The Purge pouches!

If you follow me on Instagram you can see the progress of my purge pouches..I blogged about them a few days ago here: In this very post!

Well I'm happy to say they are all done! Picture bombardment!!

I used interfacing on some of them and then quilt wadding on others. On at least 6 there is a mix of both either with the bottoms being interfacing and the tops being quilt wadding/ reversed. I like the shape the interfacing gives to the bottom half of the pouch. It was however a nightmare to sew....I think the one I bought was a little too thick...but it did the job...I would maybe use it for straight edged pouches next times or solely for the bottom of these pouches....
Mother said I should make some smaller ones.... I'll have to think about that

Now to decide what to make with the leftover pieces of fabric......

Watch this space...

Cherie =]

The weekend roundup...

After completely forgetting to post yesterday and then getting so engrossed in a movie after blog reading.....Real Steel. You HAVE to watch it! It's a great movie with just the right amount of every good movie element to mark it as a 10/10! Plus Hugh Jackman is in it! Need I say more.....

Earlier yesterday afternoon Mother and I went to my Besties as she was hosting a Macmillan coffee morning. For the past two weeks she bought in cakes and such to raise more donations for the cause. I helped out on Friday and gave her some cookies and cake to share out. Mother and I ate a lot of cake and bought a lot back home with us too....Most of them are gone now......

I also got on with sewing the Christmas table runner tops. I went with 1 of each design in the end

I got the hot pad tops sewn up too

Just need to pull out a print for the backing of these. I'll have to see which one I have the most of.

Today I did an inventory of all the things I've made to sell in my future Etsy shop (still need to work on those labels!) and saw that I haven't made many actual cushion covers! So I pulled out the solid strips I'd for sashing, to make up some cushion covers.

This should roughly be a 20" cushion cover once the back is sewn onto it. I'll make up 3 more perhaps in different styles, using the solids. 

I'll also pull out my rainbow charms and make up a few cushion covers with those too. As well as those triangular prints to make up some covers. 

 Then I decided to join the 2nd round of the Modern She Made Swap this time round the theme is triangles. My partner was very specific and said she liked orange and grey together and would like a mini quilt. So I went through all my scraps to pull out pieces big enough to make a triangular mini. I made a template from news paper and sewed the pieces together until the strips were long enough to cover the template.
They are 3" by various widths I used some linen in there as I don't have a grey solid.

I had to swap some pieces around and add on some extra pieces to make them long enough after they had been sewn together. I just have to cut the final shape then work on the backing. That might just be one solid colour in a nice dark shade. Then I'll double up the batting and hand quilt it. I need to make up some binding..... The finished size should be 14" tip to bottom x 22" along the base. This may be an early finish! The deadline is mid November! So I can make some fun goodies to go with it too.

I noticed I really need some more orange and grey prints in my stash! It was a struggle to find those grey prints. Pink Castle here I come!.....

Siya'll tomorrow =D

Now you can all "Say Cheeeeeeeeeeeeese!!"

I took a day off from sewing and posting yesterday as work was soo crazy!! Over 300 labels to type up. print off and note down. I did get some help, but it was still a crazy amount! Luckily I got a break from answering the phone as that would have way eaten into the deadline time!

Today was a much better day labels wise only 100 or so to do. Customers were coming in for collections and repairs...luckily I didn't have to deal with them all *sly laugh* The phone complaints weren't too extreme. Though one guy was talking for England I think I tried to say bye to him at least 6 times!!
Getting home I needed a nap as I had a really bad headache so one hour later I got up and pulled out the Polaroid blocks I'd started with a mission to get them all finished! Of course there were some minor interruptions and I asked Mother to print a few recipes off for me....(well I asked for 1 she bought in 3...)

Whilst I was at the iron I got my Christmas fabrics all nicely pressed all ready to be cut....then I need to find that template....

Then I finished of my latest fairy. Now to sketch another custom one this time....

Siya'll tomorrow =D

August review!!

I still can't get over how quickly last month went. I mean seriously why is this year going by so quickly! Last month I got a lot of random projects done. As well as some cooking, some movie watching, some London Eye going on, the odd trips to the cinema, Volunteering (which I now realise is what took up my sewing time! FOOL!), a few swap goodies and giveaways. Plus a present for Mother.

Those purses from yesterday that I had a problem with the zippers. They are fully functionable, they can still open and close, the purse can still be used for a number of things as seen in the 3rd picture, Do I sell them still as they are? thoughts please....

 I then got on with the not so mammoth task of cutting my beloved fabrics

Then sketching out a design for the quilt I plan to make...this is not finished yet....

As well as making up my own paper pieced blocks from patterns slightly smaller/larger than the size I've made them to (8" x 9") I'll get those sewn up tomorrow

This month has started well already.  A new project. A new job starting Monday....which will sadly effect my sewing time, but I should still get things done during the 'free hours' if I plan my time accordingly. Tis the Younger Giant's birthday this month.....I think a large pillow for his bed lounging is in order!....I should probably make the Older Giant one too....

