Tag: Completed Project!

Mustang Purse Organizers Finished

Mustang Purse Organizers
Mustang Purse Organizers

I finished these organizers at the end of April, but I couldn’t show you until today. They are gifts for my mom for Mother’s Day. As I mentioned yesterday, she opened her gifts early when I saw her on Friday. Good thing I got them done early!!!

Purse Organizers were a special request. As I said, I was showing her the new Minikins Season 3 patterns and she immediately saw these and loved them. I had already made her a gift, but I have put that item aside for her birthday.

Large Mustang front and top
Large Mustang front and top

There are two sizes. She can choose the one that works best for her handbag or tote bag. She already has an idea of how she will use these. Someone said that using these for a tote bag would be a good idea. It never occurred to me, but I have to agree. How often do you scrabble around in your tote bag for whatever it is you need. I’ll need to think about whether one would work in the bag I take to quilt shows.

Small Mustang front
Small Mustang front

For these pouches, I used Laurel Burch fabric that I purchased to make items for Mom. I know it doesn’t go with the Artist Paint tube fabric, but these won’t be with the items I make for her to take to Sew Day. I made an effort to fussy cut well so the cats faces would show. The fabric has two sizes of cats, so I used the small cats on the small pouch and large cats on the large pouch. I am pretty happy with the fussy cutting.

Small Mustang -mesh pocket
Small Mustang -mesh pocket

One thing I didn’t think about was the outside pockets. I realized that the outside pockets would cover up the cats, so I omitted them. It means fewer pockets. I made a note on my pattern and will use the main fabric for those pockets next time.

Large Mustang -mesh pocket
Large Mustang -mesh pocket

One side of both pouches already has mesh, which obscures the cats, but doesn’t cover them up completely. In my large version, the cats look like they are peeking over the edge of the mesh. Total luck, but cute, don’t you think?

A lot of people don’t like mesh pockets, because items get caught. I don’t mind them. One has to pick carefully what to put in them.

Large Mustang - interior
Large Mustang – interior

Even without the outer slip pocket, these bags have a lot of pockets. In addition to the mesh pockets, there are two slip pockets, a zipper pocket and two pleated pockets.

I am a little concerned about how much can be put inside as the Organizers look so slim, but I hope Mom can put enough in to make them useful.

I am also ridiculously pleased with the grab handles. Aren’t they cute?

There is no top to this pouch, so everything will fall out if it is tipped over. I hope Mom likes these pouches and they work for her.

 

Finished: Eye Mask for Mom

3 Eye Masks
3 Eye Masks

Finally, I can show all of the eye masks together. I delivered the last eye mask yesterday to my mom for Mother’s Day.I know Mother’s Day is a week away, but she came over and refused to wait to open her gifts. It was fun to see her open it.

She has a gel mask, but I had already started making her this when I found that out. She said the one I made is much softer and larger, so will work really well for her.

You might remember that I showed my mask in January, which is when I finished all of them. Then, I showed Gerre’s mask in March after International Women’s Day.

You can see that I used Mom’s fabric so this goes with her set of small items. I have used the Dia de los Muertos fabric for Gerre before and this is now the fabric I am designating for her gifts since I ran out of the purple Asbury fabric.

Turquoise One Hour Basket

Turquoise One Hour Basket
Turquoise One Hour Basket

I finally made a One Hour Basket that has been on my list for a long time.

I finally made it thinking I was making it for the multitude of remotes I have in my workroom. I am not going to use it for that, because I used fusible fleece and not Soft & Stable, so it wasn’t as stiff. I wanted a One Hour Basket that I could use to organize my various card decks. This one won’t work for the remotes, but it will work for the decks.

Piebald Finished

Piebald Pouch - closed
Piebald Pouch – closed

I have undoubtedly become a Sew Sweetness groupie. I want to spend time making all of the projects I have in my library.

The Piebald Pouch is my first finished project from Minikins Season 3. I have to say that it went better than many of my other pouch and small bag projects. For whatever reason, all of the pieces and parts went together smoothly and I had very little trouble.

Except for the front panel. You can see that I didn’t line up the flowers properly, so the ones on the front panel are sideways. I still like it.

The pouch is a little bit of an odd shape. This one is for me and I am not sure how I will use it.

Piebald Pouch - open
Piebald Pouch – open

This was a fairly easy sew. I started it last week and would have finished it sooner, but have been so swamped that I just didn’t have a moment. It was fun and a charge to finish it on Sunday.

