Quilt is nearing completion.....and some other bits n bobs.

I decided not to post every time I finished a block because if it were me reading my blog Id find that as boring as watching paint dry so I decided to hold off until the quilt top was almost finished.  Well, it finally is.  Yay!   There is still a row of borders to go on and another row of sashing then its done!  Ive really enjoyed making it and am looking forward to my patchwork class on Tuesday as Ill be finishing it then!  Cant wait to see it done so I can start on the next one which I think is going to be a playmat/quilt for the bubba.

Ive been sewing all weekend which has been really great as Im suffering from major back and hip pain and rarely get a break from it but this weekend its been OK so Ive taken the opportunity to hide in my craft room!!  My friends little girl Kayla absolutely loves Minnie Mouse so I decided to make a little tote bag for her with her name on it.  Pretty cute huh!!  I cut the Mickey template out and applied it using Bondaweb and made the bow using my little bowmaker I bought on ebay for a quid!  (Its just a bit of wood with holes in but it works great!)  The name was applied with heat transfer vinyl cut using my Silhouette machine.

Also made some cushions for my back lounge.  Ill be honest and say Im not that big a fan of Amy Butler but Ive loved this fabric (Paradise Garden) since I made a bag for my friend with it.  I used Full Moon Polka Dot on the reverse but stupid me did envelope back rather than hidden zips.  Someone on MSE suggested I put buttons on to make them look better on the reverse so I can use them either side so I think Im going to do that.  I love the splash of colour they give my room.  x

Hope you are all well.  Ill hopefully be posting piccies of a finished quilt next week!!

Love
Pootle xxx

A few projects and a few thank you's!

As you will know the thing I love to make most is bags.  So here is another one.  I put this on Folksy the other day and it sold in a matter of minutes.  One of my friends saw the link via my Facebook Page  and bought it straight away which I was really pleased about.

She asked me to make a few other bits n pieces so also made this matching make up bag for her too using the pink scotty dog stuff.  Ive almost managed to master the fabric zip ends thing to stop the corners from going really chunky but it goes wrong sometimes.  If anyone has any tips on this please could you let me know.  I find the only way I can do it properly is to actually chop the zip off where the fabric ends start but Im not sure thats how its meant to be done!

Ive also been making some bookmarks. Just basic ones, nothing fancy (as you can see. lol)  My niece who is 8 is obsessed with reading.  She went through a major Harry Potter phase recently but its now reading Jacqueline Wilson books so I made her this bookmark which has her name on the other side.

Lisa over at Kandipandis Pad blogged about a crossstiched bookmark she had made a few weeks ago which said "F**k off Im reading."  I thought was hilarious so I adapted the wording a bit and made one for myself using some fabric scraps I had.  

On a non sewing related note, I was lucky enough to win The Krafty Cupcakes giveaway a few weeks ago and have to say that I actually squealed when I opened the parcel!   It was full of the most gorgeous individually wrapped parcels with lovely gift tags and pretty blue tissue paper.  I spent over an hour carefully opening each one and oo-ing and ah-ing over the content!  It contained (to name but a few)  the most lovely things including felt, an adorable scented cupcake keyring, fabric, sweeties, a gorgeous candle, a beautiful box of pins and 2 boxes of cupcake toppers which are made to perfection.   So I wanted to say a huge thank you again to the Sue over at The Krafty Cupcake  for having such a wonderful giveaway and sending me so much lovely stuff.

I also wanted to mention Becca over at Fancy Vintage China who sent me some lovely Juicy Lucy notelets and message cards.  They are really cute so thank you again too Becca.

Im working on a few other bits and pieces just now but am not sewing anywhere near as much as I should be so Ive decided to look for a part time job.  I thought when I gave up work that I would spend most days sewing but that isn't the case.    I was going to wait until January till I started looking but as I am finding myself tuning into Jeremy Kyle on far too regular a basis,  I feel it only appropriate that I get my arse off the sofa and do something useful!

Till next time..

Pootle. xxx

New Amy Butler Fabric Pleated Bag

I love this Amy Butler fabric so when I saw it I just had to get it.  The bag has 4 internal pockets, a magnetic closure and the lining is made with the sunspots fabric the same as the handles.  I really love this one.    I was going to put it on Folksy but my good friend Sandra loved it so much I couldnt resist giving her it.  Needless to say it was well received!