Tonight I'm linking up with 

Siya'll tomorrow =D

Diamonds are a girls best friend!

Just a quick note to remind you all of my post Yesterday featuring some new fabric additions to my swap pages. I know some of you have been looking for Liberty fabrics. I have some available for swapping as well as some other fabrics.

Today felt really long. 'Work' was slow, now most of the courses have stopped there isn't as much paperwork and such to be dealing with. I did a fair bit of photocopying today mind you. It's funny how quickly the paper runs out and how helpful the machine is at letting you know it's run out. I was talking to a colleague about transport which was rather funny. We had a debate on buses and he wanted to know why I used to take 2 buses to get to college when I could have taken just the one. My answer was...If the one bus turns up late then I would automatically be late by more than I would be late taking the 2 separate buses. Plus the one bus always got stuck in traffic at that time of the morning!
I'm thinking of getting a push bike...only I'll have to learn to ride it first. Sadly I never had a bike as a child and now wish I had asked for one! Bus fair has gone up yet again and the service is at its worst. You almost feel cheated by public transport costs. Why are you paying more for lousy service?

So anyway I left and got home some five or so minutes later...walking quicker as it was raining and super windy. I had a brainwave of what to do for my swap items for the Modernista and the RATZ

For Modernista my partner gave a few suggestions. A scrappy banner, a wall hanging, a fun pincushion, or a hoop with a monogram with her initial.
I'm going with the pincushion and hoop.
Since I've been paper piecing a lot lately I went with that idea so this is it so far

That star will sit at the bottom centred of course. I'll have some rainbow stitching going around the edge and then her a monogram of her initial above the star. The pincushion will also be made of linen and have a smaller star on it.
I'm quite liking using hoops...I'm thinking of getting myself some more and making cute wall hangings from them. I saw this set on eBay which I'm going to buy before they sell out as I've found they can be quite expensive.

I then decided to make a large hexie needle book for the RATZ Swap item. I just need to find a bigger template to fit this into

The larger pieced hexie will go on the front and the smaller one will go on the back. The pages will be gray felt. I have a few idea's of how I want it to look so fingers crossed it works and I have enough felt left....

Siya'll tomorrow =D

A case of Cut and Baste!

Day 4 now and it's still all good. Who new hunting down people to sign paperwork could be so fun! It's even funnier when you call out a name and everyone looks at you then turns away with the 'Oh that's not me' expression. We did manage to find most of the people...some hadn't actually turned up for the days course and others had left early before we could catch them!

Back home I got more than I thought I would done on the sewing side of things. I got all the fabric squares cut to make the hexies, as well as charm squares and the selvedges cut off the fabrics I got the other day!
I even managed to make a start on basting diamonds. My scraps are growing thanks to all this cutting, but it's all good I have some projects in mind for them!
I guess I should show you the photographic evidence.

The scraps

2.5" and 3" squares

The leftover pieces minus selvedges sorted by colour 

Older prints minus selvedges (I did not cut them all at once!)

Love those selvedges!!

Basting diamonds! 

Yes I have a variety of scissors...I still find it tricky to hold them properly. My thumb is double jointed so holding scissors is quite painful. The dress making scissors or slightly easier to use, they were helpful with cutting the smaller squares. I did use my rotary cutter for the charms and 4 x 5 pieces. Those black scissors are for paper and thread.

Tomorrow will be a busy day! I have to pop into town before heading to my placement....then get in and eventually make dinner! It'll be interesting...

Siya'll tomorrow =D

Surprises in the mail!

So before I left out of the house my mail box (I say my as all mail was for me!) was graced with two parcels. I dropped them on my bed and left out for day 2 of my placement.

Today I was doing more photocopying...until the paper ran out and I had to go across the road to get some more! love the convenient shops over the way!  Then was stapling, sorting. I then had to venture to the other site to get a guillotine so I could cut some leaflets. The joys of using fancy equipment to do jobs. I went for my lunch break and had to do some rush eating as the stuff was taking epically long to cook! 
Back to 'work' and I was sorting more papers and folders ready for some summer activity program.  It's nice being out of the house!

Getting in I opened one of the parcels..the other I'll open later in the week. The one I did open is from Ida, we have become good blogging friends. A while back I sent her some fabrics and HST's she had seen on my blog.
I had seen her using some cool fabrics on her blog and so as a surprise she used some to make me this awesome travel sewing notebook. She even filled it with some fabrics and goodies. I'll be swapping my pouches for this on future long car journeys!

After that was a battle with the larger hexies..they were just about smaller than the fabric so it was a pain sewing down the corners. I battled with them adding a few extra stitches, chain stitching 2 at a time for ease, until they were all done. I got them pressed nice and flat with perfect edges then shook them off the lid into a press lock bag.

I love the bright colours! These rainbow hexies will be looking good! Now they are complete I can start cutting out some more templates...to go with the ones I mysteriously have spare... Which reminds me I should go and search the study for paper....Mother is in there and can direct me which paper I can have.

Siya'll tomorrow =D