Airport Quiet Book Page

This little Airport Quiet Book page has been in the making for several months.  It was such a fun project to pull out once in a while to work on.  The pattern came from the imagineourlife blog.  If you are interested in this kind of project, follow the link above to see many delightful quiet book pages.

This pattern features the airport with a luggage truck, a plane that can be "flown" across the sky, a helicopter (in place with a snap) and a plane with storage compartment!

Am I too old to play with this??  

The truck is ready to load the luggage!

Hmmm... not much to say about the cover.  It IS a pretty bright green! :)

A new bag for November!

Sew4home recently featured a great tote bag with a designer handle.  I saw it and immediately knew this would be my next bag for carrying my things back and forth to work.  After some frustrations with sewing through layers of leather ... my bag is complete!

Overall, I would say this was a simple bag to make.  After taking some time off from sewing, it feels good to have a finished project again!  Now for a few more finishes...

Fabric & handle supplies:
Outer body:  1/2 yard upholstery fabric from my local fabric store (with a lot left over!)
Lining:  Nothing fancy!  ... from local store
Leather inset:  Recycled leather (also from local fabric store)
Handles:  Fabric.com

"Housey" sewing...

"Housey" sewing #1:  Years ago I made a tube "bag" for holding plastic bags from the grocery story.  It was not fancy, but very functional!  This year, I made one to replace the old; this one has quite a bit more style to it!

Old, uninteresting one on left -- new replacement on the right

I find it interesting to see the two side by side.  Either my taste in fabric has drastically changed, or the fabrics available these days are so much more interesting.  Both statements would be true!

 The pattern for this little project is an original pattern. I pretty much designed it as I went.

 Fabric choices:
Kona cotton - lime
Backyard Baby by Patty Sloniger

 What a cute little woodpecker!  It reminds me of the bird I see every once in a while pecking away at a tree in our backyard.

"Housey" sewing #2 was a quick sew of last evening.  I recently went to my local quilt shop and found several lines of toweling.  They had several designs, and I went with this one to try it out.  

 The long edges of this fabric were already finished, and all I needed to do was hem both ends!  It doesn't get much easier than that!  I love how it feels and will definitely be getting more designs to update my well-used dish drying towels.

Glass Mushrooms!

In my garden there are glass mushrooms.  If I am not careful they will be sprouting up everywhere!  The idea of reusing, remaking, recycling has always intrigued me.  While an object was made with a specific purpose in mind, I love to find new and sometimes unexpected uses for the same object.  Enter -- the glass mushrooms!

These little cuties were inspired by my sister-in-law.  She hosted a party recently and in her garden were tucked "mushrooms" similar to these.  At the base she had a "lit" battery operated votive candle. It was so pretty!  Since then I've been looking at the glassware in thrift stores in a whole different light.  And what do you know?? With a little glass adhesive and pretty glass, we have have mushrooms!  What is sprouting in your garden?

Felt Food Fun!

This week I've been "cooking" up a storm in felt!  A niece had asked me if I had any felt scraps and wondered if I could make some felt food for the anticipated arrival of her two sons.  Oh, yes, I have felt scraps, and this opportunity was exactly what I needed to use some up! I was trying to think of a cute way to "present" the assorted foods, when I came upon a great blog with quiet book ideas.  I made a few variations to the project shown on the blog, but used the pattern pieces offered for the most part.  Here is my version...

Love this range!  The knob even turns.

Mmmm... pancakes with bananas!  

Eggs and bacon coming up!

I tied a little handle on here, but it has grommets in case you want to add more pages -- held together by rings.

Disclaimer ... Adults may be tempted to play with this!  This was so much fun that I think I may need to try some of the other pages.

Need A Little Needle Book Swap

I joined a new swap this month -- Need A Little Needle Book Swap.  Just in case you are wondering what a needle book is, it is a "book" with fabric or felt pages in which to hold sewing/embroidery needles.  Check out this page -- https://www.flickr.com/groups/2631188@N24/ -- to see some great examples of needle books!  Mine, which is called the Needlebook Butterfly is included!  The free pattern and tutorial I used is from Wild Olive.  When I saw this pattern I knew it was the one to make for my partner!  I'm on the search for some "extras" to add to my package for my swap partner, and then it will be in the mail.  The fun part about swaps, besides making some new sewing friends, is that a something special will arrive in my mail box as well! For as much as I sew, I still don't have my own needle book, so the one I received will be my first -- and very special, indeed!

Waking from my sewing "sleep"...

For weeks I have walked by my sewing machine ... looking at it ... sewing only when I absolutely felt I had to!  It was a big time sewing slump! Has anyone else ever been there??  Perhaps the beginning of summer break will help to motivate me back into the creative process.  A recent baby shower gave the push to uncover that machine once again.  The result?

Baby shoes are so fun to make!

And the winners are...

...drum roll, please.

The winner of this apron is Dawn S.  This one will be a fun local delivery.  Another apron will be going to a family member ... Jocelyn!  This one is not so local, but will be hand delivered as well!!  Can't wait!  :)

Finally ... A Cindy Apron Give-away!

The 2014 Cindy Apron has been finished for several weeks, but I'm just now getting around to posting it.  Five years ago my sister, Cindy, died of breast cancer.  Each year I have marked the anniversary by making an apron to give away.  Cindy surprised me with a pretty apron on one of her last visits to my home, and though it is faded and becoming a bit worn, it still hangs with my other aprons.  It is a daily memory of a dear sister who brought so much joy to the lives of everyone around her.  For this years apron I used a linen stripe and a piece of vintage table scarf -- and -- here it is... the 2014 Cindy Apron.
If you would like this apron, just leave a message below.  I will randomly choose the winner next Sunday.  As I did last year, I'll also make one for a family member. So...to my family... if your name is pulled you may choose one similar to this, or in the style of one of the other Cindy Aprons I've made.

 

WIP - Finished!

This quilt top (banner size) has been on my "work in progress" pile for way too long!  For years it has been waiting for a backing and quilting.    I'm happy to say it is finally complete!  I cannot remember the name of the pattern used, but I found it on http://www.debbiemumm.com/ some years ago.  My original thought was to make a wall hanging, but it seems to have made it's way to the table.  I used a combination of machine quilting and long stitching.

Tote Bag

It's soon Auction day at school, and each year I like to sew something as my contribution.  This year it is a springy, pink tote bag.

Choosing the fabric

Pleated in the front

Inside pocket; snap closure

The right needle for the right job!  I decided to try a new kind of strap on this one using vinyl.

Fabric:  Ivory Kona cotton, Kumari Garden Marala Pink
Pattern: Tohoku-tote   found here,  handbag straps.