A Sunday Afternoon Sewing

On Sunday, I got the urge to go into my sewing room and do some sewing. I hadn't done any sewing or making for a good few weeks, mainly due to looking for a job and then starting a new job, so it felt so good to do something creative again.

I was inspired by a couple of the bloggers I follow regularly, so a big thank you to Jackie and Marlene, who are are always making beautiful things.

I decided that first of all I would make something practical. I regularly use curling irons and when we go away I just throw them into my bag, but sometimes, after I've used them they are still a little warm and I thought it might be a good idea to make quilted case to carry them in.

I kept it very simple, using two pieces of the same fabric with some wadding sandwiched in between. I sewed these three layers together around the edges and then quilted them along vertical lines. I used a small piece of a second fabric to bind one edge and then folded the quilted fabric in half to make a pouch which I then turned out. It closes by way of a couple of press studs, which is quite old fashioned, but was the best and simplest solution.

Here's a picture of the finished case:

I don't know when we will next go away, but I will definitely use it at some point. This small project cost me nothing but my time and it was satisfying to use up more fabric from my stash.

I then decided to try to use up some very small Xmas fabric scraps. They are about 2" square or slightly larger and are a by product of some items that I make to sell online.  Although the pieces are very small, I hate to throw them away, as they could still be used for a variety of purposes. 

I've been trying to sell some of them online and thought I'd try and make something out of them that I could photograph and use in my listings, as an example of what can be made with them. When I started, I had no idea what I was going to make, I just sewed a few together into a strip.

I then decided that I would sew strips together to make a cushion cover, as I had so many of them. It took most of the afternoon, but it was quite enjoyable just adding one strip to another, quilting as I go. It's quite a random design, but here's a picture of the finished cushion:

I'm quite happy with how it turned out.  On the reverse, I have used this red and white spotted fabric. 

I didn't use a fastening. I just sewed it closed and I will wash the whole thing if it ever needs it.

I also cut some fabric to make two sturdy reusable shopping bags. It's a project I've been intending to do for a while, but just haven't got around to it. I wanted to use this shiny red star print denim fabric for this project, as I've had it for a long time, it's strong and thick and I really like it. I completed one bag a couple of days later, it's a good big size for shopping. Here's a picture:

The fabric has a slight stretch to it, but this shouldn't be a problem for this purpose. I'm thinking I might give one to LB for Xmas and keep one for me to use when out shopping. 

Finally, I've also ordered some grey Irish linen offcuts on eBay this weekend, to use to finish my patchwork cushion cover that matches the lap quilt I made. Here's a picture just to remind you of what it looks like:

They cost about £3, which I'm happy to pay, as I just need a few more hexies for around the edge of this cushion panel. It may not match the fabric I've used perfectly, but hopefully it should be a good enough match to finish this project.

On the subject of sewing, I just have to share with you a new YouTube Channel that I've started watching lately. It's called Shabby_Style and the sewing projects featured in the videos on this channel are great. There are some super ideas of how to recyle all sorts of fabrics into useful things. I'd recommend taking a look.