"Bag It" - 2017

Have you seen ..... Patty at Elm Street Quilts is holding a competition for bag making!

Running from18th September through to 15 December 2017, however you must only enter bags you have created and made after 18 September.

All the rules are on her blog HERE (or you can also click the button in my right hand margin to go to Patty's blog directly).You will see lots of tutorials for different bags. Go on, you know you want to join in! Have a read, find out all the nitty gritty!

I just love the fabric I used for this little bag, read all about the bag HERE (the idea is that the bag is small enough to sit comfortably on my wrist while I knit, holding my ball of wool so it doesn't roll all over the floor).

I intend to use some of the main fabric to make a larger everyday bag, and probably incorporate some of the other fabrics you can see here:

Not quite sure which I will use yet, but they are my favourite fabrics at the moment.

Are you going to join in? Go and have a look at Patty's blog, see what's happening!

I'm looking forward to seeing how many bags you can make!

Barbara xxx

Oh, I am not affiliated to Patty's blog in any way, just thought the bag competition looks such a fun idea, and I'm sure we all love making bags!

Teeny tiny finishes! Yay!

Oops, I'm late to the party, as usual, so much I want to do at the moment!

Anyway, I am linking to Amanda Jean's "Crazy Mom Quilts" for Finish It Up Friday ..... Here!

I have two small finishes to share this week:

First finish!

And for my second finish:

Earlier this week we had a visit from a friend we hadn't seen in donkey's years, and the night before she arrived I had the crazy idea that I should make her something. So ..... I quickly stitched up a tissue cover from two of my favourite fabrics (if you are new to my blog you can read details about making tissue covers here, and the photos are a bit better there too!). 

I took this picture as I finished stitching, and had meant to take one in the daylight the next morning ..... unfortunately with preparations for her imminent arrival I totally forgot!

Second finish

But, back to the first finish:

I made a book holder for myself a couple of years ago, and recently DH asked if I could make one for him.

More nighttime stitching .....

There was cutting:

And, quilting/embroidery .....

and varnishing in the "Man Cave"

that's  v-a-r-n-i-s-h-i-n-g, not  v-a-n-i-s-h-i-n-g as DH read it! Tee, hee!

And while I was doing my photo shoot both our little helpers wanted to be involved!

However, Tom is one very stubborn but lovable cat, and he just would NOT look round!

Mitsey always wants to know what is happening!

Oh dear, I see from these photos our poor garden bench is in definite need of a couple of coats of something! Oh well, a job for another day!

Do pop over to Amanda Jean's to see what others have finished this week, and I know you will especially love to see Amanda Jean's gorgeous bag!

So ..... what to stitch next?

Well I think I'm back to making Mini Sewing Kits. What about you, what are you making?

I look forward to hearing from you!

Keep stitching!!! 

Barbara xxx

PPPP - My "Ugly" Pincushion

Linking to Ida's PPPP with my "ugliest" pincushion:

I guess it's not really too ugly, maybe I've just grown tired of it ..... or covered it with too many odds and ends!

I found it difficult to show this pincushion to its best advantage.

Ohhh! I have to admit ..... I didn't make this one! I fell in love with it at a local quilting exhibition. I'd wanted to make one like it for sooooo long that when I saw it I had to have it!

The poor thing .... I do tend to use it to keep all my odd threads safe!

Taking it into the garden showed off the colours better.

I daresay you might have guessed ....

the ribbon round the outside holds cotton reels .....but it is just a bit fiddly when one wants to use the reel in the middle for stitching on the sewing machine!

Linking to Ida's PPPP.

Thank you, Ida for encouraging us to share pictures of our pincushions again this year!

Barbara xxx

Perfectly Pleasing Pincushion Parade - 2017 (PPPP)

I'm a bit late but there is still time to join in with Ida's fabulous Pincushion Parade (PPPP) ..... go read all the detail on her blog ..... HERE!

Ida has amended the Parade to run until 16 September, not on the 15th that her "button" says.

Ooooh! ..... there are fabulous prizes, but more importantly, there are lots of wonderful pincushions to see.

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Before I start today,  thank you all for your good wishes regarding my eye problem. I'm a lot better (my eye is no longer red, or watering, all the time), but not quite back to normal, so I've been trying not to look at a computer screen for long periods of time.

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I'd like to welcome some new friends to my blog ..... I'm quite nervous because in the past I have been a "secret blogger" but now I am happy to tell friends of its existence. (..... laughs nervously!)

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Anyway ....  I shared my bestest and favouritest pincushions in last year's PPPP.

I have now searched the house for a few you haven't seen before.


Most of my pincushions were made to compliment a particular sewing kit. The pattern for these two sewing pouches came from Popular Patchwork "many" years ago (and friends from the handicraft group will remember these as I got everyone interested in making them - some people made about half a dozen each!).

The flower is my favourite pincushion and looks good in any size.

Here's my favourite flower again .....  read about it and my mini travel sewing kit, here.

and this is the most recent .....

but it has to be reassembled ..... one of the petals is fraying!!! Luckily I have another petal to use in its place. (Again, it's the same as the one on my mini travel sewing kit.)

I was just about to make a few more of these kits for presents for friends when I read that the Pincushion Parade was about to start, but this is the only one I've made so far.

I found details for this little chap somewhere on the web, and it used to be attached to another of my travel sewing kits. I love it, but no-one has ever, ever, said they liked it when I've used it, so it has now been banished to the Dreaded Cupboard, as an unloved pincushion.

After seeing some of the amazing pincushions Amanda Jean has been making this year, at Crazy Mom Quilts, (look under "pincushions" in her files for even more).

I've been wanting to try something different, and finally I have my own version of a "Skinny Pinny" under way, although I'm not quite sure I'll have time to finish it for the Parade.

Oh yes, there is a special category too "Ugliest Pincushion"!

If you haven't already ..... "Get your skates on! Search out your pincushions, and join in!"

I'll be off to visit everyone's pincushions now over at Ida's place .....  "My Sister Made Me Do It"!

See you soon!

Barbara xxx