Wrapping up the May project list

At the beginning of May, Amanda Jean from Crazy Mom Quilts set up an informal Small Project Sew Along for the month.  I created an overly ambitious list but I am pleased at how much I managed to accomplish.  

Original list: 22 items
Complete: 16 items
In Progress: 2 items
Deferred: 4 items

Here are photos of my 2 most recent items.  A full list of projects (with links to the completed ones) is at the bottom of this post.


These are tote bags for my daughters' teachers as year-end gifts.  Only 4 more days of school after today!  One is thrilled, one is heartbroken.  Yup - Night and Day - those are my girls!

I love, love, love how this bag came out.  I think I might have just enough fabric to eek out one just like it for me.  I made the pattern myself, based on some tutorials I've seen and some previous bags I've made.  This time I actually wrote it down so I won't have to make it up all over again next time!

A little dark (too dreary to take outdoor pics today) but the lining coordinates with one of the outer bag stripes and the same fabric is used on one side of the handles.

I wish I could say I was as happy with this one, but I'm not.  I don't like the stripes with the flowers but hey -- my daughter likes it and it's for HER teacher, so I'm trying to let it go and not re-do this one over the weekend.

Lining on this one is yellow.  There are pockets on both insides of the bag.

I also snuck in a few things that weren't on the list, like sprucing up my daughters' puppet theater and this little zippered pouch that I made from a Moda Bake Shop tutorial. 

I really liked having this list and crossing things off throughout the month.  I am definitely going to make myself more lists (all in one place) rather than trying to remember what projects I have started, need to get done by a certain date or just wish I could find time to try.

16 of 22 items are complete!!

1. Complete H2H quilt - link here

2. Complete Laura's quilt - link here

3. Make pillow to match Laura's quilt - link here
5. Make 3 small memory (t-shirt) wall hangings - link here
6. Make 3 small memory (t-shirt) Mickey pillows - link here

7. Make a green mug rug in time for Mother's Day - link here

9. Finish April Seasonal Skinny - link here
10. Complete 2 ladybug Seasonal Skinnies for May - link here

12. Make a portable sewing kit / bag / holder / something-or-other - link here

13. Start (and finish) embroidery for "The Forever Project" - link here
14. Complete "Om" block for "The Forever Project" - link here

15. Make or find a simple pattern for a tote / beach bag - DONE! (used to make 16 & 17)
16. Make a year-end gift for my kindergartener's teacher -  DONE! (photos above)
17. Make a year-end gift for my 3rd grader's teacher - DONE! (photos above)

18. Make a birthday gift for kindergartener's BFF - link here

19. Make a "surprise" for my 11 running partners + myself - link here

2 items in progress:

4. Finish quilt for Sujay - The flimsy for this quilt was complete back in April, but it took me all month to get it sandwiched and quilted.  It still needs a binding.  I was going to show it here, but Sujay deserves his own post, so I'll wait until it's 100% complete before I share it.

21. Update my running scrapbook (no sewing involved!) - I printed all the pictures I needed and organized all the things I want to add for each race / event.  I am not very creative when it comes to scrapbooking, though.  I'm actually hoping the Scrapbook Elf will visit my house one night and turn my piles into pretty pages for me!

4 items deferred:

8. Make a pink mug rug just because I want to - Didn't start this one.  I'm waiting for inspiration to hit.

11. Cut fabric for summer hexie project - I tried some hexies this month and I love them!  I've seen so many beautiful hexie projects on other blogs that now I'm not sure what I want to do with mine.  I'm going to give this some more thought before I start cutting up fabric.

20. Make an Unruly letters pillow for Kim - I have a pile of blue scraps ready to go, but haven't started it yet.

22. Figure out a plan of attack for the "Unless" quilt - My original plan was (is?) to make an Unruly letters quilt which has this quote on it, from The Lorax by Dr. Seuss: "Unless.... someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It's not." I love this quote and try to live by it, but I'm not sure if I want to make it into a quilt.  This one is going back on the "someday" list.

