WIP's and another UFO

It's early Wednesday morning, I'm enjoying my first cuppa of the day and listening to the birds' chirping (before the traffic sets in). 

It's time to update what I've been up to since I counted UFO's! :) You can see that post here I forgot to add one UFO though, the updated list is posted below. 

My creative mess this past Sunday! 

I've been working on so many things I've almost lost count

Close to my heart are mug rugs. They are easy and fast to make. I've had Loralie's 'On the mend' panel for ages and decided it's time to turn it into mug rugs. These are ready to be quilted.

Ran out of a yellow fabric for a couple of Easter table runners. More is on the way, not expected until beginning of February. Are you able to spot the pattern in the tray? It resembles 'orange peel' quilt pattern! The latter has been - still is - on my bucket list. :) Has any of you ever made an orange peel quilt? 

I've made a few Easter table toppers, hand sewing the binding is on the to-do list this week. The black one is one of my many UFO's; the Advent Calendar, almost done! 

I haven't bought a quilting book since as long as I can remember, but when I saw this one, I couldn't resist! It has some really cute pillow patterns. If I make any of them? Time will show! :) 

Updated UFO list #2. I've added #18, which I posted here

I'm currently working on #10; FMQuilting. It's almost done; a little bit quilting left to do and then the binding. 

NNC Friendship Bag Swap

I have said it before - and I say it again; NNC is never boring!

There are always different swaps going on and I was participating in a 'Friendship Bag' swap earlier this year. I received the cutest bag and goodies from Sally in Malaysia!
The requirement was to make a bag and stuff it with goodies - anything a crafty person needs. I also received a cross-stitching book with very  cute designs, ribbons, buttons and labels.
Meet Sally at Etsy too.

Cross-stitching book and goodies

... and here's my bag to Sally, accompanied by matching pin cushion and needle book

.... and here are the 'stuffings'; fabric, felt, buttons, needles and sewing thread.

And yes... Sally loves owls, hence the fabric! :)

Sally, THANK YOU so very much! I love the bag, it's so cute!  

A big THANK YOU to headmistress MW for organizing the swap!

Bag making goes slow

As you can see from the heading, making bags go very slow. Not so strange; I am a 'bag-making-newbie'!

A couple of weeks ago I bought two craft magazines from one of the supermarkets; Homespun and Sabrina Patchwork; Sacs. We never get the latest issue of foreign magazines until approx 3 months after they are published. The 'latest' Homespun in the shelves here is #93/Vol 12.2, while the latest issue is #12.6! That doesn't really matter! What matters is what the pages hide! :)

Homespun has a wonderful bag to make by Carol McLeod. She uses cotton clothesline and strips of cotton fabric to make her bags. Very interesting, and this is something I'd like to try! Visit her website here.

A bit sidetracked here... I was going to tell you about another bag..... The other mag I bought - Sabrina Patchwork/Sacs - is all in French! I don't know French! DH speaks French and so does MIL. DH & I tried to understand the French pattern. It started out quite well, until it was time to do the first pocket. The pattern talks about 'interior' pocket - all the way, until it is time to add it to the bag, then it becomes an 'exterior' pocket! Poor DH wasn't able to understand the next step, so we headed up to MIL (next door). She has been into sewing since she was a little girl, now she's 73. When I mentioned the problem, she just looked at me and said; 'French patterns are hopeless'!!! After studying the pattern and the pieces I had cut, she was sorry she couldn't be to much help. She advised me to give it a trial by pinning and basting. I'll do so, but I think that bag has to rest some time in the drawer! I haven't given it up and I don't want the bag to win; I want to win! lol (Even if my first attempt went in the bin! :( I've heard from other sources too that French patterns are not always 100% accuracy! DH told me not to buy French craft magazines anymore! Perhaps he is right! :)

I got quite discouraged when I went shopping for interfacing etc. Here they have no clue when I ask for specific Vliselin, Pellon or Peltex! I'm surprised, in spite of being a 'textile country' (exporting lots of clothes) they know so little about what other countries use. Shop owners/importers are not willing to get what I ask for either, so when they don't have it - they don't have it - c'est toute! At times shopping here is a big challenge!  It almost took the courage away from me, but now a friend in Norway is going to buy and ship interfacing etc to me! :)

Even if this was a little 'downhill', I'm still working on two bags. I'm making one for MIL;

it's going to be the same as the two alike I posted here. MIL wanted 'old-people's colors' - as she stated it! I have some fabrics that look 'old' - reproduction, I think some of them are -  and got her to choose six different. She came up with three and asked me to choose the other three.  

