More little sewn things

Another few minutes of machine sewing!

Take eight pieces of fabric (mine were 5" x 7" - four plain, four print), some thread, some time, two hair elastics, two buttons and these instructions from Listen to the Birds Sing, and you too could make two little 'tea wallets' in a matter of minutes, with the very straightforward tutorial.

Of course, I'd no sooner made them than I was already thinking of other ways that they could be used.  Not for me four fancy tea bags, oh no!  I have visions of needles and pins through one of the bottom pockets, three of those flat cardboard thread spool shaped thingys (I'm sure that someone knows the name of what I'm trying to describe!) with some lovely threads, and a piece of fabric folded into the last pocket.  All I'd need is a thread cutter gadget (or a dental floss box, or some tiny thread snips or scissors) and I'd have a handbag sized portable sewing project kit). 

Or some sewing cotton, some paper hexies and some fabric squares, all ready for basting and sewing them together.

Or I could sew one of the pockets into tubes for small coloured pencils, stick a little pad in another pocket, and have a portable quilt design kit.

So many ideas!  I may just have to sit down and make a few more.  I can see them being popular with small people who will probably have as many ideas as I have, and even more requirements for specific sized pockets for Play mobil / jewellery / cosmetics / favourite pebbles........  I'd better get very good at that 1/8th of an inch top stitching, and stock up with hair bobbles!

Tiddly Bits

Do you remember that I made a 'fabric' background a few weeks (or was it months?) ago?

It was felt / fusible / scraps, which I sliced into six pieces so that I could hand sew using thread 'scraps' as mindless sewing.

I've finally finished them!  They are now ready to be used as card 'toppers' whenever I need them. 

Time to devise some more mindless and portable sewing, ready for a summer of sitting somewhere whilst the girls race around!

 I have also been working on my Love Entwined (but haven't taken any pics yet) - it's been a week for hand sewing!

Although I thought that I'd hand sew these applique cards, in the end I ran out of 'hand power' so got the machine to help.  They aren't the most complex of cards, but I enjoyed making them.

 Do you recognise the birds from the spring time ornaments I was making?  I can see that I might use these for more cards, although I should try and get a bit more imaginative with the background stitching!

So no big projects, all tiddly bits of this and that.  Enough to keep me ticking over whilst I plan other quilts in my head, and plan to set time aside for a bit of C&G work too.

Book-ings now being taken!

 With the season of school leaving / teacher thank you gifts fast approaching (or at least, it certainly feels that way!) I am DELIGHTED to tell you that I have finally found a book cover finish that I am really pleased with.

Of course, a good blogger would have it all neatly detailed with splendid photos and a concise yet clear set of instructions.

Of course, a good blogger may not have her brain fried by the delights of the Easter Holidays (!).  The fact that I have anything to show at all is remarkable!

However, as I plan to make more of these covers, I will, at some point, try and make an illustrated tutorial.

I know, of course that this will just give you all a chance to say to yourselves "Didn't she know this before?" when you see how simple it is, but  I've been living life in the slow lane and this is my own personal revelation.

If I say 'turn through method, but remember to add the extra sleeve pieces before you sew around it' most of you will be able to work out exactly what I mean without any fancy tutorial.  That's the joy of like minded people congregating on the internet!

So I shall leave you with these (not brilliant) photos of the book cover that I have made (in real life I'd be making you admire the FMQ carefully stitched around each element of the logo.....) and go off to continue celebrating the tidy finish on it!

Late Finish for March Quilt

I'm trying to keep up with my 'quilts from stash' one a month idea.

This is slightly late, I admit, but is now finished. The flimsy was made in March, but it's taken until now in April to get it finished.

It's a little less than 60" square - so quite big blocks - but all made without purchasing anything extra.

The quilting is a large stipple with occasional flowers dotted along the stipple lines.  I like how fast meandering is for quilting - it took less than an hour and a half to quilt this.  I tend to add small motifs when I want a bit more interest.  As I was quilting with white thread the flowers are mainly on the darker fabric.

I was pleased that I managed to remember to get the stripes in the darker fabric to march neatly across - I'm not great at using directional fabric, so it was great to actually think about the directions before I sewed everything together!  Perhaps my years of quilting are finally starting to pay off!

Apologies!

Apologies to anyone who'd prefer not to have to use 'word verification' when leaving a comment, but spam levels have become frustratingly high, so I've decided to add the verification.

I do hope this doesn't dissuade anyone (real!) from leaving a comment in the future!

Who's the prawn singing to?

I have to confess that 'Who's the prawn singing to?' wasn't what I was expecting to hear when I made a little exuberant quilted piece.  I was thinking that it was abstract swirls and curves and lovely bright colours to celebrate life whilst we still can!

However, stepping back from the glorious spring feeling, I can understand the question, although I don't have an answer to it!

Of course, I can't actually blame that question for not getting this project (destined to be a book cover, I've decided - it's roughly A4) finished.  Sigh.  Another UFO for the moment.

On a happier note I did manage to both start and finish this (18") cushion cover yesterday.  A teacher will be getting married during the Easter hols.  As she has managed to cope with both my girls during their progression through the school and still takes them at singing club, I thought that we should show some appreciation with a cushion that combined her initial, that of her fiancé, and their shared love of music.  Hope that she likes it!

Both pieces use a very pale blue Madeira thread on Kona snow for the background - this could be a new love for me!

However, I'm very aware that I only have part of one reel of it, and I'm not entirely sure that it would be enough to quilt the disappearing nine patch which is next on my quilting list (it's backed and basted, but didn't get any further than that) so I will probably have to leave it for another quilt or two.

Hope that spring has sprung wherever you are!