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Linking up with: 

Confessions of a Fabric Addict for "Whoop Whoop Friday"

Sew Many Ways for "Find a Friend Friday"

Pieceful Life for "Show Off Friday" 

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~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~


Thanks for stopping by!
~ Kat ~

GIANT apology and a little progress

Happy Friday, Everyone!


I wanted to start this post with a GIANT apology to all the wonderful people who have ever left a comment on one of my posts.  As you know, the comments show up on the post itself and also as an email in my inbox.  Instead of replying to the emails, I usually come back and "reply" to the actual comment on my blog.  I just realized this week that when I do it that way, the person who commented doesn't get an email back from me.... and might think I ignored (or worse yet, didn't appreciate!) their comment.  This makes me very sad, because comments MAKE MY DAY and I appreciate every single one of them!!!  From now on, I'll reply to the emails (instead of the comments on the blog) to make sure you get a response.  I'll be a good bloggy friend from now on, I promise!!


Now on to the progress I made on my May Small Project Sew Along list this week.... 


I was able to cross a few things off this week.  Woo hoo!


I made this messenger bag for my kindergartener's BFF's birthday (say that 3 times fast!):

Full post about the messenger bag it is here

I also got some embroidery and applique done for The Forever Project:

Full post about The Forever Project is here

Made some goodies for my running buddies:

Full post about these zippered pouches is here

My current projects are these 3 items on my list:

15. Make or find a simple pattern for a tote / beach bag

16. Make a year-end gift for my kindergartener's teacher

17. Make a year-end gift for my 3rd grader's teacher

I have come up with a pattern (item #15) and I'm using it to make #16 and #17 (year-end teacher gifts).  I'm working on the first one now but it is not finished yet (as you can see from the photo below).  I'm hoping determined to complete this one and make one more this weekend.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you've worked on this week!

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Linking up with: 

Confessions of a Fabric Addict for "Whoop Whoop Friday"

Sew Many Ways for "Find a Friend Friday"

AmyLouWho for "Sew and Tell" (no link up today)

Pieceful Life for "Show Off Friday" 

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~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

Appliqued Ragnar Zippered Pouches

You probably know what applique is... and what a zippered pouch is... but what the heck is a Ragnar?  I'm so glad you asked!  :-)

Ragnars are 200 mile running relays which take place all across the United States.  Teams of 12 people (or 6, if you're particularly crazy) start at Point A on Friday morning and take turns running legs between 2-10 miles each for a total of about 200 consecutive miles.  Each runner takes 3 turns and teams run continuously (day and night) until they cross the finish line sometime on Saturday afternoon / evening.

I took part in my first Ragnar (from Miami to Key West, Florida) in January (it took us about 32 hours) and will run in my second Ragnar in New York (from Saratoga Springs to Lake Placid, site of the 1980 Winter Olympic games, though the Adirondack Mountains) in September.  

I'm the team captain for my Ragnar Adirondack Relay team and thought it would be nice to make a little "something" for the 11 other ladies on my team.  (Did I mention we're an all girls team?  Fun!!)  It would have been great to make everyone a full size bag but alas, that might have taken forever, so a zippered pouch it was!

I started with these little piles of denim.

I found out everyone's favorite color and thanks to the miracles of (1) the internet and (2) Heat 'n Bond, I was able to make a little Ragnar logo in everyone's favorite color.  I paired these with my new (gluttonous) stash of zippers and was ready to roll.

I began by ironing a logo to the bottom front piece of denim.

Satin stitched around the edges of each one in matching thread.  These logos are small so those points were hard to make "pointy."

Even though the denim was heavy, I used some non-woven stabilizer on the back.

I removed the stabilizer from the outside of each logo (on the back) but not from the middle. Sheer laziness, really, but it's washable (not paper) so I think it will be fine.

I just love this stack of FINISHED little bags!  If you count, you'll see there are only 11.  One of our original team members just found out she needs hip surgery and won't be able to run with us, so bag #12 will get made as soon as we find someone to take the last open spot.

