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.
**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need at quilt shops, I use affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s 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.
I have a couple of nieces who have recently joined the family. I decided to make them each a pouch. I like to make some gifts “from Santa” for newbies in the family. It gives me an excuse to make more pouches and adds to their often anemic gift pile a little.
Eventually I decided on the Moto Pouch from Sew Sweetness. The Moto pouch is part of the Sew Sweetness Minikins Season 1. I cut the fabric for both pouches out at the same time, but I didn’t sew them at the same time, for some reason. Only one is in process at the moment. I’ll have more experience when I start the next one.
This pattern has a drop in lining, which people on the Sew Sweetness FB group don’t like as much.I am struggling a little as well.
The construction is similar to the Sidewinder pouches I made in 2020. The design itself is remarkably similar, though not exactly the same.
Yes, I made Julie a UCAB. This wasn’t planned for her, but she admired mine at Super Sew Day so much that I showed her the outside of the Brocade Peony UCAB and we made a deal. I would finish it for her and she would forget our conversation and be surprised.
I didn’t wait until the last minute to get the project done. About a week after Super Sew Day, I started on the pockets and just powered through. This is my third UCAB and I don’t find it any easier than the first two. Well, maybe a little easier.
Anyway, I sent it off the day before Thanksgiving and I am sure she got it. I can’t wait to hear if it is useful or her.
The Percheron (part of Minikins Season 3) by Sew Sweetness is classified as a pouch, but it is definitely larger than what I would consider to be a pouch. Remember I made one of these before? I wanted to make it again since I struggled with Mom’s. As mentioned, it was going very well and I think I mastered the hinge, which was one of the steps that caused me a headache.
Percheron assembling
It isn’t going as well as it was before. I am not quite sure what went sideways, but I have been really, really struggling with putting the whole thing together.
I know the picture of the whole thing makes it look very sad. I think I was in a rush. I don’t have to throw it out, don’t worry.
Percheron #2 lining
I just really fought and fought with the lining and the assembly. It looks really ugly in this picture. The saving grace is that I haven’t finished the last seam by hand, so there is hope that I can save it. I really don’t want to unpick it.
I can also give the thing a good press (this is where my small Oliso comes in very handy) and I am sure that will help, too.
Percheron #2 lining (bottom)
Is there always a point in my bag making where I despair completely?
Now I need to remember to sew a Wunderlabel in it.
Once the Halloween pillowcases were done, I knew I needed to start thinking about Thanksgiving.
I finally (that must be my word of the month!) bought some fabrics for the Thanksgiving pillowcases. I was inspired to get turkey fabric by some photos one of my students sent me. The photo showed a flock of turkeys she sees in her yard. They looked like the turkeys on this fabric.
Turkeys
Turkeys
Showoff Turkeys
I need to choose some cuff fabric and wash these pieces, then I can make them. I have about two weeks before I need to send them off.
I totally forgot to show you the Halloween Pillowcases I made for the nephews and the YM. The black cat pillowcases are for my YM and his partner in honor of their black cat, Marie. I hadn’t intended to make him more pillowcases, but I couldn’t pass up the fabric.
The pumpkin pillowcases are for my two nephews who are in their first semesters of college. They are not twins; they are cousins, but are only two months apart. My intention is to send them a themed pillowcase every month, but we will see what happens.
I just want to let them know I am thinking about them and pillowcases are useful.
I spent some time on Friday making gift bags for my mom’s gifts and for a book** I bought for my baby niece.
I realized as I was sewing that my ribbon stash is getting low. I’ll have to buy some ribbon before I start making Christmas and holiday gift bags.
The first bag uses the last of the pink Textured Basics fabrics by Patty Young. I used this fabric for Marianne’s Fresh Fruit quilt. I am pleased with how the bag came out. I did save some of the fabric for Fabric of the Year 2022.
Pink Gift Bag for Mom
I used some fabric that I found when rummaging for the first Pantone Project blocks for one of my mom’s birthday gifts. I was going to give it away, but ended up using it for the bag. This bag looks great in the picture and the bag construction itself is good. I was going to give it away because the color was too dull. I don’t see that in the picture. It is really old, though I had cut a piece out of it so maybe I bought it after I started on the FOTY series.
Gift Bag for Mom
Finally, I took a piece of fabric out of my dots collection. This is probably not one that I will use as a background, but I still like it. I think the bow looks especially posh.
All of these bags have French seams, which keep them from raveling.
**Obviously, you should shop at local fabric stores, knitting shops, independent booksellers or quilt shops. However, if you can’t, please know that I use affiliate links. I may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I do not recommend items I don’t like. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
I really wanted to make Mary something for helping me with the Westchester top.
When she made the ballgown I needed for Political Wifery, I made her a group of gifts, including Tooly McToolston. I don’t think she really liked the colors I chose, because I have never seen them again. I don’t mind since it is the thought that counts and once I give a gift, people can do with it what they want. Mary C. is also a GREAT seamstress, quiltmaker and bagmaker, so she make whatever she wants. However, I wanted to use the gift grouping experience to inform my future fabric choices. I took the opportunity to look around her studio at everything there to see what I could see in terms of colors and patterns. It is a great space!
