Dog Treat Training Kit

A very dear friend had her birthday a week and a half ago and I instantly knew what I wanted to make her despite the fact that I had no time to make it. As she's just moved her dog to come live with her here in Malta the decision was simple:  A dog treat kit!

I know there are ton of different belts out there that you can buy, but they all have something about them that I don't like. To few pockets or too small pockets and you always need to bring the whole big belt with you, which might not always be ideal. So I decided to make little separate belt pouches for her that she could combine as she liked.

The big drawstring baggy gave me a little trouble. I thought for sure that there had to be a pattern out there easily accessible but when no such where to be found, I designed my own version based on the chalk bags we hang around our waists when we go rock climbing. I think it turned out really well! =) 

The little zippered pockets came together quickly and they have sturdy belt loops on the back. 

I think she really likes her kit as I've already seen her use it a lot! =)

Jewelry Travel Bag

My mother makes the most adorable travel bags for jewelry. They're super handy and such a fun design that I of course had to make her show me how to make them at the quilting retreat - so we made one each =)

The chubby little "bar" can be detached at one side with velcro and is for storing ones rings. The lace hanger for earrings was my own addition (as I don't have many rings) and it too can be detached for easy handling on one side with velcro. I also love the touch of whimsy it gets from using different colored zipper tabs ^^ 

The pattern is called "Sew Together Bag" and is available on Craftsy. This is such a handy design, thanks a lot mom for showing me how to make it! <3 

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Stash Update

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I have also received the Stash Stack Club package for May (June appears to still be out travelling with the mail, hope to get it soon as I'm super excited about my greys ^^ ) which contained of lovely reds. My favorite this month has to be  Beatrice Weave which is the top one in the photo. They are making some small changes to this years stash club, instead of August being Navy this year, it will be included in the blues and instead we will get Low Volume prints next months which I'm totally excited about! =D

I'm also still working hard on my pattern for the Bia Bag, however, work got in the way and I'm about a week behind on my schedule, but it's still in the works - so please don't loose hope! =)

Wallet and Zippered Bag to go with my Bia Bag

I of course needed a new wallet to go with my new bag so I made one during the quilt retreat using a pattern that I've had my eye on for a while, the Onigiri Designs Long Wallet. It's really pretty and oh so handy!

The little zippered pouch is from a pattern we got at the quilting retreat made by Anki. So quick to make and so handy with it's two zippered pockets!

But I'll be honest with you, the pattern for the wallet was quite difficult to understand and follow, I think it might be a translation issue but after some (read  a LOT) of unpicking, and redoing I finally managed to get it right =)

The end result is quite lovely I think , but if I were to make it again I would absolutely make some small changes. I'd attach the zipper a bit further out, add some interfacing to the coin pocket and to the card pockets since as they are now, they're a bit difficult to handle being so soft. I also made money and receipt pockets behind the card pockets, to get a little more space for such things as otherwise I'd have to have it next to the cards which would make it a bit difficult to handle.

I'm also in the process of making a free pattern for my Bia Bag - so stay tuned ^^

The "Bia Bag" =)

During this years quilting retreat I made myself a much needed bag. Since I couldn't find a pattern that suited my needs, I made it up as I went along. Customizing my design for my needs perfectly, resulting in my most loved bag to date! It's just perfect and as it's made from oilcloth it is therefore rather waterproof, it can just be wiped off when it gets a little dingy or gets salt stains from the sea. =)

It has a zipper that extends beyond the edges to allow me to fully open it up and see what's inside while still providing theft protection as no one can simply slide a hand into it while closed, nor will stuff fall out if it tips over.

The insides are perfected for keeping all my junk in check, specialized pockets for phone, lip gloss, pens, nose spray, compact etc ^^

It also has many pockets on the outside for easy access to necessities. I also love the handles I found at Ankis, they had the perfect length to keep my stuff safely tucked under my arm, and as the whole bag is rather thin, it doesn't get bulky despite their rather conservative length. Just the way I want it!

I also made a matching wallet and little zippered bag, but I'll show you those a little later along with the other stuff I made during the week ^^

This years quilting retreat with my mother, was for the first time held by the lovely Anki from Kinnas Sy. There were 10 of us there and we had an absolutely lovely time, thank you so very much Anki and everyone, I had a blast! The only problem was that 1 week is much to short! <3 Love you all!

Modern Baby Boy Quilt

I've got a few baby quilt in the works, and due to workload they've been in the works for quite some time...
This is one of them being laid out. It's based on a quilt pattern made by Oh Fransson. I started with these squares which I thought worked quite well. I looks nice, happy and I thought it all worked quite nicely together.

But as I was adding the missing squares I realized that the green stripy fabric from the Twirl line didn't work at all, there was too much white in it as you can see when it's all laid out. So I'm currently in the process of unpicking those and replacing it with something greener.

I'm also sketching on an applique, I think I might have something that will work. It's a little crazy but might go over, do you think adding a little red to this in applique form would be really weird? Maybe it's better to stick to blues and greens?

And yes, I really, really do need a design wall again!

My Mom Visited!!

My mother and step dad (feels so wrong to call him that, he's awesome!) Hasse visited us for week a short while back and not only did we have a lovely time (despite a rather intense sand storm for a few days) but she also taught me how to crochet! I had no idea how fun and relaxing this activity was (relaxing after I'd learned not to grip the needle like my life depended on it, I bent it a couple of times actually ^^ ).

