Yet another bag!

Hot on the heels on the November bag in my last post is the December bag - this was finished yesterday (4 December). I had all the bits from my stash, nothing extra to get so just got on with it.

Doesn't look too bad, does it? If you click on the Flickr site on the side bar I'll have pics of all my bags from the BQL bag challenge on there.

Anyway with the awful weather - very icy on Wednesday then snow on Thursday (though it disappeared really quickly) they were days to potter around. As well as the bag making I also had a bash at making felt. I've made needlefelt with the embellisher, but in Sew Hip magazine there was an article about making wet felt. So again I already had stuff on hand so here goes..I had some roving (which a friend gave me a from her spinning days) in 4 layers going across and down laid in a baking tray.The above pic shows the soapy wetted roving (very squishy). This had to be pushed into the tin until the fibres held together. The felt was then placed onto bubblewrap and rolled up and thoroughly kneeded.This shows the felt drying on teatowels, you can see that I also made a cream piece. The felt dried overnight and I was surprised that it didn't take that long to do. I may have a go at felting the some of the pieces I've needlefelted and see what difference it makes to the fibres.

This Saturday will see DH and I going to York. I got a new camera last weekend (which took the above photo's) - a dinky little thing in purple (just my colour). So we'll put it through it's paces there. Hope I'll have some photo's to share.

November Bag and Other Bits

This is my bag for November, a Messenger bag. This was made of half square triangles pieced for the flap and as alternate blocks for the body of the bag. The strap reached to the bottom sides of the bag to form a gusset. I took the photo during the evening so although it looks blue/purple it is definitely a blue and used this with two other fabrics for the blocks. Turned out quite well though I wouldn't be in a hurry to make this again. I've now got to see what December's bag is, which will be the last one for this year. I'm pleased that I've seen this challenge through with this I've always had something finished at the end of each month. Others that have fallen by the wayside have been adding onto something in progress so never finished off.

Friday was my birthday, but not a good day, less said the better. Having moved I haven't anyone to share it with, so feeling a little down about that. However on Saturday DH and I went out on Saturday to the African Fabric Safari in Meltham, near Holmfirth. Nice small show, bought some fabric, bought a Christmas present, saw a demonstration of free machine quilting and a nice journey through the Yorkshire dales to get there, too.

Sunday saw us going to the Wakefield Model Railway exhibition
which is quite a large exhibition in the area. DH doesn't have a railway at present (it's still packed in several boxes in the garage). Wherever we've lived there has always been a model railway usually in a loft or garage, but this time when it's rebuilt it will have to be portable. It is amazing just how many children and adults are fascinated by the trains and how much detail goes into the detail of these layouts.

That's our weekend done, tomorrow will be Christmas shopping. It has to be done, so it's off to Meadowhall in Sheffield tomorrow.

October Bag and More of the Move

I’ve made the October bag, picture on the left, part of the BQL Bag Challenge (link to blog on sidebar) which took a little while to do with the 30 pinwheel blocks to make. I used bright pinks with black and a pink batik lining and handles. Yesterday was wet and miserable so just the right weather for staying in and getting some sewing done. This is the last bit of sewing for now as I’m packing up my machine ready for the move next week.

I can’t believe that it’s getting towards the end of October and the move is imminent. I’ll be going up to Yorkshire on Thursday this week to sign the papers for the rented house. The removal people will be here next Monday and we leave Poole on Tuesday to move into our new house on Wednesday.

Move getting closer

I finished work last week so now I'm unemployed for the time being. We now move on 28 October, so apart from the continuous sorting out I have taken time out to do some sewing and embellishing.

By chance I had a postcard size-ish piece of black felt with some Bondaweb and a few other threads attached to it. Going through my scrap bag I put on some scrim (in the pink), a strip of crinkle chiffon (green) and silk pieces (orange) with bits of yarn. I ironed the lot down and put some black tulle on top to stop any loose bits moving around . The third pic shows it after treatment with the embellisher. The black circles are from needlefelting from the wrong side. I've got to add some hand embroidery onto this, but that was my fiddling about with the embellisher and a practice for a swap coming up soon.

I've also started on my October bag which I hope may be done before I move but the with little pinwheel blocks (60 of them!) it could take some time. Here they all are after having been ironed on the ironing board. After joining together to make up squares (before being ironed again) I decided to drape the chain pieced "flags" over a cross stitch picture in my living room

September Bag

As its towards the end of September it must be time for the September bag for the BQL Bag Challenge and here it is all completed. From the last post when the blocks were just joined together to make a front and back I had Friday off so in the morning I'd quilted, put in the zip, joined the 2 pieces and the lining too and by the lunchtime it was job done! I made an extra log cabin block so that I had a pocket for the lining. The second pic shows that.

Friday afternoon DH and I went off to Sheffield for the weekend. When I've uploaded the camera pics I'll post them on the blog. Managed to take some night time pics which I think have turned out well.

Stringing along

On Saturday I went with my Mum to the New Forest Quilt Group's one day show at New Milton. A lovely sunny day it was a nice drive out there. It was only small but packed with lots of quilts all sizes and a hallowe'en challenge so not easy to take pics so I didn't try. I did purchase some fabric and threads (I know I shouldn't but it doesn't take up much space when moving!). I saw some lovely hand-dyed thread from Dyeing for It (sorry, they don't seem to have a website so no link, I'm afraid). The first pic has the contents of their bits and pieces bag and the second pic were more threads that I bought.

