New Bags...Finished

Okay, so while I have the Broken Dishes quilt up on my design wall, I thought it was time to get back to sewing some handbags.  Here is the second clutch I was working on.  The pin I wanted to use did not work out so I ended up using this one.

This cute little bag is large enough to only hold a few things (cell phone, keys, lipstick, and a very small, tiny wallet.

And I decided to sew this cute little purse.

I think that's enough for now.  

Broken Dishes on My Design Wall

All of my Broken Dishes blocks, 156 to be exact, are all done and up on my design wall.  I was lucky that they all fit.

They will stay on the wall for a week or two so that I can tweak it here and there.   I always find that I have to move a blocks around.  And it always surprises me to find that I still need to make changes even after I think I am all done.  I usually spend a few minutes several times a day rearranging the blocks.  But after two weeks, I am done!   

So that's what I have been playing with.  What have you been up to?

Broken Dishes Update

I am still working on my clutch handbags, but had an opportunity to take a break and work on my Broken Dishes quilt.  I have sewn all my triangles together and am now ironing...

Now that the ironing is all done, I have a huge pile that I have to trim to size (3-1/2" squares).

And then, I will sew them together, to form these blocks.

And then, I will have to arrange them in a pleasing manner...

My daughter took one look at these blocks and she commented that the fabrics/colors I used were not "me.  I totally agree with her, but I wanted to break out of my box.  Now that I am about half way done, I am getting excited.  I can't wait to see how this one turns out.

A New Evening Clutch Handbag

I finished a new clutch handbag using a belt for the handle.  I am going to keep this one for myself because it is my prototype and I consider it a learning experience.  Does anyone else do that?  I try to make all my mistakes.  Luckily, there were no mistakes on this one, but I did learn a few things.  For instance, there was a lot of bulk at the corners and my Symphony sewing machine was not handling it too well.  So I ended up using my old Singer machine to top-stitch.  And the next time I sew the lining, I am going to make it at least 1/2" smaller all around the curved sides.

It is roomy...

So hopefully, the next one that I make (hopefully by the end of the week) will turn out a bit better.

Working on a Clutch Bag and Ear Bud Storage

I have been away from blogging for a while to enjoy the holidays and to celebrate the new year.  So on that note... I would like to wish all of you a Happy New Year and hope that you were able to spend it with family and friends.

Here is what I have been working on.  I bought this belt and belt clip in hopes of using them on a some handbags.

I decide to use them on a clutch bag.  Here are the fabrics I have picked for the outside and lining for two bags.

I plan on using the chain belt for the fabrics on the left and the belt clip with the fabrics on the right.  So stay tuned for my finishes.

On another note, I found a tutorial for an ear bud pouch here.  I always hated stuffing my ear buds here and there, so now I have a zippered storage pouch for them.  I love it.

Quilting On My New Joy Frame and My Very Last Christmas Gift

Okay so now that my quilting frame is all set up.  I put my quilt on and gave it a go.  Here are some pictures,

So far, there are no loops in the back and it is no longer shaking as the machine goes over the rails.  I am happy...finally!  Now to improve my quilting stitches.

On another note, I finished my last gifts for the Christmas Club through the Year which was hosted by Allie from Allie-Oops Sweet Happy Life.  Go on over to see what everyone else did.  There are some great tutorials that were posted throughout the year.  I managed to actually do a few.  I love sachets, but I have been having difficulty finding decent filling, except for lavender.  So what to do...well I had a whole bunch of perfumes that I thought might help me out.  The first thing I had to do was to take the tops off the perfume bottles.  I have to admit that it is a bit tricky, but with pliers and some perseverance, I managed to get it done without hurting myself.  Then I filled a small tub (the kind you get from take out) with rice and added the perfume to cover the rice.  You need to see a bit of liquid on top of the rice. Leave it out for about two weeks so that the rice absorbs all the liquid and is completely dry.  I would on occasion mix it with wooden chopsticks. 

