A year of bags

This is my December BQL Bag Challenge bag. I somehow managed to keep up with the challenge and made 12 very different bags throughout the year. And what a year! Although I have given many bags away, the photos remind me of what a year this has been. Good, bad, sad, fast... and I shall look forward to 2009.


I have put a Flickr badge in my sidebar with all the photos of the bags that I made in the 2008 Bag challenge.


Thank you Kandy (who needs a blog so I can link to it!) I'm not sure what next year's challenge is and whether I'll be able to keep up, but knowing how interesting this challenge was, I imagine I shall be very tempted!

November Bag

11 down and just one more to go! I can't believe I have kept up with the BQL Bag challenge, but somehow I have and I am very pleased too.

A big thank you to Kandy who has designed ALL the previous patterns and who has taught me a few things about my sewing machine (I had never FMQ'd with my machine before!!!) and who has provided me with presents for wonderful friends along the way!

As this house has developed my sewing space has moved from one spot to another. At present I have no spot, but at least I have my handwork rose hexagons and a new plan....

Carolina Lily by Marti Mitchell


has got to be one of my all time favourite patterns. After purchasing the pattern and reading through the instructions,

I am seriously considering doing this as my next handwork project and English paper piecing the blocks using precious scraps...

It will probably take me years this way so we'll see how I feel when the roses are finished first!

October bag (done and dusted)

What's that you say? It's only the 14th of October and I've made my October BQL bag?



I most certainly have! I couldn't face the last minute scramble again. I like this bag. It's called the 'secret shopper' and if you want to know the secret you'll have to buy the pattern from Kandy (her email is on the BQL bag blog) to find out!

Bag me some more September

My poor machine! I'm obviously not as patient as I'd like to think I am! I felt pressed for time so I sewed franticly. A bad workwoman always blames her tools, but this was definitely operator error!! I broke 2 needles, one bobbin, cut my finger and now have a machine that doesn't sound so happy! BUT I did make the September bag and I love it! It reminded me how much I like Log Cabin as a pattern and it is IMHO a great bag thanks to it's designer, Kandy.



I used scraps from cutting out of my hexagons, so it's very 'rosey' and frugal :-)
The strips were only 1.25" so out of a 5" square I could get one hexagon and one strip. (waste not, want not, they say!)



It's lined in roses too. I did make a 'boo-boo' with the lining, but I hope it's new owner won't mind!!



It's our neighbour's birthday today. He's 63!



No-one is ever too old for a tractor cake are they??

Hooray! - we have a door! (plus we are 4!)

DH wanted to know if he could write a post. Absolutely not!!! But he wanted all those who thought he was clueless when they saw him scratching his head to see that we are no longer exposed to the elements!


Ok, so there are still a few holes in the stonework, but we'll get used to them LOL




More exciting for some is that they are now 4!!

Yesterday DS1&2 had a joint farm party with lots of their little friends...


(Don't you love the hand over the little girl's mouth as she tries to blow out the candles on the homemade (GF) tractor cake?! LOL)

And today at 14.50 hour DS1 affectionately known as 'Mister Jack' turned 4!!!! At that time today he got his 'big' present LOL :-)



They also both got Halloween costumes for their birthdays and we had a little Halloween lunch with some of the family. There was a skeleton dining with us and a...

...little pumpkin!



He is just so big now *sniff*. Next week DS2 (a.k.a. Dennis the Menace) will be 2!!!



Where does the time go?? It's certainly not been spent sewing!!!

In fact on the sewing front, I have only a few days left to get my September BQL bag made. So far I have managed to make the log cabins out of the 1.25" strips.



I have now also sewn them together, basted them and am quilting them in a haphazard fashion.


The pattern called for some cool quilting, but I didn't trust myself...


I hope to get this done in time or I'll miss out on the October bag. DH said "why don't you just not do it, you could use a break?" But what if October is really good, then I'd be annoyed I'd missed it LOL

I ordered more scrabble tile pendants, I couldn't resist!



Christmas is coming (Ho Ho HO) and I need to be ready in case Santa doesn't stop here LOL.

August Bag and more bashing...

Here's my BQL Bag Challenge for August. It's a sort of clutch bag that can either be used for an evening out or some have said it's a good size for a rotary cutter! (This would have to be a posh rotary cutter! LOL)



As I have not been sewing much lately due to general unignorable fatigue, I was quite pleased to get this done in time to see the September sneaky peek which looks great.