I intended to finish it over the weekend, but that is not possible. The zipper as well as ric rac for the trim, is  not available here in town...............

The zipped interior pocket. I have used linen for the lining.

Open interior pocket with two rooms.

We've been twice to Port Louis (the capital) over the last 2 weeks. I had that shopping list and other errands to do, but we managed to do only half of what was on the list the first day. Port Louis is always crowded and shopping takes time, and still there are a few errands to do! 

Since I've got the 'bag-making-virus', I wanted to buy some yards of linen for bag linings. I remembered from last year I bought good quality linen at 'Magasin Baboo' in Corderie Street #35 - famous as 'textile street'! A very friendly little shop. The shop has a good variety of linen and I came home with 6-7 yards in different yummy colors. Another trip to 'Baboo' this week; I bought navy linen and I couldn' resist these fabrics;

Aren't they beautiful?! I regret I didn't buy the pink one too! I can see some colorful bags here.... :) The fabric has a little  'stretch', but adding  fusible interfacing should do the trick.  

For quite some time I have wanted to do some stitchery. The other day I started working on a friendship quilt. The quilt has 12 cute stitcheries, all about friendship. Here's the first one I'm working on....

I thought this was going to be a short post, but I have one more thing to share with you.

Again - about bags! :) I searched the net for books on bag making and ended up with these books;

Sew What! Bags - by Lexie Barnes

From the back of the book; 'Your bag, your way. Choose a project and make it your own. Designer L. Barnes shows you how to develop your own personal style and create customized bags using fabrics that you love, pockets where you need them, straps that feel good on your shoulder, and dimensions that work for whatever you want to carry'.

Personally I feel this is a book for a totally newbie, but of course I did find some hints and info I didn't know about how to make bags.

The other one I bought; The bag making bible - by Lisa Lam, foreword by Amy Butler. It has 160 pages jampacked with information on bag making as well as some free patterns. Definitely this book is going to be my favorite!
From the back of the book;
'An amazing sewing education coupled with beautiful bags that of course, you can customize' - Amy Butler.
'Expert tips, trade secrets and inspirational advice result in professional and beautiful results'.

Click here for the link to Lisa Lam's shop. 

I intended to do some gardening today, but I've gone lazy since I got up - lol!

I think I'll snuggle up with a hot chocolate and read about bag making! :)

  

Wonderful gifts from wonderful friends

As you dear followers and readers might have noticed, I have been quiet for a very long time. Due to some health issues (nothing serious) and other issues I have had a terrible "dry spell" with my crafting, especially quilting. It's not that I have done nothing - actually I have cross-stitched two pincushions - but have yet to complete them. I need lace, which I haven't bought yet. I will post a photo of the pincushion when it is done. I have quite some problems with blogger today; it doesn't do spell checking, preview nor auto save. I hope it behaves properly so I'm able to publish this post!

In this post I want to share with you some gifts I have received recently.

Here is a gift from Margaret (NNC). We were talking about needles for cross-stitching and she offered to send me a few John James needles to try out. That Margaret!!! :)) She didn't only send me the needles! Have a look what she sent me; a piece of 28ct natural raw linen, a piece of 16ct mottled linen, a piece of beautiful fabric and 3 skeins of variegated red DMC floss! I didn't believe my eyes when I opened the parcel! Dear Margaret - once again - thank you so very much! I do appreciate your kindness!

At the same day I received another surprise gift from my Australian penfriend Tracy. It's a belated birthday gift; two pieces of Australian fabric and a wonderful card. (I guess you all have noticed I love cats!) Once again - thank you so very, very much Tracy!

