Sewing Bag

Here is a quick little 'one day wonder' I whipped up last weekend.

A bag that is shaped like a cross between a cosmetic bag and a pencil case, I guess.  I needed something that I could carry a hand-stitching project in when I go places.  I keep my hand sewing projects in a nice wooden box at home, but the box is a bit clunky to take along places.  So, while trolling Etsy looking for ideas I came across a bunch of cute cosmetic bags.  I've made them many times before as gifts, it just never occurred to me that I could use one as a sewing kit.

Off to the sewing room I went and an hour or so later, wa-lah!

Nice zipper inserted with my favorite Terry Arkinson method.  Lightly quilted sides (probably could have done a little more there, but oh well), boxed bottom, and it fits my needle/scissors case just right with room for a quilt block or two.  Added some ribbon and beads to the zipper pull for fun.  Don't tell the girls I stole beads from 'their' stash.  :)

*****

My quilt project last blogged about is coming along nicely.  I think the hardest part may be keeping it a secret from the recipient if I get it done too far in advance of her birthday.  It'll probably take all my effort to not show her the finished top, but I'll try.  :)

Brand New Fresh Quilt Project

I am celebrating the end of summer and start of fall with a brand new fresh quilt project.  Yeah!

Here's a sneak peak at the colors...

I had planned on piecing this quilt over the summer but it never quite happened.  It doesn't have to be finished until April so I still have lots of time.  As long as I start hand-quilting by January I should be fine as this one is not going to be huge (just couch snuggling size).

It will be a birthday present for a dear, dear, friend who will be celebrating a milestone birthday next year.  I've made her small things over the last few years but this upcoming birthday is the perfect excuse to make her a full-blown quilt.  She chose the colors/focus fabric and I am filling in the rest of the fabric and designing the quilt.  I absolutely love what I've got planned and can't wait to see it come together.  It'll have some nice personalized hand embroidery work (which I've been enjoying working on in the evenings) and some simple piecing.  I guess that's all I can say until it done!

Oh, and another good friend just bought her first house so I feel a housewarming gift coming on...  :)  Hope my friends keep having exciting events so I can keep making gifts!

Kiddy Kitty Pillow (say that three times fast!)

This is on here simply to brag.  Look what my six year old made.  All by herself.

She came to me with the dreaded b-o-r-e-d word (I've told her I don't want to hear that she's bored, so now she does it in sign language.  Smarty pants.)  I handed her a big square of white cotton and told her to draw a nice picture on it with crayons.  She disappeared and returned twenty minutes later with a pretty good likeness of her stuffed cat.  She had already planned the buttons for eyes and everything.  First she heat-set the crayon (with supervision, of course).  Then she got out her little sewing kit and embroidered the nose all by herself too.  The only thing I did was knot the thread once it was on the needle - she did the threading, stitching, and tied it off herself when she was done.  Pretty good, hey?  How many six year olds do you now that can 'satin stitch' a kitty nose on their own?  She's got buttons down pat too.

I suggested a pillow as a final product and she was off and running again.  Picked out crazy bright pink for the back.  Cut it herself, even remembering to measure first.  :)  Then, I rocked her world by letting her sew it together on my machine.  She even got to use the 'gas pedal'.  She has guided the fabric through the presser foot before while on my lap but I've never let her use the foot pedal.  I thought she enjoyed it, but I didn't know what a big deal it was until later that day when Daddy came home from work and both girls tore off to the back door to tell him that 'Mommy let Leah DRIVE the sewing machine ALL BY HERSELF'.

Then she stuffed it and whipstitched the opening closed on her own.  Not bad!  At this rate she'll be passing me up in sewing skills by the time she reaches high school!

More on what I'm up to later this week.