Summer of Sewing, bag edition part 2

 Let's continue this "crazy bag" ride....

A friend from church requested a bag.

My fabric selections are getting slim but I came up with this combo.

She loves it!

This super sized tote was a gift for the 

AirBNB hosts we stayed with recently.

This bag was made a little differently, the lining was quilted

directly to the exterior, made for a study bag.

However, adding pockets looked a little different.

I appreciated the end project, 

although during the process I sometimes wondered.

After helping my sister finish a beautiful baby quilt she gave me the 

remaining fabric. Immediately I thought of the breast cancer

colors. I found a free ribbon pattern on-line and

created this bag.  It will be sold at a local craft fair.

This black tote and the following make-up bags and mini-wallets

will also be sold at the craft fair.

And now to the future.....

While on vacation we visited a fabric outlet near Harrisonburg VA.

I've been there before, it has lots of upholstery and drapery fabrics.

I did not know they are going out of business.  Everything was

50% off and it was so overwhelming.

I only purchased these 3 fabrics, I'll use the golden one

to make an autumn bag but not sure which brown will

compliment it best. It will sit on my cutting table for a while

till I decide.  Oh what fun!

Thanks for joining in the fun of my "crazy bag lady" summer.

It's time for school to start so the return of babysitting

and less sewing.  Life is all about balance right?

Carolyn

Summer of Sewing - bag edition part 1

 It all started with this.....

I made this bag for myself, simple denim and

decorator weight fabric and posted pictures on social media.

One of the typical designs I use with lots of pockets.

This bag is lined with canvas something new I tried.

Some friends and family asked if I would make some bags to sell.

I have done this in the past but not recently.

With not much better to do I decided to make a few.

With one parameter, use what I had on hand.

First a cousin wanted a bag, so I made these 3 for her to select from.

Each has unique features that I often use.

I ended up keeping this one it has a flat bottom with piping.

My cousin selected this one, the colors are so vibrant and beachy!

It's hard to see but this one has an boxed bottom

with the corners coming up the sides.

This feature also appears in the denim purse above.

I gave this one to a dear friend who has bought many

purses from me over the years.

This bag features a traditional boxed bottom with 

coordinating side panels. This striped fabric is vintage bark cloth.

Another friend asked for a bright cheery bag.

I had this outdoor decorator fabric on hand.

She loved it!

It was really hard to part with this bag.

This bag featured a flat bottom with piping.

A friend's daughter asked for a diaper bag.

I haven't made a diaper bag in about 10 years

but it all came back to me.

This is for a boy mom with a newborn and a toddler

but she didn't want a typical nursery print.

I chose denim for the adjustable straps and a
zippered closure.  So thankful for my hardworking Bernina machine,
at times I was sewing through 8 layers of denim and 
4 layers of interfacing.

Of course there are plenty of pockets inside and out.

I was really pleased with this one too.

It is lined with a pre-quilted cotton fabric.

I'll continue with the other bags I made in the next post.

Told you I was a "crazy bag lady" this summer....

Carolyn

p.s. I typically don't use patterns, these are my own designs.

Summer of Sewing - quilt edition

 

I am a fortunate Grandmother who babysits during the school year

and plays with fabric during the summer.

Here are the quilts I worked on this spring/summer.

I quilted this snowflake quilt, 

it was pieced in January.

Made from the you-tube tutorial, 

Disappearing Hour Glass Medallion.

Close up for the free motion quilting using 

my domestic Bernina sewing machine.

It's supposed to look like swirling snow.

Another snowflake quilt that was pieced in January

and quilted this spring. I drafted my own pattern 

inspired by something on Pinterest or Instagram.

Each block is a different fabric and all from my stash or scrap bin.

I used a very soft fleece type fabric for the backing.

Quilted with straight lines and a large zig-zag stitch.

This quilt was made for cuddling up when it's cold.

Most summers my husband attends a multi-day conference,

if he drives to the event I go along. I pack several pre-cut, 

ready to sew projects and 

my Singer Featherweight sewing machine. I work away 

in the hotel room while he sits in meetings.

The next quilt blocks were made during the conference

and finished at home.

Next was this star quilt made using the free pattern,

Ohio Star Quilt Pattern with 7 Fat Quarters.

