Fabric Addiction

I was just over at Liz's blog    http://liz-moments.blogspot.de/2012/07/just-for-record.html  reading about her fabric addiction when hubby came home with this big plastic bag in his hand.

It's hard to judge how big it is but take my word for it, it's big. If I stand next to it the top of the handles come to my hips. Anyway have you guessed what's inside????

Were you right?

Yes, loads of upholstery fabric remnants.

This one the flowers are in a black velvet on a linen effect background.

There were even a few pieces of pleather mixed in with it and best of all they are all free. So here I am sitting at home refusing to venture out into the town knowing I will head straight for the fabric store, now thanks to hubby my craving for more fabric has gone, for a short while at least. Only problem now is I want to make a bag rather than finish some more UFO's. Decisions, decisions.

~ Maria ~

Another Finish

Finally finished another project started too long ago and left on the pile. My daughter had chosen this fabric to make cushions to put on the bed and I used the scraps for making a small table topper.
Not the usual quilting cottons. This fabric was satin and because satin tends to fray quite a bit I used this tutorial.

http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2012/03/stamp-collection-making-the-block-.html#more

Once the squares were cut out I just arranged them onto fusible interfacing and ironed them on. Then it was easy to sew them all up.

Another reason for using the interfacing was because no matter how even you cut your pieces, satin moves around a lot so this method helped them keep their shape. I was stuck on how to quilt it and what colour thread to use so opted for a clear nylon thread. In the center where the fabric is patterned it was difficult to see where I was going but over all I'm pretty pleased with it.

Now this one's finished it's time to move on to the next UFO.

~ Maria ~

Another Finished Dresden Plate Table Topper

Finally finished the last of my Dresden Plate table toppers.

The UFO pile is slowly but surely getting smaller. The next project to finish will be a satin table topper I made from tiny satin fabric squares. It just needs backing and quilting. Not sure how I'm going to quilt it but I had better decide soon or else it will just get left even longer. This one was started about 3 years ago. LOLLLL Guess there's a message in there somewhere telling me not to ever attempt a bed quilt. LOL

~ Maria ~

New Look Blog

Finally I think I have my blog looking more the way I want it to look. It's been a learning process since I started this blog. The hardest part was getting the header just the way I wanted it. On my usual rounds of checking out blogs I happened to come across Christine's blog.

 http://projectsaroundthehouse.blogspot.de/2012/05/how-to-make-blog-header-in-picmonkey.html

This is where I found her wonderful tutorial for making a blog header with PicMonkey. 

http://www.picmonkey.com/

I had tried it before without success but with Christine's excellent tutorial I had no problem this time. Thanks Christine. I'm really happy with the way my blog looks now. What does everyone else think? I'd love to hear your comments.

Thanks for stopping by

~ Maria ~

Table Toppers

I've been trying to catch up on some UFO's but haven't been very successful. Just can't get into the mood. Guess it's the heat.
This first table topper I made so long ago I can't even remember how long. It was my first attempt at hexies and with the help of my dear friend Naomi over at  http://beeshebags.blogspot.de/ I made this small table topper.

This second one again was from ages ago. One of my first attempts a crazy patch quilting. The fabrics are home deco and cotton polyester. All are scraps from clothing or curtains. Some are over 20 years old. Now you can see what a hoarder I am. LOLLL. I managed to finally put the fleece and backing on it and quilt it. Finished putting the binding on this morning.
Not really sure if I like it or not.

Still have more UFO's to finish before I start on a new project. Hopefully tomorrow will be in the mood to finish my other Dresden Plate table topper.
Thanks for stopping by.

~ Maria ~

Organizing

After making a complete mess of my sewing room I just couldn't think with all the mess around me so decided it was time to tidy up a bit. Shame I didn't take some before photos, they would have made you feel so much better. LOLLL
First was my fabric stash that I have on shelves. It was a mess so that was the first thing. I have mostly home deco and upholstery fabric in my stash with just some cottons I use for quilting. I usually buy those as I need them.

There is still room for improvement but need to buy some more shelving.
Then came the turn of the pleather remnants that hubby is constantly bringing in for me from the upholsters. These are pieces left over from re-covered sofas. They were on a pile on my sewing room floor so it was time to think of how to store them. I don't like folding pleather because it leaves a fold mark so came up with this idea.

As you can see they are just rolled up and tied to some white garden mesh I happened to have lying around. The smaller pieces are rolled up and put in a plastic container. You can see them in the first photo.

Lastly was a design board. I wanted a really big one but didn't have anything on hand to make one so used an old wardrobe door which I covered in fleece. It's fine for the moment but I would love a much bigger one sometime in the near future. As you can see it's already covered with projects.

Still more jobs to do but just need more time. If anyone has worked out how to fit 48 hours into 24 I'd love to hear from you. LOLLL

~ Maria ~

Natures Beauty

After three days of constant rain

 I woke up this morning to find the most beautiful flower had come to bloom in my garden. Last year was the first time it flowered and only had two. So far this year it has one and another just coming up. They don't seem to last very long which is unfortunate because the colour is magnificent.

