Solids Swap package received

Yesterday evening when I got in very late from work, I found a big envelope waiting for me. I pulled it open straight away and did a little dance right there in the hall. Look what I got!

My package came from Elaine (Dashasel) who, funnily enough, was my partner for the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap last year where I made her a rainbow hexie mug rug. I really had fun making that for her, so it was nice that we were paired up in the opposite direction this time.

I will be honest and admit that when I saw this popping up in the group pool I really hoped it was for me as I had asked for a laptop sleeve, and I just loved the colours and the design. When I got it into my hands, I was totally thrilled, it's beautifully made and quilted, and it's a perfect fit for my laptop.

Don't you love the interlocking stripes? And the quilting? I love how cool the design is, and it's in my fave solid colours too  - aqua, pomegranate, coal and ash. You can see how nice and snug a fit it is for my laptop, just perfect :-)

Elaine also sent me a gorgeous covered mod bloom notebook :

Isn't this pretty? I need a fresh notebook for my project ideas and this is perfect! Plus, the pages are squared, rather than lined, bonus for the quilting plans!

And, I admit I gave a little extra squeal when I saw this little bundle of DS fabrics:

It's so hard to get hold of these from here in Ireland, so I am thrilled!

All in all, this was a great swap (again!) I really love working with solids, they push you to think about your design differently. For the 2nd time I have been super lucky in what I received with a really fab, generous swap package that I love and I couldn't be happier. Thanks so much Elaine, I am thrilled!

WIP Wednesday

It's Wednesday and I actually have some progress to show you this week, which is a really nice feeling after the last few weeks!

Completed this Week:

My Solids Swap package went in the post on Monday. This package has a little bit of a journey to its destination and I'm hoping that it doesn't take too long. I think my partner will be happy with it!

In Progress:

I managed to make progress on 2 big projects this week.

First up, I got all my pieces for the Stained QAL cut from my Little Apples FE bundle. Thanks everyone for your advice on the sashing options. Hadley suggested I use a yellow print rather than a solid and I think, after looking at it again last night, that this might be the best option, so I'm off to the local fabric shop after the school run this morning to try to see if I can find some yellow dotty fabric. I'm keeping the Coal as a reserve option, but my gut feeling is that it might be too dark for a little girl.

The other project I managed to move on was my Skittles quilt. The quilt police would be vastly unhappy with my backing on this one! I used a whole cloth piece of Klona solid, its a pale purple shade, and I had a Saffron Craig Magical Lands panel I wanted to work into it. But I didn't want the panel all in one piece, as there is so much movement in the quilt top. So I cut it into uneven pieces, echoing the shapes on the front, and then, instead of piecing them into the backing, I appliqued them on. I didn't have enough fabric to piece them, which was my main consideration, and I didn't want to order more. I actually am pretty happy with the result, even if it's the lazy woman's way out :-) I hate the way it looks all crinkly in this pic - its actually basted pretty well!

However, one of the reasons I didn't want to spend ages on the back was that I wanted to hand quilt this one. Once I had it backed, I quilted around the blocks using stitch in the ditch. Then I took it off to my sofa last night and got started on the hand quilting using a deep purple perle cotton. I love how its working!

This is a project I want to have to work on for a little while, so I'm in no rush to finish it. It's perfect for picking up on an evening I am to tired to do any sewing at my machine. And I love quilting with perle cotton. I just need to find  my thimble, as my finger is still sore this morning!

I'm linking up to Lee's WIP Wednesday. You should pop over there and visit the other talented ladies linking up!

For the Love of Solids Swap Package done!

Woohoo! Another swap package finished and ready for posting :-)
This is for Round 2 of the For the Love of Solids swap, and I am totally thrilled with how it turned out. I hope my partner will love it and use it.

I managed to catch 10 minutes of sunshine this morning to take some pictures before the rain started. Wow, I'd forgotten how nice photos taken in sunshine look! It's been so grey here all winter, but I love how vibrant the colours are looking. I will be sad packing this one up, I would use this myself in a heartbeat.

First up - the big item which is the finished messenger bag. It's looking good, isn't it? I adore this bag, and I am definitely going to make one for myself. Even Himself, who normally runs a mile when I suggest making something for him, wants one. As in, I didn't suggest it to him, he actually asked me to make him one. In plain manly colours. (Obviously.) But still, you could have knocked me over with a feather! High compliments indeed.

As I posted before, I made the messenger bag following loosely the pattern in Lisa Lam's Bag Making Bible. The lining is strengthened with fusible fleece, which gives the bag loads of structure, and the exterior fabric (Kona quilting weight cotton) is interfaced with woven fusible interfacing. The flap of the bag is quilted, and has some heavy weight interfacing to make it hang nicely. I bound it in the lining fabric for a touch of extra detail.

The construction of this bag was relatively straightforward and the hardest bit was just getting the small details right - like making the pieced panels to work out the same size as the pattern pieces and get the proportions right. I used incomplete strips on the back of the bag, and I think this is my favourite bit!

I followed the pattern to make an adjustable strap complete with slider and it looks really good. Plus, I've learned a new skill and they are very easy to make, so I can use them on other bags in the future too. Yay!

I used some sew in magnetic buttons as closures.

I added some pockets to the lining, in 2 different shades of blue. The back lining wall has a long divided pocket in aqua blue with space for pens, cards etc.

 The front lining wall has a pocket for a mobile phone.

The finished bag measures approx 14.5" x 11.5" and is 4" deep. It would be perfect as a general bag for carrying your stuff around in, would fit an A4 notebook or 3 easily, or some books. It would easily carry fabric etc for going to classes or guild meet ups, or it could also be used as a baby bag to carry nappies/diapers, change of clothes etc (although it doesn't have a waterproof pocket). It's very practical and lots of fun, in the bright colours. I also think the Kona Ash background colour will not show up marks and dirt as easily as a darker colour would, which is important in a bag (well, in my world it is anyway!)


For the small item, I decided to make a matching zippy pouch. I had a bright purple zip which I was sure would work great against the green lining, so I made purple the central colour in the star and used some purple perle cotton to hand quilt around the star. I really like how bright and fresh this one looks.

For the back, I used a strip of pieced colours, similar to the bag, and handquilted on either side of the line.

The pouch turned out very nicely, and at 10" x 10" it is a great size. It could be used for hand sewing supplies, including an embroidery hoop, or could hold make up, or could even be used as a pencil case. It fits perfectly inside the bag.

So there it is, another swap package done. This one is all ready to be wrapped up and posted on Monday morning and I really hope my partner will like it as I had lots of fun making it for her.