Quilt for My Sister

I wanted to give my sister a quilt, so I let her look through my tops and this is the one she picked:

This one wasn't quite finished, which was good since it gave her the opportunity to have input on the colors.  She wanted a less traditional look for the quilt, so chose fabrics in grays for the border, the back and the binding.  Truthfully, I wasn't too sure how that would look, but I really love how it turned out!

 

 

 

 

 

 I had it quilted with dark gray thread on top and white thread on the bottom. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the back

 

 

Another Handbag

I like the blue bag I made recently, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted.  So while I was in the bag making mood, I got to work on another one.  And I'm very happy with how this one turned out.  It's the right size and shape, and I love the colors and all the pockets.






































As with the blue one, I used upholstery samples that were given to me by my niece. I used cream colored suede, brown leather and brown tweed.  For the lining,  I used a piece of medium weight brown cotton that was left over from another project.


I started with this pattern, but changed it quite a bit. 






































I've used this pattern a lot as I like the general shape and size.   My finished bag is 10-1/2" tall and 12" wide.  The bottom panel is 4-3/4" wide and the side narrows down to 2" wide at the top.  I put a zippered pocket on each size on the outside (1 small and 1 large) and 1 small one on the inside.







































I used a plastic jacket zipper for the opening.  I find these work great as they're strong enough, but light-weight and easy to open.  I use split rings as pulls on all the zippers.  These are inexpensive, come in different sizes, easy to grab hold of and they never fall off.




















 
 
 
 
 
 


This was one of those rare projects that goes together quick and easy and turns out as great as you hoped.

Christmas Gifts - Fleece Blankets

I generally sew Christmas gifts for my 9 grandchildren.  Usually it's flannel or fleece pj's - they seem to like those.   This year I decided to make fleece blankets.  I made one for each of my grandchildren, plus one for my husband and a small one for myself.  That's 48 yards of fleece!  I'm probably the only crafter that had never made one of these or even owned one.   Instead of the cut & tie method,  I decided to stitch all the way around the edges and then cut the edges into 1-1/2" wide strips. I didn't tie them,  just left them as fringe.  I think the kids will like them and I'm thrilled that I got them finished early!