Lockdown has some benefits?

I have been absent for some time. Most folks know that we have had trying times and sewing has been very low on the priorities. Sadly.

More sadly, my responsibilities have reduced and I am finally able to start sewing, and to enjoy the sewing. Only a few little fairly straightforward projects, but it is a start.

Last summer my DD2 and I painted our garden bench, a pretty shade of blue. And the next thing was, it needed a seat cushion. Luckily- or not so luckily, the weather took a turn for the worse, and sitting out became a non starter. This year, as good weather began, I finally made the cushion!

The fabric is one I was given, as 'spare', by a friend. It was bought in IKEA many years ago, and there is a shade of blue in it which matches the bench beautifully. 

I may say there has been more bench sitting this year than I can ever recall.  Yay! for seat cushions. The weather helps, of course! Though on Thursday I was up sewing and heard the rain begin! We had one of those drenching downpours, which caused me to race down the stairs and out to retrieve the cushion, in bare feet! No harm done, and the comfort is excellent. Thanks Jan!

Some years ago, I made a bag for work. This bag has had daily treks to and from work, trips overseas and has generally been ubiquitous,. Everywhere I went, so did my orange bag. In the fullness of time, the strap started to wear, and the wear got worse, and really the bag needed to retire. 

For that to happen I needed a new bag. 

Tadaaa!

I will say I was very happy with my pattern matching on the front, that flap really does have a good match on the elephants. 

and on the back I quilted round the elephants.
 Who doesn't love an elephant?















I had also promised my DD2 another simple coin purse. It is one of those things that you promise and then it doesn't quite happen... Finally it has.
I found a pattern on pinterest, ( free, good price point!) and did it. Simple, easy to follow instruction, though the instruction wanted me to hand sew the lining in place.

Well, you know me and hand sewing...

Of course it can be done on the machine.

The first one I tried to make it by sandwiching the zip between the lining and the outer. It got complicated and fiddly, yes, it worked but I still ended up with a little hand sewing, but it was OK. That was the pretty turquoisey one with the yellow zip.

I had to have another go, though. So the dark red one also had to happen. This time I did make the lining up separately, but I topstitched the lining into place with the machine. No hand sewing at all- or anyway, just hiding my ends.






So this pretty pair have been adopted by DD2.
I am now considering my next project.



And what are you up to?










Technical bits Elephant fabric- Abakhan
Pink linen- Abakhan
Zips- JaycottsTurquoise fabric for purse Minerva
others- no idea!

Time...

In this time poor age, it is good to spend time making things for a friend. But when it is that friend's special birthday, you cannot always share the make immediately, and it gets left, and left, until it is all but forgotten.

  So Elizabeth likes teal? You want to make something of it?  No, I thought not!

 I am sure she will find a happy spot to put this in her home..

Leonie's bag

A year or two ago friends came for a sewing weekend. One of our number brought everything in a bag, which had a simple but unusual design.  We rather admired the bag, and has a good look at it, and sort of stored up the idea for later...


Now is 'later'!







I happened to spot some rather attractive fabric, 100% linen, going for a rather bargain price up at Abakhan. Lovely linen with ELEPHANTS all over!

Well, perhaps a good bit of that landed in my basket? and just perhaps, it was meant to be a bag... Some details are rather different, but, in essence, it is the 'Leonie bag'.

Shoulder padding, and sewn up the places where stuff might otherwise escape, and a couple of pockets later, and I hope to take Leonie travelling this summer... Perhaps even next month.

one elephant went balancing...

 on a spiders web one day, he thought this such tremendous fun, he called for another elephant to come!

Don't panic! NO spider pictures today!



 Sorry, this may be heavy on pictures,  we are to have visitors next week, and I will be sewing machine free until they go, but I have some past projects and a wonderful swappy thing to share!

First, I had a wee PIF to organise myself for. The recipient, is one of the most fun, kind and funny ladies I have encountered. She has a lot of mischief lurking, and, although I have not yet met her, she is chock full of glee, and I cannot wait to get to know her in person. She knows who she is!

So I wanted a mini project that would make her laugh, and that I thought she might enjoy receiving. 

I think you all know how I feel about elephants. I am not exclusively gone on elephants, I also love frogs, owls, cats, lizards, and have a very soft spot for pigs.  But elephants are so satisfying! They have nice big flappy ears, and seem so  much in tune with their matriarchal groups. So, elephants seemed liable to get involved.
I had made a wee dumpling pouch. and it was fun, and easy, and I felt I could combine dumpling and elephant.


 I made the big size first. Spotty fabric, bright ellie.

then I made a little one. Scissor fabric, and a yellow ellie.

These nest nicely together, but a nest of three, would be more fun?
So I made a bigger one.

