SEWmuchKNITting

It has been my pleasure to make a signature quilt for the gift raffle at the All-Night Party for the Senior Class of 2009 at my son's high school. This is my fourth and last child to graduate from this school, and I have made a signature quilt of one pattern or another for each one. I'm not quite sure where I first saw this quilt made up, but it is just a mix of nine-patches and rail fence blocks, exactly like this one , only now in the school colors of blue and white. I backed it with flannel, and quilted it with a simple design on my trusty Bernina 1260. Not much quilting, so that the kids have ample space to pen their name and a few words if they would like. I also made a pillowcase for transporting the quilt and for the owner to use after. Fun!

I liked the details that  this pattern had, so I decided to sew one up! Using fabric from the Fabric Warehouse at $3.49/yd, I made it right out of the pattern envelope without alterations. I really am pleased with the way it came out: the fit in the shoulders and across the back is great, but I need to add a little in the hip area.....D%$# that secretary spread! Since this jacket is unlined, I serged all seams, and tried something new: I made the fabric-covered buttons to match! I think that helps this project avoid that "loving hands at home" look .I plan to make this one again, now that I know where the fit can be improved.

I finished the bag from Knotions , done as a KAL with the Monthly Adventures Ravelry group. I think it's kinda cute!, tho I'm not fond of the way the knitted band collapses some at the top. ( I may need to add a Velcro dot to close it). I quilted the the bag to a piece of  warm and natural quilt batt before adding the lining, and I also put a strip of the batting in the handle to make it more sturdy. I plan to use this bag to house one of my projects currently on the needles, most likely the Central Park Hoodie :-)

This arrived in my mailbox last week: the new Lexi Barnes book: Sew What Bags ! Many thanks to Lori who hosted the giveaway on her podcast Sew Forth Now ! If you haven't yet listened to Lori's podcast, I recommend you do so soon. She has interviews with sewing 'celebrities', book authors and others who blog about sewing, along with book and product reviews and comments about what she is sewing. Lori is a busy person who manages to get so much done, and share it with the rest of us!

I am making this bag with Monthly Adventures group on Ravelry . The top of the bag is 'trimmed' with a knit panel, and the bottom of the bag is pieced. Of course, I had all the supplies needed already in my stash, and I'm happy to use up the yarn left over from my Green Gable sweater! This bag looks like it will be a cute little summer tote....

Amy Butler's pattern for the Frenchy Bag is a fun and easy bag to sew. I used fabric from the M'liss Rae Hawley line of quilting fabrics purchased at JoAnn Fabrics. The structure for this bag is provided by sewing basic canvas to the wrong side of the bag fabric. I prefer sewing in the canvas rather than applying a fusible interfacing.......I just like the result. This particular bag was made for my son's girlfriend, and I wanted it to be strong and stable enough to throw a book or two in since she is a college student. The inner lining has pockets on both sides, and I made one a little shorter for her cell phone. Also added were a lanyard with a clip for her keyring, and a magnetic closure. I'm happy to say she was delighted with her gift!