These bags are 5" wide and 5.5" tall.  Perfect size for all my "essentials" when I go to the gym... phone, energy bar, license, cash, keys.

My zippered pouch is filled and ready to go.  A perfect match to the Rag Bag I made myself back in March.

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I'm now happily moving project #19 to the "Completed Items" section of my May Small Project Sew Along list!

Completed items:

1. Complete H2H quilt - link here

2. Complete Laura's quilt - link here

3. Make pillow to match Laura's quilt - link here
5. Make 3 small memory (t-shirt) wall hangings (1 done, 2 not started) - link here
6. Make 3 small memory (t-shirt) Mickey pillows - link here

7. Make a green mug rug in time for Mother's Day  - link here

9. Finish April Seasonal Skinny (flimsy is complete) - link here
10. Complete 2 ladybug Seasonal Skinnies for May - link here

12. Make a portable sewing kit / bag / holder / something-or-other - link here

13. Start (and finish) embroidery for "The Forever Project" - link here
14. Complete "Om" block for "The Forever Project" - link here

18. Make a birthday gift for kindergartener's BFF - link here

19. Make a "surprise" for my 11 running partners + myself - DONE!

Not started or in progress:

4. Finish quilt for Sujay (flimsy is complete)

8. Make a pink mug rug just because I want to
11. Cut fabric for summer hexie project
15. Make or find a simple pattern for a tote / beach bag
16. Make a year-end gift for my kindergartener's teacher
17. Make a year-end gift for my 3rd grader's teacher
20. Make an Unruly letters pillow for Kim
21. Update my running scrapbook (no sewing involved!)
22. Figure out a plan of attack for the "Unless" quilt

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Linking up with Applique Thursday over at A Quilting Reader's Garden.  Be sure to hop over there and take a look at some of the amazing work the other ladies have done!  (And so much by hand... I aspire to that someday!!)

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~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

Pink Messenger Bag

Small project #18 on my May Small Project Sew Along list was to make a birthday gift for my kindergartener's BFF.  I saw a cute messenger bag / zip pouch tutorial over at Plum and June and decided this would fit the bill. I used all of Beth's measurements but did make a few minor modifications.  

Beth assembled her outside bag pieces and attached them to flannel or batting.  Instead, I foundation pieced my outside bag fabric directly on to pre-quilted fabric - which I'm sure has a name, I just don't know what it is.  Maybe you can tell from these pictures?  It has fabric on both sides, batting in the center, and it's already quilted with diagonal lines in both directions, which make diamond shapes.

Once the outside fabric was all attached to the pre-quilted stuff, I did a little FMQ over top.  I did a giant swirl on the front and some meandering on the back.  Since all the layers were so nicely attached and the back of the pre-quilted stuff looked OK as is, I decided not to add a lining to this bag.  This is what the inside looks like: 

When I was sewing the layers (right sides together), I found it helpful to pull the handle pieces out through the zipper opening.  That way, I could keep an eye on them and wouldn't sew them into a side seam by mistake. I also went around all the edges with a zig-zag stitch once they were attached, to finishes the inside edges a bit.  (Funny, I actually own a serger, but we have not been on speaking terms for quite a few years... so zig-zag stitching with my regular machine works just fine!)

The other thing I did a little differently was to make the strap adjustable using two half circle rings (which I'm sure also have a name.... terminology is not by forte!).

My kindergartener - Jessica - could not *wait* to pose with this bag before school this morning.  She is so excited to get her picture on my blog.  Now she's *FAMOUS* !!!!  ;-)

For the front of the bag, Beth's tutorial called for a 9x3 piece above the zipper and a 9x9 piece below the zipper.  I made one big 9x12 piece, then cut it into the two sections.

Though very simple to use the pre-quilted stuff and skip the lining (huge time saver!), the bag is a little "stiff."  I like that it has structure to it but it's not very soft.  Next time, I will definitely use flannel or batting, as the tutorial suggests.


