Two Designers = One Bag...

It's been a while but there was some sewing in my weekend...yay!...(and three days later I realise I wrote a post, got distracted and didn't hit publish, sheesh!)...resulting in...

A bag that is almost the True Friends Tote Bag from the Red Home book by Natalie Bird...and the other designer? I used an embroidery by Rosalie Quinlan instead of the stitchery in the pattern....

 Front

Back - sitting wonky but it really isn't...

Seeing all the lovely bags the girls in this year's Stitch-A-Long were producing from this pattern I really liked the shape so I gave up resisting and bought the book. I started the embroidery the day Rosie & I went to Urban Stitches (it was a pattern/project from a previous year play day at Urban Stitches) and decided at that time to use it for the bag...I'm happy that the bag design did not disappoint, it has turned out much bigger than I thought it would be, a very useful size of not too big and not too small, fabulous. Sure I could have modified the pattern to put pockets on the inside but I remembered that after I had sewn the lining seams and didn't want to do the reverse sewing thing so just skipped that idea and moved on...

The fabrics all came out of the stash boxes. They looked fine cut out on the table, then when I started sewing them together I was a bit like, oh not going to like this combo, but then when I finished, oh yes, I do! Isn't it funny how fabric combos change as they are sewn.  I used bag batting instead of pellon which gives good structure which I prefer to the softy softy of pellon.  The quilting isn't much, just in the ditch along the seam lines to attach the outers to the batting, nothing special at all.  The buttons are purely decorative and not in the original design.  The bag is destined for a birthday present - it's only about four and a half months past the actual birthday.  I hope she likes it, she is in a profession that involves lots of toting of "stuff" back and forth between work and home so I hope it comes in useful.


I've been a bit absent from blogland recently, scanning posts in Bloglovin', not taking a whole lot of notice of my Blogger dashboard or Bloglovin' profile information but tonight I noticed that there has been an increase in followers - Hello! and welcome!! - not that there has been much to see recently...off for a retreat this weekend, you never know I might even manage a stitch or two in between socialising...so no Million Paws Walk for Madam Kafoops this year as although I'll be in Maldon which is half way between our preferred locations for the walk of Castlemaine or Bendigo I of course won't have Herself with me and no Geelong Quilt-In either...why are all the good things on the same weekend, sulk...


Happy Stitching!...

One Day...Two Finishes...

Yes you read that right...in one day two finishes...and both before lunch!...don't worry I've not suffering from some kind of malaise, it's been all downhill from there so normalacy has resumed...

First up...

Toy Tales Disappearing Nine Patch baby quilt... 

(quilt is sideways, it was a space to take the photo issue)

I was given the fortunate opportunity in March to attend Urban Stitches in Melbourne.  My darling friend J was unable to go and not wanting to waste her ticket kindly offered it to me...I was blown away by her generosity and gladly took up her offer...and I got to play with Rosie for the day too...such fun!  We had a lovely day, Rosie came across and I drove down to the venue in one of the Waverleys (I can never remember whether I'm in Mount Waverley or Glen Waverley), where we stitched, chatted, ate and shopped in multiple combinations of said activities, over-stayed our welcome by an extra hour chatting to a lovely lady, Jill, on our table who was making a whole weekend of it by staying at the hotel venue and going to both days, stopping at the pub in the next town before home for tea and chats with quilting friends, one who just happened to be there for tea and one who works there...a fabulous social stitchy day...thank you so much J...anyhow, friends have a boy version grandbubby due to make his debut next month and I had in mind blue and red for a quilt for him. Under the Mulberry Tree was, of course, the shop on the day and Melly's Toy Tales fabric was perfect...I picked out nine fat quarters, washed and ironed them the next day and the following weekend turned them into the quilt top.  I toyed with the idea of putting a scrappy border around but although it isn't huge, at about 37" x 48", it is big enough for the purpose intended - rolling about on the floor or in the pram/pusher. I knew I wanted the red clouds fabric for the backing and mail ordered the backing fabric from Under the Mulberry Tree once the top was made and I knew just how much I'd need...Great service, I put the order up on Monday afternoon and it arrived in my mail box Wednesday with very reasonable postage...simply echo quilted along the long seams with blue on the top and red underneath with a scrappy binding made from all the fabrics except red clouds...I hope the new mum (who I don't know, I only know the dad) likes it...

