Gifts sent and received etc!

I've missed you all so much! I apologize for my long absence here once again! I have so many things I want to share, so many to the point I am a bit overwhelmed! Of course I have tons of pincushions pics I want to share, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to talk about something other than log cabin pincushions just to give fresh air to this little blog?

The leafy potholder (or a mug rug?) above was a gift for a friend I whipped up last week. I used Leila's Scrappy Leaf Key Fob pattern that I had purchased a while back. (You can purchase her pattern in her shop!) This pattern has so many possibilities! Have you seen how she made not only some key fobs but also coasters and a potholder by altering the size of the same pattern? So fun! I was especially inspired by her potholder and basically couldn't help myself copying her! It was a lot of fun choosing fabrics for this potholder with the recipient's taste in fabrics in mind. I can't say any more about this gift since it hasn't made its way to her.. ;)




This is a teeny tiny spool pincushion I made for Tara a while back. It made my heart sing to hear from Penny that Tara liked it so much that it is attached to her sewing machine now. I've made several of these pincushions for gifts but this is the only one I didn't forget to take a photo of.




Along with the pincushion, I made these for her too; a fabric basket and a scrappy organizer. You probably know the basket pattern (hehe, the tute is here!). The organizer was made using a tutorial, once again, by Leila. (Yep, I admit I am a huge fan of her works!!)




This too is something I have to make one for myself as well ;)

*Part of Purse Palooza*

And this is a quilted tote I made for Amy using one of the signature bag patterns in Kumiko Fujita's ABC book. Although this book is out-of-print and is very hard to find, the construction of this tote is quite simple enough for most folks with some bag/purse experience to figure out how to make it pretty easily. I'd like to talk about this bag as a part of Purse Palooza (more about the event in my previous post.) Here are some questions Sara of Sew Sweetness, the lovely host of this fun event, has kindly prepared for us.




1. What materials are needed to make the bag? What type of interfacing did you use?

Cotton print, linen, fusible web (for applique), cotton batting, and medium weight interfacing (for handles).

2. What fabrics did you use to make yours?

Most cotton prints I used for are Japanese fabrics. (Suzuko Koseki, Kumiko Fujita, etc.)

3. Illustrations/Instructions (were the instructions easy to understand? Were there step-by-step photos or graphics? Was anything unclear?)

It is a Japanese book, so all the instructions are in Japanese, but just like many Japanese craft books, every instruction has at least a few step-by-step graphics that basically explains the flow well.

4. Modifications (what changes did you make to the pattern and why?)

I enlarged the pattern so that it's good enough for a library tote.

5. Difficulty Level (beginner, confident beginner, intermediate, advanced)

Maybe confident beginner.

6. Conclusion (any final thoughts about the pattern...did you enjoy it? Would you make it again?)

I really enjoyed making this bag. Even though I've made this type of quilted totes many times in the past, this instruction called for quite a few things I had never tried before. For example, the way handles are sewn right onto the bag like this. You can see the stitching from the exterior. The short edges of the handles were raw when they are sewn to the bag. The raw edges were then to be covered by some fabric. I hand-stitched this linen tape instead to cover up the raw edges. Another thing new to me was that the lining fabric was used to bind the raw edges inside the bag. Basically, your lining is at the finished size plus extra at two side edges. These extra parts are used to cover up the raw edges inside the bag! Clever!

I have been terrible at remembering to photograph my hand carved stamps before sending them. Here are three stamps I didn't forget to take a picture. Can you tell I am having so much fun curving stamps?

Lastly, I'd like to share with you some handmade lovelies that made my weeks!



Oh you know how much I covet them, don't you? Charise has been such a sweet and generous friend who never ceases to stop spoiling me, hehe! Receiving these lovelies finally convinced myself it's the time I got a wall shelf for my craft room to display my favorite small crafted gifts ;)




Doe is too aweome. Period. I am constantly inspired by all her projects, but lately we had a chat about dolly dresses and I told her how much I'd like some of them to hang up on the wall. And look what I found in the mail! I love them so much I could probably eat them no problem!