Sew Portable Travel Set

Although I had clear plans in mind of what I wanted to do this weekend to prep for a sewing retreat (pull fabric, download patterns, cut a bit...)  it was all thrown out the window Friday afternoon when I found this pattern: Sew Portable Travel Set by Jeni Barker.  Stop. The. Press.  

You know how it is when the perfect pattern finds you at the perfect time?  It is hard to do anything other than sew.  You see, this sewing retreat will be the first adventure for my new Singer Featherweight.  Meet Thimbelina.  She is a special girl who is up there in age, but sews like a mouse's heart.  She needs to travel in style and here was the perfect travel set for her.   I downloaded the pattern, drove home and dove into the shop's stock of Purebred.  I was only waiting for an excuse, really.  

The bag is a sturdy one, with reinforced corners, layers of batting and heavy weight (hidden) canvas and a solid wood bottom to take her weight.  The straps are belting prettied-up with coordinating strips of Purebred.  Quite straight forward, really.  This portion of the pattern was beautifully written with very clear instructions and super photos.  It was a joy to make.

Little Thimbelina fits inside perfectly with a little room to spare.  Jeni B is using her bag alone to carry her machine, but I am hoping that I can still fit the machine in her little case (to protect her in travel) and then inside the bag. The bag will offer a welcome set of handles when I really do not trust the one on the ancient case that came with her.  

Also included in the pattern is a draw string bag that perfectly fits the foot pedal and cords.  It is super.  Until now, mine have lived next to Thimbelina in the base of the case.  I have worried they will scrape the paint, but now they are safe and sound.  If you do buy this pattern, pay attention to the instructions making this bag.  Although Jeni B clearly states how to orient your directional fabrics to ensure the lining is right side up, I (being a picture girl) followed the diagram and now have upside down lining.  It is only me that will see it and I do not mind enough to rip it apart and fix it.  Just wanted to give you a heads up to follow the text and not the figure.

Finally, there are instructions to make a little quilted cover to protect the folding extension table from the metal screw on the front of the machine.   This is a wonderful solution.  I was quite jazzed when I read about it in Jeni's blog post.  

The only problem is that it does not fit my machine!  I guess Jeni's does not have a wedge support on the bottom.  With luck there was a tutorial posted today on IG to create this exact cover with a wedge/triangular side.  I will pop that on my do-do list for the retreat.  I am not sure what I will do with the little pouch I have now, though.  Pop a button hole in there and use it for the manuals?  I would need to install a zip to hold thread and bobbins.   I'll keep thinking.  

All in all it was a super pattern.  I am delighted with what I have made and can not wait to take it all with me next weekend.   I will leave you with a photo of Miss Molly, my photographic assistant.  She has just turned three and is looking all grown up to me....the little cutie.

Re-Joining Sewing World: Quick Little Purse

I am pretty sure it was 1683 when I last sewed. At least it seems that long ago.  We are through the craziness now (or we think we are!) and I think I can finally dust off my beautiful Pfaff for some quality time together.  Thank. Goodness.

For two months I have been driving around with a printed Clover Bag pattern in the back seat of my car.  There are also umbrellas, a patient leaflet on cardiac procedures, Love Patchwork and Quilting issue 19, a wool hat, a pair of knee high black boots, hexies and a travel sewing kit back there.  Anyway, I saw the pattern released on Michelle's IG feed and fell in love immediately.  I bought it, printed it and then progress came to a screeching halt.

This past weekend, though, I pulled it out of the car and brought it up to my sewing room.  Oh, the glory!  I love little hand held bags that fit just keys, a phone and my wallet for a night out.  I have about a million of them in black, one AWESOME one in green, but I wanted one in navy blue as that seems to be sneaking into my wardrobe a lot.

A lot of preparation goes into making this bag, but when you have that sorted it comes together quite quickly.  I used two Country Girls fat quarters and still have a reasonable amount left over.  I love how the fabric looks, dig the green zipper and tabs that coordinate with the lining and love the size of it.  The little pleat on the side is adorable.  The pattern is, for the most part, very clearly written with tips and tricks along the way.  The photos included in the pattern are very helpful.  The only downfall for me was inserting the top panel of the bag that holds the zip. I could understand the instructions getting the fabric one either side of the zip (that went surprisingly smoothly!) but getting that attached to the outer shell and then for the outer shell to attach to the lining was a total disaster for me.  Lots and lots of puckering and loosing sharp points (second photo, upper right corner) because you are sewing partial seams and can not see properly where corner seams lie with the fuzzy fleece.

