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!

Extravagant!

Oh dear- I have been shopping. No, sorry, not really fabric shopping- except zips.

I have seen those pretty triple zippie pouches around, and need to have a go. So I laid in a few zips. I have a very good source of zips, and as I was there anyway- I got them! The company is so helpful and although I have to buy them in bundles, they are such a good price, that it is worth having 10 of a colour- they do get used in the end. And a bundle of 10 zips goes nowhere when costumes are in the offing!

 So I treated myself to three colours!

Do not hold your breath on this one, but it will happen- when I get there.

 I have been playing with a few other things but want to keep them mostly under wraps for the moment, so not a lot of sewing to show, yet.

And another piece of extravagance?
A new teapot!
A favourite died before Christmas, as they do, and we had a choice. Too big, or really not big enough. So this medium size fellow has come in to our house- and DD1 has expressed a desire to see what it was like!

My sewing activities have included some much needed decluttering. I have been very strong, and thrown away those silly scraps which are really only big enough to make a petal for bondaweb applique, and then you couldn't stitch them!

So these are what are left of the smaller bits. 









And I have sorted all the strips of leftover, into width categories- How did I collect all those strips?

Some of these strips are barely wide enough to provide an accent for something, and any that hit the 2.5" width got stashed in a separate poly bag



















and larger scraps got put into my bonus box! a shoe box acquired with a recent footwear purchase! Well, waste not!




and so I can pretend to be tidying up.....

zips are here!

My package of zips has arrived. I got a rainbow of zips, so that I could go with the flow, when I am ready to go mad with the zippy pouch.

Of course, I now realise that my life is worth nothing, unless I have a pouch in which to store spare zips! so I shall make a 'practice pouch' just to put zips into!

I really didn't think it through very much, but I got long and short zips, to be adaptable, without too much waste.

It is strange, just how much fabric one has stashed away, in various places. Yes, I know some folk are very organised, and have their fabric arranged neatly on shelves, in colour order. My sorting is into a variety of plastic bags, and tends to run along the 'tidy it into here in a hurry' type of sort. I have various shoe boxes, in different drawers in my tallboy, with essentials, like cutting and marking stuff in one, and sewing and machine accessories in another, and ribbons and bias binding in a different one.

I have had various responses from the group on the original fabric 'pull' I did, but I would actually like to achieve some negative feedback as well, as I think this might give me a different handle on how my partner thinks. So I have put up two more selections, to try out the reaction. Have a look?

This selection is basically all things blue, but with jewel colours included.

the second lot is pink. Now, I do know some folk adore pink- yes, you know who you are, and some of us are less keen. Not all pinks are candy pink though, and they can be more subtle.

It is all thinking material!In several senses.

I have also been estimating quantity for the pouch I am planning, and getting it 'festering' in the old brainbox, so will possibly be able to do a preliminary hash this weekend. For the zips of course.