Small Pattern Weights for Mary
I had some of the t-shirt material left, so I decided to use that. For some reason, pattern weights were on my mind. I knew Mary would use them. I found some patterns for the weights. The pattern I used, basically, was from Tea Rose Home. I had to request access to the free template, but the owner was very quick about responding. I made a small batch of those pattern weights. I found them small and not very heavy.
She uses rice for the filling, but I used Beanie Baby pellets**. Rice is a little on the pricey side right now and the Beanie Baby pellets (Poly Pellets) are more hypo-allergenic than something like crushed walnut shells.
I used the full size of the ruler rather than the size of the template. When finished, the weights were larger, but not a weird size. They were also heavier and, thus, more useful, I thought.
Pattern Weights and all the accoutrements
I did augment the weight with some washers I bought at Home Depot. I measured the side of the larger weights so I knew what would fit once each weight was sewn. I put the washers in and then filled the rest with Beanie Baby pellets**.
Pattern Weights for Mary C.
I was pleased with the set in general. I gave them all to Mary at Sew Day following our t-shirt session. She said she uses pattern weights all the time, so I hope this will be something she can use.
**Obviously, you should shop at local fabric, knitting shops or quilt shops. However, if you can’t, please know that I use affiliate links. I may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I do not recommend items I don’t like. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
I am back on the UCAB bandwagon! I worked on the pockets for the Brocade Peony UCAB over the weekend and made some good progress. This is part of my effort to clear off my to do list. I know I have gifts to make, so there is a push-me-pull-you going on in my brain. Fortunately, this ticks off both areas.
UCAB: Front Pocket
I started the work on the two large pockets at Tim’s on Saturday. We got together for the meeting and to sew and catch up. I started in carefully on the large pocket #1 and made good progress until I realized I had screwed up. I had the wrong piece noted in the pattern and sewed the extra pockets to the wrong piece of fabric. I didn’t have the extra fabric with me, so I stopped and worked on binding some other bags.
UCAB: Large Second Pocket -front
By the next day, I had figured out the problem and was ready to go. I thought I would abandon my efforts and start over. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the extra fabric I thought I had, so I unpicked everything and redid it. It worked out. It took time, but unpicking is rather meditative.
Despite this inauspicious start, I was able to complete the two large pockets and make the center section of the small front pocket. I also started making the sides of the small front packet, including the Clippy section. There is a lot of fiddly sewing and cutting, so I didn’t make much progress yet.
We attended a wedding and a baby shower in Tahoe a few weeks ago. My niece and her husband came up from San Diego so we were able to celebrate them and their baby.
Erin opening quilt
Erin opening quilt #2
Erin opening quilt #3
Erin opening quilt #4
Erin opening quilt #5
Erin opening quilt #6
Erin opening quilt #7
I gave them the Diagonal Nine Patch. I was super gratified at how well the quilt was received. My niece did like the storage bag I made for the quilt very much. She said she might keep it and use it for her own purposes. 😉
Lee & Diagonal 9 Patch
Lee & Diagonal 9 Patch #2
Lee & Diagonal 9 Patch #3
I was worried that the baby’s dad wouldn’t like it, but he pointed out the quilting thread color right away and really liked it. I was very relieved.
One of the other nephews said he thought this quilt might be my best ever! I didn’t tell him I got the design from Peggy! I am glad this quilt was a success. The happy couple received three quilts total.
As I mentioned, I spent part of Super Sew Day cutting out Project Bags. My idea for these bags is that they will allow me to collect pieces and parts, such as thread, templates, fabric, of projects so everything is together when I am ready to sew.
Partly, this project and the process has to do with organization. If I have a few minutes and am not at the machine, I can gather some fabric or find the pattern and templates for a future project. This uses my precious time well.
The way I have organized them helps me keep all the pieces with their fellows. This works especially well when I am making more than one at a time.
Yes, I have plenty of ziploc bags and other, purchased containers for projects, but this allows me to use some of my fabric stash. It also makes my space prettier.
I made a journal cover for a friend. I meant do this task before she left her job (with the same team I was on) and started her new one, but that was a particularly busy time for me and I just finished last week.
She received it the other day and was totally thrilled. She loved the pink, which was great. She told me she likes pink, but I wasn’t sure if this was too much pink. Apparently not, which is great!
Kristin’s Journal Cover -whole cover
I really like this journal cover and would have kept it for myself if I hadn’t planned to give it to my friend. On the plus side, I made a lot of extra ‘made fabric’ in the process of getting pieces big enough to cover the journal. This means I have almost enough to make another journal cover for one of my journals that doesn’t yet have a cover.
Kristin’s Journal Cover – Inside front cover
Kristin’s Journal Cover – Inside back cover
It is so odd to be in touch with former work colleagues. Somehow we formed a bond and I can feel it is fragile, but still there, which is heartening.
