Another Gift

I forgot about this little bag when I did my last post! I made up the pattern as I went along but basically it's a lined zippered pouch with a small gusset at the bottom. Most of the space at the bottom was needed to accommodate for the padding... I didn't intend it to be so thick but felt the end result was OK enough not to need re-doing.



Then I filled it with lots of little things for my 8 year old cousin to enjoy!



I was amazed at how much I could squeeze in (the pouch is about 4 inches square-ish).

Gifts

When I saw this apron in an hour tutorial I knew I had to try it and knew exactly who would be receiving aprons from me! Once a month I have a "cooking date" with my sister and a friend, Georgia. Usually we try something new and often it's a bit more ambitious then what we would try alone or when more pressed for time. We've talked about getting aprons but somehow it's never materialized and finding this tutorial in January gave me plenty of time to get the aprons ready for Georgia's birthday at the end of March. True to their name these aprons were super quick to sew and I think I had all three done by the end of January! (I think I spent as long choosing the fabric as I did sewing them... OK, maybe not quite.) They were a big hit! We decided it's fine to wear them while eating as well as during cooking as they protect your pants should anything drop on your lap! (At least that was our excuse to keep wearing them.) I like the fact that they match but aren't the same. Very cute!



Another (more recent) sewing project has been an Amy Butler Birdie Sling for a friend about to have a baby girl. She plans to use it as a diaper bag and I think the brown ladybug print was perfect: cute but useable post-baby and won't show dirt too quickly. This was the second time I've used this pattern and it was just as enjoyable the second time around.

Playing with Chiyogami and Fabric

I finally got around to playing with the chiyogami that I got off Etsy. Did some pretty basic covered clothespins and got more adventerous with some earrings. (and realized I should develop my jewellry making skills.) I love the patterns of the chiyogami and since I never know if I'll be able to get the same pattern again I try to be careful when cutting and waste as little as possible. I guess I do that with all my craft supplies but I take extra care with the chiyogami.






I've also been enjoying trying out tutorials. This is my first attempt at a boxy pouch and my first zipper. I really like how the pattern lined up on top, and it was unintentional!! I turned the bag right side out and noticed the bird lined up - it's so nice when things work out like that!



And I made another envelope pouch. This one is for keeping tampons contained in my purse. I tried adding a divider, it worked OK but I think I'd try something a little different next time. I also realized I lucked out with the hair elastic last time. This time it kept slipping away from the needle and ended up on the diagonal of the flap. It looks cute with this fabric but in future I plan to baste it to one piece of fabric before sewing the seam.





What have you been busy creating?

Spring!

Signs of spring around me:





I know it's really spring when this sign goes up!

Rainbow Baskets

This weekend's project was sewing a set of rainbow mini baskets to use at work (daycare). Our theme this week is Colours and I thought this would be a nice way to incorporate some non-plastic elements into the room. I worked on them assembly line style and was happy with how quickly I got them done. It was fun to work with such bright colours and seeing them all together makes me smile. I also made some little felt pillow shapes to go inside each one but forgot to take pictures of them before they left home. Enjoy the before, after and during pictures!

Fingerless Mittens

Just a quick post to show off my latest knitting project - fingerless mittens for keeping wrists warm!

I got the pattern from Sandy in Wonderland and made the minor adjustment of using one skein instead of two. (The pattern calls for two skeins so the stripes will match. Then with the leftover yarn you knit a second pair for your "best friend") I wasn't too fussy about having them match and couldn't think of anyone to give the "best friend" pair to so I knit both from the same skein.



I loved knitting with this yarn: it's really easy to work with and has such lovely colours running through it! It's got a really long colourway and each bit of yarn can have several colours in it. A bit hard to explain so take a look:



I have to admit this project was a little addicting, it knit up so quickly and with such great colours I said "just one more row" several times!

Recent Projects

I think I need to plan my blog posts (better). This could also mean making more time for crafting. hmmm... something to work on. In the meantime these are the projects I've been working on:



I made this bag from an old pair of pants that had outlived their usefulness (as pants at least). Everything came from one pant leg - the buttons and tabs were used to hold the pants rolled up in a capri position! I plan to use the bag to hold my rain gear (jacket & pants), particularly when out and about. Bonus is that it can double as a pillow while travelling.


This card was for a young friend's birthday. I wanted to use some chiyogami paper I got from Etsy. Originally I'd planned to put the flowers on the branch but they didn't look right so they ended up in the corners instead. I really like how this turned out but would like to work on my branch technique.


I'm using this headband at work. We have to cover our hair when serving food and I thought this print would be nice and cheery. I had it in my fabric stash and it's nice to get it out and about!



This knit mesh bag turned out quite well (I still need to block it). The only problem is the strap stretches quite a bit so if the bag is full it reaches to my knees! I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that yet. Maybe just tie a knot in it.

My current project is knitting wrist warmers, I'm using Noro's Silk Garden which is absolutely lovely to knit! I love seeing the different colours in each inch of yarn and how it stripes. Pictures next time!