Remember I said that these pouches were like making candy? I gave one of my I Spy pouches to someone on my team, so I just made another one for my Cotton Candy pouch acrylic templates.
This one follows the theme of the others. I used the Anna Maria Coneflower fabric again along with some of the hexagon Tula Pink fabric for the inside.
It was fun just to sit down and start and finish something relatively easy. I feel ridiculously pleased with this pouch. Actually, every time I make one I feel ridiculously pleased.
This project started off so well and wasn’t difficult. There was one crucial line missing from the directions that threw me off.
That line was “Remember, this needs to open like a book”.
It is perfectly usable. It would work very well for someone who was left handed. As you can see the opening is on the left. If the directions had said “Remember, this needs to open like a book”, I think I would have been able to better picture the directions in my mind. Instead there were a lot of words describing flipping the exterior in different ways, which was confusing.
2-in-1 Case #1 interior
Also, I used a snap instead of the magnetic clasp called for, which I know had an effect.
I also added a piece of foam in addition to the fusible batting. I like the heft. I might try two layers of fusible batting next time. Yes, there will be a next time. I think this is a useful pouch/booklet, but also not difficult, so it is a good item for a door prize.
Despite the problems, I found this a fairly easy project. It also gave me practice in using my Snap Setter. I always wonder what my DH thinks I am doing when he hears me pounding away. I am always amazed that the tool doesn’t break.
When I finally received the Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day pillowcase fabric, I decided to just make all the pillowcases and have them ready to go.
These were in the mail around March 1, so the boys would have a lot of time to enjoy them — or hide them in the back of their wardrobe!
I finished another old project. As mentioned, I started this project in 2015, so it is only eight years old. Still, old enough to get on my nerves.
Someone compared my dislike of UFOs to someone I really don’t like who has no UFOs. That annoyed me, because I don’t think I am like her at all. I just don’t find that **my** projects improve by sitting around. I can’t imagine never having any UFOs, but I think they will be projects for which I have cut fabric, but not started sewing. Once I start sewing, it is pretty easy to continue.
Finished: BAMQG IRR (back)
I zoomed through the binding on this quilt. Using good fabric really helps. I was pleased I remembered not to use a batik in the binding! I didn’t expect to finish it so quickly, but it went really fast.
This one is an International Women’s Day gift for Gerre.
This is the fourth one I have made and I plan to make a few more. I have made them all in the large size. I could make the smaller sizes; I just haven’t yet. For some reason I like making these as gifts.
Sugar Skull Hackney interior
I used the same lining fabric as I used for the Skeleton Hackney. It is a good lining fabric. I haven’t used it as a background as it is pretty dynamic and doesn’t fade into the background like other fabrics.
I did the pocket a little differently, too. I made a vinyl pocket using the Glitter vinyl from Sew Hungry Hippie. There was a little bit of a problem sewing the turning opening closed, but not much. Some of that could have been from forgetting to use a 3/8 inch seam allowance on the top.
Sugar Skull Hackney handle
I also added a handle to this one and remembered not to sew through the lining! It was much easier to put the whole thing together.
I put a few small gifts and a card inside. I hope she likes it.
I try to make sets of things using the same fabric, but I have very little of the Sugar Skull fabric left. I thought the dots coordinated well.
I had some bits of made fabric in my pink scrap drawer and they were getting in the way of me making new donation blocks. I decided to make another journal cover. The project also served as a palate cleanser after I finished another project.
This version isn’t as long as the tutorial demands. Basically, I was lazy and it works fine as is. There won’t be as much security if I were to put things in the cover, but this is a journal from 2009 and I don’t think I will be taking it off the shelves that often.
Another Pink Journal cover – back
I took the opportunity to look through it. I saw a lot of studies for the Creative Prompt project. Those made me smile. I liked doing those drawings. It was a great thing to do while I waited for the YM.
This one includes some fun fabrics.
I am out of practice making them so there was quite a bit of ripping at the assembly stage. The inside doesn’t look that great, but it doesn’t matter.
Well, the Valentine’s pillowcases didn’t happen on time. I went to Hancock’s of Paducah early in January and bought Valentine’s fabric – some really nice chocolate box fabric that was okay for college boys. It turns out that Hancock’s does not even, apparently, look at your order for two weeks. Soon after, when I was in Portland, I got an email saying that most of the fabric I ordered was out of stock, including the Valentine’s Day fabric.
By this time, it was about a week before February started, so I cancelled most of the order and tried to decide what to do. Finally, went to the Hart’s of Santa Cruz online shop. I found the chili pepper fabric, which is, at least, red. I received the package the next day. Still, I had a lot to do and some weekends out of town in February, so the pillowcases didn’t get made in time for celebrating. I sent them along this week with the St. Patrick’s Day pillowcases. They got some socks and chocolates for Valentine’s Day.
I know I finished pretty fast considering the quilts were returned to me not that long ago, but, yes, I finished the Lobster. It is now on my dining room buffet protecting the surface. It also brightens up the space.
I want to use it for the July timeframe, but I still have so few non-holiday tablerunners that I will use it for awhile and then switch it out for another. I guess I need to work on tablerunners for all the holidays like I made napkins for many holidays.
I made another Hackney. It is a gift for a friend. As you can, no doubt, see this one also uses the Timeless Treasures fabric that I used for the Skeleton Hackney.