These days my dear German penfriend for the last 4 years - Grit - is visiting. She is not into any crafting at all, but look what she gifted me! The crocheted doily is made by her 89-years old grandmother - isn't it lovely?!

Then there's a book; "Creative Quilts" by Sandra Meech. She is an award winning quilt artist, originally from Canada, who works with quilting, embroidery and textile groups in the UK and around the world. I do wonder when I will be that creative?! :)

The other book she gifted me is "Cross stitch Antique Style Samplers" by Jane Greenoff. The book has over 30 cross stitch designs inspired by traditional samplers. Wonderful!

Thank you so very, very much Grit! I love the gifts you gave me!

Gifts from friends

Ain't I lucky having such good friends as Kari and Majka?! Both of them sent me surprise gifts; books. From Majka I received Kaffe Fassett's "Glorious Patchwork". I know Fassett from his knitting designs and have read he is into patchwork too, but never had I seen any of his patchwork books. I received this book yesterday - once again a big thank you Majka! First today I had time for a better look. I love the simplicity of his quilts; made by squares, triangles, strips, diamonds etc. They are bright, colorful and vibrant. Stunning quilts - quilts I'd like to decorate the walls and staircase in my house with... The quilt on this photo is made of four sizes of triangles - doesn't it look great?!

Some weeks ago I received this lovely book from Kari; "Tildas Landsted". Once again - a big thank you to you! :) I'd been searching for a quilt pattern by Tone Finnanger (Norwegian author of the Tilda books). Kari did some research for me, but I never expected her to gift me the book! :) The book has some very cute projects from the seaside as well as the countryside. I know there's a "Tilda Craze" out there and if you would like to see more of her works, take a look here.




"Winter" weather in Mauritius; rain. No, it doesn't rain all the time, but the last days have been quite nasty with local showers. We went to Port Louis (the capital) a couple of days ago. While raining & a bit chilly this side it was hotter and nice there. Rain & sun bring beautiful rainbows too; like this one we viewed some days ago.

Stash diet - impossible?!

Is it really possible to be on "stash diet" for more than a short time? I don't think so! Last year I bought quite some yards of fabric from the US, as suitable cotton fabric for quilting aren't that available here. I have a large selection, but of course never the right shade! Isn't it always like that?! Never the right shade!!! :-) I don't know how many times hubby has asked me the following question; "what on earth are you going to do with all that fabric?!" I try answering the best I can; "you know - it's so important to have the right shade"! Where he shakes his head and leaves my "cave"! The truth is; I never have the right shade, which means I often buy THE right shade of fabric - when I need it!!! :-) Hubby says it's a typical "female brain" - is it??? Scientifically shown; females are gatherers - males are hunters! We should be proud of being gatheres - shouldn't we?! :-)

Recently Pam Bono Designs had sale on Robert Kaufman Artisan Blue Batik, to $6.95/yard. How on earth could I resist?! I love batiks - especially blue, and ended up buying 3 yards! Don't ask me what I'm going to make out of it - I just had to have it!!! You can see it on the photo above. Isn't it gorgeous?!

As mentioned in an earlier post I ran out of fabric for Johnny's bed cover... It's the green one to the right. Again I couldn't resist and bought Debbie Mumm's "Friendship Quilt Collection" book too - from Debbie Mumm Quilters. And as you can see I got the latest edition of the Australian magazine "Handmade" too! It was like Christmas Eve when hubby came back from the post office!

The next day was great too; I received two books I had ordered. In an earlier post I have mentioned the mini quilt my friend Kari made to me in a technique called "faux chenille". I became curious on how the technique is done - that's why the book; "Simple Chenille Quilts" by Amy Whalen Helmkamp. In her book she combines faux chenille and raw-edge patchwork to make such cuddly quilts. What I didn't realize is the number of yards required for a quilt - because it is made of 3-4 - or even more - layers of fabric.

The other book I bought is "Fun With One Block Quilts" by Cheryl Malkowski.

Yeah - I'm a gatherer! :-)