Dolphins and construction vehicles - finishes to report :D

 Here's a set of drawstring bags (about 9.5" x 12") I whipped up using a valance (or table topper?) I picked up at the thrift store a month or two ago.   They're all lined with a light blue fabric that I got on clearance ages ago - the construction fabric is all used up now - it was a good investment for two bucks!

Last month I decided to start using up some of the ebay craft supplies I've bought over the years.   My first pick was a set of 10 rather ugly dolphin pulls (they looked nicer in the auction, than they did when they arrived, lol).    I decided to make zipper bags (surprise!) using denim jean scraps, zippers from my extremely large zipper supply, and assorted batiks and scraps for the linings.  I think operation Use Up Ugly Dolphins was a success ;)

Dolphin zippy #1 - front

Dolphin zippy #1 - back 

Dolphin zippy #2 - front

Dolphin zippy #2 - back

Dolphin zippy #3 - front

Dolphin zippy #3 - back

Dolphin zippy #4 - front

Dolphin zippy #4 - back

Dolphin zippy #5 - front

Dolphin zippy #5 - back

That's it for now - I need to go put a ham in the oven to get it ready for supper, LOL.

February was a dreary month!

Happy Leap Year Day!  With the grey weather, like so many others, I didn't get as much sewing done as I would like :D  I did get some nice finishes in, though :)

 Lips pouch - tutorial is here - I was just trying out the pattern and didn't bother to put the tab on the zipper ... which would have made the pouch look a lot nicer.  Nothing wrong with the tutorial - the problem was ME :D  Will do it properly next time, but this not-great finish will count as a new project for me (#6 in 52 in 16 :D), despite the fact that it isn't as nice as I hoped :D

Sorry about the pink background in this picture - I had to run out the door to go to a luncheon where the bag was The Gift, so I was in a hurry.  It's just a simple denim bag, lined with some pretty royal blue fabric.   It was sized to hold a specific gift, which I hope the recipient likes!

Here are a couple of beaded Retreat bags (without the frame).   You can't really see the beading in the top bag - it's clear seed beads attached to each bra where the cups meet.  Very low key :D

The orange one has more beading, but it's storming outside and I can't get a clear picture inside.  These are both going into my gift box for Christmas - and it's only February!  :)

Last, but not least because this one is my favourite of the finishes, a rocket zipper pouch :)   This (purchased, NAYY) pattern is by Filles a Maman :)  The window is vinyl so the recipient will be able to see whatever it is he tucks inside ... which will be a $20 bill since this is a gift for a young lad :)



Posting to the Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew ... and New to Me linky parties for February :)

Lots-o-pics of lots-o-projects :D

Happily, much sewing has been accomplished in the last couple of weeks :)  I wanted to get some pictures outside but the weather wasn't very co-operative - it was either really cold, or grey and overcast, or I wasn't ready to take pics when it was the perfect weather, lol.  Basement dungeon photograph studio it is!

First up we have some simple drawstring gift bags for Christmas - the size of each was determined by the fact that I wanted to use up some Christmas prints I had hanging about ;)  These (boxed bottom) bags were all made using this tutorial, but in varying sizes.

Next up - some zipper bags based on Crafty Staci tutorials :D  I call these my not-a-hotpad zipper bags, as the original pattern was for a hotpad, but I hax0red them into zipper pouches :D  First up are my pink birdies from the Bluebird pattern :)

She published a new pattern this month for a mitten hotpad, so out came the sewing machine :D  I made it about an inch narrower than the pattern - it worked better with the zipper I was using.  This one is a new-to-me project and counts as one of my 52 in 16 (52 new bags in 2016) projects :)



I started these polar bear hand puppets several years ago - I don't even remember why I didn't complete them then, but I thought it would be nice to get them done and into the gift box :)  The tutorial is here - I used washcloths from Costco :D

This bag worked out really well so it's going in my gift box :)  I was making a Retreat Bag for a friend, using some of her fabric.  I hadn't made one in a while and I was a bit nervous about using her special fabrics, so I warmed up by making this one first, LOL.  Both of them worked out very well, so I don't know why I worried :D  And now that I'm thinking about it, I forgot to get a picture of hers - oh well!  It was gorgeous, IIDSSM ;)