Usually I can say that I would be better at a difficult step next time having done it this time.  I do not see how that is possible here.  It is good it's a super cute bag - I am sure there will be many in my future because of the cuteness and ease of the other steps.  Boy, though, that zip was a killer.

My Ultimate Super Tote

A massive thank you to each and every one of you who left hits, tips and suggestions on my blog post and IG feed giving me your experiences in creating a Super Tote.  With your help, I'm delighted to say I have finished my very first Super Tote and I absolutely love it.

I have been watching so many of you make Super Totes with personal touches.  I knew when the day came that I made my own I wanted to tweak the pattern to suit my use of the bag. Needless to say, my chicken scratch covered the pattern within hours of my printing it.

The pattern is wonderfully written. Very clear instruction with easy to follow diagrams.  There are lots of ways to personalize your tote included as optional extras in the pattern itself, which was a nice touch.  

I started with the two large exterior pieces of  the bag.  I knew I wanted to use the Wordfind print from Playful as the "background" on the front panel.   The handles (and gusset) are of Essex Linen Navy because I wanted them to be extra sturdy.  The handles have batting inside and are a bit wider than called for in the pattern.  They're stitched...and quilted...and reinforced by stitching Xs at their base, giving them strength and form.  I used Annie's Soft and Stable as my interfacing to make the bag...well, soft and sable.  I wanted it to hold it's own shape, but squish under an air plane seat.  I found it to be pretty easy to work with even when at some points I was stitching it two layers thick plus several layers of fabric.  Not a bother.  On one side I put a slip pocket in Architextures and a key fob.  I also hid one side of a magnetic closure between the Wordfind print and the interfacing.  On the other went a internal zip with Architextures lining on the pocket.

That was as far as I could get in one day.  The next day I returned to add pockets to the front and I realized the Wordfind was just too much pink for me on the back.  I'd have to add pockets on both sides to break it up a bit.  Onto the back, I added a half pocket that I divided into two with basic stitching down the middle.  It was a nice way to also better secure the fabric to the interfacing.  The pockets are lined and have light, fusible interfacing between the two layers.  Instead of piping (as called for in the pattern) I just did a binding of Navy Essex on the top of the pocket to finish it.

On the front there's one massive pocket in Viewfinders  that again is lined, with interfacing and a binding on top.  Between the two layers I added the other half of the magnetic closure.  Boy it's hard getting photos of pockets on a bag, isn't it?

Next came the gusset of Essex linen backed with more Annie's Soft and Stable.   I pinned, and pinned and pinned and that worked well for me.  No blood was shed.  I hear, too, that Clover clips would work here as well.  I didn't have enough to make it all the way around so I had to stick to pinning.  Now, my gusset ended up being 2 inches taller on the left and right as compared to my bag (you can kind of see it in the photo).  I don't know why that is, but it was easy enough to cut that extra bit off.  I lost a bit of the pleat, though, on either side.  Next time I'll have to make the pleat it a bit longer to be sure I keep enough of it on the bag.

For the lining, I used the Jacks print from Playful.  I used interfacing between the layers on either side of the recessed zip.  I tried to get away without it, but you guys wouldn't have it.  I'm glad you stopped me from making  a huge mistake - I love it now that it's re-done and in use.

Inside you'll see another internal zip on one side and elastic pockets on the other.  I wasn't convinced that the elastic pockets would really be used (by me) or that they're high enough in the bag for me to find them (and the stuff in them).  I decided to give them a try, though, on one side to see how it went.  We'll see if they stay in my next super tote.

I used more Wordfind (scraps now) as the pocket lining in the internal zip.

And extra wide 1 inch thick elastic on the pockets.  I wish they were lined but at this point I was just getting tired and wanted this pretty finished.  It would have been easy enough to line them, though, so if they stay in the next Super Tote I'll add that to the pattern.

