I’ll let you in on a little secret. While I love sewing quilts, I’m not a fan of sewing much else – bags included. But this pattern didn’t look too difficult.
And it wasn’t. It took a little work and finagling to get that peacock placed just right, but other than that, it went together pretty easy.
And the peacock fabric isn’t just decorative… they are actually pockets – six in total all the way around, making this a very practical bag. The bottom is squared off too, so it sits nicely when you set it down.
The only thing I added to the pattern was to sew a little top stitching line around the top to make sure the batting stayed in place when thrown in the wash.
This one is a nice size for a purse, but also a small knitting project bag. It would be easy enough to up-size it to a tote as well!
I am thrilled to announce that late last week, I finished the first Bogatell cardigan. After several days on the blocking board, I can share it with you!
I will admit, by the time I got to the front bands, I just couldn’t face all those ptbls… so it’s just regular one-one ribbing. But only me, you and experienced knitters will really know that.
Overall – it’s a pretty basic knit – just a top down raglan. The stripes add interest of course, as does the ribbing at the raglans.
That ribbing continues down the side too. Other than that, its nothing fancy. But it is lovely in its simplicity.
Rowan is a bright, cheerful, fun young lady, so I tried to choose colours that match her personality. I really love that green with its limey shades, and pops of turquoise here and there. It’s all Alley Cat, so she throw it in the washer without worry.
To finish it off, I added these Hello Kitty buttons. I bought them years ago, and I know Rowan will get a kick out of them.
Now I’ve got to make one for her sister… with just 25 days to do it!
On Saturday, I was FINALLY able to get Flannel Adventures quilted. I stuck with my usual, simple meander and I’m happy to announce that I can mark this off the gift list!
It’s a nice, manly quilt full of woodsy animal prints.
Moose, deer, beads, eagles, wolves, even a buffalo or two.. they are all there.
As mentioned before, this quilt is 100% flannel – top, back and binding. Piecing it was definitely a challenge, but it is one soft, warm quilt. It was lovely to have in my lap while I sewed the binding down Saturday night.
Because it was a challenge to piece, it’s far from perfect, but I’m still very happy with it! And I know my brother is going to love it!
I am a big believer of taking joy in the little things. So here are some little things making me happy right now.
Little thing#1
I reinvested some of the profits from the quilt sales to get more fabric to make more quilts! I ordered a couple bolts of plain fabric, and a few other goodies from Missouri Star Quilts, and got this adorable unicorn pins as a free gift.
Not only are they sweet – the packaging is cute too! I love it when companies are able to throw in free (but useful) gifts. I did another order (still on it’s way) and it’s coming with a five pack of small scissors… because you can always use another pair of small scissors!
Little thing # 2
You may or may not know that in addition to cats, we also have fish. When Dave and I first started dating, one of our common interests were aquariums. I had always wanted one, and he had a HUGE 90 gallon one in his bedroom. For my birthday that year, he gifted me with a 40 gallon tank for my own room.
Of course, the years went by, we moved in together and merged households. His 90 gallon was too big for our little townhouse (it’s still in storage, awaiting the day we have room for it), but my 40 gallon was just the right size. We keep a variety of fresh water fish, including a pleco, angelfish, gouramis, danios, and clown loaches. Well last summer, one of our gouramis started getting aggressive with his other gourami pal. So while Dave was at work, I dug out one of our spare empty, 5 gallon tanks and set it up in the bedroom on my dresser. I moved the poor abused gourami in there.
And while he was no longer being picked on, he looked a little lonely. So a few days later, I went to the fish store and got him about six guppy friends.
But then fast forward a couple months, and the gourami died. But the guppies had started breeding like… well… guppies!
So now the 5 gallon tank is a “breeder” tank, and every few months or so, I have to scoop a pile of guppies out and transfer them to the big tank downstairs.
It’s hard to get a good picture of the guppies with my phone, but I love having this little tank in the bedroom. Both big and little tanks are planted with live plants – it’s just a little bit of nature indoors for me!