However, I used 8 fat quarters and reduced the size of

the squares. Apparently my fat quarters were not large enough.

It was even good fabric, bought at a quilt shop 

on our vacation out west last year.

It worked out all the same and I LOVE it.

This close-up is from the basting stage.

Which is where it still remains, I hope to quilt it soon,

just stuck on what design to use.

The final quilt I worked on this summer is this

autumn quilt. I made 9 patches as a enders/leaders

project for the star quilt and then found some inspiration on-line

for this lay out. This quilt top is still hanging

on my design wall. It adds great color to the room

and reminds me, cooler days are coming.

Thanks for visiting my little blog!

Carolyn

p.s. Next post will be the bags I made this summer,

I was in a "crazy bag lady" mood.

Log Cabin Cross Quilt

I enjoyed making this Log Cabin Cross Quilt.

I found a diagram for the design, 

including measurements, on Pinterest.

The quilt measured 50x60.

The borders and center heart detail 

were not included in the original design.

The fabrics where from my scrap and stash bins.

Although, I purchased the backing which

was also used for the binding.

It was quilted using a walking foot but

first I marked the radiating lines with a friction pen.

Simple, yet effective design element.

And one more clothesline picture.

This quilt was gifted to a special couple

and ministry partners who moved

to another state to continue ministry.

Thanks for visiting my little blog,

Carolyn

 

Heart Conversations at My First Quilt Retreat

Recently completed this heart quilt, it reminds me of candy

converation hearts....thus the name Heart Conversations

Love how it coordinates with my surviving poinsettia.

The quilt finished at about 50" square, 

which is a nice display size.

I made the quilt at home to take to a quilting retreat

as a free motion quilting demonstration piece.

Again perfect size for a quick project.

The hearts are made of 2 - 3 inch squares, one

background and a 3 inch by 5.5 inch rectangle.

You could easily use 4 squares though.

The hearts are set on point with alternating

background squares, a very easy project.

I was able to use all scraps for the hearts and

had the background yardage in my stash.

As a side note, I used the back side of this background 

fabric. The gray pin dots were a little too much

contrast for me, so the back side had the perfect

shadow effect I was going for.

Here's a sampling of the feathers and simple back and forth

along the border. I love sewing FMQ feathers!

The quilting is not perfect but that's perfectly fine with me

 it has that handcrafted look.

The backing is a vintage bed sheet.

And I used a leftover heart for the label.

I worked on 2 other quilts at the retreat.
I finished this top, accept for the border.

Hoping to quilt it soon. I followed a Missouri Star

video titled Disappearing Hourglass Medallion. 

I only made 16 blocks, the video sample is much larger.

I also started these blocks, I have 4 more to stitch. 

These blue quilts are my take on snowflakes

but spring has arrived early (at least it appears that way)

in our area so they will be ready for display next year.

With the early spring I'm anxious to start working on

summer quilts and bags but plan to finish the snowflakes first.

I really don't need any more UFO's.

The retreat I attended was fantastic!

It was a small, private retreat....I was so blessed to be invited!

Thanks for visiting my little blog.

Carolyn

 

Christmas Pouches

I have 5 great-nieces on my side of the family.

So for Christmas I made monogrammed pouches for each one.

The sixth one is for our granddaughter.

The pouches are approximately 8 x 10 inches in size.

I was able to complete all these pouches without buying a thing.

Not sure if I should be proud of that or 

embarrassed to have so many scraps.

At least I'm making good use of the scraps, right?

Each pouch is the favorite color or reflects the

personality of each girl.

The exterior cotton includes a light woven iron-on interfacing.

The diamonds and letters were applied with a fusible product

and then machine appliqued in place.

I used a variety of zippers and ribbon for the zipper pulls.

The pouches are lined with a pre-quilted cotton fabric.

I really like using this lining as it adds some structure

without having to mess with small pieces of batting.

I use this same lining in most of the bags I make.

I am so pleased with how these pouches turned out,

and as you can tell, 

I had way too much fun photographing them!

This year Christmas is extra special for our family.

Recently, some of these girlies were added

to our family through adoption. 

What a blessing!

Merry Christmas!

Carolyn