A Laptop Sleeve Conquered!

Phew!  is all I can say to this finish!

Front

Back

This is a laptop sleeve for my 17 year old nephew, for Christmas.  Despite the 'simple' vision I had of this in my mind (I should have been worried right then!) this project turned into quite a challenge.

As mentioned previously, my foundation piecing with lined fabric made full use of the word 'wonky'!

I'm deliberately NOT showing a close up of the wonky bits!

Then came something that would have rivalled an episode of The Krypton Factor (I'm showing my age now!).  

I know enough from bag making to know that there is a sequence when constructing a bag.  As this laptop sleeve is essentially a bag (don't tell my nephew that!) I thought I'd be able to work it out!

Unfortunately for me, I don't have a degree in Construction Engineering or Quantum Physics (or anything else for that matter!) & I realised too late that I'd never made a gussetted/zippered/lined bag.

I couldn't for the life of me work out how to get the gussets, zips and linings together without any raw edges!  World Wide Web - you were no help to me at all!!

When I finally, somehow, managed to get the thing together with no holes or raw edges, I couldn't get my husband's laptop (same model as nephew's) to fit in through the zipper opening!  

Aaaaarrrggghhhh!

And my zipper ends were so lovely too!

So out came the stitch ripper (again!), off came the zip (again!).

Never mind, I battled on (I even dreamt about fixing it last night), persevered and I now have a satisfying finish & a very sore back!

Lovely Kona Ash on the inside!

I hope your week has been more productive and stress-free than mine!

Chat soon,  

Judith xo

A day for Tea & Shortbread!

It's absolutely minging outside today!  It's so dark I haven't been able to switch the lights off yet (it's nearly 1pm!).

But I've the house to myself until 4pm so I'm a happy bunny. 

I've had loads of admin and teaching notes to do today, so not much sewing done, but I did get a few more Christmas presents finished last night.

I made another mugrug/hostess box set, which I'll show the class on Thursday night, but I'm thinking this one would be great for my mum.  

My vision for turning this into a present is to get some clear wrap and that fancy twirly ribbon stuff (you know what I mean!) and wrap up some delicious fudge or peppermint creams and set them into the box.  

Alternatively, if I see a nice mug that will go with these fabrics, I might put the fancy wrapped sweets into the mug and make it a full on gift set.

Does anyone know if Ikea sells the clear wrap?

Another finish were these cosy mittens:

These are a stocking filler for daughter no. 2.  That just leaves daugher no. 1 to make these for (daughter no. 3 mittens here), and she has already picked out her yarn so I'd better get cracking!

Some of you previously got the pattern for these from me, but I have to say that after crocheting it up several times, (before unravelling and resizing) I don't think there's any need to increase on the thumb joint half as much as it says in the pattern (except maybe for those of you who've already confessed to having shovel hands!!). I made one round of increase which is more than enough for small/standard sized hands.

And finally, another votive/tea light cover:

This one will probably be heading over to England (but without the glass jam jar inside!!).

So, the admin is all done, time for a quick lunch, before heading up to the sewing room for more present making!

Have a good 'un!

Judith xo

Christmas Gifts part 5

Information on the November Bee Blessed block can be found here.

Christmas isn't complete without a wee stocking, or two.

These mini ones make great gifts, either just by themselves, or filled with all manner of goodies!

They are approx. 10" in height and fun and quick to make, depending on how decorative you want them to be.  And another great way to use up smaller scraps!

And speaking of small pieces of fabric, last week I received my Christmas Charm pack, from the swap organised by the lovely Emily.

There are 2 squares of every fabric you see here!

56 squares of yumminess to play with!  

I just can't decide what to make with them!  At the moment I'm leaning towards a table runner for my dining room table, which at Christmas time becomes ridiculously long (good 'ol IKEA!).

Judith xo

Christmas Gifts Part 4

If you have a small gift you would like to give someone, but it looks a bit pathetic all on it's own, how about putting it in one of these cute gift bags?

Finished size: 10"x7"

These easy makes can be up or down sized depending on what you want to put in them.  I love to buy the old fashioned jars of sweets to put in these - another great teacher's pressie!

Or how about some novelty socks for that man in your life who is so difficult to buy for!!!

The drawstring channel can be made with ribbon, or you can make your own channel with co-ordinating fabric.

And they don't have to be made in Christmas fabric either!

Fill your gift bags with cosmetics, smellies, sweets and treats!

The possibilities are endless!

Christmas Gifts Part 3

I have 2 Christmas Gifts classes this year, each lasting 3 weeks.

So I wanted to give folks a variety of gifts to choose from, that were fun and easy to make.

Yes my kitchen is red!

Potholders make great gifts because lots of us love to accessorise our kitchens, and the infinite range of designs possible make these versatile too.

I use Insul Bright heat resistant wadding in my potholders & trivets, so they are functional and practical, as well as stylish.

My pot holders finish up approx. 10".  They are a great wee project for using up scraps of fabric.

You can also have lots of fun experimenting with different quilting techniques on these mini quilts.

I hope these will inspire the lovely ladies who come to class this year. 

Have a lovely start to the week (despite the awful weather!).

Judith xo

Christmas Gifts - Part 2

Details of my Celebration Giveaway can be found here.  Giveaway closes Monday 17th October.

Ok, here is my 2nd project for my Christmas Gifts classes to make:

You've seen me make some of these tissue pouches before.  Once you get the hang of the pattern, they are so quick and easy to make, and a great way to recycle smaller pieces of fabric. 

There is no wadding in these, and you can decorate them how you like.

I like to fill mine with novelty packets of tissues, but I'm finding them hard to come by these days!  I will have to take a trip to a few garden centres to see if I can pick up some funny ones!

These are also the perfect size for storing mobile phones.

I hope to soon have a Christmas Gifts Part 3, when I get more things made, so watch this space!

Have a great day!


Judith xo

Christmas Gifts - Part 1

Details of my Celebration Giveaway can be found here.  Giveaway closes Monday 17th October.

There's something about Christmas time that brings out the excited inner child in us all.  

For me, I love the smells of Christmas, spicy cinnamon & orange candles, fresh pines from the tree, home baked mince pies and shortbread. Mmmmm!

So it's time for me to get ready for my Christmas classes! Folks who come along to class have already been asking me with excited anticipation 'what will we be making?'.

I have scheduled in 3 weeks this year for making Christmas Gifts.  These will be small items that are quick to make and can be varied and adapted to suit the intended recipient.  

I like to give my class a choice of what they can make, so this week I'll share with you some of the ideas I'll be teaching.

First up, a different kind of mugrug:

Last year I came across this tutorial on Sew Mama Sew for the Hostess Box.  I asked permission from the designer Jennifer Casa & Sew Mama Sew to adapt the pattern and teach it in class.  Permission was v.kindly granted and so I got to work downsizing the pattern to come up with this mini hostess box.

The box is held in place with velcro, but these wee boxes could easily be makes in themselves, filled with yummy sweets (I particularly like fudge!) and given to teachers as end of term pressies.

And the mugrug could be any design you like.  

I think kids would love these too filled with their favourite sweeties! Jxo

So there you have it!  My Christmas Gifts part 1.  Tune in tomorrow for part 2!

Have a great Wednesday!

Judith xo