Pouches and buckets

I made some Open Wide pouches as gifts for summer visitors. I have made several of these over the years and I really like them because the extended zipper gives you a good view of what's inside. 

While I was at it I also stitched up some fabric buckets - one for my mother and the big coffee teamed one to store my tubes of coffee capsules. I've had those fabrics lying around for ages, and it was great to find some use for them.

Dotty purse

I found this Jelly Clip Purse frame from Lecien at a show a while back, and one day I just decided that the right time for using it was now. It came with a pattern and in no time at all I had cut the pieces, stitched the darts and stitched the pieces together. It took a bit of poking to glue the purse into the frame, but it wasn't too difficult. The most complicated parts were in fact choosing the fabric and deciding to start, which just proves that one should just do it!

And that goes for quilting too - I have been quiet here for a while, but there might be more sharing now, just wait for it...

Open out

I had to try my hand at the Open-out Box Pouch by Aneela Hooey a while ago, just forgot to share the evidence. I must admit I struggled a bit with the zipper, ripping and restitching a few times, but after basting it in place before stitching I finally succeeded.

I really like the design, though, as it works as a tray with easy access to your sewing gear while working and closes to a flat pouch, so I might make more of these now that I know how.

Pouches and purses

In the spirit of documenting all the things I make, I need to mention the things I made for Christmas - three 3-zipper pouches in masculine colourways for my cousin and his two sons and

these snap frame purses for his wife and their two daughters. I've made the same models several times earlier, so I kind of forgot about them, but I found the photos in my files, so here they are.

Lorem Ipsum bag

 I made another Sewtogether bag. The first one is in daily use next to my sewing machine and holds all the tools and things I need while sewing. I have been meaning to get better at journaling, documenting my creative ideas, but I nneeded something to keep my pens and pencils in, so why not make another of these handy bags?

The Typography fabric line by Jessica Jones for Cloud9 Fabrics was ideal for this: text fabric and some of my favourite colours too, what's not to love! I added some orange binding and zips in honour of Jessica's blog How about Orange, an old favourite, though sadly no longer being updated.

Did I mention that I love this fabric line? I am in fact working on a quilt as well, but more about that later...

Purses

My sister had used the purse I made her a few years back so much that it was tattered and torn, so she requested a new one, using the same frame. And of course I obliged. I actually love it when people wear out the things I make - it shows that they are appreciated, doesn't it?
I used I nice floral (Pam Kitty Morning) combined with green this time.

Lined with a matching pink, it was a good choice for a keen gardener, I believe. Little did she know that I had already made her a new purse (I had noticed the state of the old one!) using an orange jelly clip frame from Lecien and a contrasting blue fabric - the colours of her favourite football team.

The pattern came with the frame, and this one was very easy to sew and glue in place. A few darts in the bottom gave it a fuller shape.

A Lecien fabric for the lining gives it a bit more interest - something to look at when all the money is gone ;-)
So with one finished purse and a request for another, what was I to do? Give her both, of course. Why not spoil her a little?

While I was in sewing mode I also made these fabric buckets for a friend's new bathroom. No pattern, I just winged it, drew a circle round an embroidery frame, calculated the width needed for the sidepiece (the diameter multiplied by 3,14 (pi)) and the height was decided by trial and error. I added some small snap-on curtain rings on opposite sides for hanging and as a decorative element. Yes, I'm quite pleased with these. The fabric is designed by Martha Negley from the Kaffe Fassett collective, I believe.

Pods

I love the organic shape of these storage pods. I found the pattern via Pinterest which led me to Love from Beth on Craftsy. The pattern was easy to understand and they came together quickly, which is all one can ask for. No doubt I'll be making more of these.

Blue and white

I made another one! The Open Wide Pouch has become my standard go-to quick present project, it seems. And no wonder, it's such a versatile little thing with many uses - a small one is perfect for make-up or all the little things we carry about in our purses, A bigger one and it will hold a little sewing or knitting project and a large one is great to use as a sponge bag. I like them because they open so wide that you find things easily in them and of course because they are quick and easy to sew.

This is a medium sized one made for my boss on her retirement. She loves blue, so I went for a safe and sweet blue and white colour scheme, but I couldn't resist adding a bit of my cheekiness with an orange zipper and a lime green tab. Why play safe when you can have a bit of fun, right?

A bit of this and that

I've almost finished summing up all the stuff I've made during the first part of the year by going through my photos. Here are a few bits and pieces. The first is a whatchamacallit to rest the sewing machine pedal on to stop it from sliding out of reach. I was in danger of disappearing under the table when sewing as the pedal kept slipping away, but I came across an idea on Pinterest that was easily copied. It's just a piece of that material you put under rugs to stop them from slipping with binding all around. At one end I added a "sausage" of fabric filled with batting to stop the pedal from skipping off the mat. A very simple idea, but I'm happy to report that it works! So there will be no more of that laid-back sewing here in future...

My teddies needed something cushy for their slidey bums, and I had just the right teddy fabric for a little throw to drape over their bench. A cushion with ruler marks and stenciled numbers (an idea from Marie Claire Idées) finishes the ensemble.

So here they are, ready to welcome visitors.

I've had some wooden letters lying around for a while, with a coat of white paint they make a positive demand on my sewing room wall.

And since there can't be enough open wide pouches in the world, I made another one for a young friend. These are fun to make, and quite addictive, it seems!

The cats in the bag

- or on the bag, actually!
I bought a medley from Keepsake Quilting som years ago, featuring some fun cat prints, but I have been at a loss as to how I could use them in something where they could be shown off in all their glory. A friend and I keep swapping interior design magazines and she tends to carry her loot home in plastic bags with handles that will cut into your hands if you carry too many mags in one go. She is also a cat lover, so I came up with an idea of making her a tote bag for her magazines, with soft padded handles that would make it a joy to carry those mags home.

