How I spent my rained in weekend

Irene was not bad to me and mine.  We never lost power and only lost a few small branches. I have spent my lock down time very productively.

I am part of the Make a Gift on the 25th at Sew Many Ways and was very busy working on Christmas gifts.  Last month I had started on some of the blocks needed to make 3 quilts for Nephews families for Christmas.  My goal for this month was to finish at least one top.

TA DA  !

I also worked on the blocks for the other 2 tops, all of the snowmen are done and hopefully by end of day I will have the 8 star blocks done also. That would make the goal for next month - finishing the tops for the other 2 quilts.

                                                       These are the blocks for top 2.

 I also did some embroidery for a Christmas swap and started on another bag,  this one for a friend, just to break up the snowstorm I was caught up in.  I'm gonna run now since I still have several productive hours left of this crafty weekend.

I’ve had a fun week. For some reason or another I got it into my head to make a bib.  I’ve been thinking about it for several weeks.  It’s odd because I don’t have kids or grand kids. All of the kids in my immediate world are in school.

Earlier this week Beth at http://www.lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/ posted about her rag dolls.  See her postings of 8/20 and the tutorial of 8/22.  So very, very cute.  Had to make one. I did, isn’t she a sweet heart?

Now back to the bib, while I was hunting in my kid fabric I saw this great scrap of rocket fabric and thought that now was the time.  I googled for a free bib pattern and let it fly.  It is backed with the same fabric as the dolls tights. The doll was resting on my desk at work waiting to go to her new home.

 
I have some great coworkers who were more than willing to give these items new homes.

Here is a picture of the bib on its new owner. Is he not the greatest model ever?

Just a great week.  Maybe if the electricity holds out this weekend I can whip up a few more.

Thank you

When I first started to read blogs that I now follow I was fascinated by the generosity of all of the people in this new world. Giveaways and Swaps were an intriguing concept.  Bloggers getting gifts from people they only knew through their blogs just didn’t compute.  I’ve now been blogging for several months and been reading blogs since maybe January. Now I too have made friends around the world.

Last month I found a new blog to visit from the   http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/2011/08/sew-darn-crafty-partyweek    listing.  Judy at    http://cathcarts.blogspot.com/2011/07/printing-on-fabric-hint.html  , was printing onto fabric from her printer and I offered a suggestion that I thought would be easier using Freezer Paper.  I live in NJ, USA and I consider Freezer Paper a staple.  Judy lives in a small town in Australia and Freezer Paper there is rare.  So I sent her some freezer paper. 

Now comes the fun part.  I had a world wide experience. I function in the world of what goes around in life, comes around some time, some place.  The very day I mailed the Freezer Paper to Australia  I won my first Giveaway.    The notice that I won came from Madame Samm, in Canada,    at http://www.sewwequilt.com/   I won a wonderful pattern and thread from Shell  at  http://theraspberryrabbits.blogspot.com/    NC, USA.  A very cool international day indeed.

OK so now it’s a couple of weeks later and I come home on Saturday to a puffy mailer from Australia. It was chock full of stitching  goodies.

 Can you see them all? Wonderful play things, Aussie buttons, labels, a plaque, a great mini tote that the picture doesn’t do justice, on and on and a wonderful thank you card. Judy, you shouldn’t have.  Many thanks, I love it all.

 I really am glad to be part of this adventure.  Selina

She's Cut Off

This is the 6th bag I've now made for my sister in the last 15 months. Plus the one I made for her friend.  My sister is sweet, good and kind but now she's being officially cut off. 

This is like my big canvas bag. Its about 12 inches tall by 9 inches wide and 5 inches deep.  It has a draw string top which lets it work as a purse and if you leave it open it's more like a tote.  It is one of the best bags I've ever used.

I have one more of these to make for a friend who saw it and absolutely has to have one.  Yes BA I'm talking about you.  Maybe by October. I have a couple of other projects ahead of it on my list of to do's.

Snowing in NJ

This has been a very productive week.  I am working on 3 quilts for Christmas,that are  comprised of a total of 6 large snowmen and 12 small snow men.  I had hoped to get 2 large and 4 small done by the 25th of August.  Somehow I managed to complete all 6 of the large and 7 of the small.  The picture only shows 6 small but I didn't have another skirt hanger handy.

I'm still working on what I want to do with their faces.  Not sure if I want to use buttons or applique. Right now I'm leaning toward applique.  I made this same quilt 3 years ago for a friend and that one still has no faces. I appartently have issues.

til next time.  Selina

Vacation Totes for Sissie

It all started with a call from my sister wanting to know if I was up for a trip to our local JoAnns.  It has recently been remodled and she hadn't seen it yet.  Me on the other hand was there 3 times last week.  She had to beg for about 3 seconds before I caved.

The store is terrific and as we wandered up and down the isles she found some great prequilted  cheater fabric that she thought would make up into a wonderful vacation tote. 

Now she is my biggest fan and she can sew but chooses not to. She also is not shy about asking me to make something for her  and she always offers to house my finished quilts if they need a home.  So it was not surprising that she wanted me to make her three new bags (totes) with this fabric. I really do love her.  The 2 shown in the following photos weren't even difficult.  We will address the 3rd bag sometime in the not too distant future ( she won't let me forget ).  She wanted 2 very simple totes with very large boxed bottoms.  The bags I made were based on a green grocery type bag that she found with this type of bottom.

This picture is with the sides folded in to match the size of the bottom.

this is the side view

And this view is with the sides opened up.

the width of the bag opened out like this is about 20 inches.  The boxed bottom is about 9.5 x 11. and I think it stands about 15 inches tall.

The first bag took forever. I made a bad judgement call regarding the fabric I cut for the straps and handles.  Wasted a lot of time making the fabric I cut work as opposed to wasting the fabric.

I made the 2nd bag in 1 1/2 hours. Better than half of that time was spent on the staps and handles. It is pretty hard to see the straps in these pictures.  They are the type that go completely around the bag and form the handles at the top.

Well I delivered them to her a little bit ago and she was thrilled.  It's her reaction that makes me do these things for her.  She is just the kind of person it is fun to give things to.  No matter how small the thing  she is happy happy happy.

I now have an empty  evening ahead of me and I need to decide what to do next.  It definetly  won't be a tote.  Maybe something for Christmas or maybe cut some fabric for leaders and enders. Whatever it is I will enjoy myself.