It’s no secret I love Michelle’s Patterns and she’s got a fun new one out and it’s on sale for the weekend! It’s the Peony Pen Pouch and I love the details, especially on the bottom.
Since I’m off work for another week and a bit I’m going to actual make this thing!
Finished my Melinda Zipper Pouch.
I don’t know if I’m getting faster at hexies or they’re just starting to grow on me, but they look pretty fun in a finished project and I’m liking this pouch a lot.
I even got fancy and placed those little kitties just so. The unique way to attach a label to this pouch was also kinda nifty.
Next up is this quick little phone cozy from Michelle Patterns. I need a quick project as back to school looms this week, *sigh*. This pattern is only from the pieces, but if you’ve used her patterns before you can figure it out pretty easily. I’ll also tip you off when I write my post on Friday.
Whew, sure it was almost midnight but I finished it!!
Tada! Hexies do look so pretty all together, but I’m really not sold on them considering how much work they take. Thank to OCD for sharing the tutorial. And my apologies for crediting OCD the pattern is actually from The Plaid Scottie, she was just guest posting, I should really read fine print.
I had some trouble with the assembly after the zipper part. Having made lots of zippered pouches I undestood that step, but someone new to installing a zipper in a lined pouch might be confused. Sewing gets really spatial sometimes and you have to be able to visualize the end while you’re going along, that can be hard the first time. I tried to assemble it my own way when I didn’t understand her instructions but then I had to get cozy with Mr Stitch Ripper. Then I gave the instructions a second try and managed to get it.
Next up, the Melinda Zipper Pouch from I Think Sew.
Ok, since it took me ages to finish my last project, that I only revealed on Monday, I thought it best to just wait until Friday to pick a new one.
So next up is this pouch from Obsessive Crafting Disorder.
You will need a piece of hexies that looks like this. Then you’re going to trim off the edges and make it smaller, I hate this part. Ever teeny tiny millimetre of hexie bit is such a huge labour, I can’t bear to even trim it down! But hey, that’s how it goes.
23 hexies, I can handle that, please someone play along with me.
Pretty please?
Posted in createalong, scraps, sewing
Tagged create-along, hexies, pouch, scraps, tutorial
While this should be a Create Along reveal I can’t even bare to claim it as one it’s taken me so long to finish this project!
I had about 40 or so hexies all ready made but I needed 57 to get this project under way and I totally underestimated how long these things take! Perhaps if it was fall or winter and I was stuck inside watching shows or lazing about more, but with it being summer holidays the kids and I are keeping busy and I just found I didn’t have time for making hexies constantly.
The only thing that saved me was 2 Fridays ago my hubby came home and decided we were going to rip up the lineoleum and lay down the ceramic tiles we got on crazy discount. Did I mention he’s a programmer and I’m a teacher? It was apparent rather quickly we had no clue what we were doing. We had shipped the kids off for a Saturday night sleepover in some sort of dilluted ambitious hope we’d actually tile our floor ourselves. We gave up and called in reinforcements. So as Sunday evening approached and our fridge was in the livingroom and stove in the side yard I packed up some stuff and the kids and headed to the lovely home of my inlaws for a few days.
I camped out here and because their house is HUGE I barely saw the kids, they were happy to play with vintage Star Wars toys and visit with Grandma and Grandpa. Also, it’s a ridiculously bright sunny room and it was so awesome for crafting. One day a crazy thunderstorm moved in and it was awesome to watch it from this room since it has 3 sides of giant windows.
I took the kids to the park and tried to hexie but they were all over me.
I watched PanAm episodes and hexied away!
The kids played in the ‘carriage house’ construction mess.
Then last night I stayed up way to late assembling the pouch. The tutorial is fantastic, I love the finished edges on the openings for the frame. Sadly my frames are slightly larger than the one listed in the pattern, so mine sticks out a bit. I’ll go on a quest for a smaller frame soon because it totally bugs me like this.
Also, I have no clue how women made these things in the ‘old’ days, I get that they save scraps and use every little bit but my gosh they take oodles of time. It also pained me greatly to actually cut the big piece down a bit to make what I needed for the project, even those teeny scraps of hexies were painful to toss out!