Hope they're not going to be dinner for this little fellow. LOLL

The rain finally stopped this afternoon and I'm hoping it will stay cool for a while longer.

Of course the draw back is the weeds seem to grow quicker than the flowers so that could keep me away from my sewing in the next few days.

~ Maria ~

Another K.I.S.S clutch completed

Finally finished my third K.I.S.S Clutch. I've really enjoyed making this clutch. Quick and easy to make. I've used Home Deco fabrics on all of them so I think my fourth one will have to be in cottons. No flower on this one. I wanted to keep it simple.

If you'd like to make one go over to Christine's blog and take a look at hers

http://blog.chriswdesigns.com/2012/06/introducing-kiss.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ChriswDesigns+%28ChrisW+Designs%29

Christine has used beautiful floral fabrics in bright and cheery colours. The choices are endless. I've even considered making one in pleather. Don't know if it would work but I think I'll give it a try.

~ Maria ~

Winner of the Bow Pleats Bag Pattern

Hi
Today is the day a winner is chosen for Bow Pleats Bag Pattern by Samantha

http://handmadebymrsh.blogspot.de/2012/06/completed-bow-pleats.html

Thanks Samantha for having me as your bag tester and for offering your pattern as a giveaway. I've had fun making the pattern and doing the giveaway. It's also been exciting finding out who the winner will be.

Ok I won't keep you in suspense any longer. The winner is comment #2 chosen by random.org

Debbie H congratulations.

I'll forward your email addy to Samantha so she can send the pattern on to you.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by and leaving a comment and taking part. Hope you'll all stop by more often. It's great getting to know knew people.
Don't forget you can visit Samantha's etsy shop if you'd like to buy the pattern and you'll get a 15% discount with the code  BOWPLEAT15

https://www.etsy.com/listing/102466194/the-bow-pleat-handbag-purse-bag-pdf

Thanks again to everyone.

~ Maria ~

HST Blocks

I was feeling like giving the bag making a rest for a bit and decided to buy some fabrics to match up with some of my stash and make some blocks. Sounds easy enough but not for me. Choosing fabrics is so difficult. I just can't visualize how it will look when sewn up. Then there was the problem of which block to make. I haven't done a lot of quilting in the past so anything I tried would have been pretty new to me. After many hours of searching I decided on some HST blocks. I made three and then got fed up and moved on to some UFO's. More about those in a while.

Here are my fabric choices.

There was white also which isn't in the photo and here is what I made with some of the fabrics.

Each block measures 12" x 12" and was thinking of making a quilt for my bed but I know that is just not going to happen. My attention span is too short so I may have to settle for a table runner. LOLLL I don't know where I'll go from here so they'll get put to one side for the moment while I finish off some other projects. I'm sure something will come to me eventually just like the Dresden plate blocks I made back in November 2011. LOLLL Yes it took me that long to figure it out. LOLLL

These are the blocks I made back then using scraps I had.

Sorry about the quality of the photos. Back then I had to use my cell phone because I didn't have the nice camera I have now.

Well finally today I took the first block and made a table topper with it.

I took this photo this evening so it could be better. Tomorrow I want to tackle the other Dresden block then I'll take photos in natural light. Hopefully they'll come out better.

This is the fabric I used for the back

And lastly today we had rain YAYYYYYY!!! after some very hot and humid days. Unfortunately it won't last long so I'm enjoying it for the moment. Seems like I'm not the only one. I caught a shot of the dove that belongs to our neighbour, he was giving himself a nice clean. Made me want to run out into the garden with my soap and shampoo. LOLLLLL

One more picture. This was taken from my daughters bedroom.

Aren't they just beautiful.

~ Maria ~

Bow Pleats Bag Pattern Giveaway

Hi
I'm back to give you details of the giveaway but first I want to say thanks to Samantha at

http://handmadebymrsh.blogspot.de/2012/06/completed-bow-pleats.html

for having me as one of her bag testers.

This was a fun bag to make. Not difficult and you can change it to suit your needs. Maybe extra pockets or put in a zipper closure like I did. The pattern has a magnetic button closure. It's up to you. I chose a normal strap but in the pattern you can choose to do an adjustable strap if you wish.
If you want to put a zipper closure into your bag opening like I did you can use this tutorial

http://sweetbeebuzzings.blogspot.de/2011/06/make-it-with-me-wavy-top-tote-part.html

 I find it's the easiest for me to do and can be used on most bags.

 Please NOTE that Samanthas bag pattern does NOT give instructions for the insertion of a zipper like mine.

Here is my Bow Pleats Bag.

I used home deco fabrics for mine which helped to make it stiffer. If you go to the link at the top of this post you will be able to see the bags that Samantha made. Really cute. You get a really different look with different fabrics so can be used during the day or for an evening out.