Hand Bone Hackney bottom
I talked about this one in another post. I am really liking the pink zipper, of which you just get a slight glimpse. It is a fun addition to the somber skeleton fabric.
Every time I make one of these, I feel like getting a Switch and seeing if it would really fit in here. Stupid waste of money since I probably wouldn’t play with a Switch. Still, I am curious.
Hand Bone Hackney -interior
I used an older Joel Dewberry fabric for the inside and it is cheerful. I am making another one as a gift and I am going to change the mesh pocket for something different. Maybe a vinyl pocket?
I think the mesh pocket looks ok and I did a good job. There is something about having the zipper where it is that bugs me.
Hand Bone Hackney – handle
I added a handle, because I think it makes the bag more useful. I haven’t quite figured out the placement and I think this one is a little too tight. It was a little hard to get my hand around it. I also sewed through the lining as well and that caused some challenges for later steps in the process. Since the handle isn’t part of the pattern and I have to add it before the whole thing is put together, I think I am doing ok. I’ll do better next time.
I had some leftover fabric after making the New Year’s pillowcases for the nephews. Since I’d still like to have napkins for every holiday, I decided to make some New Year’s napkins. I had just enough to make two napkins, which is enough for us, but no guests.
NYE Napkins
I don’t know when I bought this fabric, but it has been awhile. I picked out some fun backing fabrics and whipped these up pretty quickly. We used them right after I made them and I am pleased.
I can’t remember when I finished this pouch, but I did finish it. I remembered to check to see if I showed it to you after I mailed it. Since I haven’t had time to sew lately, I am running out of projects to show you, so I am glad to show you this one.
The zipper, from this angle, looks a little strange, but it works fine. I am not sure why it looks like that, but I will try again harder next time.
Venetia’s Cotton Candy Pouch -interior
The inside is also a Marcia Derse fabric and is really fun. This is the large size. It is big so you can fit a lot in it. I know Venetia brings a large bag to work, so perhaps she can use it for cords or something like that.
I am still thinking about the Odicoat and how to incorporate that substance into more of my bagmaking. From what I know, this pattern doesn’t lend itself to Odicoat application. I’ll have to try it some time. I’d like to try it after I put a pouch together. I will have to try it on a test pouch in case it gets ruined.
Venetia’s Cotton Candy Pouch -interior label
I used another Wunderlabel for this pouch and am pleased to see it not clash with the fabric.
One of DH’s cousins no longer eats sugar and made a kind of deal about it with me last year. I have a lot of feelings about this, but put them aside and made a bowl cozy for them.
I like the way this one came out. I didn’t think too hard when I chose the stripes, but they came together in the darts really well. DH asked for red and blue and this was a blue that I thought would look good but not too patriotic.
Bowl Cozy bottom for B&D
This might be the first bowl cozy where I didn’t have to rip out any seams!
Yes, another bag as a gift for Julie. I actually finished this in September, but couldn’t show it until now, after it was presented.
I chuckled to myself as I cut out the bag at Super Sew Day right under Julie’s nose! She may have noticed the fabric, but I just didn’t make a big deal out of it.
I didn’t have a good sense of how large these bags would be. I hope this one isn’t too small. It will work for a bag or accessory project for sure, but probably not for a large quilt project. Julie doesn’t knit or crochet, but she does have embroidery projects and this will work for one of those as well.
It is, as I may have mentioned, a fairly easy project. I think the ByAnnie patterns seem overly complicated sometimes. The directions are very complete and I have grown attached to the binding instructions, but in general I think they seem overly complicated.
The Percheron Pouch ended up very well. Despite my despair when I was finishing it, it turned out fine.
Although I am not a fan of brown and beige, I think the brown and beige handbag zippers work with the Paris fabric.
Percheron Pouch: bottom has OdiCoat
There is a little bit of turquoise in the fabric to liven up the bag. I fussy cut the top so that the Paris motif shows, which means that most of the turquoise is on the bottom.
I was also able to fussy cut -sort of- the Paris motif on the back panel. The back panel makes up the hinge assembly for this bag.
As you might remember, I put Odicoat on the bottom to help keep the bag clean. You can’t really tell that there is anything on the bottom.
Percheron Pouch – top inside
Percheron Pouch – bottom inside
I chose a dusty turquoise for the inside or lining fabric. The lining is a little baggy so I need to work on that on the next one. Without putting Odicoat on the inside I am not sure how I would use one of these. I’ll have to think about it since I may want to make another for myself.
I still plan to make another since I figured out why the thing was so hard to put together – and I want to get it right. This is an interesting bag and I think it makes a great gift.
I made a bunch of these project bags as Christmas gifts. Here is one I made for Mom.
Of course, I used the paint tube fabric. I still have a lot of it, so there are more bags in Mom’s future. The ByAnnie pattern** includes four sizes. This is the large size, but I don’t think it is very large. It is about half again as wide and tall as a sheet of notebook paper.
Mom’s project bag back
I was kind of surprised at the size, actually, though I do have issues with understanding how big something is in real life when I look at an image online or check dimensions. If I had known the size, I would have made the extra large, which is also included in the pattern.
I am not sure I’ll make this pattern again. While it wasn’t difficult, once the quilting was done, I am not sure it is useful. There is no gusset, so how much stuff could actually fit? I don’t know. I haven’t tried one. Maybe for EPP pieces?
Two project bags for Mom
I hope these are useful despite the size. My Mom always finds good uses for the bags I make her.
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