If in doubt, make a bag...

It's my Mum's birthday on the weekend, so I made her (another) bag.  I honestly daren't look back over the birthdays, Christmases and Mother's Days to see how many she has already had from me, but today that's what I made…

It's another wing-it pattern, with rough measurements from a bag I use all the time, which I made this time last year.

Essex yarn-dyed linen, some John Lewis cotton/linen home deco and lined with a poplin ticket fabric from the local sewing shop…

I added some of the Essex linen to 1.25" cotton webbing for the handles, and a lovely 16" metal zip on the front pocket and it looks even better than anticipated.  Love it when that happens!

It took me a couple of hours, escaping the Minecraft/Clash of Clans aggro going on in the other room; oh please let the sunshine come out and the warm weather return soon!

Swear-bags...

I am going to gloss over the fact I could have hand sewn a small quilt in the time it took to wait for our Father's Day lunch today, and keep the gloating to the minimum, that patience lead to a 60% discount excluding the Dad's Eat Free offer, and show you some stitchery...

So a few weeks back I decided on what I wanted to make for the FQR 2014 sample swap, specifically using the Chicopee bolt and bargain denim.  I drafted out a pattern in the loosest sense of the word, cut all the pieces for 5 tote bags and felt very prepared.

I made the handles and pockets, clip loops and all sorts; it was all looking good.

I thought it might be wise to finish making one up first, you know, just in case, and so I did.

It came together really quickly, just as planned in fact, but, I hated it!  I got in a mood; I probably posted a 2 word grumpy blogpost, and sulked for a few days.

The original bags were to have a shoulder strap, and I eventually narrowed down my displeasure to this, so I got to unpicking.

Of course I had stitched the strap on first with a row of stitches before joining the outer to the lining, and top stitching the whole lot.  Of course I used nice tiny stitches and a load of back stitching to secure it all; only bright side, I hadn't sewn up the turning gap in the lining.

Soooooooo strap removed, and short webbing handles decided upon, I attached a pair, again with due belt and braces stitching, joined it all, nice top-stitching and bugger me if one of the straps hadn't twisted.

Rude words.  Many.

Deciding that maybe I could just release one end and not have to unpick the lot, I managed to start on unpicking the wrong pieces, but eventually got it back on and stitched back together with lots of unpleasantries.

But not as many swear words as when it then didn't line up with the other handle any more.

@£$%^&*()(*&^%$£@!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back to basics, whole lot taken apart and sewn together from scratch, and thank goodness I loved the result!!

The other denim pair, and a pair in grey home-dec came together in minutes by comparison.  All turning gaps were stitched up this afternoon and I am done!!

The moral of this story... stick to pincushions!!

For those who like details, these finish up c. 12" x 14" with 12" webbing straps; they were all pieced, stitched and re-stitched with a jeans needle and Aurifil 40wt in 4093, except for stitching the handle details, which I used matching 50wt thread.

The inside pockets and FQR 2014 key clips are sewn into the lining seam, and there are little FQR 2014 tags on the outside.

I apologise for the quality of these photos, not sure quite what is going on there, but I am so relieved to be finished, the photos were the last thing on my mind.

I hope my swap partners like them, I am keeping one of the grey ones for myself, because quite frankly after all that, I think I bloody deserve one!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!!!

***The Giveaway Is Now Closed***

Well it's that day again, so even though I am feeling a bit under the cosh, I rustled up a little something to add to the fun and games of the wonderful Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day.

This little tote has been made using Svetlana's wonder tutorial using some Joel Dewberry home dec, dark grey upholstery fabric, that feels so nice, and lined with a grey solid and a handy patch pocket...

If truth be told I haven't sewn up the turning gap yet, but I will do, promise!

I am not going to hold you up, I know there are so many giveaways, and so little time; and you all know the score that if you are a first time here, welcome, have a look around, blah-di-blah - I know you won't, well you might, no obligation!

This giveaway is open internationally, will close at 9pm UK time on Friday 16th May, and the winner will be chosen by Mr Random.   If a No-Reply blogger, who has not left their email address in the body of their comment, is selected, I will re-draw, sorry.

All you have to do is leave me one comment, (additionals will be deleted!).  So, tell me, other than keys, wallet, phone, what else do you always carry about in your bag of choice?

Thank you for stopping by - I will not be responding to individual comments this time, but I will read and no doubt chuckle at them all.

Good luck xxx

Almost* Perfect Quilted Tote...

Between the hailstones and torrential rain, I managed to get a few photos worthy of a grand reveal - hurrah!

