A couple of weeks ago I discovered a pattern for the cutest “Bunny Stuffies” on Kwoozy, a really neat etsy shop and blog. In need of a gift for my niece and a friend’s little girl, I decided to give them a whirl.
I chose to use some fleece scraps for the belly and ears which had an interesting side effect. The fleece is stretchy and when the bunnies were stuffed, they were quite chubby! I think it makes them charming and a lot of fun. Did you know that you can juggle them? My oldest saw them and fell in love. I had to promise him that I would make him one before I could get them out of the house.
As an additional present (and why I had scraps of fleece), I also made my niece a little winter hat. It’s a very simple pattern I created a couple of years ago for my boys with great success. Isn’t she the cutest?!
When faced with the dilemma of making this quilted bag into a really weird hat, or biting the bullet and just finishing it – I chose to finish it. And you can see why! 
Man, I am such a dork. Definitely not my best look ever!
But, seriously, I did finally finish the darned thing. I had a really difficult time wrestling the bag under the presser foot of my machine. With the stiffening from the timtex and the boning along the back, it was really difficult to get the lining sewn in. Attaching the handles on the sides was no picnic either.
When I put in the magnetic clasp, I could not sew completely around the outside edge of the flap, so I added a large button to cover the break in the stitching. I was planning to do this anyway to dress up the front, but I got the added benefit of covering the “blank” spot.
Here are some more photos of the bag in progress.
I am NEVER EVER EVER making this bag again.
Really.
Ever.
Amen.
After seeing a post for a little crayons and paper art pad for children, I came up with the idea for an art bag. One side would have slots for markers and the other would have slots for crayons and a pouch for miscellaneous stuff. The inside of the bag would be perfect for a couple of coloring books.
I figured it would be a fairly easy project to whip together for all the kiddies in my life who need presents. And while it is easy, the first one took a lot longer than I had anticipated since I was making up the pattern as I went along. I think the other 7 will go more quickly now that I have some of the kinks ironed out.
First I made 2 panels a couple inches bigger than the coloring book. I quilted them onto some batting and no backing. Next, I made a 5″x8″ pocket with an iron on Velcro closure. Man, I LOVE iron on Velcro!! Then I took a strip of material which, when folded in half, was a little shorter than a crayon. This I sewed along the bottom of one of the panels using a zipper foot and crayons as guides. On the back panel I did the same thing but sized it up for markers.
Next, I made some handles and sewed a lining into the bag. Turned it all right sides out, closed the turning hole in the lining, and ran a stitch around the lip of the bag to keep everything in place. Here is a shot of the finished bag.
This was a good project since it used up scraps I had left over from making pajamas for my 2 boys and batting I had trimmed off past quilts.
Now I need to make 7 more!
Today I have started working on the Madison Bag by Amy Butler. Up until the point where I turned the bag, I did not have any trouble. I do find it awkward using a 1/2″ seam allowance as opposed to the 1/4″ quilting or 5/8″ dressmaking seam allowances I am used to. The Timtex wasn’t too hard to deal with either. Note: I said that was until I turned the bag.
Once the bag was turned, the seams with the added bulk of the Timtex are really strained and stretched to their limit. I am really worried that they will be too weak to hold up to much use.
So my plan is to make sad puppy eyes at a friend of mine so I can use her serger. I have been lusting (OK whining) for one for years now, but DH keeps asking “Why do you need one? You quilt, not make clothes!” Argh! Hopefully this will give my seams the added strength I think they need and let me play with another toy!
Remember those fun pink, green and brown prints I found? Well, here are the two bags I made! Turns out that I way overbought my fabrics and that is why you are seeing 2 of everything. I figure there is always someone you forget to give a gift to at Christmas, so it is a good idea to have them on hand for a last minute gift!
A friend of mine suggested these bags would make a great hostess or housewarming gift – throw in a bottle of wine and some cheese and crackers, some chocolates, or use it to “wrap” a gift. What a sweet idea!
She also suggested I should look into opening an Etsy shop to sell these and all of the other quilted things I make – stockings, jackets, bags, table runners, place-mats, and so on. It’s a good idea, but I don’t know if I am ready to have 2 on-line store fronts. We shall see….
Last week, I took my Pfaff 1475 sewing machine to the dealer up in Williston because whenever I free-motion (and sometimes reverse) it will drop stitches. The dealer looked at it, adjusted the tension and said I needed a new bobbin case. All reasonable things since the machine is 15-18 years old, right? She tried it out and said it sews like a champ.
So I get home, all excited and decide to free-motion quilt two of the bags I am working on. Well, let me tell ya. It may sew like a champ but it is still dropping stitches!! It happens whenever I do anything in reverse. Like when I quilt in a circle, going clockwise, from 12 to 6 o’clock I am fine but from 6 to 12 it turns into a pumpkin! The bobbin does not catch the top thread so anywhere from 2-5 stitches may turn into this one massively long stitch before the bobbin starts to catch the top thread again.
