Two Goals checked off the list!

I have gotten one of my January goals met and one has been lifted from me. I finished the gift for my Christmas Swap partner. I love the Charm Party Tote pattern and instructions. I used the basic how-to but adapted the pattern to be strips instead of charms. I think it turned out great! My partner sent me 2 fabrics and I was required to use at least 1 of them in my item. I used both! They are the 2 prints seen in the front pocket. They are also used in the purse itself.

Another friend, knowing a good bit about the circumstances in my life right now, has "ordered" me to send her the top I need to quilt this month to send to a mutual friend. I have hemmed and hawed over doing this, but finally relented.

So now I just need to pack up the purse and the top and send them off to their recipients.

And time to pick the next goal to work on!

"Belle"

Obligations Fulfilled... Finally!

I finished up the last 2 sewing commitments I had for 2008... YEAH! The first were some blocks I was sending to a friend. They look easy, but they were a booger to make! I think those flying geese had it in for me! LOL! They turned out nice in the end. Here is one of the 8 I made ...

Oh yes, this is the Indian Star pattern found at www.quilterscache.com

The other commitment I had was to make a tote for a friend to give her dd for Christmas. I LOVE making things to give to other folks, but I find that I hate making things for people... does that make sense? When it is a gift, I tend to be relaxed and while I want it to be well made and nice, I don't get overly uptight when I see a small flaw here or there (like points that don't quite match up). But when making for someone to give to someone else, wow! The pressure! And that made me make mistakes.. really dumb ones that frustrated me! But it is done and I think it turned out nice. I love pink and I love purple, so I thought I would have a difficult time giving this one up.. but I know the young woman who will be getting this for Christmas and she will enjoy it... so that makes the parting easier! LOL!

I will be taking a sewing break for a week or so... at least through Christmas... maybe even through New Years! But I already have projects for 2009 on tap... lots of them! So I will be back up and running in sewing central soon.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! "Belle"

Charm Party Walker Bag

I adapted the Charm Party tote bag pattern and created a walker bag for my mom. We were both pleased with how it turned out. I even remembered to put pockets inside this time... on her last bag I failed to do that! There are 3 things I will do different on her next one (which she wants to be another Charm Party version)... one is to put the top tabs on the back instead of the front (that was a mistake! so they button on the back)... I will also position those top tabs a bit further apart to make it a tad easier to get into the bag ... and last I made the tabs like I normally make the handles for the Charm Party Tote.. so you end up with 2 layers of fabric and 2 layers of fusible fleece. It is so thick, that is made creating button holes difficult. I will work it so there is only 1 layer of fleece next time.

Snails, Orange Crush and a Party

How's that for a title?! LOL! It has been a productive weekend here.

Hubby has started a new quilt and as always is making progress at the speed of light! He is making a scrappy Snails' Tail quilt in all blues and yellows. Here is a sampling of the blocks:

I continue to work on my Orange Crush Quilt (which is not orange!) in amongst other projects. I am finishing up these blocks:

I will have all the square blocks done then. I am not planning on putting this on point. In fact, I am not sure how I am going to put it together. Once the blocks are all done I am going to lay them out and play with various options until the right one hits me!

And lastly I made another Charm Party Tote. This one is for a dear friend (a surprise!) and I so want to keep it! (Isn't that the way it goes?). She loves green... I tried an all green layout, but it seemed blah. She loves purple and green together, so I added in some purple and voila! I think it turned out great. I changed one of the inner pockets a bit.. the divided one. I made it a bit shallower and wider. Here are some photos of the outside and inside:

I still have some fabric to cut up for a charm swap and some birthday fat quarters... so off to get that done and then I am thinking ice cream! Yep, I thinking after all this work some ice cream is called for... ok, I'll be good and stick with peach yogurt.. the real stuff, not frozen. But I really want Rocky Road from Baskins & Robbins!

"Belle"

Charm Party Tote Done!

I was determined to finish this tote today! The pattern is great... easy to follow and easy to make.... and along the way I learned a few tricks that I will be using on other projects. I also plan to make more of these totes... probably adapting them a bit with smaller size or fewer charms.

The handles have fallen behind the tote in the picture... they are solid black fabric handles... long enough to tote the bag under by arm, but not so long that it bounces on my hip.

The interior has 2 pockets... one in large and open... the other is divided. The divided pocket ends up being 2 deep narrow pockets that will work fine for pens and an eyeglasses case. On the next tote, I am going to make that pocket shallower and wider... easier for me to "dig" things out.

I used this project to get a bit of free motion quilting practice... on the inside! I traced around the squares on the front.

There is a small front pocket that is perfect for my cell phone!

The pattern calls for buttons to be sew where the charms come together. I opted not to do that. It had no purpose other than decoration and I like the clean look without the buttons. Now if my points hadn't lined up pretty well, I might have added those buttons!

I bought very little for this project. I swap 5" square charms with a group of online friends and so have a nice size stash of them. I pulled the ones used here from that stash... all cut and ready to use! I also used charms for the outer and inner pockets... although the inner pockets could easily be created with a single piece of fabric. The lining came from my stash... as did the handle fabric and the fabric I used to cover a piece of cardboard in the bottom of the bag. Even the button on the front came from a can a buttons I have. The only thing I purchased was the fusible fleece. (Loved working with it!)

I have never had a lot of confidence in my ability to sew. I tried as a kid and later as a young adult and got very frustrated. I still avoid clothing projects! So I get a bit excited when I try something new and it works! And I love that this is for me... selfish I know... but I give away so much of what I make (and love doing that!), it's nice to keep something for once!

Now to get back to Orange Crush blocks... and other projects that are begging to be finished!

"Belle"

Finally! Some Time to Sew!

I have been running in circles lately... going here... going there... doing this... doing that... and all this busyness has taken over my sewing time. But this morning I was able to jump into sewing central (a.k.a. the dining room) and get some things done. I worked on 2 projects.

I am working on a tote for church (I want to be able to take 1 bag... no purse... with all my stuff in it!) using the Charm Party pattern I bought a few weeks ago. I swap charms each month with a group on online friends, so I have lots! I planned to use black and white charms, but as I was digging through my charm stash I came across a black fabric with bright pink flowers... I love this fabric! and I am such a pink girl! So I decided to toss some pink into the mix. I have pieced the front and back panels for the tote (they look the same) and I have the inner pockets pieced. And now I am on hold. I need some fusible fleece for the next bit. I will get that on Friday when I am across town near Hancock's.

I have also jumped back into the Quiltville Mystery Quilt... Orange Crush. It isn't a mystery anymore since all the steps have been posted, but still... there is a tad bit of mystery in not knowing how my fabrics will look when all is said and done. I am working on the blocks created in step 4. I have 2 done... 28 to go! The "red" fabric isn't reading true... it is a dark magenta. It really pops in the HSTs with that bright tealish blue.

I realized today that this quilt is a tad reminiscent of some I have from my great-grandmother. She didn't buy fabric for those quilts. She used what she had on hand (usually from clothes or other sewing projects or feed sacks). And she made them for use... utility quilts. This quilt will be a utility quilt. Both my kids travel several times a year with church groups and such to camps and we need some quilts that can be hauled off with them. And all the fabric in my orange crush (which is orangeless) is from my stash. I might purchase fabric for the back.... or I might try my hand at a pieced back... I'll decide that when the time comes.

Back to the sewing machine.... "Belle"