Fall Purse covers!

Well, the double eye glass case, for which I did a wee tutorial, didn't work out quite as I wanted as the mater can't open it with her arthritis! So .... made another one this time with a Velcro closure. Now it works, but while giving her the new and improved eye glass case I was asked for a new purse cover, you know, something with red and silver in it, something for winter ....
So, yup I'm a softie ... I made 3 more purse covers (these are becoming addictive!) Two are the same, a nice grey/black/white/red Haida print and a red/with/black circular reversed side. The third one is for me - the same grey/black/white/red Haida print and a black/white/gold reversible side. Woohoo - we are ready for winter!
Now it's time to get cutting - onto a wedding quilt for my niece.
The pile on the left are the "chosen" ones, and the fabric on the bottom is the backing. Each colour is supposed to have a light, medium and dark. The pile on the right are the rejects - not yet put away in other boxes as I might yet change my mind and use them. I have chosen to go "scrappy" in this quilt so I have several dark/medium/light for each colour. In the reject pile you can see the swatch card I used while shopping. I found it sooo much easier to cut a swatch, label it and staple to a card, then underneath the fabric I wrote how much I needed. Maybe too anal for some, but I found this organization quite helpful!
TTFN

Double Eye Glass Case tut!

So, I was frivolous this week and purchased a cat tree for the furry ones ... Iris has been encouraged (cat nip and a "Cat Ease" spray) to sit and relax in it, but Simone has yet to recognize it's existence. Maybe they'll get the hang of it this winter...? I finally got to this project - the finale from my earlier purse project to make a double eye glass case for the Mater's reading and sun glasses. I purchased purse frames a couple of years ago in the states. I think they are meant for coin purses, but hey what the heck, they work for this project as well! I traced around an existing cloth eye glass case to get the basic pattern - so I have not supplied the actual pattern - just directions. If you don't already have a cloth eye glass case to trace, just take a pair of your reading glasses and trace around them to get a pattern. I'm using brown Haida print for the lining and divider, and white, black and beige geometric linen for the outside of the case. These fabrics match the purse I already made mother this summer. I'm also using Pellon peltex interfacing, the same kind of stuff you use for fabric postcards or purses. First, cut two brown and one peltex for the divider. Since the peltex is thick and quite stiff I recommend cutting it actual size with no seam allowance. With right sides facing (RSF) and the peltex in between sew along three sides, leaving the bottom open. Machine quilt as desired. Insert the divider between the two case linings. Sew around the outside and bottom, leaving the upper open.
Next make the eye glass outer case, with RSF sew around the sides and bottom of the eye glass outer. Turn right side out and iron. Insert the lining wrong sides facing, and a peltex piece on both sides between the lining and the outer case. Next, turn under the liner top and the outer top and iron. I find this step makes it makes it easier to hand sew the opening closed. Hope you can see from the pic, the divider is inside, it should not come too far up past the "hip" of the eye glass case. Did I forget to tell you there is hand sewing involved in this project? Sorry!

Next is more hand sewing. The purse frame has a line of small holes at the bottom to use for attaching the purse. Using heavy duty thread I attach the lining first, then move to the front and sew through the front and through the holes to the lining so all is secure (hopefully)! And, Voila you have a fabric eye glass case - for two pairs of glasses than matches the fabric purse you made this summer. Ohhhhh la la - how matchy matchy!

Busy Busy Busy ...