This next bag also counts as one of my new 52 in 16 bags, but it didn't work out quite as well as I would like.  The tutorial is here - I bought a pair of kids jeans @ the thrift store so I could cut off the legs for this, lol.  Next time around I'll stitch the bottom seam from the inside instead of the outside - I'm also going to box the bottom to give it a nicer shape.  I couldn't get fabric paint when I was making it so the acrylic paint I used cracked a bit on the fabric - I thought I could get away with it but nope!  This is a cute project - it's a great way to upcycle worn out jeans - I even bought more jeans for - the bag is very quick and easy to make :)

Mickie!  Another 52 in 16 project - my last for the month (5 done in January - I'm impressed with myself, lol) - I'll make one minor change the next time around - I added quilt batting to this one, and it made the project thick enough that I couldn't get it pressed completely pucker-free.  You can see tiny little puckers at each side of the ears - I pressed and pressed but couldn't get rid of them.  Next time I'll just interface all the layers and I bet I'll be able to press it better :)  Tutorial here :)

I'm very pleased with these next new to me items - I got 2 sets of 3 hand puppets completed - one set is for a birthday gift in February, the other set goes into the gift box :) The pattern is Woodland Animals Felt Hand Puppets, a $ pattern from Craftsy here - I haven't made the badger yet (there are 4 critters in the pattern - fox, hedgehog, badger and raccoon) but I will eventually :)  

How's this for cute? LOL!  Reindeer stuffy - new to me, and a Christmas gift - he's a bit bigger than I would like so next time around I'm going to shrink him by 25 or 30% - I want him sized more like a beanbag than a stuffy :D   Tutorial here :)

One last project, then that's it for tonight - it's past my bedtime, lol.   This is my favourite of my finishes - it's just a simple notebook cover, but I love how it turned out :)  I'm not sure if you can see from the photo (and sorry about the different background colours - that's the problem with photographing in the basement dungeon) - the raindrops are little seed beads in different colours :)  I was out with hubby today doing running around, and I took the project with me and beaded most of it in the car!  New to me, and right into the gift box it went :)  (Here's a post from Jennifer @ Ellison Lane - she's the designer!) 

Outside - front cover :)

Inside - there are pockets (trimmed with ribbon) on each side, and a piece of elastic (on the right) holds the pages :)

Outside back - a rainbow without rain :D

WHEW!  That was a lot of photography and typing and link finding - I'm going to get this post uploaded to my favourite linky parties - both from Celtic Thistle Stitches - New to Me in 2016 and Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew - brand spanking new for 2016!

This little zippy went adventuring ...

I dashed outside today to check the mail, and it was so sunny and bright that I thought I should get a picture of my new bag, out there in the wild :D  She couldn't decide which spot she liked best - my garage door ...

... or tucked onto my neighbour's Christmas tree (outside ready for town pick-up) :D

This was a new to me project - as I mentioned in my last blog post I'm trying to make NEW designs of bags this year - I'm aiming for 1 new bag a week (aka 52 in 16) to finally get to some of the tutorials and patterns I've been hoarding for so long :D  This tutorial is from Sew Can She, and is called a 2 Sided Zip.  The tutorial is VERY well written and photographed - I was nervous about making it because of the curved zipper but it was no problem - the bag was very easy to make.  Next time around I'll add an inch in length and in height to make it a bit bigger (and of course will use a longer zipper).   I'll definitely be making more of these - thank you to Caroline for a wonderful tute!  And this counts in as 2/52/16 ... HA!

P.S.  Sheila Perl - I can't reply to your comments as I can't find your email address - could you leave it for me in a reply (I'll delete it before publishing) or email me through my About Me link - I'm dying to check out your Pinterest boards (and your blog, too, if you have one?) - thank you!  :)

A new year, and a new monster :)

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a happy (and safe!) New Year :)  We spent time with hubby's family, and had a big luncheon on New Years Day - there were glitches, but it went fairly well, nobody went home hungry, and we now have folding tables, extra plates, silverware and glassware for 24 people - massive shopping was involved :D  And on to 2016!

