End of June Round Up

Hi everyone,
I'm happy to say that quite a few finishes have rolled off the production line this month.

This is a bag that I've made a few times before. It is the Bow Tucks Tote by Quilts Illustrated.
The fabrics I used this time are an old line by Blackbird Designs for Moda called Rhubarb and Ginger.



Back view. The schoolgirl sampler print fabric is perfect for an enthusiastic stitcher.



No bag is complete without at least a couple of things to go inside so using my scraps I squeezed a zippered pouch and a pincushion out of the fabrics I had left.


See the cute little scissor charm on the zipper pull? It came from Nancy's Victorian Motto Shoppe. I love this charm and need to order more



A couple of cross stitch finishes ...... First is the May Word Play by Country Stitches



The fabrics I used in making the bag were a perfect match for the backing.



Another pillow - this one is Bloom Sampler by Threadwork Primitives. Stitched on 40ct linen using the recommended threads,

Both of these pillows are edged with the hand dyed chenille trim from Nancy's Victorian Motto Shoppe.

I didn't manage to keep up with my May project for Chooky Blue's Stitch-a Long blog but I'm happy to say I did manage the one for June.
This cute pincushion is in Natalie Bird's Red Home book



The fabrics I used (except the one with the big bird) are Rural Jardin by French General for Moda



I also forgot to show the April project which was this little wall hanging from Natalie Bird's book Tis the Season



I think that's it for this post. My friend Angela is arriving from UK tomorrow and we have plans for lots of crafting besides sitting by the pool or on the beach not to mention baking and eating!
How much crafting we actually manage to get done will be another story but you will have to wait til the end of July to find out :)

As always a big thank you for visiting my blog and for your lovely comments.

Margaret

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May (late)

Hi everyone,


It seems I've been absent from my blog for even longer than is normal for me. I didn't manage to get a blog post done at all in May. It was a busy month and we went to UK to visit family as well.

I haven't had much to blog about really but I've finally scraped a few pictures together for this post.
This is a zippered pouch, needlebook and pincushion that I made using Cath Kidston fabrics.








The needlebook is one I've done many times before from the Remembering Adelia book by Kathleen Tracy




I've been doing some crochet granny squares to be made into a pillow. The link for the pattern I used is here
I used Stylecraft Special DK which was thinner than the yearn used in the pattern so I did an extra row of squares to get the size I wanted. I plan on doing a buttoned back in double crochet using the cream yarn.




A little bit of stitching and finishing on this Prairie Schooler piece which I turned into a pinkeep. I used some blending filament along with the thread used for the raindrops to add a bit of sparkle. Hard to see in this picture but it is subtle and looks quite effective. The picture should be clickable if you want to see it closer up.



Backing fabric is Rural Jardin by French General for Moda. I used velvet ribbon for the trim around the side and bow on the top.



Friend Sheila was stitching Glad Tidings by Shepherd's Bush but she seems to have mostly given up cross stitch in favour of quilting. Sheila decided she didn't want to finish the piece so it has been adopted by me and will be finished one of these days although I have yet to put a stitch in it. The work you see here is Sheila's.



and still on the subject of Sheila and her stitching she stitched Cherished Workes by Ellen Chester way back in 2006 and it is still sitting patiently in her finishing pile.
So now I'm stitching it as well so that we can work on the finishing together at some stage. I have to say this is not a fast stitch for me as it has several areas of over one - not my favourite thing to do!
Picture shows my WIP at the front and Sheila's finish behind it.



I have a bit of a thing for tins and boxes so was delighted to received this one as a gift.
It is now housing my reproduction fabric hexagons.



I still haven't decided what to do with these hexagons so they just sit there looking pretty.

Friend Angela will be coming to stay again this year and will be here in less than three weeks. I'm very excited and we have a long list of things we want to work on while she is here so hopefully I will have more to show you next time.

Until then thanks as always for visiting my blog and welcome to new followers. Soon I have to decide what to do about this Google reader thing. For now my head is in the sand!

Margaret

Zippers. Mermaids, Gifts & PDF pattern giveaway winner

Hi everyone,

I've overdosed on making zippered pouches this past month. The craft club I'm a member of does a fundraiser each year in May.
We are raising money for a childrens orphanage here in Spain. We only make small things as they seem to sell better.
I decided on a production run of zippered pouches.
First up is one I made in Tilda fabrics from this tutorial




Back view using pretty Tilda birdcage fabric which was also used for the lining




I made one large and two small in this pink print by Lynette Anderson. Tutorial here



They have a cute little cat charm attached to the zipper pull

and this blue project pouch again in Lynette Anderson fabric



The next one was made using the tutorial from the Pink Penguin blog. I used a few orphan charm squares



One in Eiffel Tower fabric



and this one with bow detail



A boxy pouch from a tutorial on this blog

and finally this one which is from a Norwegian pattern. I became very good friends with Google Translate during the process of making this pouch! I used pale blue linen from Ikea and the print fabric is by Bunny Hill.