I used the cat panel one one side. On the other side I cut a square of four cat images and stitched borders of the companion fabrics around it.

The panels were quilted lightly with straight lines. Boxed corners and extra padded handles makes for a sturdy bag that can carry a lot.

A light green lining with text about dreams and inspiration finishes the bag. 

I realize now that I should have taken better photos, as the colours seem a bit off, but the bag is in full use by my friend, who loves it, so these will have to do.

Summer report

Somehow the months have raced on and there has been no blogging. I seem to have drifted along, doing this and that, posted the occasional picture on IG and that may be just what I needed, but I miss having a record of all I've done and what ever I was thinking while I did it. So I think it's about time I got back to a set of routines including a bit of blogging.

Let's begin with what I did during my holidays. I stayed at home this year, and imagined that I didn't do all that much, but looking back I have proof that I wasn't completely idle! A wall quilt, a top for a lap quilt, a shoulder bag, three pouches and a giraffe - not too bad, is it?

If you follow me on IG you will have seen it all before, of course, but there's something to be said for showing it all together - it feels like a result! And if anybody asks me what I did over the holidays, I have my answer ready: "Oh, I made a giraffe"...

Tote with magic magnet closure

I promised to talk more about those 241 totes and here they are! I made my own 241 earlier in 2014, and when my cousin and his family visited during the summer both his wife and the two almost grown up daughters showed so much interest in it that it was clear to me what I'd be making as Christmas presents for them. I had bought some home dec weight fabric at Fabrics Galore at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Olympia last spring that was perfect for these, giving them a bit more weight and strength than quilting fabric would have done. I used a cotton/linen mix for the pockets and quilting weight cotton backed with woven interfacing for the side panels.

The first tote got a transport theme, with buses, tires, license plates on the outside, and a great VW Beetle fabric for the lining.

The next one has a collage-like fabric on the outside. I almost kept this one for myself as I loved the fabric so much, especially paired with that lovely Laura Gunn fabric for the lining, but I managed to part with it after all!

The third one is a travelers tote with maps both inside and out. There's no knowing where it would lead you though, seeing as going north from Canada you would end up in Indonesia...

I added pockets on the inside with a strap and a snap hook to fasten your key or mobile phone pocket to. I also added hidden magnets as closure and for future reference - this is what I did:

The magnets are of the flat kind embedded in a square of plastic. I cut a couple of fabric tags a bit wider than the magnets and decided the length by how far down from the opening I wanted the magnets to be. Each magnet piece was stitched to a fabric tag like this.

I then machine basted the tags to the two lining pieces, making sure I put them the right side so they would actually snap together once the bag was turned the right side out.

A piece of interfacing ironed to the tag on the inside of the lining ensured that the tags lie flat inside the lining, and then it was just a matter of stitching the outer bags and the lining together around the edge. I really like this solution - no visible closure, no prongs to stab through the fabric and the bag opening snaps together like magic! For more photos, check out my Flickr album.

White Christmas

Well, technically the White Christmas thing didn't happen until Boxing Day, but we woke up to a world wrapped in cotton wool today - all sound muffled by the heavy layer of snow that appeared magically during the night. It's not all that magical once you step outside, though - cold and heavy to wade around in. Due to the holiday the snow ploughs didn't get out all that early either, so I used that as an excuse to stay in and do a bit of catching up on Doctor Who and my knitting...

It was lovely to get a few quiet days after all the hustle and bustle of preparation: baking gingerbread and brownies and preparing the Christmas meal...

 .. decorating the tree...

... and finishing the home made presents. More details about the 241totes in the next post. The family gathered here at my place for the Christmas meal and opening of presents on Christmas Eve. We had a lovely evening and I got several nice presents, among theme some books to enjoy during the winter months. Well, enough relaxation now, I think - tomorrow I need to get out and about - too much leisure and I get restless... (and the sales begin tomorrow...)

Social tote

The last few posts have been about quick finishes. A not so quick fix was this one: Carolyn Friedlander’s Social Tote. It seemed very complicated to begin with, but it was just a matter of following the steps and reading everything properly. The pattern is well made and everything is explained properly. There's also a very helpful page on her site illustrating the crucial steps.

Now that I have made one, I expect the next one to come together quickly. And there will be more – this will be a great gift for sewing friends, I think and I can already see them in lots of different fabric combinations. 

I didn’t have the right kind of stabilizer, so I think mine is a bit more floppy than it’s supposed to be - room for improvement with the next one!

Fabric used is Elementals by Tim Holtz and the green dotty one is an Amy Butler design.

241 tote

Before starting on all those quilts that need to be layered, I wanted a quick fix, so I made a tote. I found the stamp fabric at the Knitting and Stitching show in London last spring and just had to have it. It’s a home dec weight which makes it great for a tote. Combined with a cotton/linen blend for the pockets, it got a bit of extra body to it which I quite liked. The side panels are a Sweetwater Hometown print. The pattern is of course the popular 241tote by Noodlehead. A great pattern to work with, with everything so well explained it’s a dream to sew.

I lined it with a fabric I found on Spoonflower a while back, adding a pocket and a loop with a D-ring so I can hook my phone pouch securely in there. There’s a magnet closure in the top. I used sew-in-magnet that I attached to fabric strips and sewed in the top seam while joining bag and lining. A piece of stabilizer ironed to the back keeps it in place and makes it invisible from the outside, you just get to hear a satisfying ‘click’ as the bag magically snaps shut.

 And in case those big stamps make you think the tote is tiny, here's a shot of it hanging on a door.