Does anyone out there have a clue as to what might be wrong? I really don’t want to send it to Pfaff if it is something minor, but I will if there are no other options.
With each new bag, I have been trying little variations in the pattern. Here is the second bag, which will be an exchange gift for my husband’s work, and on it I did a smaller band across the top. I wanted to see what it would do the proportion of the bag and I think it works well. I really like the chickens that I fussy cut for the border – unifies the whole theme.
Here is a shot of the bottom. It is really cool how the points all meet up.
The third bag is the one I made for The Nanna. Yes, we do call her “The Nanna”. It somehow seems to fit – she was a WWII bride from England, has very upright posture and a formidable bosom, teaches aerobics and Tai Chi. The Nanna is in her eighties and I want to be like her when I grow up! Anyway, I think the bag will look good with her jacket I made. I will tuck some yummy soaps and scented candles I got from Whisper Hill Soaps inside for her.
And here is a final shot of all three together. Now to see if I can get another one done tonight!
TA DA! Here is the first of the quilted bags off the assembly line! I really like how it came out. Totally not to my taste, but I still think it is cute with the chickens and the cows. My favorite part is the black and white dot I threw in. It looks great with the chickens and it jazzes it all up. Usually (for me) country can be drab, but the black and white definitely makes it feel a bit more contemporary and fun.
With this one, the first step after washing the fabrics was to cut 3.5″ strips. Here they are laid out on my design wall to see what order I want to sew them in. My thought was to make the black and white dot and the chicken fabric be the focal stripes along the middle, with a fussy cut border around the top. The smaller strip of black and white between the border and the first color is a folded border about 1/2″ wide.
Next, I sewed the strips together and cut them into squares. Then I resewed the strips together offset from each row. Then the panel was quilted to some batting and Pellon deco bond. The small folded border and decorative border were added last.
Here is the bag with the sides and bottom sewn together.
Finally, here is the finished bag with the lining and handles added. Isn’t it cute?
As the point man for the local Fabric Acquisition Team (FAT for short), I have been having a ball scouring the local shops for the fabric I need to make a ton of Christmas presents. Be warned – if you are on my holiday list and are reading this post, I WILL KNOW! Your fabulous gift will somehow become my gift and Santa will bring you only socks this year!
With that settled, here is a pic of the YUMMY stuff I have been picking up. The blues and yellows are for a bag where I hope to do a bit of bobbin work in yellow on the dark blue. Having never attempted this before, I am really excited to start on this one. If anyone reading this has any tips/suggestions for bobbin work, please drop me a line. I would love to hear from you!
With lots of blue and cream scraps left over from a jacket I made The Nanna for her birthday (see photo), I thought I would make a great bag to go with it. With the two brown and turquoise fabrics, I hope to try an Amy Butler pattern. I have heard they can be a bit tricky, so we shall see. The final group of fabrics in pinks and green and brown are for another scrappy bag. I plan to use the stripe for a border around the top of the bag and the lime green will be in a band of diamond blocks around the middle.
In an effort to save on gas (and so I could excuse a day at the local quilt shops), I took my sewing machines up to be serviced. The local guy is really great – you can schedule “appointments” to have your sewing machine serviced just like taking your car to the garage! I figured with over 5,000 yds of thread used in just the week leading up to my VT Hand Crafters show, they needed a little TLC. Surprisingly, I was told that I keep up my machines very nicely but my Pfaff (over 15 years old) needed a new bobbin casing. That was music to my ears as I had originally thought it would have to be shipped to Pfaff to be overhauled there. Why anyone would ever sew with anything other than a Pfaff, I will never know!
As someone with an intolerance for MSG, it never fails to amaze me what you might find MSG in. In my head there is a running list of what I can and cannot have to eat. Every time I go out to a friend’s, go to a party, or go out to eat I have to ask “Does this have MSG in it?”. If I risk it and the food does have MSG, 2-3 hours later – BAM! I have a raging headache and am usually nauseous.
Here are some of the more common culprits:
- Canned/dry soup
- Chicken/beef broth
- Doritos and other flavored potato chips
- Stuffing
- Seasoning/spice mixes
- Chinese food
- KFC
- Gravy
- Mixed nuts
- Lunch meat
- Salad dressing
Often I wonder why food manufacturers feel it necessary to put MSG into foods in the first place. But in looking at the chemical properties of MSG, the word “addictive” explains it all.
But what is a girl to do when the craving for a Doritos or some yummy BBQ chips hits?
For several of my more favorite foods that have MSG, I have found alternatives. Many are from the Organic section at the grocery store or you could try your local food co-op or health food store. Here is a listing of some of my favorites:
Please let me know of some of your favorites. I am always looking for new MSG-free foods to try!
As an additional present (and why I had scraps of fleece), I also made my niece a little winter hat. It’s a very simple pattern I created a couple of years ago for my boys with great success. Isn’t she the cutest?!