Little thing # 3
As you know, I have a thing for gnomes. And not just in my garden…
Neighbour Krista gave me this little gnomette last Christmas. It’s actually a Christmas tree decoration, but I hung her on one of my spider plants so I can enjoy her all year round.
Little thing # 4
Lockdowns and public health measures can’t stop Squirrelington’s from staying open!
As long as the peanut supply stays strong, we’ll keep our little friends fed!
Finishing up those last snowballed blocks for the Leader & Ender quilt went much quicker than I expected. I’m now at the stage when I need to sew each of those snowball blocks to a four patch.
I’ll continue pairing them us as L&Es, but I couldn’t resist taking a few to create one finished block.
Two of those pairs come together like this…
Then you take two of those, to create this:
And then two of those pair to make the final block
And it’s a big one! 16 inches finished! If I’ve done my math right, I should end up with 30 of these. It’s going to be a nice, big quilt… eventually. I’ve still got a lot of seams to sew before I get there!
The days are sliding away (less than a month until Christmas!) but I’ve got another present marked off my list.
Dave’s grandma adores poodles. Up until her last one, Mandy, passed a few years ago, she’s always had at least one poodle (always toy-size). Now she had a Sheltie named Ella, but she still talks about her poodles all the time. So when I came across this block, I knew it would it would be perfect for her.
I didn’t have the time (or patience!) to make an entire quilt of poodles, but I thought a pillow would be a good substitute. Who doesn’t love a cute throw pillow?
When I started, I planned on sticking to a more traditional poodle colours – ideally a dark and a light grey. But it turns out I didn’t have that much grey in my stash – most were either too busy, or didn’t have enough contrast.
When I first pulled out this grey floral piece I discounted it and set it aside…
But where it landed was right beside that orange fabric. One glance and I knew that was the ticket. It’s not exactly traditional, but it is striking! (And fun!)
I found another grey floral for the back, and tried something new…
I made it envelope style so it’s easy to take off and wash when needed.
I do need to make a slightly larger pillow form so it fits better, but I’ve got this present checked off the Christmas list, and it feels so good!
Before the Relic debacle, I decided he needed a new collar. I don’t bother with the other two, but with Relic, I like people to know he’s not a stray.
His old one had skull and crossbones in a reflective print, but most of it had been worn away by him scratching.
So I hopped on Amazon and found a four-pack of these cute bowtie collars. Relic has lost a collar or two, and the price per collar was ideal. Plus, I’d have a few back ups.
The annoyed face is not from the bow tie, but rather the camera I was shoving in his face.
Doesn’t he look so dapper?
While I was fitting Relic with his new duds, Burton came over to be nosy, so I decided to see if he’d like a new look.
It was a little harder to see and get pics with all that floof, but he’s just as stylin’.
Definitely worth the $20!
If you’re wondering why I didn’t try one on Rupert… I value my skin too much… that boy has razor mitts, and is not nearly as cooperative as these two.
I should have had a finished flannel quilt to show you today. Quilting Flannel Adventures was my plan for the weekend before Relic pulled his little disappearing act.
But then Saturday I spent stressing out until he got home, and Sunday, I was just too wiped from all that emotion. So instead, I focused on something new.
One of the things I love about the blogsphere is the inspiration I get from all my bloggy friends. Nancy of Wyoming Breezes makes some wonderful quilts. A few times, she’s flashed a quilt with Friendship Stars. You know I love stars… how is it I’ve never made that block before? And it’s such a simple one.
I had a charm pack that was just perfect for them
So I made 12.
Now 12 stars wasn’t enough for a baby quilt, so I dug in the stash and pulled out some sweet (tweet?) little bird fabric and made a pile of nine patches to go with them.
Can you see where this is going?
They still need to be sewn together into a top, but it was a good day’s work!
And the charm pack was called My Imagination, so I’m calling this one Imaginary Friends!
