Gerbera and Socks

 I finished my latest bag commission. It is my first bag made nearly entirely in cork fabric.

The pattern is Gerbera Crossbody Pouch, by Blue Calla Patterns. I used a rainbow flecked cork from MM Cork, in BC. The recipient chose the fabrics, from her grandmother's stash. This is her birthday gift from Grandma.

I realized as I sat down to type this, that I forgot a picture of the back.

A bit darker, because I just did this one quickly.

I used a cork overlay on the interior zipper pocket.

The other side has card pockets and a slip pockets for her phone.

It also has a carabiner for her keys. 

I hope she enjoys her new bag. Grandma is going to visit her at her university, next week, and will deliver the bag.

Meanwhile, I finished a pair of socks that I started in May.

They look kind of odd. I think they need a light blocking. The pattern is called "Make Your Heels Strong". It is free on Ravelry. The yarn is some clearance bin sock yarn I found in my stash. The advantage of these socks is that you don't have to pick up any stitches. Not sure I will make them again.

The garden is loving all the rain. since our plants are in pots, their feet have a chance to dry out.

You can see our blueberries at the top of the picture . This is an experiment, for this summer. They have set fruit, but we might just be feeding the birds, if they get them first.

Wild Fires are raging to the North of us. I think of those who have to evacuate, and of course, the animals. We just have to deal with bad air.

Today, I'll clean up the sewing room, ready for the next project.

Snow Day

It's a balmy -12C and snowing. A good day to stay home and knit by the fire. 

My hibiscus decided to cheer me up with a new flower. You can see the snow out the window, behind.

The knitting continues. I finished a pair of fingerless mitts.

So, I started another pair.

The pattern for the top pair is Point Edward Mitts, by Fairlight Fibres. The second pair is Swallowtail Mitts by Cheryl Toy.

I actually did some sewing, inspired by some scrap sorting I've been doing.

A simple zippered pouch, because I wanted to try a different method of inserting the zipper. It is called the Butler Method, and is used in designer Amy Butler's patterns. I'm not convinced that it is better than the method I already use, but it is good to try new things.

On a PA Day last week, my little buddy and I made muffins and practiced fractions.

Here they are on their way into the oven. He declared them delicious. They were raspberry almond, in case you were wondering.

The fire is lite, so I'm off to finish that mitt, and maybe cast on the second one.

Pouches From Scraps

 I have a couple of projects I should be working on, but I just can't stop making pouches from scraps.

I have mostly finished the the blue bag with the hearts.

I am undecided as to whether I should add the drawstring, or just leave it as a little storage basket.

Lately, I have seen pouches with diagonal zippers on Instagram and YouTube. So I decided to try one, or actually two. A video I watched was showing how to make a pouch with very little waste, by making two at a time.

Tada! Two pouches with diagonal zippers, exactly the same.

I cut the fabric as big as I could get from my chosen scraps. It was about 18 inches square when I was done. I added some frankenbatting from my batting scraps, and quilted the out fabric and the lining together.

I forgot to take a picture of the fabric when I cut it, but I cut them in half with a line 3" on either side of the centre.

Then I added binding to the zipper edge.

You use one side of the zipper tape, that goes the entire length of the zipper edge. I first learned this technique on Joan Hawley's Sweetpea Pods. This was the first zipper I tried.

This is the second zipper trial. In the end, I decided that the black looked better, so I went with black. After you sew the zipper tape to the binding, you add the zipper slide to the two ends of the zipper.

My first attempt at the zipper top stitching wasn't very good.

The second was much better. 

Practice really helps (along with using a better choice of feet.)

I sewed the other seams and overcast the edges to make a clean finish on the inside.

Emme thought she would like to say Hi. She thinks Mudd gets too much attention.

The weather is really weird today. It is currently an unseasonable 13 degrees. The winds are picking up and by bedtime it will be nearly 30 degrees colder. Just for fun, we are going to get high winds and maybe even thunder snow. Things should be rather slippery tomorrow. Good day to stay in and sew.

Another Bag

After making 2 zippered bags for Project Quilt, I realized remaking zippered pouches that I have made before is a good way to practice some basic bag making skills, without having to concentrate on trying to figure out the instructions for a more complicated project. My zippers are becoming tidier, my seams are nicely matched. 

So, this week, I made another Retreat Bag. The Retreat Bag is a free pattern from Emmaline Bags.  It is much like the Wide Open Pouch but it has these frames that help hold the bag open.

I discovered that I had 5 of the frames in my stash. These are the small size, Style A on Emmaline's site.