Happy Monday, everyone!  I hope you have a productive week!

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Here's my current list for the May Small Project Sew Along:

Completed items:

1. Complete H2H quilt - link here

2. Complete Laura's quilt - link here

3. Make pillow to match Laura's quilt - link here
5. Make 3 small memory (t-shirt) wall hangings (1 done, 2 not started) - link here
6. Make 3 small memory (t-shirt) Mickey pillows - link here

7. Make a green mug rug in time for Mother's Day  - link here

9. Finish April Seasonal Skinny (flimsy is complete) - link here
10. Complete 2 ladybug Seasonal Skinnies for May - link here

12. Make a portable sewing kit / bag / holder / something-or-other - link here

18. Make a birthday gift for kindergartener's BFF - DONE!

Not started or in progress:

4. Finish quilt for Sujay (flimsy is complete)

8. Make a pink mug rug just because I want to
11. Cut fabric for summer hexie project
13. Start (and finish) embroidery for "The Forever Project"
14. Complete "Om" block for "The Forever Project"
15. Make or find a simple pattern for a tote / beach bag
16. Make a year-end gift for my kindergartener's teacher
17. Make a year-end gift for my 3rd grader's teacher
19. Make a "surprise" for my 11 running partners + myself
20. Make an Unruly letters pillow for Kim
21. Update my running scrapbook (no sewing involved!)
22. Figure out a plan of attack for the "Unless" quilt

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

Ladybug Skinnies

I have a goal this year to make one Seasonal Skinny per month.  I started in March (shamrocks) and made one for April (Easter egg).  I am a little late in finishing up May, but this is my favorite one so far!

These skinnies would probably make great table runners, but I hang mine on the wall.

Start with a few scraps of fabric, sew them together and cut out the shape.

A little Heat 'n Bond, some zig-zag stitching around the edges and voila!

Ladybugs make me smile!  :-)

In addition to the one I made for myself (on the right, red binding), I'm making a 2nd skinny every month, too.  I'm planning to give those (once I have a whole year's worth complete) to a good friend of mine as a gift.

This is (clearly) not a ladybug.  This was my 2nd Easter Egg skinny from April.  The top was done but it needed a backing and a binding.  Finally finished it!

I have 3 months done so far for each set of skinnies.  Ice cream cones are on tap for June!

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Happy to cross two more things (#9 and #10) off my project list for the May Small Project Sew Along:

Completed items:

1. Complete H2H quilt - link here

2. Complete Laura's quilt - link here

3. Make pillow to match Laura's quilt - link here
5. Make 3 small memory (t-shirt) wall hangings (1 done, 2 not started) - link here
6. Make 3 small memory (t-shirt) Mickey pillows - link here

7. Make a green mug rug in time for Mother's Day  - link here

9. Finish April Seasonal Skinny (flimsy is complete) - DONE!
10. Complete 2 ladybug Seasonal Skinnies for May - DONE!

12. Make a portable sewing kit / bag / holder / something-or-other - link here

Not started or in progress:

4. Finish quilt for Sujay (flimsy is complete)

8. Make a pink mug rug just because I want to
11. Cut fabric for summer hexie project
13. Start (and finish) embroidery for "The Forever Project"
14. Complete "Om" block for "The Forever Project"
15. Make or find a simple pattern for a tote / beach bag
16. Make a year-end gift for my kindergartener's teacher
17. Make a year-end gift for my 3rd grader's teacher
18. Make a birthday gift for kindergartener's BFF
19. Make a "surprise" for my 11 running partners + myself
20. Make an Unruly letters pillow for Kim
21. Update my running scrapbook (no sewing involved!)
22. Figure out a plan of attack for the "Unless" quilt

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Linking up with: 

Confessions of a Fabric Addict for "Whoop Whoop Friday"

Sew Many Ways for "Find a Friend Friday"

AmyLouWho for "Sew and Tell" (no link up this week)

Pieceful Life for "Show Off Friday" 

I'm looking forward to seeing what you've worked on this week!

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~