Zippered Clutch

My niece, L, has the misfortune (fortune?) of having a birthday the day after Christmas. At our Christmas Eve party, I brought some pillow covers that I wanted to get rid of so I drew names for the winners. L didn't win one, but her sister, A, did (who also has a December birthday). As I became an aunt when I was 5, I have a ton of nieces and nephews. Because of that, I rarely give gifts to each of them every year, but I wanted L to have something for her birthday since I had given something to A.

Enter the Perfect Zip Bags pattern...



L's favorite colors are red and black. Unfortunately, I don't often sew with red or black so I didn't have much fabric to choose from. Fortunately, my mom chose this Riley Blake Lost and Found fabric for her bed quilt, and I was able to use some of the scraps to make a simple clutch for L.



I pieced a bit of patchwork for one side and used batting for my interlining. Elizabeth mentions that the material used for the interlining will have a big impact on the bag's outcome. Since I used batting, the clutch has a softer, pliable feel to it. However, if I had used denim or some other stiff fabric, the clutch would have had a crisper feel to it.



L just started her second semester of college, so hopefully she can make good use out of this little clutch.



I'm looking forward to making some of the large bags in the pattern for organizing some of my kiddo's smaller toys. After seeing Heather's awesome first-aid bags, I had to add something like that to my list too.

Pillow Talk Swap 4 Pillow Received

I was so happy when this package came in the mail on Saturday. Ecstatic, really. I was squealing and shrieking like a little girl. Seriously. My partner was Mari (ZewNice on Flickr). She's from Norway, so you know she has to be super cool. (Plus, my paternal grandmother's family is Norwegian, so I think having Mari as my partner was meant to be!)



Look at these fishies! I cannot tell you how much I love these fishies!



And look at these vans! Aren't they adorable?!



Along with the pillow, Mari sent me a few other goodies.



She made me this cute little zippered clutch/pouch that I'll be storing my needles, embroidery floss, and small crochet hooks in from now on.



When I peeked inside the clutch and saw that Mari had included some of the goldfish fabric, I started freaking out! See, I didn't care much about fabric back when this fabric was in print. I have looked for it now and then online, but the price tag always kept me from buying some of it myself. When I saw that Mari was kind enough to include some, I was thrilled! And, I've already planned out a quilt using these little guys. I can't wait to get started on it come January!



Thanks again, Mari. This was such a fun swap to participate in. Mari really nailed me with this pillow. I love love love it!