I hid some kitties on the slip pockets inside. As you can see, it stays open so you can get your contents in and out easily.

The outer fabric is one of a collection of fat quarters, I found hiding in my stash (this tidying thing has found lots of treasures.) I had forgotten what it was but after some research, discovered that it is an African batik fabric, heavier that the ones from Bali, and with simpler patterns. 

The lining was another fat quarter that seemed to match the outer fabric. The zipper was from a pack of zippers that were a bargain because I didn't get a colour choice. I wondered what I would use the colour for, but this is perfect.

I have made the large Retreat Bag before but this is my first small one. 

Today, I spent some time preparing for my next project.

The cutting table is clear.

The bin for the pieces of the project is empty. What will be next? Wait and see. My next step is to make sure I have everything I need.

Fashion Influencer?

 Last week, I made this bag for Project Quilt. You can read about it here. It was definitely a squirrel type project, design to completion in 4 days.

This morning, I saw this bag in my newsfeed. It is at the Prada show during London Fashion Week.

The trapezoid shape is a bit more accentuated, but very similar to my bag. Although the Prada bag is so boring. It doesn't have a focus cat fabric. A similar bag on the Prada website sells for $4800. 

I don't sell my bags, because people who might pay $5000 for a bag that says Prada on it, won't even pay the cost of materials for one custom made by a home-based artisan. 

I can now reveal that I had a part of a quilt that is currently hanging at QuiltCon. I never expected to say those words.

Last summer, Sam Hunter of Hunter Designs asked for blocks to make this quilt It is called " Myriad Interpretations of  Language". The instructions were to make a block of a specified size in a solid fabric, embroider a line across it in any colour, then embroider a second line that crosses the first, in another colour.  This is what resulted. I think it is gorgeous.

I'm linking to MMMQuilts DrEAMi#70.

Project Quilt 14.4 A Novel Project

 This week's Project Quilt Challenge is to make a quilted item based on a novel you have read.

I decided to choose the last book I finished. I belong to a book group, I regularly read books from sources like Canada Reads, or the Giller Prize. However, I also love a good cozy mystery. So my book is "The Windsor Knot" by S. J. Bennett.

Our unexpected and intrepid sleuth is none other that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth! There is a murder in Windsor Castle and HRM thinks the investigators may have made some assumptions that aren't true. If you are a fan of a cozy mystery, this is a very good one. I already have a hold on the next one in the series from the library.

I spent a day pondering how I could make something that would best represent the book. The one thing I decided was needed was a handbag.

Queen Elizabeth was known for her handbags. She was never seen in public without one.  I found this article about her bags. 

https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-handbags-launer-london

So, how do you make a designer knockoff in a week, from stash? By creating a representative art piece.

It is a flat bottomed zippered pouch with handles. I was going to do it completely in black, but there wasn't any in my stash (I must restock), so I chose something I thought looked designer, a gold print on black.

I used a Chanel style cross hatching. And I added this dashing fellow with a collar and tie, tied into a Windsor Knot!

Because it has been reported that Her Majesty had a sense of humour, and it was in my stash, it has Muppets on the lining.

Though not intentional, I think it is fun that Fozzy is waving at the bottom. 

I also added a lime green zipper with a zipper charm.

It is a calico cat in a teacup. After all, we are at Windsor Castle.

That is two zippered pouches for Project Quilt. I think my pouches are improving with this practice. In a couple of spots it wasn't completely perfect but I kept reminding myself that it is an art piece, a creative challenge, and I don't have time to sweat the small stuff. I am rather pleased that my finished piece is fairly close to what I had envisioned. And the kitty in the teacup was a bonus!

Special thanks to Bethany for her excellent tutorial on designing your flat bottomed pouch.

https://sweetbeebuzzings.blogspot.com/2013/06/zip-along-straight-sided-flat-bottomed.html

And of course, what did Her Majesty keep in her handbag? Click on the picture to find out.

A Moat

 Our castle (house) had developed a problem with the drainage around the foundation, which caused water to seep into the house. This isn't really unusual in my neighbourhood, since the houses are about 55 years old. This week, the contractors arrived to fix the problem. This meant digging a trench around the outside at the front of the house. When it started to rain (yet again), I started referring to it as my moat, and started shopping for a sea monster. Turns out, sea monsters are in short supply on the internet, but the trench has been filled and the mess is nearly gone.

While this was going on, the pets and I hid in the family room and sunroom at the back. So we did laundry, read books, knitted, and played games.

I finished these socks. They match about as well as you can manage with a self striping yarn. 