I-Spy Pouch Finished

I-Spy Pouch Finished
I-Spy Pouch Finished

I might be having a fit of reorganization. At least you might be thinking that after seeing yesterday’s post and reading today’s. I am sort of.

I have a number of acrylic templates for various projects. Many are for pouches and bags that I will make over and over. They come in thin plastic bags. Ideally I would like a set of map drawers in which to store them. Until I can take over the entire house, that isn’t happening. I have been looking at various bag patterns for ideas on how to store them.

I-Spy Pouch Finished with templates
I-Spy Pouch Finished with templates

This is my first attempt. The I-Spy pouch from Sew Sweetness’ Minikins Season 1 fits my templates for a Minikins Season 2 project called the Day Trip Wallet. Not all of my templates will fit in the various sizes of the I-Spy pouch, but some will and that is a start.

The pattern comes with 3 sizes (this is the medium size). It is a very quick sew, so I can look through my other templates to see which will fit in the various sizes. I am thinking I can easily adjust the sizes to fit other templates. Finding the right-sized zipper will be the challenge if I change the size. I have a bunch of different sizes, so I should be able to manage.

Yoko Saito's Natural Patchwork bag
Yoko Saito’s Natural Patchwork bag

I am still looking for a bag pattern with slots in different sizes that I can just slide the templates into and not worry about resizing. I have been looking at Yoko Saito’s bags, especially this rectangular bag from Natural Patchwork. It might be too small, but I like the shape. I’d have to make different blocks for the front.

Superbloom Finished!

Superbloom Finish
Superbloom Finish

I am really thrilled with the Superbloom finish!

First I am excited with how well the bag came out.

Next I am excited at how well the fussy cutting looks.

Third, I am thrilled with how the Linework print and my strips fit together.

Superbloom top closed
Superbloom top closed

Fourth, I am ridiculously happy about the top zipper placket. I don’t know why this bit of a bag makes me so giddy. I don’t think I have ever done one before, so that may be part of it. I’ll probably come down off my cloud tomorrow.

Superbloom open
Superbloom open

Finally, I just love those turquoise zippers. Could they be any better? They add such a spark of color.

The lining is a little baggy even though I followed the directions and used different seam allowances. Not sure what that is about, but I will do better next time.

I was surprised at the size of the bag. I thought it was much larger. It isn’t a stupid size or anything. It is a reasonable size, just smaller than I thought. I really like the angled shape, though I don’t know if you can tell that from the top photo. I forgot to put a D-ring in it, though I know where I will put one next time. I plan to make another of these, especially since I bought the templates. So many bag patterns…so little time.

Retreat Pouch #2

Retreat Pouch #2
Retreat Pouch #2

I made another Retreat Pouch the other day. I cut up the fabric when I went to visit Tim, then decided to sew the pouch on Saturday.

I am ridiculously pleased at how this Retreat Pouch came together. I think it looks great!

It is also a great project. Once the pieces are cut the bag goes together in a couple of hours. I think I talked about this before.

Retreat Pouch Fussy Cutting
Retreat Pouch Fussy Cutting

First, I love the fabric. This fabric is one of Anna Maria’s Hindsight prints. I received it in one of the Modern Handmade subscription boxes I received last year. Can you believe how lucky I got on the cutting? It looks like I intended to match the flower on either side of the zipper.

I really wanted to make the larger size, but one fat quarter is not enough to make one pouch, so I resorted to this size again. I bought two frames in each size, so I can choose some different fabrics that I have in larger quantities to make the larger version.

Retreat Pouch Beautiful Zipper
Retreat Pouch Beautiful Zipper

Second, the sewing went very well and the pouch looks professionally sewn. I am pleased with how the zipper ended up looking based on the instructions. I went an extra step by pinning the zipper down rather than holding it while I sewed and I think that helped. I knew where to pin it because I measured. I think this is another version of ‘veering’ the zipper that I have talked about with the Cotton Candy Pouches and the UCAB 45 degree angle technique.

Retreat Pouch Interior Pocket
Retreat Pouch Interior Pocket

Third, turning the pouch using the interior zipper pocket was a smooth process. Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness has a tutorial. I don’t know why I don’t add these pockets for turning all the time.

This is not part of the pattern, but it is easy to add to any pouch or bag. I had to think carefully about the size because of the boxed corner. Despite my care, I still think the bottom of the pocket goes below the curve on the bottom of the pouch. I don’t think it really matters. For the moment I don’t know what I will put in that interior pocket.