Sunday saw the start of the September BQL bag. A log cabin bag with a zip top (not looking forward to that). I did start with all good intentions of using the strips that I have in the scrap bag but I did then cut some strips from the stash. Anyway no new fabric was harmed in the making of this bag - I'm still sticking with using what I've got.

I quite enjoyed the process of joining the strips and as you can see I draped one of the strips with the log cabin blocks in a string before it was cut up. It looked like bunting!

The last pic taken this evening is the work in progress. I now have both sides done now and ready to layer and quilt.

Another bag done!

Here's my August bag made for the BQL Bag Challenge (link to the Challenge blog on the sidebar). I've just finished it this morning having cut out the pieces earlier this month. I didn't have any heavyweight Vilene so having bought that on Saturday I set to on getting it done.

It's a clutch bag with a band (in the check fabric that wraps around and goes through the tab on the front. Although it looks turquoise its actually blue and olive/gold shot lame fabric. The lining is in the olive/gold lame. I bought the fabric some time ago and looks just right for an evening bag. Just need somewhere posh to take it!

A bag for July

I've just completed the July installment of the BQL Bag Challenge. It's a tall tote, which I've made from a mottled green fabric with orange batik strips to brighten up. I've quilted this in wavy machine quilting with variegated thread and does really look more effective than the photo shows.

I've received more postcards in a swap titled Butterflies. I've yet to finish mine as I'm running a bit late on getting these out, but will update at the end of this week (with any luck).

Goosey, Goosey

I found a challenge I could not resist - YoYo's or Suffolk Puffs. On the database on Arts In the Mail Yahoo Group the June challenge was to make a postcards with at least 3 Yoyos. I already had a prepared background with green flowers and took the fabrics for the yoyo flowers from my scrap bag. The vase was a rectangle of fabric on pelmet Vilene which was fused onto the background, with the addition of bead leaves and a butterfly charm, these flowers look really pretty.

Then came the Geese. The June bag for the BQL Bag Challenge have 32 flying geese, 30 of which are on the outside and 2 on the pocket inside the bag. On Saturday anticipating the bag instructions I made the geese. These are constructed 4 at a time with goose (large triangle) being a large square and the sky triangles from the 4 smaller squares sewn at each corner. Hard to explain but a quick and less wasteful method of making these blocks.
All 32 were quickly produced in an afternoon, when the decidedly dodgy weather could not make up its mind whether to rain or not. The weather of late is still making the news with many places receiving half the June rainfall in just one day!

May Bag and Bank Holiday

As the Bank Holiday has been a wet one, well Sunday and Monday mornings were, I decided it was a good time to make the May bag, part of the BQL Bag Challenge (see sidebar).

The design used bow tie blocks and the pic above shows the chained pieced blocks draped over my machine.
Then joined together ready for quilting
I decided to put a pocket in the lining, with what remained of the Japanese style fabric. This was yet to be ironed so it looks a little untidy here.
At last finished and photographed. The colours are autumnal but I know someone who might like these colours.

I am managing to use fabrics in my stash, but somehow I don't have any more room in the storage drawers no matter how much I use. How does that happen?

Exeter Exhibition and Another Bag

On Saturday I went with other quilters from Poole and Wimborne to the Spring Quilt Fair at Exeter. A nice clear area to view quilts and plenty of room around the traders, local as well as national it made a lovely day out. I've taken a photo of my purchases and you may wonder why I got a Christmas book when it's only March. There were some quirky items which could be adapted to any time of the year, not just Christmas so I think that this book would come in useful. I couldn't resist the "tape measure" tapes and thought they could come in useful on postcards and that fabric with quilters' sayings on, I just had to buy it but not sure how I'll use it just yet. And of course fabrics - I found some with calligraphy, and a dark pink batik. Also some quarters of Japanese fabric which was on special because the designs were discontinued. I've now found that Blogger doesn't want to upload photos, so I'll try again tomorrow.

This evening I've just finished the March bag, well ahead of schedule. Using black and white strips using the "flip and sew" method, with a narrow red band to separate that panel from the top of the bag which also makes the lining. I've enjoyed doing this one as I quite like the quickness of flip and sew.

This week will see me getting ready for the International Quilting Day which my friend Brenda and myself have organised for the past 3 years to celebrate quilting. This will take place on Saturday 15 March (gosh, halfway through March already!)at Sturminster Marshall near Wimborne, Dorset. Here's a link to the photo's from the previous IQD days.

February Bag

I seem to be trying to catch up with myself and in the process have been late with deadlines. I missed an embellisher swap earlier this month and had to drop out, which I hadn't done before. I'd also managed to be late with the February bag challenge on BQL (see the link on the right). Had the month been 31 days long instead of 29 I might have made it! Anyway here it is, all done without the hearts that feature on most of the bags for Feb. A batik fabric, like January's bag, decorated on one side with some couched metallic stranded thread. Already in use, I've taken it to a committee meeting this week and just the right size for folders.

So far I've made 4 bags this year and am on a 5th with the BQL March bag which will feature black and white fabrics with a bright red strip. When I went to one of my quilting groups last night the others there were also working on a bag, but although a nice design I think that one will wait.
This year definitely seems like the year of the bag!

New year, new bag

Belated Happy New Year. This year has not gone off to a good start. Only one day at work then off sick with flu. Still hibernating at home today very tired and achy so a short entry on the blog today.

Yesterday was a little better and managed to (slowly) make a bag from the bag challenge with the Yahoo Group that I belong to (BQL), which is based on the supermarket carrier bag, except that the bag will fold into the little pocket at the bottom, very neat. I enjoyed doing this and may do another.