While trying to take a picture of Emme, Mudd decided that I needed help.

He is such a character. You can tell he is asking "Whatcha Doin'?" Photo bombing is one of his specialties.

Meanwhile, Emme is wondering why the begonia she loves to torture is out on the patio. 

Awhile ago, I started taking apart a bag that had become worn around the edges. Today, I finished the job and realized that I had enough prequilted fabric to make 2 zippered pouches. So, I will do that. Maybe they can raise some money for Mudd and Emme's rescue group.

The fabric is some vintage Laurel Burch, no longer available. I think it might be my favourite of all her fabrics. 

Since fall weather is truly here, I think I will go and sit by the fire with my knitting. Looks like we will be getting more rain soon.

A Fairy Pouch

 Maybe spring has come. There are no snowflakes in the forecast for the next few days. My Forsythia looks like this.

A while ago, I asked my friend Maggie if she had an embroidery design for a Tooth Fairy bag. She found me one in her embroidery designs and stitched it out. I've been trying to figure out what the bag would look like, and decided on this.

When I was little the tooth fairy brought a dime. By the time my kids came along, Canada had a $1 coin, a loonie. So that is what they got. I decided with inflation that this bag should be able to hold a $20 bill. However, I have seeded it with a twoonie ($2 coin) in hopes of not bankrupting his parents. 

I added a designer label.

A quick project suitable for MMM Quilts next DrEAMi collection!

Inner Circle

 I got the pattern for the Inner Circle Bag from the Bag of the Month Club on March 1, 2020. I decided it was very doable and dove in, starting on March 4. Then things went sideways. 

Inner circle got tucked away, and I started making masks, and hand sanitizer pouches. So, last week, while tidying my sewing room, it popped up again and I decided it was time to finish it.

It did take awhile to figure out where I left off, and what needed to be done. I had the zipper attached to its facing, and it looked a bit wonky. I'm pretty sure that nobody else will think it is wonky, so, I will move forward. 

I realized that it needed its stabilizers, so they were cut and attached. I had second thoughts on the pocket, so I redesigned how it was going to work. Now it has a lining pocket.

Even I think the lining is pretty wild. So I went a little more subtle on the pocket lining.

This is the outside of the bag. The lining is actually a near perfect match. The fabric was embroidered denim from a long time ago, that was lounging in my stash.

It will be a lovely spring bag for somebody. 

Yesterday, I got the Income Tax Returns finished, so now I am free to play with this. It should go together quickly from here.

Some More Pouches For Kitties

 Some time ago, a quilting friend gave me a Connecting Threads kit, that she had purchased. She had made one of the pouches in the kit and decided she didn't need to make any more. She knows I make items for the Lyndhurst Feral Cat Rescue's fundraisers and thought I might like to finish the kit. I tucked the kit away and forgot about it. This fall, I found it again, and decided to make the pouches up.

The kit was suppose to make four pouches. So far, 5 have been made. I think there is enough fabric to make one more.

The fabric is bright and cheery, though not my usual style. I added zippers from my stash, as well as some fusible fleece to make them stand up.

I made the backs a solid piece of fabric to make construction go quickly.

They open nice and wide, and with the flat bottoms are easy to fill. They are on the small size but I could see them used for stowing things while travelling. ( Will we ever travel again?)

The pouches have gone on their way to the sale. I believe the sale is mid November. It will be held on Facebook.

Because Halloween is coming, I was making Halloween masks, today.

These are 5 of the ten I made, ready to wear to school tomorrow. I gave them to some young friends along with some other treats.

I claim I don't use orange but this blog is very orange.

I Sewed Something!

 I've been avoiding my sewing room for weeks, but I saw something on another blog, last week, and had to try it.

From Sandra's blog MMM quilts, I saw these makeup bags.

https://www.mmmquilts.com/2021/08/makeup-bags.html

Since I have a bunch of charm squares and no plans for them, I grabbed 9 and started cutting. I have lots of batting scraps, so I got one of those, and some scrap fabric for the lining.

This is my version of Sandra's bag.

The other side.

Bottom

And the lining! My seams mostly match, my zipper is a nice contrast and the lining was a perfect match. These charm squares were a give away by Northcott from the AQS show in Syracuse, a few years ago. There were nine in the package. They were meant to become a little pouch.

I'd try a few more, but I don't know just what I would do with the pouches.

Meanwhile, the Birds of a Feather shawl is progressing.

It is going to be a long shawl.

And, a new foster cat has arrived. Say hello to Mia. 

She will be with us, until somebody sees her on the web, and decides she needs to live with them.