Christmas Sewing 2012 Part 1: The Bags, The Pouches, and The Randoms

Every year for Christmas, I try to tackle a few handmade gifts. Not all my recipients are lovers of handmade goods, and I know that realistically, I couldn't make handmade gifts for everyone even if I wanted to. Here are the non-quilt things I managed to eek out before Christmas.

I made this Jane Market Bag for one of my nieces. She loves pink, blue, purple, and yellow so I combined some fabrics from my stash, and was actually kind of shocked to have enough yardage in the pinks and purples to put this bag together for her.

The fabrics are from Anna Maria Horner, Sarah Jane, and Aneela Hoey. I can't remember the designer of the inside fabric, but I think it's called Trellis in Purple or something like that.

I also made the same niece this simple pillowcase using a Joel Dewberry print and the same Anna Marie Horner print, but in a different colorway. It came together nicely, but I really think having a trim would have added that much more to the pillow. Tutorial here.

My mom's friend spends Christmas with us every year. She likes to shop so I made her a Jane Market Bag too. This one in a Robert Kaufman (?) blender fabric with Aneela Hoey, and a Riley Blake print on the inside.

Pattern available here.

For my coworkers, I had grand plans to make zipper pouches and fill them with useful items (hand sanitizer, band-aids, etc.), but then I realized I had zero time before Christmas and ended up scrapping the plan after making these two pouches.

One did go to a coworker and fellow quilty friend...

...and the other was sent to a far-off friend as a New Year's gift.

I used Anna's open wide zipper pouch tutorial for the zig zag pouch. I love her tip for the beginning of the zipper, and have started incorporating that technique into the pouches I've made since.

I made a few more various-sized pouches. This first one is for holding some of my son's cars. It doesn't have an interfacing of any kind, which makes this more of a bag and can mold around his cars easier.

For my mother-in-law, we gave her a gift card to West Elm. I made a small pouch to hold the gift card and it can double as a coin purse.

The last pouch I made was to house this set of felt mustaches for my nephew. I thought that mustached kite was pretty cute too.

Oh, and I made stockings for my family this year. I used leftover pieces of fabric that I'll (eventually) be making my Christmas quilt out of, Figgy Pudding by Basic Gray. I used the stocking tutorial from Fabric Worm - it has the best shaped foot to it. Then my sister embroidered the names on the cuffs with her embroidery machine for me. I didn't have enough fabric to make each of them out of a single print, which I like the best out of the five I made. I wish I would have pieced the last two with strips running in a different direction. Maybe I'll remake those two. Or maybe not.

That wraps up part 1 of my Christmas sewing. Up next, the quilts.

2012: Year in Review

Happy New Year! It's 9 o'clock on January 1st and I'm ready for bed. But, I realized I hadn't posted the mosaics of my 2012 projects. Here's a short and sweet round-up of what I made (and a few things I received) in 2012.

Pillows - I really enjoyed making a few pillows this year. I participated in two rounds of the Pillow Talk Swap on Flickr. I've said it before and I'll say it again: this is by far my most favorite swap to participate in. I've been extremely lucky to have been partnered with some really amazing women and this swap has stretched me more than any other.

Bags and Pouches - The zipper has become my new best friend. I've enjoyed experimenting with different sizes of pouches (both the beginning cut fabric size and the gusset depth) and different types of interfacing. There were some days that I felt like a pouch-making machine, and this is definitely one of my favorite go-to, quick gift projects. I also made my favorite bag ever this year: my 241 tote that I use as my purse and get compliments on all the time. Melody Miller's typewriters have been one of my favorite prints of the year.

Quilts - Of course, my main sewing emphasis this year has been on quilts. I managed to make 20 quilts this year, finishing the first two in April (why did I waste those first four months?!). The mister made his first quilt too and I couldn't be a prouder missus. I made a few quilts for Christmas gifts and will be posting about those over the next couple weeks.

Everything Else - I also tried my hand at clothing construction. I am not a seamstress. I have a hard time understanding the three-dimensional aspect to apparel sewing, but even so, I managed to make myself a Washi tunic and The Middle an Easter dress (it's amazing that thing came together as well as it did since I adjusted the bodice measurements myself). The skirts I made The Middle have been a huge success and I'm sure there will be many more in 2013.

I've spent some time mulling over the goals I have for myself in 2013. In years past, I've focused on specific quilts I wanted to make. And to tell you the truth, I don't think I accomplished even 50% of that goal. For 2013 I want to really focus on quality over quantity. I want to enjoy what I'm making and not pick a quilt design based on its level of difficulty. I'm sure I'll still make a few patchwork quilts this year (I really do love simple patchwork), but I want to stretch myself and focus on learning new techniques and making things that I really really love.

I also plan to not buy fabric this year (gasp! Typing that was hard!), with the exception of neutrals for sashing and such. In fact, I will probably buy a bolt of Kona white in the next few days just so I have it on hand all year. I am also going to try to piece more backs so I hopefully can eliminate fabric purchases there too.

Lastly, I have several quilt tops that need to be finished up. I definitely intend to knock those off my to-do list as soon as I can. (I'll probably be sending a few larger quilts your way, Barbie and Kayli!)

Anyway, that's a wrap!

Some Sewing Summit Pouches

During the last minute hubbub of scrambling to get ready for Sewing Summit, I decided I needed to add to my to-do list and make some pouches for my roommates, Kati and Colleen.

