YAY!

Hi everyone!  In the "Yay, I'm Finished!" category today, we have ... Christmas In The City!!!

I really had fun with this one.  That fabric ... I just can't thank my friend Donna enough for giving me her VERY cool retro "scraps"!!! I love the bright, cheery fabs paired up with the city map fabric - I'm very pleased with how it came out! (... except maybe for having some rows "off", but that's another story altogether!)

I ended up sewing the binding by hand; I'm really happy with how it came out!  I'm still working on my machine binding skills, but ... I need work!

Here's a look at the back; you can get a good look at the quilting this way:

I had a swingin', groovin', retro-coolin' time making this quilt! Thanks again to Donna for the awesome fabrics!

Thanks for reading!
KZK

PS:  Maggie likes it, too.

Storage Cube

Hi everyone!  I thought I'd give you a couple updates today!

Remember the not-a-Kira quilt?  I finally pieced a backing for that!  I have it all basted and ready to be quilted.  Now I just need some time.  And to decide how I'm going to quilt it.  I keep changing my mind on that!  One of my friends suggested the name "Kaleidoscope" and I really like that!  I think I'm running with it!

And the Hunter's Star?  That massive quilt is now in the hands of a professional long-armer.  I'm SUPER excited!  More details to come on that!

The only other project I've tackled lately is a toy box for my girls!

I used Soft and Stable to help the box hold its shape.  I heard in another video that using Wonder Clips can help "train" the foam to go the way you want it to go, so after I hit the top seam with an iron, I Wonder Clipped the top before doing the top-stitching.  It worked out very well!

It was tricky sewing a cube (the "Y" seams at the bottom corners), but I followed a tutorial by Debby Shore. I found her directions to be clear and easy to follow. I've just "discovered" her videos and am really enjoying them!

Speaking of enjoying things ...

Both Cam and Maggie are enjoying their new toy box!

Thanks for reading!
KZK

Wrapping It Up

Hi everyone!  I have two more little fabric baskets to show you today - made from the same tutorial from Pink Penguin that I've used many, many times.  I love the size and shape of this basket; we have a few here at the house and they are so handy!

A couple weeks ago, I showed you two I made recently - the one in colonial/early American type fabrics was for my mom and the denim/homespun one was for the owners of the cabin we stayed in on our trip out to see her.  Just a little "thank you" -- especially since they had no problem with our pups staying there.  I made two others, and they wrap up all the "making them for the trip" projects!

First up was this one:

Pumpkins, acorns, leaves, sunflowers ... a lot of fun Fall fabrics!  I wanted to leave something with my mom to give to my sister-in-law.  (She and my brother live close to where my mom is, but they weren't home when we visited.). I thought it was adorable!

Next, a variation on a theme:

Sunflowers, crows, birdhouses, lots of garden motifs.  I didn't piece the top of the outer part; I just wanted those sunflowers to shine!  I gave it to my neighbor as a "thank you" for taking our mail in and watching the house a bit while we were gone.  She grows sunflowers, like the good Kansan that she is - and has a veggie garden.  She really seemed to like it; I loved giving it to her!

That's a wrap of the "trip" projects!  As always, thank you so much for reading!
KZK

Drawstring Tote

Hi everyone!  I have another bag to show you today -- and it's actually NOT a Dumpling Pouch!  I know; it's shocking.  Ha!

I've wanted to make a drawstring tote, or cinch-top tote for YEARS!  I finally took the plunge, using fabrics I've been really wanting to do something fun with.  Let's jump ahead to the finished bag!

There are many, many different tutorials for this type of bag all over the internet. I finally chose one (this one, by Shabby Fabrics) and gave it a go. I did make some changes ... of course!

I decided to use Soft and Stable for the body of the bag and to quilt it.

Can you see the quilting? Here's the flip side:

I used a fabulous variegated pinks/reds thread by King Tut - Red Sea. It was perfect for this project!

I didn't like how you could see the wrong side of the fabric of the cinch-top when it was open as per the tutorial, so I sort of doubled that. I'll have an easier way of doing it next time; it is a bit bulky when you cinch it closed, but I'd rather have that than the wrong side of the fabric showing. Yes, even if I'm the only one who will see it!

I used variegated pink string that I had - and quadrupled it.