I didn't specifically make "resolutions" because they never work for me, but I did make a decision to try to improve a few things - eat less, move more, shop less, sew more - those are the main ones.  Along the sewing front, I want to try making new designs of bags (zipper, drawstring etc.),  from the thousands of pins I have, the (hundreds) (dozens) (tens) ones of patterns I've bought over the years, and the dozens of tutorials I've saved to my computer :D  One a week would be fabulous, since I certainly have the fabric and notions to do that - kind of a 52 in '16 goal, if you will :D  I don't know if I'm up to it, and as we all know - stuff comes up - but at least it's something I'm aiming *towards* :)

Here's the my first new-to-me bag for the year - I spotted the original for sale in someone's Etsy store, and thought he was sweet :D  I wish I'd made his legs smaller and spaced his horns and eyes closer together, but overall he still came out pretty cute!  He's wearing his New Years 2016 border from Pizap, and it's possible he might still be a bit hung over ;)  He counts as 1/52/16 :D

Make it so --- Merry Christmas!

Completed iPad pouch from this tutorial - fabric from Joanns :)

Time to shut down for Christmas - whatever I could get done is now done, and I'm going to relax and eat Christmas cookies and watch Dr. Who on TV :D  Certain projects, as most sewers can attest to, got "post-poned" because - well - life :D  I know I'm not the only one that that happens to, lol.  My kids will be by today and tomorrow to visit, and we'll be seeing hubby's family tomorrow for lunch - it's bright and sunny and green outside - no white Christmas here, and I do NOT mind :D  I hope everybody has a SAFE and happy Christmas!  See you in a few days :D

The Christmas sewing is almost finished :D

I got these panty pouches finished a few days ago - they're "indirect" Christmas gifts - I offered to make them for our oldest son's girlfriend, to give to the ladies in her family :)  She popped over the other night (after we had a girls night out!) and picked some fabric from my rather extensive stash - and I whipped up the bags and dropped them off for her - I hope she - and her ladies - like them!  :)

And now we have some new projects :D  First up is a poop pillow, but unfortunately, it didn't work out very well - I should have trimmed the inside seams better - I think that would have given me smoother curves.  I could make any number of jokes here but I'll refrain :D Will be trying this again in the new year, LOL.  Bay Leaf I like yours way better!  :)

Another new project - here are a few simple bear puppets I made for some neighbour kids - they worked out quite well, but I think they look very plain.  I'm going to make more (but after Christmas, lol) and will change them up a bit to make them snazzier :)

So sorry about this picture - it's so dreary and rainy outside, and dreary and dark inside the house - I just can't get a good picture of these pillows.  I made them for some young family members - I call them Storytime Teddy Pillows - I thought the kids could plop on them when mom and dad are reading (or when the oldest is reading to the younger ones!) - they're from this tutorial.  I wanted bigger pillows - the tute calls for a 12" pillow form, but I used 18" pillows for extra comfort :D  One last new to me project for today!

As these are all Christmas gifts, I'll link this post to December's Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew and New to Me in December linky parties :)

Two more Not a Hot Pad Zipper Pouches :D

Christmas sewing continues - these two pouches are for my sweetie little neighbour girls (5 & 8) :)  There will be goodies tucked inside these pouches - can you say ... lipstick pens?! ... and other fripperies - girls are a lot of fun to sew and shop for :D  The tutorial and pattern are available here - it's in hot pad format, but her hot pads always looked like zipper pouches to me, so there was simple hacking involved :D  Staci thanks again for such a cute pattern (and the whole hot pad of the month THEME, which is providing me with many zipper pouch ideas, LOL!) :)

Up next - some housework (boo hiss), some mending (boo hiss) and then [working on a poop pillow] or [getting ready for dinner out with DS1's girlfriend] - I'm not sure in which order those last two things will happen as it depends on timing :D There will be fun - I just don't know which fun is coming first, lol!  If you're wondering about the poop pillow ... you ARE wondering about that, aren't you??!! ... this is a topic a bloggy buddy and I have been discussing for a month or more - she beat me to the toilet punch!  Check out her version here :D  Hi Bay Leaf!  :D

Posted to Ho Ho Ho and On We Sew for December :)

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 :)