So Oh Fransson's Perfect Quilted Totes pattern - it's a good one.  I realise that Elizabeth is re-writing all her old patterns, so you are not able to purchase this at present, but if she makes a few tweaks, which she no doubt will, I would recommend it to anyone who can stitch a straight line and likes someone else to work out all the fabric sizes so you don't have to - that'll be me then!

My only observations, which are nothing original I am sure, are that when you cut your QAYG pieces, all that stitching will shrink up the panels a bit, so you will never be able to cut (or stretch) the panels to the stated size.  I just trimmed everything down by 1/4" and it worked out fine.

And as far as the written pattern goes, all instructions and photos are clear and straightforward however, this is a pattern for both tall and wide versions.  The instructions for the wide version continually refer back to the instructions for the tall one, which got a bit frustrating scrolling up and down; but if I had been making the tall version, it would have been perfect.  In an age of cut and paste I cannot see why the instructions couldn't have been duplicated on the pdf version.

When I first topstitched around the top of the tote at the end, I just went for a bog-standard 1/4" all round, but this actually looked a bit ropey because of the quilting already there.  So I unpicked, then re-stitched over the top row of quilting, and as this happened to go right through the magnetic snap, I stopped and started an inch either side and it now looks a tonne neater.  I also opted to hand stitch the facing down on the inside, almost as satisfying as quilt binding, especially as I was watching the Olympics at the time.

So all in all I would recommend the pattern, and love the finished tote.

I used a bundle of scraps, some precious gifted Heather Ross, Melody Miller and Joel Dewberry; so I will be linking this with Sarah at the end of the month.  Yarn Dyed Essex Linen in black for the outside, Pearl bracelets for the lining, and touches of orange Architextures crosshatch for the pockets.  The pattern calls for utility fabric to back the QAYG panels, not entirely sure what that is, but I used up some home dec I received from Terry's Fabrics which had a pattern so huge I couldn't find a better use for it, and it was spot on.  I pieced and quilted the whole shebang in Aurifil 40wt 2021 for a change; the slightly heavier weight worked really well and gives all the quilting that little bit more definition.

Oh and the almost* , a 1/4" seam mis-match on one of the side panel bottom sections.  The top matched perfectly, and without a lot of ripping it wasn't going to be easily fixed by the time I noticed, so I will live with it, I may just stick a badge over it!

Inspired...

For pretty much all of the Q2 FAL I had a tab open in my browser which I would look at longingly, promising myself that once I had ticked off all those WIPs I would be able to indulge.

So the minute I was done, and my July Bee blocks were in the bag, I got to it.

My inspiration...

I know; improv, solids, all those things you don't really associate with me, but the minute I stumbled on these bags, it was love at first sight.

If you follow the link, or google until you are blue in the face, you will not find a decent, large, detailed picture to see exactly how they re made.  So I winged/wung it!

The pictures don't really do it justice, yadda yadda, sunshine, shade, the colours are off, the lumps and bumps look lumpier and bumpier, but you get the gist.

I raw edge appliquéd, then not liking the result, zig-zagged the edges to stop the fraying.  The affect is a little more heavy-handed than I had envisaged, but I really wasn't wanting to change thread colours a million times and I am very happy none-the-less.

The hand stitching in DMC Pearl #8 is completely rough and ready, and was a joy to sew. 

The stinky handles are just leather, they need to be used and after a little scrunching and rolling they have already lost their stiffness, that was probably bothering me more than the smell to be honest, so now I am content I made the right choice to stick with it.

I used woven interfacing to give the Kona Glacier and Wisteria a bit more weight, but I may re-think for no.2; I have learnt a lot and oh yes, there will be more.

This will be my school run, quick dash bag, for phone, wallet and keys and room for all sorts of extra
junk the kids hand over on a regular basis.

So there you go, I am a happy bunny; and the linky for FAL Q3 is not even closed and I have a 50% success rate.  Woo Hoo! xxx

Bags Of Fun - Winner!

Mr Random has spoken, and the winner of the full collection of 9 Sew Sweetness bag patterns is...

Congratulations Cathy!!!  I will email you straight away.

I am sorry you couldn't all be winners, but fear not, there are more chances out there on t'internet.  I already know of giveaways over at Katy's and Megan's, so all is not lost.

You could always treat yourself to a copy of your favourite from Sara's online shop, a super speedy PDF pattern might just be what you need after all those Easter Eggs!

Thank you all so much for entering, and a huge thanks to Sara for such a generous prize. 

