Made a bag, got a bag :)

Like many quilters and bloggers, I am enjoying a very busy Summer and I'm not getting much sewing or blogging done ... but that's okay, hey? 

Last week I made a tote bag for Angie (a friend of the family) to say thank you for gifting us these fabby brass jugs for our new house:

I love making these tote bags. Angie said she liked rose pinks so I raided my stash / scraps and here are some of my 'along the way' photos:

And it doesn't matter how many times I get to this part, it always makes me smile because I think, 'no way this is going to work' ... but it does:

So that was the gift I made and this was the gift I got from my dear blogging friend Jennie over at Porch Swing Quilts - she makes amazing bags (you must check out her 'Weekender' bags) and she sent me the bestest little Sew Together Bag - look at those 3 delightful zipped pouches:

And see what she added on the front - a Glinda wand! She makes all these beautiful things AND has 5 little ones to look after - SuperWoman indeed! Thank you sooooooo very much, Jennie, I adore it! You're incredibly thoughtful and I'm sending you a big hug all the way to North West USA from here in the UK (North Wales) x

Linking up with Amanda Jean @ Crazy Mom Quilts and Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Enjoy the rest of the Summer - I will :) 

A little bit of what you fancy ...

... does you good! So in just a few hours sewing today, I made pencil cases for my niece and nephew (at their request, my little quilty converts!) They came to stay with us this weekend and we did have fun ... shopping, pétanque, barbecue, a walk in the woods, a boat ride on the river, visiting Chester - we managed to cram a lot in in a couple of days :)

They both love my new sewing room - especially all the fabric! It really was like watching kids in a sweet shop but they actually know what they like and chose quite quickly - Oliver (aged 11) gravitated towards the ginghams and Libby (who's a very girly 12 so I had to add this pink love heart ribbon) picked from my vintage USA fabrics and a modern batik:

I used this fusible Pellon to add some strength -  I bought it years ago in the USA and found it when unpacking - what clever stuff - simply cut, iron, quilt - voila:

I did a very simple design of 3" squares and strips which finished at around 12.5" x 5" so the case will easily take a ruler and plenty of pens. 

Here they are ready to be posted and finished in plenty of time before they go back to school:

And Mr Postie delivered my first batch of Christmas Fabrics yesterday. Bought online from Patchwork Dreamer, they're a truly festive Makower bundle:

Think I'll make a Christmas Quilt out of it for the Snug. Had to light the wood-burner in there today, it was a little bit wet and windy in North Wales - thanks to Bertha apparently, we had a month's rainfall today:

Night night from me and Nell - guess I won't be tidying up just now:

Stay safe and warm :) 

Linking up: 

Am still here :)

I have not been sewing ... I have not been blogging ... I have not been following blogs - for 3 weeks! 

A combination of life's distractions and poor wi-fi service in the new house have come between me and my favourite things. But I have been enjoying my new early morning walk to work:

And my walk back to the hotel at night via Parliament Square:

London is beautiful in the Summer. I'm working long days and living there in the week so that I get to come home to our lovely new home in Wales on a Thursday afternoon:

But it does mean I'm not spending much time in here:

It's certainly a change in the pace of life and we're spending lots more time with family ... it's been a while since she was lit up:

This weekend, I have continued making some table mats from Cath Kidston fabric, which I will finish off on the train this week or in my hotel room:

Quilted with wiggly lines:

And I have made a start on the million yards of bunting (maybe not quite that much!) for dear niece's wedding which is next September ... so plenty of time, hey?!

I still can't baste and quilt anything sizeable but I resumed physiotherapy today after a 4-week break so that's good.

I'll pop around and see what you've all been up to - lots I bet :)