What does a retired teacher do with all those plastic pockets?

She files everything that isn't bolted down :)

After buying new embroidery cottons I needed to put order into all of them so this morning I sewed little pockets into my plastic pockets. I drew guide lines on the paper and slipped it inside and sewed along the lines then slit the pockets open with my pointy scissors. Now all the colours are sorted and even the left over lengths are filed behind the matching hanks. Much better than the tumble weed of thread I had before.

Yesterday I filed my tea cup collection and my bird collection. The cups are drawn from photos of cups and saucers I found on the web and since I am not trying to make them into tea cups I figure it will be alright to share them as stitchery designs as I make my tea cloth.

Earlier this year I  filed all my patterns and drawings in two big folders.

I also put the magazines I had taken projects out of into folders with any tracings or patterns I had made up and I keep photocopies of interesting sewing articles and projects sheets in there too.

The magazine

The pattern sheet

My tracings

The plan for the tea cloth is checkerboard with white squares for the stitchery. This is just the floral squares on my design board with some thread choices.

Happy Quilting,
Val

1 xmas item a month and Christmas through the year

I joined up these two clubs at the beginning of the year in the hope that I would be motivated to make some Christmas decorations and a few gifts during the year. You know what? It really worked! I have made quite a few bits and pieces through the year and really enjoyed it. There are so many ideas out there and everyone is happy to show and share :)

A big thank you to Narelle at Pins and Whiskers for hosting 1 Xmas Item a Month and also to Allie of Allie-oops Sweet Happy Life for hosting Christmas Through the Year. You have both done a wonderful job of motivating me and many others to make Christmas preparations a bit easier.

This month I have made a few things. My place mats are well under way and I made a tote bag for DD2 and two pot holders for my mum.

I usually make something crafty for place names at the Christmas table and this year I have started making some birds out of spare Christmas cards. I have lots of the background cards and they even have a little space to write the name.

While I was at the computer before lunch Tommy made his presence felt. He meows pitifully and when that doesn't work he taps me on the leg. How could I ignore such a plaintive look. Well I just couldn't and he got a nice tin for lunch :)

Happy Quilting,
Val

Small projects

I have been making lots of little things. I just pop upstairs to my sewing room and think of something to make. I also have a few things that I have to make multiples of so they are cut out ready to go.
First I just want to tell you that I bought a bunch of DMC stranded cottons from Lincraft today. I went in to buy one - normally $2.99 and found them on special at 99cents. I don't know when this sale finishes but I thought it was a real bargain.
I usually pay $2.70 at my local quilt shop.
While writing this I have looked up the Lincraft online store and have found the same threads for 89 cents each  - this looks like the usual price. I put 10 in my basket and found with postage it costs $15.85 or $1.60 each. I think I  might be buying online next time.

I love drawing with my free motion foot and quilted this mug rug using flowers. The design matches my mug.

I made two more table mats.

Wanting to play with the free motion some more I made a tea bag holder to take away with me. I like to have my chamomile tea with me.

My drawing is a bit rough but I thought the writing turned out good.

I will buy single sachets to take away

Another drawing on the back

I am stitching no. 3 in the cat collection and preparing my tea cup drawings to put online probably middle of next week.

Happy Quilting,
Val

"Black and White" no.2 in the Cat Collection

Here is the second of my four cats. I wanted to play with my felt but had to think hard of something that I would look at or use everyday but wouldn't need to be wash. I had been noticing the sad sight my tea bags make in my pantry. I have tea tins but it is too hard to find the right tea since the tins are all identical.
I reduced the original cat design to 80%.
The felt bag was easy to make. I cut the wide sides to include a 3cm base section and added on another 1/2cm for a seam. I did the applique, sewed the base seam and pressed the base crease, sewed the sides onto the base then sewed up each side seam. I did a bit of buttonhole stitch around the top and added the tie.

Doesn't she brighten up the pantry!

You can download some basic instructions and the cat pattern from my Google docs.

I have also finished the second pot holder.

Happy appliqueing,
Val