With the sewing machine going non stop I haven't had much time for stitching so only one small finish to show this time.
This is from The Sampler Girl and I had fun stitching this along with friend Angela.



I received some lovely mermaid-y gifts from friend Pat. The new Kelmscott needle minder, scissors and scissor fob.
They are SO beautiful and I'm just over the moon to have them. Thank you Pat :)



I must have been very, very good because I also received this beautiful mermaid bookmark from Roberta. Roberta says she made this from a kit. Isn't it gorgeous?



also in the package this bag pattern. I've actually made the full size version of this bag many times but this is a mini version. How fun is that? I'll be making a few of these for sure.



and yet another surprise in the mail from friend Caz

I'm looking forward to making something with these pretty fabric FQ's.

One last make to show you is this wall hanging I have made for my grand daughter Amy.



The border fabric has glittery stars which don't show up that well in the picture but I chose this fabric because Amy IS a star and is making us all very proud. The dress on the skater is decorated with Swarovski crystals. Again, not showing up well in the picture but they have plenty of sparkle when seen for real.
I quilted the borders using big stitches and #12 perle cotton. I think my pictures are clickable if you want a better view of anything.



Grandson Robbie is following in his big sisters footsteps and is starting to win the cups and medals. All outfits made by my clever daughter.



I think that's it for this time but I know that you are waiting to find out who is the winner of the Little Purse PDF pattern offered by Stephanie of Loft Creations.

I used the Random Generator thing and the winner is #10 Phyllis (no blog)
Congratulations Phyllis. Stephanie will be in touch with you re your PDF pattern.

I'm off to UK on 3rd May. It's raining here but I think they have some sunshine there at long last.
Thanks as always for your continued visits to my blog and for your lovely comments.
Happy weekend to all!

Margaret

Loft Creations Little Purse pattern and PDF pattern giveaway.

Hi everyone,

One of my favourite quilting blogs to visit is Loft Creations so
I was thrilled last year when Stephanie allowed me to join her happy band of pattern testers.
Stephanie calls her group of pattern testers her Supremes and I have to say I feel I'm in exalted company as they all do such beautiful work.
The pattern I had the pleasure of testing is this one



If you've never made a bag before I can't recommend Stephanie's patterns highly enough. The instructions are clearly explained and you just can't go wrong.

Here's the bag I made using some fun fabrics by Michael Miller.



I think this would be the perfect bag for spring and summer. Use linen and change the look or try piping instead of ric rak or lace. The possibilities are endless. I know my daughter will want the giraffes so I'm going to need to make another bag for myself.

Stephanie has kindly offered a PDF version of the pattern to one of my readers. If you would like to enter the giveaway please leave a comment on this post only.
Please be sure you are not a noreply blogger as then I will have no way to contact you should you be the lucky winner.
I'll draw the winner on April 25th. Good luck!

Margaret

Gifts given and received

Hi everyone,

My post this time is to share pictures of gifts given and received in the last few weeks.
My lovely friend Pat sent the most wonderful box of goodies for my birthday.
Inside one of the packages was this sweet little cross stitch piece. I love the cute ladybird button and the gorgeous frame.



Another beautiful framed piece. I believe this one is a Crabapple Hill pattern

I love buttons so this is just perfect for me.



Here's a close up of the stitchery which is done in a very pretty variegated thread



Yes, there was more! This little wool acorn done in wool is adorable. I love the little stick pins.



and how about this lovely stitched pillow with the wool trim and gorgeous button



This lovely little sewing themed charm set



and some yummy chocolates that are just a happy memory now. Thank you so much Pat. You really spoiled me and I love it all :)

One of my friends had a February birthday and for her I made this kitty needle keeper which was on her wishlist.



inside is a felt heart for the needles and the dress has a pocket at each end for sewing notions. I think the pictures should be clickable if you want to see a better close up.



and of course I had to make a little bag to keep the kitty in :)





The bag is from my well loved and much used Gail
Pan Poppy's Sewing Set pattern
I've lost count of how many times I've made it now but it's a lot. I changed the stitchery to one by Bare Roots



I stitched this design by the Sampler Girl and made it into a pillow


The back


Finally this little design by the Prairie Schooler which went to another friend. It is stitched on 40 ct Flax linen using the recommended DMC threads



I've also been sewing pouches for a charity fundraiser I'm involved in but I'll save those pictures for next time.

Thanks as always for your continued visits to my blog, for your kind comments and welcome to new followers.

Happy Easter!

Margaret