***

I only managed to get a little hexie stitching done today, nothing photo-worthy yet.  We also went to my sister-in-law's for egg-hunting, Wii-ing and smiles all round...

... a good start to the weekend for us, and hopefully for you too xxx

My Type of Bag...

I bought the Sidekick Tote pattern from Anna-Noodlehead as soon as it was available last year, and it has sat, niggling me for ages, moving from one month's To Do List to the next; but in my 2013 stash-busting frame of mind, this was the week to do it!

Having ordered my metalware, from here, upon cutting up my Melody Miller and Echino last weekend, I decided I wanted to extend the strap, and so hatched a plan that required a further rectangle ring purchase, hence the waiting.

This was the first time I have made bias binding, and the first time I have actually sewn curves with it.  It wasn't so hard.  I was being a bit of a smarty-pants with lining up the spots, but it worked out fine.  My stitching down is not perfect, and the stitches from attaching the back peak out in a couple of places, but I can live with that.  I am rather chuffed with this detailing.

Instead of using velcro to fasten the pocket, I used a sew-in magnetic snap, and this was an easy substitution.  There was a little lady-handling required to stop the magnets from sticking firm to the needle plate of my sewing machine, but no drama.

The other amendment to the pattern was the addition of the second ring-end to the strap.  This gave me an extra 5", as I like to wear my bags across-body, especially when I am wearing my slidey-shouldered coat in winter.  I don't think it looks too odd; the extra ring, not the coat.

I pieced and topstitched the whole bag with Aurifil 40wt thread, firstly because it was the right colour, a deep turquoise, and secondly because I really couldn't be bothered to keep changing the thread between piecing and topstitching.  I also changed up the order that I pieced it; I used my walking foot for most of the construction, and did eveything I could before swapping out for my zipper foot.  Again, sheer laziness.

I did try to use my walking foot for the zip too, but failed after about 1", so my trusty zipper foot was reinstated.

I popped a bit of woven interfacing on the back of my lining where the patch pocket was stitched, just to give this area more strength.  And I think that is all I did that deviated from the printed word.

Mine is the smaller version of the tote, and is plenty big enough for my wallet, phone, keys, sunglasses (I know!!) and even a small umbrella.

I will definitely make another one, in the larger size next time; the pattern is brilliantly clear, and after all the cutting and fleece-fusing, it comes together really quickly.

My tote had it's fist trip out today to Chichester, there may have been Valentine's fabric shopping, I will show you that, and the gift I made for my true love tomorrow xxx

The Missing Link

The hardware I needed to complete my Sidekick Tote arrived today...

...along with 3 beautiful charm packs of Alison Glass's Lucky Penny, my surprise prize from Pink Castle, I won at the end of January.  The colours are far brighter than my snap shows, and I am already pondering what to make.

Lucky Penny?  Lucky me!

Well I have finished work now for an extended half term, yippee, and I have already started making the most of it.  I've just got to sew up the turning gap, and the aforementioned bag will be finished! 

It is not perfect, I tried new techniques and made some changes to the pattern, bold, I know!  I can't wait to get some decent pictures to show you, and start using it xxx

Full Circle...

You may remember back at the beginning of the year I got really excited at the prospect of a new UK quilting magazine, signed up for a subscription and eagerly awaited a year's worth of modern loveliness, well I think most people know how that one turned out!

I still get my bi-monthly pamphlet of Ads, blank pages and missing pattern pieces, for things I don't ever want to make, but I won't be renewing, despite the rare smattering of friends, those diamonds in the rough, who have graced its pages!

One of the contributors to issue One was the amazing Sara of Sew Sweetness, she made a bag...

...not any old bag, one that had me swooning the minute I saw it!

So can you imagine how I felt, when I discovered this complete and utter beauty waiting on the doorstep when I got home from work today...

Honestly it is that vibrant - it was a grey day and these pics are tinker-free!

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! (Yeah, that doesn't really show the full force of my excitement at all!).

Thank goodness I knew it was coming, otherwise I would have probably had a heart-attack!

The Conversation Bag had been finally returned to Sara after a tussle in which I provided a little UK-based muscle; I am the self-proclaimed Jason Statham of quilting; and then after a visit to Sewing Summit, a road trip to end all road trips with this lovely lady and the other one, thanks Kat Cam; it got over its jet-lag in Glasgow, and has now come home to me!!!

Sara is so wonderful, talented and frustratingly pretty, we all know that, but she is also so generous and kind hearted; I really can't thank you enough Sara, and I shall show it off with pride xxx

And so, moving on seamlessly, almost as if I had planned it, with that HUGE gap in the market for a quality, reliable, trustworthy modern UK quilting magazine, what are we all to do?