I say this is an easy pocket to put in, but I always need to refer to general directions. I also have Sara Lawson’s Acrylic Zipper Pocket Template (no affiliation) and that makes the marking super speedy. I also saw one by Piera (no affiliation), which includes purse feet measurements as well.

I did watch the video before I sewed the first Retreat Pouch. I vowed to watch it again before making this one, but I didn’t. I don’t know why because it is a good resource.

I put my new Snap Setter and all of my Snap Setter Supplies in this pouch.

Here are a few more pictures of the zipper.

 

 

Gerre’s Eye Mask

Gerre's Eye Mask
Gerre’s Eye Mask

I wrote about the eye mask I made for myself in January. At the same time I made two others and this is the second one, which I delivered to Gerre for International Women’s Day. It went with the Purse Organizer.

These eye masks are simple and quick to make assuming you have some rice on hand. I want to try adding some lavender, but don’t have any so I haven’t done that yet.

Sotak Purse Organizer #2

Purse Organizer #2
Purse Organizer #2

I showed this pouch briefly after I made it at New Year’s. The other day, I sent it off to Gerre to celebrate International Women’s Day (same day as her birthday, but she doesn’t celebrate her birthday anymore).

I want to make sure she knows she is remembered and valued so I try to whip something up at each holiday. This was the second of the Purse Organizers that I made, but the other one is for a gift in May. Look for the post then.

I struggled more with the construction of this pouch than I did on the first one, partially because I made some changes. One was to sew the two zipper slip pockets at the same time rather than with some other steps in between as the pattern says. That may have been a mistake as I had to do some ripping.

Gerre's Purse Organizer (#2) - inside
Gerre’s Purse Organizer (#2) – inside

I am not a huge fan of her method of constructing the inside [regular] slip pockets. They seem too thick to me and I may try and construct them using a different method next time.

The pattern also neglects to remind the maker to clip the corners. OR I didn’t see that instruction. Not clipping the seam allowances made poking out the bottom corners on the first Purse Organizer difficult and the corners didn’t look that great. For this pouch, I rounded the corners using a 2 inch circle template** and they came out a little better. I am not sure if that change impacts the usefulness of the pouch. For example, Svetlana’s picture shows the inside can hold a tablet. Since I don’t have a tablet this size, I don’t know if the rounded corners will change the size so the tablet will no longer fit.

I also added the leash so that it could be clipped to another bag. The leash is a useful feature if you are storing things in this pouch. Taking things in and out of a larger bag  is better if you have them organized in pouch like thisand are concerned it will fall out.

Gerre's Purse Organizer (#2) - back
Gerre’s Purse Organizer (#2) – back

The good part of this pattern is that makers can adjust the sizes so the Organizers fits the stuff you need to carry around.

I didn’t choose to put the snap on the back pocket, but since I received a snap installation kit for Christmas, I plan to try that out. I thought that back pocket might be good for my journal**. It was a passing thought and I haven’t measured them yet.

I look forward to hearing how it works for her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Renee’s Eye Mask

Renee's Eye Mask
Renee’s Eye Mask

Yes, I seem to be on an eye mask kick. I bought a large bag of rice and, with this mask, have used it up, so my eye mask efforts are finished for now. I like making a project a few times so I can get it right. This project will be a good quick gift going forward, assuming I buy more rice I want to use in eye masks and don’t want to eat.

Renee's Eye Mask - back
Renee’s Eye Mask – back

Renee is the Grand President of the Native Daughters of the Golden West. NDGW is the female version of the Native Sons of the Golden West. There are more dresses and more pomp and circumstance as well as more efforts to assist with various California History related projects. They also have a vibrant effort to help kids in various ways through their Children’s Foundation. If you are interested in joining, check their website. It is definitely an organization trying to find its way with a new generation, but there is potential and they do a lot of good.

The Grand President will be having a Parlor visit in April. Apparently, people make gifts and the Grand President opens them at this event. I am not able to attend this year, but I feel a special rapport with Renee, so I made her a gift. I will drop it off with the District Deputy and it will be sent on to her. Her theme is butterflies, which guided my choice of fabric.