I modified this broken herringbone block from Play Crafts, which I used as my 4x5 bee blocks (I’ll post about those soon), for the pouch front for Colleen. She told me her favorite colors are aqua, orange, and gray, so I used those colors for the block and added a lighter aqua for the background and reverse side of her pouch.

This style of pouch has been my go-to for the last several pouches I’ve made. I typically cut fabric pieces anywhere from 9 to 12 inches square. Then I add a gusset to the bottom of the pouch – small if I want a taller pouch, large if I want a shorter/wider pouch. I used double fusible interfacing for this pouch and I think it made it a bit too stiff. After taking Sara’s (from Sew Sweetness) advanced bag construction class at Sewing Summit, I’m excited to experiment some more with different types of interfacing.



For Kati’s pouch, I modified the Which Way Is North compass star block that Elizabeth (from Don’t Call Me Betsy) used in her A Light in the Dark mini quilt. Kati’s favorite color combo is orange, lime green, and aqua, so I paired those with Essex linen in natural for the background and reverse side of her pouch.







Colleen made me this beautiful metal frame Pine Burr pouch. I love rainbow/color wheel arrangements of just about anything, so this pouch is right up my alley.



For the background and reverse side of the pouch, Colleen used this awesome French architecture print. I’m not sure what it’s called, but I absolutely love it.



I had hopes of writing a Sewing Summit recap post, but I doubt it's going to happen. Just know that it was awesome. I loved it! The classes were great, the socializing was fun, and the friendships I made and strengthened were priceless! If you're on the fence about going next year, I highly recommend that you do. And make sure to set your alarms for when tickets go on sale so you don't miss out on this amazing opportunity.

A few random sewing projects, part 1

As I mentioned in my last post, I've really been enjoying working on some smaller projects that offer instant gratification when I finish them in one sitting. Perhaps this is because I've started so many big quilt projects that are in various stages of completion. Here's a hodge podge rundown of some of the projects I've been working on lately.

First up are a few drawstring bags using Jeni's tutorial. With three kids five and younger, it's a constant challenge to stay organized out our house. I made a few of these bags to help in our toy-organizing effort. These really are so quick to whip up, especially if you use ribbon as the drawstring. I plan to make many more of these in the near future.



I also sewed up a quick skirt for my daughter using the Crafy Chloe unicorn fabric by Heather Ross that is available at Hancock's. My daughter is pretty much obsessed with wearing skirts on a daily basis. I figured rather than buying more skirts since so many if hers have gotten too small (she's growing like a weed), I'd just make some.



This one isn't lined, but it's also meant to be a play-day skirt. I've since made another skirt just like this one using some DS Quilts and Lizzy House fabric that she can wear to church. I wanted it to be lined, but didn't want to "waste" good fabric on the lining, so I made it reversible instead. I still have to take pictures of that one, but I'll show you what I'm talking about when I do.



Now, I don't know about all you ladies, but when it comes to "that time of the month," I usually just carry tampons and such loosely in my purse. I remember in jr. high and high school being so embarrassed when I needed to use the restroom and tried so hard to be discreet. I decided it was time to have a cute little pouch I could house those supplies in and stick in my purse, making it easier to just grab the pouch rather than stick a tampon in my pocket and head for the bathroom. While I was at it, I made a few more for my nieces so they can feel a little less self-conscious too.



Last month, Jessica (Euphoria on Flickr) invited my to participate in a charity sewing event, Bibs for Babies, that she was organizing. The Operation Shower non-profit group gives baby showers to military families, helping to raise spirits despite deployment. She asked for everyone participating to make two baby bibs that she can donate to the cause, hoping to collect 100 bibs. This was a first for me, and while there's definitely room for improvement, it was nice to use some materials I had on-hand as well as contribute to good cause.



Well, that's the rundown for now. Check back Saturday for a few more projects I have in the works.

A couple things

I hope you don't mind that I have a smattering of things I want to share tonight.

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Friday was my sister's birthday, and I was so worried about making sure we had plans to celebrate it, I completely spaced buying her a gift! After talking it over with another sister the day before, we decided to get her gift cards to Michael's and Joann's since she's a crafty type too. But, of course, I didn't want to just give her the gift card in its little paper envelope, so I whipped up a little pouch in two of her favorite colors, black and red.

I did have the foresight to get her some washi tape, which happened to match the pouch perfectly! So now she can stick it to her heart's content.

And speaking of washi tape, Pick Your Plum (a website that hosts a daily deal of the crafty DIY variety) had a deal last week for a two-pack for $2.99. They're local too, so I don't have to pay for shipping.

While I was at it, I made a pouch for storing my English Paper Piecing (EPP) supplies - I've been totally obsessed with it, by the way. You can see a few shots of my current project on Instagram (I'm pitterputterstitch if you want to follow me).

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I've also been buying quite a bit of fabric lately; I can't help myself when I see people posting cute projects on Instagram. I find myself going in spurts of buying fabric and then not buying fabric. So in an effort to sort of quell my erratic purchasing behavior, I signed up for Pink Castle Fabrics' Stash Stack Club. If you're interested in building your stash one color at a time, you should head on over and check it out.

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How are you all coming with your EZ Dresden Challenge entries?! Have you forgotten about it? There's only a little over a month left before you can link up your quilt on the Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild's blog (September 1-6) for a chance to win an entire boatload of prizes. Refresh your memory by checking out the details here. For my color cog mini quilt tutorial, featuring the EZ Dresden ruler, click here.

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My last little tidbit for tonight is to give you a heads up for a giveaway and book review coming on Friday, so head on back then to see how you can participate.