Look no further than here, that's what!

Kerry aka PennyDog (that's Kerry not Kerrie!!!) is hoping to raise the funds to fill that gap; she is doing this by selling subscriptions and advertising for a March 2013 launch.

Please have a look at the video, have a read of Kerry's bio and do what feels right ;)  I did.

Should she, perish the thought, not reach her target of £5,000 by the end of the year, all monies will be refunded; so what have you got to lose!?

What goes around, comes around my friends, what goes around, comes around xxx

Buttercup, buttercup...

...sweet little buttercup.

I needed a quick and easy bag, just a small one, enough for keys, wallet and camera, so I headed to bag-guru Sara - Sew Sweetness, and on her super tutorial list I spotted the Buttercup bag by Made By Rae...

So simple...

I swapped the traditional magnetic snaps for sew in ones, as that was all I could find in my whirlwind session, added woven interfacing to the lining and sewed the slightly lengthened handle inside rather than adding it to the outside, as suggested by Sara.

An hour later, job done xxx

Mad Hadder's Tea Bag!

When I was putting together my Mum's birthday Grace Kelly Bag last night, the thought of the Mad Hatter's Tea Party kept popping into my head.

Not sure if it was just the teacup fabric, the pale Alice-blue outer, or the glue, but if the hat fits...

The photos are making the blue look a little psychedelic, it really isn't.

The spots are Clarke & Clarke home deco weight, so I skipped the interfacing and just used fusible fleece; it could possibly do with a little more structure, but as it is, I think it makes a lovely summer-weight handbag.  (All together now... "A haaaandbag?")

I will deliver it next weekend, and in the meantime I need to start ticking off the oodles of projects that need to be finished in the next couple of weeks, including a couple of annoying-for-you 'top secret' ones.

***There's still time to enter the giveaway to win my blogiversary Walk In The Woods frame purse and a copy of Fat Quarterly's Shape Workshop For Quilters***

60 minutes of sanity...

I have managed a whole hour of stitching and gluing so far this week.

Last week, I cut and interfaced all the pieces for a U-Handbag Grace Kelly purse; that's purse in the American sense of the word, as this is a proper big-girl's handbag size affair.

On Tuesday a parcel of frames arrived and in the briefest moment of relative calm and me time yesterday afternoon, I managed to finish it, all bar the glue picking from the frame.

The fact that whilst the glue on the second side was 'curing', I had another call to collect a poorly child plus siblings from school, an hour early, did not make me smile.

This is all mine, FMF, Momo Scissors and some bright pink lining; I will make another for my Mum's birthday, I had to be the guinea-pig, that was only fair right? 

Following Lisa's pattern, I can honestly say there is nothing I would do differently, it worked just as it should have done, even with interruptions, brain half-distracted by a husband unexpectedly in hospital overnight, (all OK now), and a thunder storm flashing outside.

I haven't had the chance to test it yet; I'm guessing a family-size pack of Maltesers will be OK.

And just because I am feeling the Lisa Lam love right now, I got this with my latest TopCashback Amazon voucher...

Bags of fun xxx

Up, up and away...

Despite the germs trying to get the better of me, (this morning I think I am winning), I still managed to get my Belle embroidery and the Retreat bag completed...

Belle is a natural brunette, but she's gone for a change of look for this balloon ride, and I think it quite suits her!  She has also swapped hands and side parting, as I traced the pattern with water soluble marker rather than using my heat transfer pencil, which I have yet to master.

To hide the knots and snaggles on the inside, although it actually wasn't too messy, I decided to line the bag with a nice piece of Klona Orange; I love how it changes the look of the canvas, and it just gives the whole bag a nice finish...

Aneela's patterns are so beautiful, and her thread count and stitch suggestions make it so easy to get the look, because to be honest, left to my own devices I would not have a clue!  Thanks missus x

Next on the cards are those twin quilts, and the little matter of ageing!  Wish me luck x

London baby, yeah!

Well as I am going to go to London in June, I better take a bag, well probably 3, but I'll start with this one!

Sewing is definitely good therapy; I really needed to just get my head down and make something on Thursday; so with my lovely Christmas present Echino and my Noodlehead Go Anywhere Tote pattern, it was thankfully a no-brainer!

