Now I have stacks of small projects on my sewing table downstairs and no place to lay out fabric, so that gave me the incentive to at least make a start at clearing out the backlog, LOL.

8"w x 10.5" tall, not incl. feet :D

First up are some piggy zipper pouches which are going into my gift box because they turned out ever so cute :D They're from Fast, Fun and Easy Fabric Critter Bags :)  The piggy keychains that I scored from Ebay make the perfect finish to these cuties :)  

These are the piggy keychains from Ebay - I love that there's a boy one and a girl one, lol!

Up next -  kids' wallets  :)   This was a new to me tutorial and I made several changes to the tutorial.  I have more of these little cuties kitted - they're great to have in the gift box - I plan on tucking some pretend credit cards and some cash in them before gifting :D

Bibs! Every baby needs bibs, and these ones are a gifty for a little one that's arriving later this year. I'm making a little taggy to go with them - it's cut out, but I haven't gotten to it yet. I hope you can see the Thomas the Tank Engine ribbon they're embellished with!






That's it for now - Blogger is making unilateral decisions as to photo and text placement.  Frustrating!  There's going to be a learning curve getting back into this, that I wasn't expecting!   I keep trying (Blogger keeps changing the text/size on me!) to delete the extra white space but Blogger says NO CHANGES FOR YOU!  *mutters*

Posting to some linky parties (if I can remember how to do it, LOL)
Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew  for July (all the items, as they're gifts)
Sew My Stash 2015:  Holiday in July (all the items are gifts, and happily, everything needed to make them was from stash :)
Celtic Thistle Stitches New to Me 2015 for July - (the wallets)