Happy New Year - and another Slouchy Pouch!

 

At the end of November I took a Kawandi workshop with Kerry from Thatssewkerry .

I thoroughly enjoyed it, but found that the hand quilting made my hand and wrist a little sore, so decided to switch and to complete it on my sewing machine.

Clearly I wasn't going to get the same lovely texture as quilting it by hand (you can really see the difference - the first four rows or so around the outside are hand quilted and you can see the lovely texture in this photo), but I could still have some fun with it!

I finished applying the fabric patches using a straight stitch on the machine, then went back and filled in with a serpentine decorative stitch, and, just occasionally, a zig zag stitch.

I was really pleased with how it looked.

After letting it sit for a few days, I decided that I didn't really have a use for this exact size (about 20" square), but that I could turn it into a slouchy pouch that would be perfect for a knitting friend.

I folded it in half (right sides together), stitched 2/3 of the way down from the open end, then squashed the final 1/3 open to make a 'T' shape and 

stitched across the top of the T on each side.

Then I turned it right side out, added two buttons and button holes, and it was done!

Another Christmas present was ticked off the list!

Off to plan a New Year project now!

Wishing you all the best for 2026!

Happy Christmas!

 Wishing you all the best wishes for the festive season!

And using my latest Christmas quilt to help me do it!

Isn't it fab?  I finished it a couple of weeks ago, but now is the time for it to be lit up and revealed.  It's the first one I've ever made with fairy lights on!

Here it is without the lights being on.  It's a cute pattern isn't it? Mine was made from a kit, so I didn't even have to rummage through my scrap drawers looking for scraps that would play together.  It made it really fast to make!

Can you see that I tried to bring in different quilting textures for the tree, compared to the tub and the background?

And different again for the linear design on the star.

I forgot to take a photo after I'd added the 20 button holes for the lights (thank goodness for a semi automatic button holer - it made the process very easy).

If you want a kit, I'd really recommend it.  It even included the lights, and came packed in a clear project or pencil case.  It's from Little Patch Pockets and they sell three different colour ways - it's called 'Spruced Up'.  Worth looking at their other patterns, kits, and bits and bobs too.

Hope that you are going to have a lovely Christmas too!

Slouchy Pouch

My Miniatures Group - part of the UK Quilters Guild - enjoyed a workshop led by Karen, on a way of using the twin needle on our sewing machines and then cutting away one layer of fabric to reveal another to complete it.

It was really good fun!

This was my finished mini quilt.

However, When I thought about it, I thought that it would be just the right size to make a zip up slouchy pouch.

So I reached behind me into the zips box, pulled out something the right length and colour (having a stash of things is such a privilege, isn't it?), and quickly sewed it into place.

Perfect for what I needed!  I'm really pleased with it!
 

Small Stuff

It feels as though these should be part of my Christmas crafting - stars are a perennial favourite, aren't they? But actually they are destined to be part of a starry group quilt.

I deliberately made them so that the points won't be chopped off if the blocks need to be trimmed (as everyone knows, not all 6" blocks finish at 6", despite everyone's best intentions and use of rulers!).

Neat enough that I've not embarrassed myself with them!

My next small things were made in a workshop with Louisa Goult of SewMotion.  She led the Miniatures Group in a fun day of sewing, starting with straight edge English Paper Piecing (EPP) before moving on to curved edge EPP.  These decorations are quite small (the smallest just over 2" across) and were a lot of fun to make!  

Nice and Christmassy, I'd recommend buying some papers from her to make things super easy to make!
 

Picking up where I left off....

 Slightly awkward to try and get a flat shot of this sampler quilt, which is 60" square, so I'm sharing this one of it on the bed in DD2's room, where I think that it will stay!

I'm really pleased with how it finished.  And I really love how my colour palette has stayed the same since I was making the 'round robin' with my quilting group back in 2015 - it hangs on the wall behind the bed, and you can see how well they go together.

Blue and white is always such a fresh looking colour scheme, isn't it?

Nice to have this project wrapped up - it felt like quite a long one, in the end, for no good reason!