Playing With Pouches

I've been trying to "brush up" and perfect some basic sewing skills...you know the ones many of us shy away from....like zippers and buttonholes. Today I wanted to play with some autumn fabrics, so I decided to make some pouches and/or project bags with zippers. Now for those of you who are a little afraid of zippers, there are some great patterns to help you perfect this skill. A great skill starter pattern for pouches with zippers is "Perfect Pouches" (#113) by Lazy Girl Designs....easy instructions to make three sizes of pouches - and the largest 9" x 13" is perfect for a cross stitch project bag! The smallest - 5" x 7" is the top left pouch in my photo and is great for those stitching treasures and accessories. For those of you with a sewing/embroidery machine you can make some of these great pouches completely "in-the-hoop"! The Purple Hat has some wonderful digitized pouches you can make with your embroidery unit...take a look at: Large Purses, Purse Essentials, Pencil Cases, and Wet Wipes Cases... easy and quick to make zippered pouches made entirely in the hoop. I had so much fun making these little project bags...I got a little carried away...looks like there may be another contest in the future to give one (or some) away...

Remember, you can still enter to win the needle case giveaway (see previous blog entry)...I will chose a winner by random generator on Wednesday morning, September 30th...

Funky Floral Finishes

Yesterday evening, with a quiet house and an "itching" to use my sewing machine, I decided to work on a couple sewing/embroidery projects. The first is a small zippered bag with floral embroidery...it is the perfect size for stitching tools (4 1/4" H x 5 1/2" W). I machine embroidered it on dupioni silk from my stash with rayon embroidery thread for a nice shine. I was so happy with how it turned out, I decided to do another project from the same collection...which turns out to be the perfect ort or scrap bag! It is stitched on white cotton fabric...is about 6" tall...and has a boxed bottom, so it stands easily. Both of these designs have matching embroidery on the back sides and are from the Husqvarna Viking Collection "Purse Pizazz" (#184) by Anna Haraldsson. I plan to make several more of the stand-up bags in colors that match my bathroom - they would be just right for cotton balls, q-tips, hair accessories, etc. These projects were the perfect way to spend my few hours of "down time". I have also been working on a little personal cross stitching - the Blackbird Designs monthly miniature stockings I mentioned a couple weeks ago....I will post a progress photo soon...and I have been playing with several other new Clover gadgets that I will show you in the near future! I hope you have found some quiet time to enjoy working on your own special project(s)...

Find Your Happy Place

When I need a boost or relief from everyday stresses, I sit down at my sewing/embroidery machine - there I find my "happy place". I have always been a needleworker by hand...but with handwork as my career, I found I needed a new challenging creative outlet....and a new sewing/embroidery machine was just what the doctor ordered. Sewing, quilting, and machine embroidery always seem to put a smile on my face! Here is my new finished project - a scrap bag done in sunny springtime colors. This scrap bag is great for traveling to stitching events, as it folds flat - it holds your scissors and pins (and, of course, all those little snippits/scraps)....I also added a magnet to hold needles. The actual scrap holder is held on by buttons, so it can easily be emptied. This design was digitized by The Purple Hat ...currently one of my favorite designers of machine embroidery and in-the-hoop projects made simple! My Designer Diamond has opened up a whole new world of creativity - allowing me to play with all sorts of fun fabrics, fibers, and embroideries...this is the first project photo of many to come!