I do not like how the lining is just free floating inside the bag.  It seems kind of "baggy" and unrefined.   I can imagine myself snagging it when grabbing something at the bottom of the bag and pulling the lining fully out.  I flipped the bag inside out and added tacking stitches at 4-6 spots along either side of the lining gusset.  I just tacked the lining to the Annies hoping to keep it anchored a bit.

On the top of the bag the pattern tells you to top stitch along the upper edge.  I tried, but it looked just awful.  I'm pretty bad at that in general and this bag was no exception.  I decided to add another strip of Essex binding along the top and used navy thread that was then nearly invisible to stitch it down. I like it SO much more that way than as wobbly top stitching along the edge.

All in all I am delighted with how it came together.  It will come with me on a business trip later this week so it'll have the full test.  Stuffed with EPP and knitting, passports and reservation confirmations it will be shoved under the seat in front of me and strapped to a wheelie suitcase.  I'll let you know how it goes!

My photographic assistant, Miss Molly.  She's loving the first rays of the spring sunshine during our photo shoot.

Ooops! I did it again.

It never fails.  When I am gathering up my goodies to go on a holiday or a fun weekend with friends, I suddenly realize there is something that I HAVE to make before I go.  Last trip it was the Alder Skirt.  This trip it is a (absolutely gorgeous must-have) tote bag.  How could I ever possibly live without it?  It would make everything that bit better, right?  I could bring all of my class supplies to the retreat in it.  And so I sew like a maniac to finish off a project before my flight takes off.  Why do I do it?   

I present to you my most recent obsession: the mahosive tote bag.  Ta da!

I took it out on my morning walk with Molly for a photo shoot.  

This was made using Judith's QAYG tote bag pattern.  I loved the colorful scrappy look of hers, but quickly realized I didn't have enough time (being a tote bag emergency and all) to QAYG the front and back panels.  I instead made two log cabin-esque panels for either side with Echino as the center focus, a Kona border, then Architextures (Curry) as the background fabric.  That piece of Echino has been held dearly in my stash for well over a year.  I've been waiting for the right project to use it in a large space to show it off.  This bag was the perfect project.

I will say, though, because I didn't QAYG (as the pattern clearly tells you to) my bag sides are a small bit squishy.  The bag can not stand up by itself.  I did quilt my side panels in 1/2 inch straight lines, but that's not enough to keep the sides rigid.  

As part of the pattern, there's a recessed zipper to close the top of the bag.  That's key if you're going to shove it under the seat in front of you on a flight.  This is my first recessed zip.  It's fine. It opens/closes and doesn't look awful, but now that I have made one I know my next one will be much better.  I used Dottie here and for the lining.

I wish I had a curry colored zip, but being totally unprepared for making this bag I had to run to the Galway shop to pick one up.  They only had browns, maroon and white.  White it is.

I was watching Sarah as she made her QAYG bag a few weeks ago and loved how hers came together.  She had added to the pattern two inner pockets, one slip pocket and one internal zip pocket.  In a bag this size, a zip pocket is an absolute must.  Sarah was such a huge help in giving me advice on placement, tutorials for the zip insertion, etc.  She's an absolute star.   This pocket is 8 inches wide, so I needed a rather large piece of fabric to make the pocket lining.  I wish I could have made it out of Architextures curry so that there's a piping effect along the zip and a fun surprise inside, but I had such a huge scrappy piece of the Dottie print I just had to use it.

And finally, for most trips I bring my ipad and travel docs slipped into a large external pocket.  I instead used a "scrap" of the Echino (12x12 inches) and made a slip pocket that will fit an A4 sheet of paper in a folder and my ipad.  Given that the external part of my bag isn't very rigid, the pocket does sag a big.  I will see how it goes for this upcoming weekend, but I think I may have to put a button on the top.  There's space, so that's easy to add in late.

That's my class supplies ready and my bag made.  If only I had clean clothes to pack and had the shop prepared!  Priorities, Cindy.  Focus.

All ready to go!

In the last 2012 Finish Along, hosted by Rhonda, I was lucky enough to win the give away from Clover and Violet including a bag pattern and a charm pack to use with the pattern.  It was PERFECT for me as my winning project was my Mouthy Stitches bag.  I love things that come full circle.  

I chose the Brooklyn Bag pattern (in PDF)...

And a tasty charm pack of Joel Dewberry Notting Hill prints...

