January finishes, part 2

If you go to a quilter's sew-in or retreat, you're sure to see versions of the Sew Together Bag, by Michelle of SewDemented, pattern available on Craftsy. Very clever, very cool, and quite useful, with zippered pockets for little things and deep pockets for bigger things. At the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild Christmas Party Swap, there were a few that made the rounds before going home with lucky recipients.
 
The first sew Together bag I made was for Poppy. I didn't really understand the placement of fabric, so the inside isn't as colorful as I'd intended; it's a sophisticated look. She uses it for toiletries.

Then I made one for myself, using a spiderweb block from my Beach Umbrellas on a Hot Day quilt. I love the selvage dots included in the strips. Bethany claimed this one for herself, and uses it for her toiletries and make-up.

For Christmas, I made one for my niece. Forgot to take a picture of it finished...

I want one! This one's for me: I made another spiderweb block, and used lots of favorite scraps and fabrics. And I had fun using it last weekend at the sew-in.

But that's not all. I made myself another, a mini! Isn't it cute?

Elizabeth, at OPQuilts, (look under her tutorials tab) has made a worksheet you can use to adjust the measurements in your purchased pattern to make this cutie.

I think it will make a perfect kit for the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild BOM applique project.


Oh, and speaking of kits, I made this cute Flora Supply Case by Clover & Violet, to use as my quilt binding kit. I made the small size, and replaced the zip pocket with a needle book. I think that hand sewing a binding while watching a movie on tv with my husband is the nicest way to spend an evening! Already, it's keeping me from spreading out my gear all over the coffee table, and leaving it there...

On my holiday break...

I'm a student again (taking graduate-level classes to clear my teaching credential), and you know what that means? Procrastination! Lots of it!
And I'd better not procrastinate my reading and writing assignments with anything fun, like sewing, or reading a good book, because I know I'll get so absorbed that I won't stop until I'm finished. So I waste a lot of time on facebook, Words with Friends, researching which blinds to replace the kitchen window covering...

But while I had a break from school, I had fun with a few projects.

I finished this spiderweb quilt! The blocks were from the Stash Fabulous Bee and the Stars In Their Eyes Bee, so there is great variety of interesting fabrics.

 

That's one colorful quilt!

 I had thought about adding partial blocks to complete the circles around the edges. I had thought about an over-all quilting pattern. I fussed and puttered over the block arrangement.

A black and white striped binding is always a winner!

Finally, I just wanted it finished! I love the free-form chrysanthemum quilting in the spiderwebs (my friend says they look like umbrellas on the beach!), and the stars in the stars.

Here's the back, with another star as the signature block.

I used another leftover block to make myself a Sew Together bag. I can see why they're all the rage! It was really fun to make, and to see how all the parts fit together.

That was after I'd made a Sew Together bag for my granddaughter, for Christmas. She loved this Tula Pink fabric when I bought it in Pittsburgh last summer.

Here are a couple other projects I cleared off the WIP list:
Cushion covers for my sister's kitchen table:

She's going to get foam inserts, which will look very sharp.

Joining the California pillow, another tea towel pillow featuring Oregon (where two of our kids live) and Washington (where the Pittsburgh family will be relocating).

Back to school now, back to work. I have a list of projects to work on when I am procrastinating schoolwork. That's my New Year's resolution strategy for satisfying down-time.