Double Pointed Needle Case

Last week I noticed a sock knitting non sewing friend was keeping her dpns all muddled up in a box and then the next day I found this very cute paper pieced sock and thought it would be perfect for a needle case.

There are a lot of tiny pieces in this sock, but it went together easily. So much faster than knitting one.

 

McCalls 6044

Sewing a pattern that you know fits really well is extremely enjoyable and satisfying. I needed to do some of that sewing last week so I made Chris two new shirts. I used McCalls 6044 and previously shared the changes I made to the pattern.

I did have an exciting new tool for these shirts - a flat felling foot, it makes flat felling so much quicker and neater.

This is the last of the shirting fabric I bought in New York last year. I do regret not buying more, it is beautiful to sew and Chris likes to wear it.

I bought the green stripe in Bali a couple of years ago. It is quite slippery compared to the other fabric, but it sewed up nicely. I left off the pocket because I knew I couldn't get it to match properly when sewing it on and it would have driven me crazy. 

 I love that all the shirts I have made him get worn regularly. I have some Liberty lined up to use next.

More Steam Punk Blocks

32 finished, 9 to go.

Jenny Bag

After making a pouch with some leather scraps yesterday I thought I'd use a few more scraps to make a bag. This is the Jenny Bag from I Think Sew.

I used Heather Ross Far Far Away linen blend for the main part of the bag and some Stamped by Ellen Luckett Baker for the strap. The pattern called for an O ring for the strap. I didn't have any but found some of these wooden rings so I used one of them instead.

 The leather scraps were quite thin and a bit stretchy so they were quite tricky to sew, especially the top stitching. I did use a Teflon foot, but I think it might be worth trying a leather foot if I was going to do a lot of leather sewing.

 This is a great bag pattern and the only change I made was to shorten the length of the strap a bit. I have already used it today and I can see it getting a lot of use.

Jamie Pouch

I've been thinking about making myself a leather bag, but decided before buying myself a hide I should get some scraps in different thicknesses and have a play. This is the Jamie Pouch from I think Sew. This is a good size pouch (7 1/2" high x 5" wide). Perfect for a phone and keys. I used leather for the bottom and fabric by Ellen Luckett Baker for Kokka for the top and strap.

 One side of the lining has card holders. If I made it again I would make a couple of pockets instead. It wasn't really tricky to make, but the curved zip did take some patience to get right. This is a good pattern if you want to use up small bits of fabric and they would make great presents.

Milo May

A Milo for Olive.

 

Rulers and Templates for Jelly Rolls

Quilting Rulers, templates and Jelly Rolls are some of my favourite things and I am always on the look out for interesting and easier ways to cut jelly rolls. I thought I'd share some of my favourite ones with you.

Marti Michell is a quilting ruler and template genius. I have a giant wishlist of her rulers I'd like.

The Perfect Patchwork Templates set B and the Strippers template set are perfect for using with jelly rolls.

 Creative Grids also make great jelly roll friendly rulers like this half square triangle one.

 Many companies make 45 and 60 degree rulers and these are great for cutting triangles after sewing multiple strips together.

I just rediscovered my Tri Recs ruler which has been hiding in my sewing room, I have some plans for this.

 These are just a few of the  rulers you can use with jelly rolls. Have you found any other useful rulers?

Louisa Dress

I've been saving this vintage flower fabric for the perfect project. The Louisa Dress was it.

I made it exactly as the pattern suggested until I came to the lining. I did cut it out, but decided to just use some bias binding for the neck line instead.

 It is a cute dress and Olive loves it. I'm sure I'll be making another in the future.

Beanies

I love knitting beanies for the girls, they are quick and easy, they are a great way to try different techniques and colour combinations, and the girls love wearing them.

This is Love Triangle. I thought Olive might like it, but she wouldn't try it on so Eva modelled it for me. Two year olds change their minds a lot so I'm hoping she might want to wear it soon.

 

 Milly requested a bright blue lace beanie and we found the Lovejoy Slouch pattern. She loves it and it's been worn a lot.

Grace wanted a yellow one exactly the same.

 Then Evie asked for a pink one. I didn't mind knitting three of these. It's a simple pattern to memorise, easy to take to the girls netball games, or to knit while watching TV.