Eye Mask Finished

My eye mask
My eye mask

Some time ago, I though about making some eye masks as gifts.This came up when my eye doctor said to put a hot compress on my eyes every night to prevent something I can’t remember now. I was suffering from whatever it was (stys?) at the time and the doc was concerned. I had never had them before, but when I told my mom, she said she gets them all the time. Then another friend said the same thing and here I am.

I know the side I closed after filling the eye mask is oddly shaped. The others came out better.

I used the Chloe Mullaney pattern with some changes. I guess I basically only used the pattern piece. This isn’t a difficult project: cut out the pattern piece from fabric, sew right sides together, fill with rice and close up. Yes, I used rice, because I wasn’t sure how other fillings would act in the microwave.

I bought a hand towel at Tuesday Morning to use as the back, which was not part of the pattern. I thought a towel would be more comfortable and more absorbent than quilting cotton. I wanted something pretty for the front, but purely functional for the back. I was able to get 3 pieces out of the fluffy part of one hand towel. The Tuesday Morning towel was very good quality, but not expensive.

 

Red Scribbles Finished

Red Scribbles completed
Red Scribbles completed

I finally finished Red Scribbles about two weeks ago. It is has been go-go-go here, so I didn’t post until now.

I only had to finish the binding, which shouldn’t have taken very long except that I am not getting a lot of handwork done since we are working on the giant puzzle. I also had some other handwork projects with firm deadlines.

I started this quilt in 2016 after doing the January challenge for the Mighty Lucky Quilting Club.

This quilt took a long time to come together, but I am really pleased with how it came out. As a result, I am now teaching the bias tape technique as part of my basic quiltmaking class. I haven’t written up a tutorial, so you’ll just have to pay me to teach you!

Red Scribbles Completed - back
Red Scribbles Completed – back

I think this might constitute the start of a series. I gave another quilt to my SIL when DH’s brother died and now I have given this quilt to my husband’s sister and her husband. Of course, my sister has received at least two quilts.

SIL and BIL came over to get it close to their anniversary. Too bad I was teaching when they eventually showed up, because I didn’t get to hear their comments. DH handled everything and got photos as well, so it was fine.

This quilt has encouraged me to get back to Who Am I? Instead of doing a lot of satin stitching for the words, I plan to use bias tape. I have to experiment with widths of bias tape.

For now, I am pleased that I am moving forward.

 

Gazebo Finished

Journey 2 Nebula icon
Journey 2 Nebula icon

So, the Journey 2 Nebula is finished. I finished all the projects which were part of the ‘Journey’ and the rulers have been returned to Amy. I am not making the Nebula quilt. If you like hexagons, you should try it. It is an interesting design. I am happy with the small projects I made during this Journey 2 Nebula and am moving on to other designs.

Gazebo Finished
Gazebo Finished

Gazebo, as I mentioned, is the one project about which I was really excited. I did all the projects in order and waited patiently to get to this one.

This project, like all the others, was pretty easy. I was able to start and finish it in less than a day. This is an example of the excellent directions provided by the pattern.

 

 

 

 

 

**I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog

Retreat Pouch Finished

Sometime ago I bought the frames for the Retreat pouch. The Retreat pouch is a free pattern from Emmaline Bags. The pattern, as I said, is free, but the frames are not.

Retreat Pouch closed
Retreat Pouch closed

Over the New Year holiday, I decided I was going to make some bags, the supplies for which had been hanging around. The Retreat pouch was one of the bags I sewed.

I started out with the small size, which is about 8 inches x 4 inches. I didn’t think the small size was tiny. Once cut out, this is not a difficult bag to put together. I was able to finish it in a couple of hours while I catted with a friend.

Retreat Pouch open
Retreat Pouch open

I thought the installation of the frame was a little weird because the pattern says to remove stitches you have already sewed in order to install the frame. The pattern didn’t say whether to sew up the hole that I made, so I did.

I just used a frame for the Sheffield Tool Bag. That pattern uses a casing to house the frame. Since I haven’t used a lot of frames in bags, I don’t know what is normal. I prefer the casing.

I plan to use this pouch for my bag making tools. I might need to make the larger version for the tools as I have a lot of them, but I plan to make the larger one anyway.

I found a video that shows how to add handles and make some other changes to the bag while showing how to make the pouch. I have watched it, but I didn’t watch while making this pouch. I may add handles to my next one.

N.B. on Frames: I still don’t have a good handle on frames. I know how to install them in a bag or pouch in a couple of ways, but I don’t know if different frames can be interchanged in different bags. I haven’t made enough bags with frames to understand them very well.