Ok about the give away. Starting from today all you have to do is leave a comment here, anything you like, I don't want to make it difficult for you.LOLLL

 On  SUNDAY 1st JULY  I will pick a winner using Random Organizer. Check back here after that date to see if you are the lucky winner. I will pass on your name and email to Samantha and she will send you your free pattern. In the meantime if you can't wait to see if you are the winner you can visit Samanthas Etsy at this link

https://www.etsy.com/listing/102466194/the-bow-pleat-handbag-purse-bag-pdf


and she is offering a 15% discount to all my lovely followers and readers, all you need is this code: BOWPLEAT15 to get your discount.

Best of luck to all of you and looking forward to your comments.

**Nearly forgot make sure you leave your NAME and EMAIL if you are on no reply otherwise you may miss out. Some of you also haven't enabled your profile so I can't get in touch with you if you should win.**

Thanks

~ Maria ~

A Giveaway

I'm really excited to post about a giveaway. It's a bag pattern that I tested out recently. No you haven't seen it yet because I haven't posted photos of it but those will come soon.
My computer died on me the day before yesterday and am waiting for it to be fixed. I think I may have lost some files but hopefully the most important ones will be saved, my bag pattern files. LOLLL. I'm using my son's computer at the moment which he set up for me in my sewing room. Thanks son, shame he's not into bag making. Not a bag file in sight LOLLL, Ummmmmm maybe I should start a special bag file for him. LOLL
 As soon as I get my computer back I'll post more details about the giveaway and also photos of the test bag. For the moment though I'll keep you in suspense a little longer.
Keep checking back so you don't miss out.

~ Maria ~

The K.I.S.S Clutch

Hi
I'm sure you're wondering what on earth is a K.I.S.S clutch. Well it's a new design by ChrisW Design that I had the pleasure of testing. K.I.S.S is the acronym for 'Keep It Simple, Silly' and was chosen by Monica, another tester. We had fun choosing names.
Here's my version of the K.I.S.S clutch.
I chose to do mine in Home Deco fabrics. I added a flower, that I made, to my clutch because I didn't have the metal ring that was the right size and it changed the look of the clutch completely which just goes to show how you can vary patterns to give them a completely different look.
The pattern is really easy. Possibly good for a beginner.
Ok here it is.

My first one.

This is my second one. On this one I did FMQ ( free motion quilting)

 

 

I've still to finish my third one but will post photos as soon as I'm finished. Take a look at Christine's clutch's and see how the different uses of fabric can change the look. Hers are really fun. 

Here's the link where you can see them and maybe even buy a pattern. Although it's a simple one the pattern is still as detailed as her more difficult ones so anyone could make this one.

http://blog.chriswdesigns.com/2012/06/introducing-kiss.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ChriswDesigns+%28ChrisW+Designs%29

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Maria ~

To wash or not to wash. To iron or not to iron, that is the question.

I've seen this question asked so many times. I never bothered in the past. It's so nice to make a bag when the fabric is still new from the shop and hasn't been washed BUT there can be problems with some fabrics.

I soon discovered that when using fabrics other than quilting cottons it's a good idea to do both.
About a month ago I purchased some Home Deco fabrics which I promptly washed but forgot to iron. Today I took one of those pieces of fabric to make a clutch cut it out and proceeded to iron it before adding my fusible interfacing and look what happened.

Yes it shrunk. LOLLLL
After ironing the whole piece it ended up smaller than the original one in the photo below.

I had to scrap the lot and go iron my fabric before cutting out the pieces again. So my advice is wash and iron any fabric that you suspect doesn't have much cotton in it. There is nothing worse than making up a nice bag and then have it shrink when you wash it.
I'll post photos of my clutch that I made with this fabric in the next couple of days.

~ Maria ~

Harvest Time

Ok this post has nothing what so ever to do with sewing but I was so excited this morning I had to post about it.
Back on 26th April after my Bella Bag post I showed you a photo of my runner bean seedlings. They had just sprouted in pots. Well I planted  them out into the garden and they grew and grew until finally I had my first crop three days ago. Every morning I find more to pick. I also planted cucumbers and for some reason they decided to flower like crazy but produced no cucumbers. Well this morning I found one ready for picking and four others hiding in the foliage which should be ready in a couple of days.

Ok, I know it's not exactly enough to be self sufficient but it's a fun hobby when I'm not sewing and I can tell you there's no better taste than beans picked from your own garden that have not been sprayed with anything artificial.

~ Maria ~

The Eve Clutch

Remember the black clutch with the gray gathered panel in the center I tested for Christine. Well I've just seen photos posted on her blog of the one clutch made up in three different fabrics that she's made. One of them has even been made without the gathered center panel.  Amazing how one clutch could have so many different looks.
Here's the link. Take a look they are gorgeous.

http://blog.chriswdesigns.com/

~ Maria ~