Then I cut out shapes (birds, hearts, stars, whatever) and filled them with the rice.  Here is a picture of two that I made for myself.  I have made a lot more, but they are Christmas presents and I would like to keep them a surprise.  I embellished the ones I am giving as gifts.  For instance for the bird, I blanket stitched wool wings on both sides of the bird and added button and beads for the eyes.  For the heart, I added a collection of buttons, beads, and some lace.  The best thing about this is that you can be as creative or as simple as you like and use up your scraps at the same time.

Thank you so Much Allie for hosting!

Lucky Me!

What a great surprise!  I follow and entered a giveaway hosted by Sherri at A Quilting Life.  Drum roll please...I won her giveaway and received this wonderful package of fat quarters sent to me by Jackie at Quilt Works.  Thank you for this great surprise.  I can't wait to use them.

New License Plate Cover

At the beginning of the month we had our annual Christmas party at the firehouse.  We exchanged presents and I ended up with a license plate cover and a fat quarter bundle.  I was excited!  When I came home and showed my husband, I was a bit surprised...he got up off the couch and went and put it on my car right away.  I chuckled, I think this is so cute and accurate.

I whited out the plate number...is this not too funny?

He is a bit concerned about the looks he will get when he is driving my car.

Thank you so much Cheryl, I love it.

New Joy Quilt Frame Problem/Fix

I have not been able to quilt on my New Joy Gold frame because I have been a bit frustrated with it skipping stitches when the sewing machine got to a certain spot.  After a lot of researching, I realized that the frame could not support my sewing machine (Janome 1600P) at the center point between the center and side legs.  This was not a problem with the smaller quilt frame, but I purchased the larger (wider) frame.  So what to do?  I read all the comments and convos on the Google site and found one person who had her husband support the frame better...so I asked my husband to help me.  First I called the support group and spoke with Tom to see if I could buy 4 additional legs and leg supports (the metal bar that goes between the front and back legs).  Luckily, they had some in some in stock, so I ordered them.  My husband had to drill holes into the frame to install the legs.  Then we leveled the frame with shims.  Of course, my husband did not like this solution because he did not think they would stay in place, so he surfed the web to find these 1"square tube insert and hex.  He bought them on the International Components website for under $4 each.  What these inserts allow you to do, is to raise or lower each leg individually.  So we replaced all of the original inserts (that came with the frame) with these new inserts and then leveled the frame.  I have to say that this frame is really secure now.  I can't wait to try quilting on it.  I know this was such a long post, but I wanted to provide this information to anyone else out there who might have this problem.  I know how frustrating it was for me.  I cannot tell you how frustrated...and you don't want to know.

The insert on the left is the original ones that came with the frame.  The one on the right are the ones we purchased.

This is what my frame looks like now:

So now my husband is trying to find a solution to this mess:

He wants to tidy up these wires and perhaps put them on a platform with wheels underneath.

Butterfly Handbag and after Thanksgiving

Well, Thanksgiving was a really nice day spent with family.  Every year I promise myself that I will not "overcook", but as always there are a lot of left overs and no one in the house, except for hubby and me.  The week end was spent driving the kids back to school and now it's time for me to get to business...I mean sewing.  Hope all those who celebrated had a blast.

Here is a new bag I made with brocade fabrics.  I used several different purple brocade fabrics for the outside and fully lined it with cotton fabric.  This bag is great because it is tall enough to hold your eyeglass case.  Usually I only take the bare essentials when I go out in the evening (lipstick, drivers license, and a few dollars), but as I am getting older I am finding it hard to find a spot for my eyeglasses.  I don't need them all the time, but I definitely need them to drive and to read fine print (bi-focals).  Any way, getting back to the bag.  I used a decorative fabric covered button on the flap.  It closes with a metal snap on the inside of the flap.

I named it the Butterfly Handbag because the brocade fabrics have butterflies all over them.  Look how roomy it is on the inside.

Well, that's it for now.  I am going on over to add a few handbags to my website Talinshandbags.com.