Party Favors Finished

Journals, pouches and key fobs.  The girls are only 8, but I saw an idea to connect the key fob to itself and use it for hair rubber bands.  

http://land.missouriquiltco.com/zipper-pouch/

http://sewscrumptious.blogspot.com/2012/09/felt-tip-pencil-roll-tutorial.html?m=1

https://www.cloverandviolet.com/2015/02/scrappy-little-planner-tutorial.html

https://beverlys.com/blogs/how-to-projects/tagged/fabric-wristlet

These were the tutorials I started with and then made several changes to to make them fit my purpose.  They were a good starting point.

Pencil roll.

Pink complete.

Green complete.

Red complete.

Purple complete.

Blue complete.

Turquoise (teal, aqua) complete.

Several hours of work.

We got our dog when she was adult, just recently got her puppy picture.  Adorable.

Party for Great-Granddaughter

My great-granddaughter is having a party for a few friends.  I'm making some favors.  Here is the first one, I still have tote bags, tissue holders and coin purses or small wallets to make.  This was the first of the 6 I made.

The second.

Three and Four.

Five and Six

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The original idea came from Sew Can She, which directed me to Clover and Violet's tutorial.  I made a change or two, but mostly used the instuctions.  I've added a link to Sew Can She's Show off Saturday.

I'm past due taking down the tree.  I'm going to miss it.

My Mini Quilt Wall (Walls)

I had to go dig in the garage for Easter things to find this one.  It was the only one that I had done before, and it was probably 15 or more years ago.  I figured I could probably handle eggs.  This one is mostly hand quilted, and was when I was using polyester batting.  It is nice and soft.

Here's the long view coming in from the foyer.  It is through my sewing room, as the living room part of the living room dining room combination is now my sewing room.  I sure do hate people coming into my often messy and always cluttered sewing room, but I do feel fortunate to have one.
These are mostly from SewCanShe's year long mini wall quilt sew along, although the bookshelf is from Don't Call Me Betsy, and the one on the top left of the china cabinet was because I needed 1 more for that spot.

One wall didn't seem like enough, as you can see, it takes the corner.  After Christmas, I feel like most of us are looking forward to spring, so I tried to use my spring and then summery mini quilts.

Then, back into fall.  

A little better view of fall, the little one was my bonus quilt.  Thank you to SewCanShe for a fun quilt-a-long, and to Don't Call Me Betsy for sharing her bookshelf mini.  I'm a sucker for the $.98 salt and peppers from Cracker Barrel, and the cross stitch is one I did many years ago for my side of the family.  There's a bigger one for my husband's side, there were 5 kids in his family and only 3 in ours.  
PS  I know this might be way too busy for many people's taste, and they may end up that way for me, but I figure that I put them up with the Command Damage-Free Hanging things, so if I get tired of them, I can always take them down easily, unless Command Brand lied.

Dog, Sewing and Comparison Shopping

Our dog broke 4 toes crashing into something in the kitchen.  Her cast is in the Christmas spirit, but it's a waste as I keep it covered with a stocking all the time.  

She is in the Christmas spirit, also.  As soon as I put up the tree she plopped onto the tree skirt.  I guess she thought it was there for her comfort.

Every time I think I'm finished with sewing until after Christmas, I think of something else to do.  These are pillowcases for a grandson and his girlfriend.

I'm also gearing up to hang my mini quilts and am thinking of my dining room.  I thought 2 little ones above the china cabinet would be nice and I remembered that I have some of the little bonus half square triangles, so I whipped up this one after I finished the pillowcases.  It definitely qualifies for the galloping horse scenario.  Nobody in our family is tall enough to be able to see comfortably over the china cabinet, so it should be ok.

This is more the size I had in mind, tiny, but it should be ok.  

I make the pressing spray that uses the cheap vodka and I had run out so have been trying to find some liquid starch.  I had Amazon as a last resort, but decided to try Walmart first (hence the pillowcase material).  Sometimes Amazon has great prices, but sometimes not so much.  I got the exact same starch today for a little under $3.00, and as you can see over 11 dollars was about the best at Amazon.  In case anyone wants the recipe, it's 2 cups distilled water, 1/3 cup liquid starch, 2 ounces vodka, and  6 - 12 drops essential oil, then just shake.  

Misc. Sewing, Can’t Seem to Stop

I dropped in to my local quilt shop, and made a couple of purchases.  One was fabric for a cute little quilt, and this was the other.  It was 2 kits to make 1 hot pad each, but I had the ingredients at home to make it into 2 each, so here they are.  

I added my own backs, I think the little ladybugs are cute.

Then, I got in the purse mood, so I made this bag and gave it to my daughter.

The back of my daughter's bag.

And the next day I decided to make one for me.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture until it was already stuffed to the gills.  

After seeing this picture, I decided to remove more stuff.  I had already pruned it pretty well from the giant purse that I've been carrying.  It was so big and heavy that lots of times I only took my cell phone with an ID and a couple of cards and my keys with me when I'd leave.  Here's the link to shecansew. 

Sixteen Patches

I've always liked 16 patches, so yesterday when I started out with one plan for 4 patches, I ditched it and decided to do 16 patches instead.  I'm doing 3 kinds just to make it more fun.  This is one and I hope to make enough possibly for a queen sized bed.  I also would hope not to duplicate any fabrics.

Totally scrappy is type 2, and I have 25 of them made (made them yesterday).   I'm thinking probably a large lap quilt with these, in combination with another block.

These still need work obviously, but they will be 25 of the third kind.  All will be one fabric combined with white.  

These are some of the 16 patch block quilts that I've done.  They are quick and easy and I will have my little stockpile for things that come up.  I say that with not  a lot of faith that things will come up.  I've done many quilts for many people, many of whom could probably care less, and I'm about running out of people.  I know there are also comfort quilts, but I wonder how many of the recipients of those would be just as happy with cash, or something more like food, for instance.  I don't have a large stash, and I'm thinking maybe I should just use it up as much as possible, and see how I feel about it later.  It's all up in the air, and a mystery of me, which is ok as I am also probably the only reader of my blog, other that occasional passerby's.  

I think I still have enough 2 1/2 inch squares to work with.  I did these a few years ago when I was making my Throwing up Scraps (better known as Scrap Vomit)

One More Table Runner QAYG

I decided to make 1 more table runner for a member of our family.  It has to be quick, so it's quilt as you go.  The stars were an afterthought.

The back is reversible, it really isn't wavy like this.  I didn't try for precision, I used leftovers as is.  I thought that I was done until after Christmas, but I decided on one more quilt, too.  I have 2 girls quilt tops finished, I will have to figure out how to make one bigger and get to work.