A couple of weeks ago I upgraded to a new phone...it's one of those smart phone flat screen jobs and I've lived in terror of the screen being damaged in my handbag ever since...I never took the sticky plastic filmy thing off the screen of my old phone so it didn't get all scratched up but this phone didn't have that...so...

pyjamas for the phone...

The ladies at Monday craft group have been making these using QAYG hexies for the iPads/tablets - I shamelessly stole their idea and downsized it...the bird fabric is a Tilda (I didn't realise that at the time) I picked up from one of the shops who visited Summer School and the aqua I found in the stash box, goes together nicely I think.  I also have the bird fabric in blue...I just love it...

Happy Stitching...

Art Ready...

A little while back Marilyn made her grandson an art folder designed by Thimbelina...it looked like the perfect thing for someone whose birthday was coming up...I think I had a month before the birthday...it's now a month after, don't rush me...so a couple of months later and ta dah!...

Ready to travel..

Inside...pockets for pencils, "stuff" and a sketch book...

 Sketch book fits perfectly...

**texta and biro for modelling purposes didn't want to open the

pens and pencils that are going with it in the present

I think it is the first time I've sewn with clear plastic (may have used it many moons ago and forgotten), easy enough to work with once I got over the challenge of being able to measure and cut a material that basically goes invisible when put on the table...got that sorted so next time that won't be part of the challenge...

Ready for art action...and another finish for April...

Happy Stitching...

A Finish...or Two...

There has been a little bit of craftiness going on...before I made the felt Santa I had stitched up a little quilt top, sandwiched it and hung it on the tapestry frame...then forgot it was there...anyway, while in Blackheath for Summer School there was a trip The Stitching Post in Katoomba, where I could not resist a mini charm pack of Chateau Rouge by French General for Moda...a sweet little pack of 2 1/2" squares...as soon as I saw the pack I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it...

I simply stitched the squares together and added a strip at each end to bring it up to the size I wanted as a mat/runner for the top of a particular display cabinet...

I've used three fabrics from the range for the added strips, backing and binding...French General fabrics just call my name, love 'em...I was going to machine quilt it but P-faff is being stroppy and temperamental so I ditched that plan and went with Plan B...big stitch perle thread quilting by hand...

So here it is only 5 days in April and I've a finish...well the sewing part was finished two days ago but there was the washing and drying part of the process to get through...the pressure's off for OPAM this month!...

A final finish in March was this little pouch from Kathleen Tracey's book The Civil War Sewing Circle...a letter pouch...

it looks a little fat because it perfectly fits...

a block of Lindt! *LOL*...

Happy Stitching...

Rainbow for Dianere

Helen Stubbings put out a call for Rainbows of Hope recently...go here to read Helen's post...for a courageous girl in Canberra, Dainere......here is my Rainbow...

Happy Stitching...

More Squishy...

There has been more squishy mail this week...a couple of weeks back I was lucky enough to be a winner when Grit held a giveaway...have you visited Grit? she does the most beautiful patchwork, quilting and embroidery work, gorgeous, her hexie quilt project is amazing...anyhow, for her blogoversary she held a very generous giveaway and this lovely heart arrived in my mail box this week...

Thank you Grit, it is currently pinned to the design wall (which is currently acting more like a giant noticeboard than a design wall) waiting for me to choose a spot and put up a sticky hook for it to live on...

Happy Easter Stitching...

Good Mail and A Little Finish...

The mail box revealed much more fun things than bills this week...first up was a squishy yellow envelope with USA stamps...a lovely totally unnecessary but all the same very welcome thank you gift from Cheryl...

Isn't it simply gorgeous...with her signature polka dots and ric rac incorporated of course...and so perfectly made - excellent zip work there Cheryl *LOL* - thank you very much I will certainly put it to good use...

The next day the mail box held another yellow envelope with USA stamps...yay! more presents...only this time I knew what it held...

The lovely Erin had a "first to claim gets it" giveaway of a number of extras she'd acquired but didn't actually want or need...one of those times when what you want comes in a box of stuff and you have to take it all or nothing...I was lucky enough to be first in to ask for the bag patterns...thank you so much Erin...

As for any crafting going on...after the Disappearing Nine Patch quilt I was looking for something small and quick and spied the little project packs from the Daylesford Craft Experience on the shelf waiting patiently...

Felt Hanging Santa from Jodie's Woodland Christmas project...I made the Christmas Tree part of the pack up on the day at the event...a non-brain-strain easy quick finish to recharge the crafty batteries...I think he has turned out quite cute...

Hope your weekend is crafty...

Happy Stitching...