More scissor fabric, and a green ellie. All with flappy ears.






Little starry eyes, and contrasty linings.

But you cannot send three nesting pouches with nothing in the middle?

 I have been intrigued by 'biscornu' . So I made a mini pinnie, biscornu fashion, and that went in the middle.












 The two sides are slightly different.

and here in the mess of working, are the main ingredients of the PIF. See, Nicky- your zippy pouch lurks in the background- very much in use!

so that collection of ellies, all zipped one inside t'other, has winged its way to a new home!




My mouthy stitches partner has been stalking me quietly. Giving no clue as to her identity. Watching and trawling through my blog. And a beautiful tote, and key fob turned up at my house today!  Ready for more piccies?

 more ellies? I guess someone noticed my affection for ellies!

But are these not really beautiful ellies. All shimmery and flowery powery!

 pretty wrapping!












and, on opening, the first sight of what has been lovingly made for me! see that subtle stitchery? and the pretty grey linen?

 Just look at that! beautifully pieced, beautifully quilted! I can tell you, this is a really well crafted piece of work.  Sorry, I have just cut off an ellie attached to that keyfob!
I love everything about this bag. The colours chosen, the piecing, the quilting- oh everything!

and the liberty lining! signed in there at the base- such  a clever and lovely thought.

Thank you Territee, I am a winner with this one!

And it goes to work with me tomorrow!

Poshest zip container in town!

Ok, I have finished the first try of a zippered pouch. I am reasonably pleased with the result, not perfect, but not a bad start. I need to do some calculations to get the proportions better, so that the panel is better placed, but having had a trial am better placed to get an acceptable result.

What have I learned? I need a wider turning gap in the lining. The elasticated thingy needs to be tighter, or it will be neither use nor ornament. I love King Tut thread for finishing my appliqué. My machine is happy with it too.

Pictures? Have you got fed up looking at pictures of this yet. If so go away and come again another day!

Here goes, I decided to use the black spotty, as it gave good contrast, without being boring.

Even the back looks quite fun! You can see it is supposed to be elephants- no I hadn't cut the threads off, sorry.

And I went on and did a simple back, and completed the pouch this afternoon. It is simple, but I am pleased with it.

As you can see, the elephants have lost their legs- this is where I need to get my proportions better. The result is ok for me, but not as a gift for another body.

Works really well for holding my zips though! Kindly do not see the mess behind. I am messy, I have always been messy, but I have a mental image of being a neat and tidy person, not leaving any mess behind me...I can dream.

elephantitis

Ok, I thought I should have a bit of a play, using fabric I am not intending to use for the pouch swap. As I was looking through, (my stash gets worse, not better) I found bits left over from another project. So they came into play. I reckoned small squares would materialise quite easily from the bits, and I now have a mosaic of blue and green. I didn't get it quite right and two of the same pattern have ended up adjacent, but it is not too bad for a first attempt at tiny mosaic. No, I didn't use the interfacing method, though that would probably have looked better in the end.

I also wanted to play a bit more with my elephant idea- no mammoths just yet, but you never know- and first drew a rough sketch of what was in my head,
and then played with it mentally, decided the baby elephant should look at mamma, and started to use the old faithful, Bondaweb, and got a first result.  I then have been playing with different backgrounds, to see how I feel about them. I know it is a very busy design, and not at all my usual style, but , oh, it is such fun!

Do look at these, and see what you think, 

The first one clashes amazingly, and in a loud sort of way I could quite go for that   

this second one is a 'safe' option. This third one is a very busy background again, but I kind of like it.

I feel elephants growing on me! Someone has suggested a polka dot background, so I shall try that too. So many options...

I am guilty again. I was just getting some bits and bobs, and spotted this. now if I didn't get it when I saw it, it was not going to sit there very long, now was it? There was less than two metres left. So, I am afraid, it just had to come home with me. I have not the least idea what I shall do with it, but it is now awaiting inspiration, with a lot of other bits also in the same state. Impulse buys should not happen. I am trying to declutter not increase the chaos. But I smile when I look at it. That says something, doesn't it? Yes, mad as a hatter.

Starting to think, mouthy

I have had a few ideas batting around in my head, I think I may go boxy for the pouch. I am also thinking pockets on inside, and maybe an elasticated strip on one side, divided to tuck odds and soda into.  A couple of outside pockets could be useful too. Perhaps.

And I am thinking appliqué,  but would be happy to do patchwork instead...  and perhaps a handle at one end?

Or I may be biting off more than I can chew here.

I am thinking versatile, so probably just long enough to hold either a pair of scissors or similar...

and I am thinking mainly bright and cheerful, though with a more subdued gusset, and a bright zip.


Comments welcome!