I also used the end caps from the the same discarded windbreaker mentioned in my last post (I used the zipper for that pouch!) to dress the ends of the strings up a bit. I think it's a nice "finish"!

It's already been put to work (on the trip) and not only did well, but was so fun to use! I've washed it now and it still looks awesome!

It was so fun to finally make one of these totes AND to use these fabrics!  I'm sure I'll be making another one of these soon!

Thanks for reading!
KZK

Number Seven

Hi, everyone!  Yes, another Persimmon Dumpling Pouch!  Have I mentioned these are a bit addictive?!?  This one was for the trip, too, but to take to my mom as a little gift.  (The little colonial fabric basket was for her, too; she used to do a lot of tole painting and likes the Early American look!). Anyway ...

I did a little wavy quilting on the outside of the pouch and ...

"GASP!"

Fortunately, I saw it coming and had ordered more to have on hand for just such an emergency!

"The King is dead; long live the King!"

I so totally love King Tut thread!!!

PDP#7 had a cool, retro vibe to it!

The fabric is a heavy canvas, so it has nice shape and form even with "just" batting inside.  The zipper is from a discarded windbreaker.

I added fabric tabs at both ends, to make it easier for my mom to open and close, and found two very cool buttons to sew together to use as a zipper pull:

I thought that would make it easier for her to grip!  I also put a little Super Glue on the threads to prevent any fraying or un-knotting.

I made two interior pockets from a coordinating canvas:

I  ❤ the Persimmon Dumpling Pouch!

The interior fabric is a cute quilt-weight cotton.

I love making these - and adding my own touches here and there!  And I loved giving this one to my mom!

Thanks for reading!

KZK

Another Serving Of Dumplings

Hi, everyone!  As I mentioned, I may be addicted to making the Persimmon Dumpling Pouches by Sew Sweetness.  I thought I should make a couple for my husband, for him to take on our trip!

For the first one, I grabbed one of his old uniforms. I thought it would look great with a bright red zipper (still using zips I had saved from discarded clothing!) and a flag-themed fabric for the liner.

I lined the front with batting and put a few lines of quilting in there for detail and to hold the layers together.

Right after I started that pouch, #5, my order for Soft and Stable came in!  I just HAD to try it out, and got to work on Persimmon Dumpling Pouch #6:

Very easy to quilt through, easy to cut, and I'm so thankful for Wonder Clips.

This time, I used a Desert Storm camo fabric.  I used part of it (it was a rucksack cover) for a new mat for the girls and had just a smidge left over.  I thought my hubby could use two pouches.  Right?

I love the professional look I got using the Soft and Stable -- the pouch sits up nicely and just has a great feel to it!

I'm not unhappy with using the batting, though -- the BDU camo is so thick that combined with the batting, it also has a nice heft.  Here are the two pouches:

On both pouches, I installed tabs on both sides, for easy zipping and unzipping.  For #5, I used folded BDU fabric; it was a bit thick to deal with.  For #6, I used the ribbon from DCU pant legs.  I used the same ribbon as a zipper pull for that pouch, and the ribbon from BDU pants for the other.

Here's a peek inside:

By the time I was on pouch #6, I was confident enough to make some personalizations, and put a pocket inside:

I measured before I made it, so it could fit his razor -- he used this as a dopp kit on the trip!

I confess, I may have gotten the girls involved in a couple photos of Pouch #5 ...

Cammie

Mags

Oh, trust me, they were duly rewarded for their efforts!

As always, thank you for reading!

KZK

Drawstring Squishy Bag

Hi everyone!  Several of the little bags I made recently were to help keep us organized on our trip - and this next one is a great example.  True, I had watched another YouTube video and couldn't wait to try my hand at it ... but I also thought it would come in handy for the trip.

I present the Drawstring Squishy Bag With Pocket (tutorial from Erica at Confessions of a Home Schooler):

All coffee prints because yes, we brought our own coffee. We were very glad we had!

The bag is fully lined, drawstring closure, and a sweet pocket on the outside.

It also has a cute little grab handle.

I used cording and a barrel-style cord lock I had saved from something. It was perfect for this project!

Like the Dumpling Pouches I showed you in the last post, this has been through the washer and dryer now and still looks wonderful!

If you're looking for a fun, quick project that has great utility, this one sure fits the bill!

Thanks for reading!
KZK