Overcoming my fear of buttonholes

Yes, I don't like them. They are mean and go wonky and are never aligned as well as I would like.

 This bag needs 4 of them on the handle according to the pattern. I made the bag way back in May. It came as kit with the Sew book and was a birthday present from the husband. And then it was left for five month.

 I couldn't face the buttonholes. I don't like the little beasts. It was made a lot easier by my sewing machine having a sensor foot. However even a sensor foot does not cancel out human operator error. My bag only has two buttonholes. Mainly because I couldn't get them to line up.

However my bag has a lining and the pattern doesn't call for that, so all in all I don't feel too bad about the lack of buttonholes. Daughter 2 has claimed this one as hers, so I need to make one for daughter one. Christmas present maybe? I call that a plan. 

Starry night

 A little while ago I had some orphan navy blue squares. They were going to be cushions but then I changed my mind. We don't have a picnic blanket and I think we need one. I am going to add some more 6inch stars and add sashing.

I don't have a design wall. I have to use the floor. This has certain disadvantages. The knees suffer but also the small black dog likes to give her input on my work. Not always the most helpful.

In other news I have started a facebook page. Come over and say Hello.

Hope to have more stars tomorrow. I may not though; I promised to make apple pie. After last year's abysmal harvest the apple trees are making up for it this year. I don't want to waste this bounty, so I have spent a couple of days peeling apples already.

Familiar

Manly quilt on the "design floor"

 There may be some of you out there who are now going to say:"Hang on a minute, didn't make one of these before?"

 I would have answer with a yes, a bit like this. Oh all right, a lot like this one. I called it the man quilt. This one is called the Manly quilt. See totally different.

It turns out that my father is in love with his Monochrome quilt and it needs a wash. I have made this quilt top out of his old shirts and some of my husband's old shirts.

It turns out they have very similar taste in shirts. If anything father is less conservative with his choice of shirts. 

The quilt back is going to be this lovely soft flannel. My mother found it lurking at the back of her fabric cupboard. If memory serves her my grandmother bought it in the 50's or 60's to make pyjamas for my grandfather out of. There is a whole bolt of flannel. I know my Grandfather was tall but that is just optimistic.
Fingers crossed I can get this quilt basted and quilted by the end of next week.

Omission

I have just realised that there has been a terrible omission from my blog; MY finished quilt. A quilt I made for myself and I am not sharing it with the offspring or the small black dog.

Or my parents, even if mother keeps hinting how much she likes blue and green. This is mine and I am keeping it.

I made it using my accuquilt 4.5 inch half square triangles and 2.75 inch squares. Love making quilts out of all the same blocks. It is so much easier on my poor brain. 

 Fabrics are mostly Fabric Freedom colored dream, some left overs from dressmaking and a lovely peacock print bought at M is for Make. The back is PB textiles and was bought at Lady Sew and Sew.

It is 1.5m by 2.0m a good size for snuggling under. 

Another shoe bag

 I hadn't got round to showing these yet. Well what can I say about it other than it is another drawstring bag.

I am not sure you can tell easily from the pictures but the fabric is lots of little panda bears. It's by Timeless treasures and is called Mini Pandas. I did have something else in mind for this fabric but I had quite a lot. There was a funny mark at the beginning of the bolt, so the shop let me have an extra 10cm or for free.

Tomorrow I hope to show you more of shirt quilt mark2.

Nothing left.

 Mr Frederica sometimes worries that I buy too much fabric. He is worried, or so he claims, that our house does not have the structural integrity to take the weight of all the fabric. He was therefore very pleased that I have used up the entire 50cm of this pretty flowery print.

Technically it hasn't left the house and the weight issue therefore is not gone but he hasn't worked that out yet. Please don't enlighten him.

As mentioned previously Daughters 1 and 2 are now at a new school. At this new school there are outdoor shoes and indoor shoes. The outdoor shoes need a shoe bag. Daughter 1 told me this on Thursday, so I had quite a lot of notice. Daughter 1 made the felt flower for me to pretty up her bag. (on the accuquilt) 

Daughter 2 however forgot that she too needs a shoe bag. She only told me when I was half way through making this bag. Guess what I'll be doing tonight. 

The remaining meadow print fabric was used to make this little cushion. Daughter 1 did the cross stitch and used the sewing machine to sew it together. With my help. I am not letting her lose on my Pfaff without supervision. Although I didn't supervise her closely enough. She managed to drop the feed dogs and found sewing rather tricky. After making the acquaintance of the un-picker and a lengthy sermon on why you don't press buttons without may say so, the cushion was completed.
She is very proud of her work and so am I. She has poor eyesight and not stereo vision; as a result she is rather clumsy. I hope this cushion gives her more confidence to tackle other crafty projects.

I am off to choose fabrics from the stash for daughter 2. Have a good rest of Sunday.

Sorry it's been so quiet.

 Somehow blogging goes out of the window during school holidays. These hols have been rather busy. We decided to move the girls to a different school. So all sorts of new uniform had to be bought. School rules read and everything else that goes with moving schools.

I have managed to fit in some sewing between days out and trips to the park.
My father wants another quilt. He has Monochrome quilt but apparently that needs to washed once in a while. He does not want to do without a quilt. Mother gave me his old shirts and I have made 34 blocks already. Only 26 to go.

I am off to cut more fabric. I don't have to share my space with playmobil today as the girls are off at school.

I am linking to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly pieced.