Well, I ended my vacation with a shopping trip to Len's Mills I wasn't looking for anything specific - always a bad time to shop in a fabric store! Anyway, I came out with this cute fabric panel. I don't usually indulge (in fact almost never) in cheater panels, but somehow this one took my fancy, so here we are one week later ... um, yes, it's hand quilted. I just needed something to stitch. Ever get that feeling?
So, approx. 3 weeks ago I told you all about my score at the Goodwill - 2 Fabulous Eastlake chairs. Come to think about it, I was looking for upholstery fabric @ Len's, yeah, that's why I went - they had a buy one get the second meter for 1/2 price. Unfortunately they didn't have what I had in mind. Actually all has turned out to be another score - I found the EXACT fabric I had in my mind @ Fabricland, for are you ready ... $3.50 a meter (on sale of course) It's a pinky rose (I LOVE red) in a kind of square weave with a dark brown/green squarish dot. So .... I just had to buy the whole bolt! (actually just a little over 6 meters). This fabric should match with the green Hydrangea and the Beige Hydrangea prints I have in my living room. Now I have another project to finish, hopefully before Sept! I have put off beginning my niece's wedding quilt until then. Wish me luck!
TTFN

Christmas in August!

So I've had three fat quarters of Christmas fabric - black & Turquoise (kinda an odd combination of colours for Christmas) for over a year now, and last night I finally decided something must be done! As you readers know I've been working on a series of small wall hangings for my mater's apt. front door. She's become hooked on the notoriety this has brought her, and the project has done it's job in providing a topic to discuss on the elevator and a means for her to break the ice socially. For those of you out there with a senior in your life - it's an idea for something you too can do to help them adjust to their downsized life.
Anyway, enough proselytizing, here's my details of this project. I used some black scraps to make the basket front in checkerboard style. A small turquoise print is used for the background, a black & white Christmas fat quarter I "won" at last year's guild Xmas fabric toss, and the final black & turquoise Poinsettia fat quarter in the outer border. I located a good matching turquoise fabric for the backing, and some silver decorations for inside the basket. Now all I have to do is quilt it!
TTFN

End of the Vacation ;(

So I have ended my vacation with two special purchases, pieces of my "good" china. Now this is fast becoming a collection/obsession rivaling my fabric obsession - but hey, it could be worse, right?
So, while enjoying a lovely day out with two of my quilting friends, thank you ladies, we visited an antique market. Now I know what you're thinking .... why on earth would you be able to make a fabulous china purchase at an antique market? Well, my china pattern, although not out of stock is no longer sold in North America. Since it is/was also sold as giftware I am still able to find pieces out and about in various "markets". So, I picked up another, yes another cake plate. Yes I know, how many cake plates does one need - well, two of course! I also picked up 2 demitasse coffee cups. And then, just yesterday I scored again at the goodwill ..... and picked up this crazy little miniature ewer/pitcher in my china pattern.
So there you go, an end to this year's summer vacation and more to stuff into my flat-to-the-wall!
TTFN

She Scores!!

So the big news .... (drum roll please!) is my New Car!! After 10 years driving the ugly brown F_ _ _ _ I bit the bullet and got a new chariot! It's a 2011 white Toyota AWD 5 door Matrix, with, ahem, a few bells and whistles! Woohoo!My second score this summer vacation is 2 East Lake chairs in perfect condition - except for their rather fugly upholstery .... Another big WooHoo! These came at the hefty price of $5.00 each! Ok, I know what you're thinking - just how many East Lake chairs does one woman need. So far I have collected 5 of them - they join the list of 8 pressback chairs, 1dainty dining chair, 1 child's pressback rocker, 1 pressback high chair, 2 wood vintage kindergarten chairs and 1 other diminutive child's chair. Ok, how many was that - 14? WOW !

Vacation Blind!

So I've been promising myself I'd make a Roman blind for my bedroom while I am on vacation. I have my bed up against the window as it's the only location which allowed me to get some decent sleep - Feng Shui don't ya know ... Anyway, I get intense sunlight late in the day in this window and the cotton drapes and cafe curtain were fading fast. I lucked out last year and found some yardage of the exact - yup I said exact fabric I used to upholster my East Lake bedside chair.
So, guess what I spent the last 2-3 days doing ! I even lined the darn thing! I put 1/4" dowels in the "pleat" to help it fold nicely - it's kinda stiff right now because of weight of the 2 fabrics. Here's hoping it lossens up.
I re-hung the long side curtains (red & white pinstripes) and the top panel on two new rods so the "look" is wider than before (sorry no before pic!) Anyway, that's how I've spent some of my first week off work!
TTFN