They have both safely arrived in Galway now, so I am ready to get stitching.  I just need a quiet Saturday to get down to business.  Thank you so very much, Rhonda and Jennie, for such a great win.  I am absolutely thrilled!

241 Tote Pressie

Last Christmas (2011), I made a 241 tote for my SIL and my mom immediately asked for one for herself.  Just days later I picked up fabrics that I thought she might like and thought I would make one for her for Mother's Day.  Well, May came and went and the fabrics were placed back into the stash.  It would be just shameful to let another opportunity pass, so I was sure to make one for her this Christmas.

]]

Mom's 241 tote has a bold, blue floral print by Faye Burgos (Marcus Fabrics) on the exterior and in the handles, framed with Kona Lime pockets and a whimsical blue on blue printed filigree type pattern (Moda Puzzle Pieces) on the side panels.  The Kona Lime did the job, but really it would have been better with a more olive-type green.  The interior (which of course I don't have a photo!) is the same blue filigree with splashes of lime and a floral print pocket.  

Mom was so pleased when she opened her Christmas present!  It makes me giggle when folks ask for presents made by me, then are surprised to actually find it in the box.  She loves the prints and is thrilled with the size.  She tried it on and everything :)  Here's hoping she gets lots of use out of it!  Merry Christmas, Mom.

Mouthy Stitches Tote Bag: Finished!

Here it is, partner!  Will you like this tote?  I truly hope you do as I put a lot of time, effort and thought into this little guy.

As part of Mouthy Stitches, we are all making a tote bag using this tutorial.  It's a really simple, direct tute with lots of play room to personalize it as you go.  In Mouthy Stitches, we were to piece at least one side and spice it up for our partner so long as it resembled the original size/structure and remained reversible.  Want to see what I created for my partner?

I pieced this front using the Lone Starburst templates from Six White Horses.  The Chicopee fabric by Denyse Schmidt works here, I think.

I should say I didn't hang your bag on a diseased tree in the back garden.  The leaves are changing into their autumn oranges and browns.  Just in case you were wondering :)

The outer front and back were layered with batting and quilted.  The front is both hand and machine quilted to echo the star.

 

The back just has little 3 inch squares of Chicopee prints that made me happy on Essex linen.  It's quilted with little wavy lines in black thread.  Quilting wavy lines to look irregular is harder to do than you think!

The lining is Summersville with two pockets of Essex linen.  There's a little ribbon loop on the edge to hook your key fob onto.  I hate loosing my keys in the bottom of a bag and thought you might be the same, partner.

The other half of the lining is straight up Summersville.  The lining has a fusible interfacing on both sides to add to the stiffness of the bag.  It's still soft and has give, but it won't fall over as soon as you let go of the handles.

While I was out taking photos, the girls came over to see what the fuss was all about.  They were totally interested, but were not allowed to get too close!

There you go, partner.  I hope you like it!  I hope you use it often and that it holds up for you (eeek!).  I enjoyed thinking of you while I stitched away the past few weeks.

Japanese Knot Bag - WHAT!?!?!

Snap...fizzle...poof.  My hopes for two Japanese knot bags were so high...then dropped right back down to earth in record time.  Poof.

I bought this issue of Making while I was traveling over the holiday.  Look at the bags on the cover.  Don't you want one?  I do! This is my third issue of Making, after two generously passed on from Hadley as extra goodies in a swap.  I really like this magazine: lots of fun little projects, eye candy and colors to inspire.  I tend to go back 2-3 times to re-read ensuring I catch it all.  So, I thought I would actually try the cover project for this month's issue.  I wanted to make two shoulder-sized Japanese knot bags.

Bags of fun it says.  Well, who can resist?  I cut out my fabric and started stitching.  I was bold enough to cut fabric for two bags.  Ahh, my high hopes.  I'm always shocked at how much fabric it takes to make a bag and this time was no exception.    For the first bag, I chose a green apple print for the exterior and a little sunny lemon print for the lining.

Now, here is where the trouble began.  I could start piecing and get through the first page of the pattern just fine, but when I turned to the second page and read the instructions I was lost.  Some where between page 1 and page 2 I was supposed to have flipped the bag right sides together, then wrong sides together, then right sides together...but I can't find that point. So, at the top of page 2 where I should be right sides together (as in the helpful pattern photo) I was wrong sides together and stuck.