We made flowers!! Lot's and lots of flowers! Mom made the hearts for me and a few of the flowers but I did make quite a few of them myself =)

My first flower to the left and to the right of it, my most advanced one so far ^^

Mom also brought a fantastic gift! A Gutermann thread set, which is pretty much the dream to own! =D

Behind each of the threads is the color number, so you don't even have to save the old spools, you can just look at the number to replace a color or buy more, super handy! 

Today's confession: Sometimes I open it just to stroke the pretty colors for a while, really makes me happy and calm =) Thank you mom and I miss you already! <3

Tova Has Finished Elementary School!

My sewing student Tova, who's become a really talented little seamstress during our 3 years together is finished with elementary school. But sadly for me, this means that our sewing classes also have ended. I couldn't be prouder of her and we've learned so much together!

She finished with a bang and we made a really cool sweater for her and of course the final thing we made for her class was a sami bracelet. =)

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The Jacket

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Tovas super cool jacket, made from this Simplicity Pattern: 1940 Misses' Jackets Designed with Love By Sara :

We decided to skip the shoulder decorations as we felt it would be too much, and I'm really happy with the outcome. Look at those pretty seams! I couldn't possibly be prouder of her work! =D

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Sami Bracelet

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 Then she also made a sami bracelet which turned out beautiful!

Needless to say, she got the top grade, an A in her sewing class! I couldn't be prouder Tova, keep on creating! <3

Stash Stack Club and more fabric!

It's Fashion Week here in Malta which means a lot of work for me (yay!), it's a really fun week but oh so exhausting on top of normal work! =)

It was my birthday a while back and my lovely mother sent me the most adorable packet with this inside: 

It's Keep Calm from Timeless Treasures, I LOVE IT! I bought a pattern just for it so I hope I'll have time to make something out of it soon ^^ 

I've also received 2 Stash Stack Club packages which I haven't had time to blog about yet, March and April. Let me tell you, it was fantastic to receive the full pack of 12! I loved the amazing range of shades and styles I got now, I'll never be able to stop this club, it's such an amazing addiction! =D

Look at it! Isn't it glorious! <3

My favorites in the yellow are many but the top two has to be the Flora Dots in Saffron from Free Spirit's La Dee Da and Leafy Stripe in Mustard from Moda's Simply Color line. So pretty! Had no idea I was such a mustard loving girl ^^

And I also bought some Noteworthy by Sweetwater, love their lines so much! Got it from Fat Quarter Shop whom I love for their fantastic customer service, always so helpful and kind!

And I've even found time for some quilting! Isn't that amazing! Diana isn't a fan of midnight quilting so she fell asleep, she knows she's not allowed on the project so she snuggled up right next to it for her nap. ^^
I'm remaking an old pattern of mine, will share it with you after Sunday =)

Basket For My Clothespins

My washroom is in the process of receiving an overhaul and much needed face lift. I've got some nice new shelves for this and that, a really nice cabinet from Ikea for dirty clothes and such so I felt I really needed something prettier than my current zip lock bag for my clothespins.

I've had my eye on this adorable basket pattern from Sweetwater for a few years but never really had any use for such a pretty basket until now =) So I happily purchased it and used some leftover jelly roll strips of Twirl by Me & My Sister combined with some black Kona. I think it turned out really sweet.

Instead of  putting the batting on the outside pieces through I put it on the lining to get a less baggy inside and make it easy to get to the last few pins at the bottom. I also used Pellon Thermolam instead of the suggested cotton batting for a smoother look and feel. I'm really happy with the outcome! Really fun basket to make and I'm once again back to my ruffle obsession I fear...

Baby Boy Baby Shower Gifts

One of my friends is having a little baby boy and the baby shower is today.
To start with, I made a little quilt of course! I made this top at a quilt retreat a few years back and it's been lying around as an UFO ever since then. It really was perfect for this gift! It was meant as a wall hanging to begin with - as it's still today the most advanced thing I've ever sewn with those Y seams! But as I don't have much space in our little apartment - I figured I'd better put it to good use as a baby blocks quilt where it will be used and hopefully loved then to leave it waiting for more wall space to hang it. I cut it down as it was a bit to long and then added the border for a little width and framing.

I free motion quilted the feather borders and I really love how it came out, feathers are so much fun to quilt! I wanted badly to add more quilting, outlining of the feathers, a little embellishment in them and more quilting in the cubes but I didn't want it to feel stiff so I refrained, after a long discussion with myself.  =)

I also made a Sushi-Roll Changing Pad and Diaper & Wipes Pouch, tutorial can be found here. Really awesome little kit I think, perfect to keep packed and stacked near the door for when you're just going out for a little while and don't want to bring the whole changing bag maybe?  Or to keep as a pretty kit in the changing bag? Sandra, my friend have a lovely and quite romantic style in the summer so I hope she'll like the fabric I chose for the outside. However, as she is having a boy, I had to choose a more manly spot fabric for the inside of the bag and the upside of the pad =)

It felt really weird to go shopping for diapers and wet wipes to fill this with XD

All wrapped up and ready to go!