Fractured Zen

Before I entertain you with a story about my Fractured Zen, let me show you my beautiful Hydrangea!!! I actually remembered this year to pour on the special fertilizer this particular plant likes in order to get and keep white flowers. In past years this plant has started out white then immediately turned green. So, I'm very happy with this year's crop of WHITE hydrangea flowers! WooHOO!
So, a friend lent me her book, Fabulous Fractures by Elizabeth Esslinger.(Thank you SVA). Mother fell in love with this particular Japanese panel. Since I have been making door hangings for her, and she was whining about needing a new one .... well, you know what happened next. You need a minimum of 2 panels, 4 are better. You take the first panel and cut it vertically into strips every 1 1/4 in. Label each strip A1, A2 etc. Then you take the second panel, cut 1/4 in strip off the left side, DISCARD - do an Eleanor Burns thing - just throw it over yer shoulder and forget about it ;) Next, you cut the B panel into 1 1/4 " strips and label them B1, B2, etc.

Of course now you get to sew them all back together. A1 to B1, B1 to A2, A2 to B2 ... etc. This is the tedious part, however, the effect is rather nice - not sure my pics actually show how the panel becomes fractured (I have a camera, but am still very much just a photo amateur). So, on the right is the "finished" fractured panel and my auditions for binding. Since it was going to hang on Mother's front door it needs to be a smallish size. Trouble was - just about any of those colours would have looked just fine. I ended up, as you can see below with a plain (reads as a solid) mid green fabric, which goes well .
So, summer vacation is just around the corner ( next week! YEAH!!!) and I hope to get started on my No Squirrels Allowed project. This one is for my niece who is getting married next spring. Since I hand quilt and hand applique (I machine piece) it will take me a few months to complete. So, you can expect ongoing updates on this one for awhile!Cheers, and HAPPY SUMMER!

Happy Canada Day - Eh!

So, wildlife in the city for the long weekend. I've been experiencing lots of wildlife so far this summer (no complaints). First it was a visiting groundhog. Wouldn't have worried me too much except it was in the middle of the day - not a time when they usually travel about - and s/he came too close for comfort - right up on my patio. I shooed the kitties indoors and gently used the hose on the poor beastie, which, since it was a blistering hot/humid day may have been a kindness. Anyway s/he eventually took off to investigate other backyards. Fine by me.... Next it was a poor dead frog/toad. Found it one morning laying belly up on the patio, feet removed and gutted. OK, my kitties are indoors all night and I KNOW the poor amphibian was not there the night before. So who was responsible???? The weekend started with 2 baby rabbits on the front lawn and ended so far with 2 BIG horses walking past my patio on the public walkway. I was just finishing up Not Wanted on The Voyage and just knew that clop clop clop sound was unusual .... and then there they were! WooHoo! Haven't seen horsies in quite a while!
Above is the LAST purse I'm making for quiet a while - this one for my new friend B. Now on to more artistic/creative pursuits.
Happy Canada Day/July 4th everyone!

Purses!

So, now that I'm healthy again I turned my hand to sewing up Mother's birthday presents. It's a Simplicity purse pattern where you make the basic bag then a cover for it. In my case I chose to make reversible covers. The cover on the left is a lovely abstract linen - my local fabric store was having a buy 1 get 3 meters free sale ..... The reverse of that bag cover is a cotton duck beige stripe. Fairly plain but definitely functional for summer.

The next cover is one of my favourite summer fabrics with Turquoise and oral sun bursts. Then to top it all off I made the Haida print cover. So, one purse, two covers - both reversible gives mother lots of choices. I plan to make a dark charcoal inner bag for her soon so she can use the covers with that one later into the Fall/winter.
And, just to finish things off, here's a pic of the LOC I was involved with this past year 1/2 organising Quilt Ontario 2011. Great crew, lots of fun and lots of work!

TTFN