I found this pattern easier than the 241 Tote.  Due to the heavier weight of the Kokka linen, I didn't need to add interfacing to every piece, and there are no tight curves to negotiate.  My only gripe was turning through of the handles, (far superior brains than mine would know why this method is better than just folding and double folding), my fingers just aren't that strong, but I coped.

So this isn't just a 'Go Anywhere' tote, this is a 'Going there' tote!!  Woo hoo!

PS.  Things are starting to hot up over at the FQ London 2012 flickr group; if you are heading to the Retreat, make sure you join up and don't miss out; there's a Secret Name Badge swap to currently sign up for, a Fat Quarter swap to start thinking about and much much more.

How do you cheer up an old bag?

Send her a bag!

I have been having a bad week at work, and trying not to let it show, my brain is aching from the Mouthy Stitches spreadsheets and my shoulders are aching from quilting the Constellation (almost done!); so when I got home this afternoon to a little red postman note telling me the neighbours were holding a package for me, I was kind of excited!

But not as excited as I was to find this...

Lovely Sarah, of Chic Quilt Geek posted here about some rather gorgeous vintage sheet market bags she had made, and of course I told her that the pink one was particularly awesome, so guess what, she sent it to me!!!!!!

I love it - and wasted no time in letting Sarah know!

Sarah is not only super generous and makes beautiful things, she spends a little too much time popping over to the States for business in my opinion, but does run a rather brilliant looking online shop, Sarah's Cards Ltd.  If you dabble in cardmaking, scrapbooking and the like, I reckon you should take a look at all the lovely things she has in stock.  I seriously feel another crafty outlet trying to take over the last minutes of my spare time!!

So I now have a smile on my face, and it's time for Mad Dogs, so I'm off xxx

"All the leaves are brown, and they sky is grey..."

The Mama's & Papa's song has been going round in my head ever since I decided on the fabric for a quick bit of stitchery yesterday.

I pinned a really simple pattern for a reversible bag a couple of days ago, and decided to pull out some of my bargain fabrics from Pink Castle and make one!

So as the hailstones pounded the conservatory roof, I cut and stitched my Jenean Morrison California Dreamin' fabrics, and in under 2 hours I had this psychedelic beauty!

I love it - one side might be a bit loud, but I don't care!

'Oh she could have ironed it before taking the photos!'

It really is an easy to follow pattern, you can download it from Very Purple Person; it requires very little fabric, no interfacing, zips or fancy business, and would definitely make a quick Christmas present, (oh did I really say that!?).

And as if that wasn't enough colour for one day, my zips arrived from Jennifer at Zipit.  Thank you everyone who suggested this was the place for zippers.  You were right!  I ordered 25 x 7" and 10 x 4" for the delivered price of about 5 measly zips from my local fabric shop.  Sorry local fabric shop, but this is too good a deal to pass up.

So I am all set to make an incomprehensible number of zippy purses in the run up to Christmas.

See, now that's two posts in two days mentioning the 'C' word - there really is no escape is there!

I seem to be blogging a day in arrears too - but today we went indoor ice skating and I am pleased to say that all three kiddies, their friend and 'us mums' all had a great time and I didn't fall over - so total success!

If you haven't yet voted in the Pings & Needles Japanese Scrap Bag Challenge - whataya waiting for?!  Thank you for all your words of encouragement so far - don't forget you can have up to 3 votes, so use them wisely.

The full picture...

Remember this?

And this?

Well now I can reveal all, as they have now arrived with their rightful owner!

This secret partner was a sneeky madam!   I will obviously forgive her, as the goodies I received from her were totally wonderful, and the reason why I did not think for a second that she was making for me too!!  Now you can see why I couldn't show you more, if we were all going to have a surprise, it only seemed fair that I should repay the compliment.

So we have an Echino mug rug, as I was going for the all things bright and beautiful theme as requested, I am not a total loose cannon!  The x&+ block is one of my absolute favourites, so it seemed befitting...

The 'goodie' was not so much about the colours but the Froggy Prince, as my stalkerly ways/elephant brain remembered that this lovely lady loves frogs!  The angst waiting for the fabric to arrive from the US of A was tortuous!

Anywho, a mini 241 Tote in Tula Pink's Prince Charming was the outcome!

As soon as I saw this post I knew a 'mini' would be a great goodie gift some day!

I may have also popped in a brooch and a few other goodies in the cornflake box for our wonderful swap mama, because without her, there would have been no swap!!

Thank you Cindy for being so great to make for!  I am so happy that you are so happy!

Partner 2 where are you?  Or rather, where is your parcel?  Judging by other's postal times, it should be with you any day now, so keep stalking that postman!