So, I did what I could to stitch together this little pathetic knot bag and called it a day.

It is kind of right, but wrong in so many ways.  But the real issue is even after a day away, I still can not figure out where I went wrong...which makes me flustered and want to walk away again.  It was supposed to be fun :(   And I hope it is....for someone else.

Wow - I've just realized this post is a real downer.  Sorry!  I have happiness to post tomorrow, honest!

I am therefore offering the worst giveaway ever.  To the first person who wants it, I am happy to send on this knot bag (that just makes me cringe with memories when I see it), the fabric I cut for a second knot bag (lovely Monaluna happiness) and the magazine pattern with templates for 2 sizes of bag.  I can not give you tips, or even a pattern that works (for me...) but I will give you a chance to make it work for yourself.  Anyone want it?

Finally! A 241 Tote!

I am WAY behind the times here, but I have finally caught up with you smart ladies!  I saw the 241 tote trend sweeping blogland 6+ months ago.  I thought they were cute, but I just did not really understand the hoop-la.  Until this little fella found his way to my home....

Do you remember him?  I was so lucky to receive this mini-241 tote as part of the Goodie Swap this past summer.  Made by Hadley of Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle, my swap partner, he was a total surprise when he arrived.  And I fell in love. Look at those googly green eyes!

I also finally "got" the 241 tote.  FINALLY!  I decided to make one for my sister-in-law, Catherine, as her Christmas present.  Sadly, the fabric didn't arrive in time, so it's going to be slightly delayed in arriving (do you see a trend in this post?).

I hope she likes it!  This is my first magnetic snap, so I'm sure she'll be well impressed :)  You should have seen me stitching the round side panels.  The pattern says to "pin liberally" and shows 5 pins.  I had 25!  That sucker was not going to move!  I'm a small bit obsessed myself, now, so you'll most likely see another in the future made for me.  

Bee Blessed November & a Christmas Goodie

If given the choice, what Christmas goodie would you make?  I thought long and hard about it.  There's so much inspiration out there!  I love the little embroidered pieces in a hoop hung by a ribbon. I am really liking the tree ornaments that I am seeing on several blogs.  Still, for my partner in the Modern Christmas Table Runner Swap, I wanted to make something that reflected my family's Christmas.  

I used this adorable (or at least I think so) Riley Blake Christmas fabric to make a little re-usable gift bag.  My family has stared making/buying fabric bags to wrap presents in as an alternative to the boxes and wrapping paper that gets tossed or recycled by noon on Christmas day.  So, for those folks that we continually exchange gifts with (parents, brother, sister-in-law) we're trying to move more to re-usable wrapping that then returns the next year and is swapped again.

So, in the spirit of a green Christmas, I made a Pink Penguin gift bag (visit her awesome tutorial).  I hope my partner likes it and puts it to good (repeated) use!

I also made a few blocks for Judith's Bee Blessed.  This month she's making quilts for elderly women, so she asked for soft, vintage log cabins.  I don't really have soft fabric, but this is at least a vintage-type print.  I am always stunned by the beautiful quilts that come from this bee. 

That's the news here at Fluffy Sheep Quilting.  No more stitching for today.  We're busy packing to move in the next two weeks, so tonight I'll be sorting through books and clothes.  What to keep?  What to give away?  What to toss.  It's really therapeutic!

Pouchy Purse

I had a hard time thinking about larger quilting projects this weekend with so many little bits to do.  Make swap mosaics twice over...check.  Try to keep track of Goodie Swap commings and goings...check.  Bottle first two cases of home brew...check.  Tidy up back yard for the fall...semi-check.  Anyway, to get a little sewing in, I tried one of the lovely Ayumi's tutorials.  Really, Selina gave me the push to get started.

Using the Pink Penguin Lunch Bag tutorial, I made this little cutie :)  I already have a lunch bag (with Hello Kitty on it to boot!), but this would be great as a little bag running to/from shops in town.  I am totally excited to take it out and about. 

The lining is made of the same peacock feather-ish fabric on the rim, but there is also a little cover to keep your secret goodies (cookies?) hidden.  

I am already scaling this up in my mind to make a larger hand bag.  For now, it makes me happy.