On a non sewing related note we have bought another house - yay!  We move in in about 5 weeks and I cannot wait.  Its in the country and I can have a craft room!

Hope you are all well.   Dont forget to enter my giveaway if you havent already!  x 

Another pleated bag!!

Finally got round to making a bag for my sister today with my Michael Miller Flower Shower fabric (which I love!) Its got a few little bits that Im not overly happy with as I struggled topstitching because the fabric I used for the top band was so thick (only snapped one needle!!) Overall its not too bad though. Hope she likes it. - PootleFlump. x

My first attempt with Oilcloth....

Id heard that it could be quite difficult to sew with and whoever said so was right!! I lined it with oilcloth too which I think made it even harder for myself!

Im quite pleased with end result (have still to top stitch) but reckon the next one will be much easier as I just ordered a teflon foot. I used masking tape under my normal foot (thanks for the tip Kandi) which did make it much easier but I still struggled a bit. Have to say I love the Radley style dogs.

-PootleFlump. xxx

Pleated Lined Bag

My bag obsession continues. I made this one today and I love it! My sister wanted one like this so I thought I would try it out first before I use my beloved Michael Miller fabric just incase I made any major mistakes. Ive never done pleats before so was a bit unsure at first but I got the hang of it after a few attempts. I still have to top stitch it as I ran out of thread but overall am really pleased that I managed it.

Its got a few pockets inside too as you can see. I made some piping to use with it too but decided against it as the fabric is quite "busy" anyway. Here is the brilliant tutorial I used to make it. I love the fabric in the tutorial as well but its not available in the UK unfortunately.

Well that was my Crafty Sunday project. Now Im off to make book bags with my new oilcloth!!

- PootleFlump xxx

Another bag....

I previously posted photos of some Japanese silk that I bought a few weeks ago and I have finally got round to doing something with it!!! I made a summer bag for taking with me for my holidays in a few weeks (hopefully going somewhere hot.) I love the fabric but have to say it was a nightmare to work with as it kept fraying despite me zig zag stiching it. There are a few bits that could be better but overall am quite please with it. (I need to go and hoover up all my mess now!!) - Pootle Flump xx

Childrens/Mini Messenger Bag revisited.....

Finally got time to put the boyband logo on my mini messenger bag so its now finished! I think my niece is going to love it! Still hunting around for some pin badges to put on the handle but havent found any yet....x

Edit: Above is my darling beautiful niece, Amy, modelling it on our way to see JLS in concert. xxx

Childrens/Mini Messenger Bag

Havent been sewing for a few months as started a new job recently but decided that I need to get back into it as I really enjoy it so I made a mini messenger bag this morning for my 7 year old niece Amy. (Tutorial here - I reduced the sizes a bit so it was the right size for her.) Its quite plain just now but I still think its mega cute!! Put a couple of pockets on the inside and a magnetic closure so she doesnt lose anything! Im going to add a JLS boyband logo on the front (as requested by her) and maybe put some pin badges round the handle. Let me know what you think! Ill post another piccie once its completely finished.

-Pootle Flump

x

Make Up Bag

Had loads of fabric swatches lying around so I cut them all into small squares, stitched together randomly and made a make up bag. Its quite big so I can fit all my junk in it!!

Sewing Bag

Needed a really big bag to take all my sewing stuff back and forward to my classes so made this per the Hooked on Needles tutorial (although without pockets or all the fancy stuff!!) The material looks a bit garish in the pictures but its not a bright as it looks (although it is colourful!). The background colour is dark brown and the shiny lining is a really dark burnt orange. I really like it!!

Toilet Bag

Made this toilet bag from some new fabric I bought. Used a cheap shower curtain as lining (thanks to tips from the girls at MSE!)

Tutorial for toilet bag here.

Shopping Bag for My Mum

My Mum wanted a bag for grocery shopping so I made her this with some of the fabric stash she gave me.

Shopping Bag

This was just a simple bag I made with some teatowels I got from the pound shop.