Posted in createalong, scraps, sewing
Tagged create-along, flex frame, hexies, pouch
Oh hexies.
I’ve underestimated your power.
I’ve had this pile of hexies in progress for a while, and I really thought I’d have enough together to pull off the pouch.
But alas, I do not.
So perhaps next week?
Whew. Ok so here’s my completed NapKitten hamburger wallet thingie. (honestly, I talk like that, meet me I’ll prove it)
It’s cute, but it’s also ridiculously wonky. I had a hard time with this one. I’ve completed 3 NapKitten patterns and I love them all. The wallet was just involved, the phone pouch is super easy and fun, and this . . . I’m not sure what I did but it’s embarassingly crooked and made. I think I choose thick fabrics and because of that I should have bypassed the fleece inside. I might get brave and try another.
The two zippers were interesting to work with, and the assembly is interesting. I, as usual, didn’t read the instructions all the way before starting and the whole time I was thinking “it looks all unfinished inside, how’s it going to get all pretty in there?” then I saw you have to cover it all with bias tape that you make yourself. Bias tape is sort of my nemesis. So for now it’s pretty thready in there.
I’m not done my Keyka Lou camera pouch, which is sad because I have a 9am flight to NYC and I was hoping to pack and pad my camera but oh well. Life sort of got in the way of sewing this week! Silly life. There’s always next week.
Well a slight wrench was thrown into my Create Along plans for last week, in the form of salmonella poisoning. I’m still a bit grumpy that I sort of wasted a lovely 4 day weekend by battling illness.
Just a reminder I’m creating one ofthese using one of NapKitten‘s great patterns. It’s all cut out and in progress!
Soooo I’m a little too behind for a reveal. But I’ll forge ahead anyhow and launch into the next project all willy nilly!
I’d like to tackle this padded camera pouch from Keyka Lou. As a bonus all her patterns are on sale right now, to celebrate her 4 year anniversary as a pattern maker and seller. Congrats Michelle!
Designing, making and selling patterns is something I’m really interested in. I’ve got some things to learn first but I’m heading in the right direction by sewing up anything I can think of!
Wow, so I guess I was busy this week. Friday is now my full day at work, thanks to this whole day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 thing we do in my school board, and I realized as I was drifting off last night that I hadn’t actually written today’s post. Then of course a day of work, a busy evening and last minute craft show prep has kept me from actually posting it. But here is my dumpling pouch a free pattern from my pattern selling friend Keyka Lou. **Her patterns are still just $5 until November 27th**
I love the fun rainbow/froggies in the rain print. For the inside I just reached into my scrap stash and grabbed something.
The pouch opens up ridiculously wide, it would be great for lots of little things like make up, art supplies, or crafting stuffs. The zipper goes in really well once you cut the little notches in it and my dumpling is only a little bit wonky on one side.
Just tilt your head a little and it looks like a really good pouch. Now I have no idea what advice to offer to get this side looking good. Maybe “close your eyes”?
I have absolutely no stinking idea how that happened and I’m stumped on how to fix it. I’ve turned the pouch and tried to resew that seam and every time I turn it back right side out that one corner is all stupid. Soooo oh well I’m just going to have to live with it. However, I will be trying again once I had some spare time! But if you don’t look to hard, or need the pouch to stand up on it’s own it looks great!
For my next trick I’m going to be sewing up one of these handy things. I’m usually fumbling for my headphones in the car to use my phone, or they get all tangled up in my purse or gym bag. I’m hoping this little friend will solve all those problems. Plus it’s got no corners so I can’t really mess it up too much!
Posted in createalong, scraps, sewing
Tagged create-along, keyka lous, pouch, scraps, sewing
Made this last night as a way of productively procrastinating. I have to make even more cozies than I thought now that I have to replace the load I took to Cup of Tea. I’ve also got some orders in the last few days to fill. I needed a creative break.
So I turned to my favourite pattern maker and whipped something up.
I added the button, which I’m not too sure about. I wasn’t entirely sold on the velcro idea but I guess there’s a reason Keyka Lou is the pattern maker and I just sew stuff!
I’m such a creature of habit, doesn’t it look familiar?