He's still bashing... And we have new (unwelcome by me) 'ventilation' in our kitchen...



But it will be good! (I keep saying!!)



In the meantime I have prepared some labels following Juliann's example and label challenge. I am a notoriously bad labeller and have given away loads of quilts (ALL unlabeled! I know I should be ashamed, but I am turning over a new leaf!) Thanks to Toni (The Quilting Pirate) for selling me some labels, I have started in earnest. 2 quilts have already been labeled and delivered to go in the GNQS and 2 more are awaiting labels. One being a present for friends which I can't show (just yet) and the other the quilt from Anne. I'm going to be putting a hanging sleeve on it shortly so thought I might as well label it at the same time...



I had to pick up my trophy this week so perhaps I'll show it and the painting in my next post... (or perhaps not! :-) LOL!)

Two birds, one July bag...

Each month we need to make a bag for the BQL Bag Challenge to qualify for the next month's pattern. Each month I either learn something new or get to practice something I need to work on. Slowly, but surely I am gaining (a bit) more confidence to machine quilt.

Last month, I made my bag (twice) for DS1's nursery teachers. This month I was told that one of the children's playgroup leaders is retiring so I decided to make the July bag for her in Dick & Jane fabric by Michael Miller.

Here it is...




Now I have no more of this pictoral fabric left which is a pity, but it was also nice to use something that was so appropriate for a playgroup leader :-) and it's good to use stash and not just stash it LOL!

Juggling lots of balls (and bags)

No, I didn't run away with the gypsies LOL, but I have been doing a little bit of this and that and therefore not much of anything! In fact Mary asked the other day how many projects we have on the go at one time... Well this week (and last) I have...

Made my June BQL Bag Challenge...



What a learning experience - I broke in my darning foot and did a bit of machine quilting. What fun! I am so pleased to be doing the challenge as I am learning so much! I used the Dick & Jane fabric from Michael Miller that I bought a while back from Toni. I thought it was quite suitable for a 'teacher's' bag. i.e. I plan to give DS1's teacher's a gift at the end of the year so I thought I'd do them with this month's pattern. He has 2 teachers, so I also started a second bag...



Then I laid out DS1's dog quilt which I part cut about 2 year's ago!!!



It made handy leaders and enders for the bags as it needed dark thread. Lots to do still including more cutting...

When I sew with light thread, I use my Butterfly bonus blocks from the Butterfly Pineapple Blossom that I made for my DB & DSIL...



These are sewn together in '4's' and I've haven't really decided on the final layout yet.


When I don't feel like sitting at my machine I handquilt and am currently working on (my) BQL Ostrich challenge...
The front...



The back...



All the kit needed is carried around in this attractive bag LOL



When I'm out and about I sew on my rose hexagon quilt and all that kit is kept in this even more attractive bag (LOL!!!)



I have also made my pincushion for the Pincushion swap hosted by Linda (but I can't show it) and I have made a fabric postcard with a bit of machine quilting (again, I can't show it until it lands where it's supposed to...). And I have also been making cushions for a craft fair...

Phew!! Oh, and I also have 2 of these!!!



They keep me very busy and very happy!

Happy Scrappy African Houses & a 'cool' BQL May bag

I have been trying Bonnie's Happy Scrappy Houses in African fabrics.



I adjusted the size as I wanted to use 2.5" strips that I already had...


I probably need to work on the frames next time so that there is more seam allowance, but this is a fun pattern and I shall be making more!


I finally finished my BQL Bag Challenge for May which has 3-D Bowties.

I lined it with brown Da Gama fabric and used a beaded pull that my mother made. When I was in South Africa my mother and I made loads of these zip pulls as well as beaded handles.

The bag has 'insul-bright' wadding so that it can be used for chilled shopping or as a bag to keep your picnic cool. The plain fabrics were kindly given to me by my very DB (Darling Brother!!). I think the plain colours are very 'cool' tonally so I'm sure to remember what this bag is for :-)

Now to see if I can do some BOM's before the month is out. Time just flies when you're trying to get some sewing done!!!

It's still a mystery to me

I have completed step 4 of the Orange Crush Mystery quilt.

There are 30 of these star blocks.

And I've chosen my fabrics for the May BQL Bag Challenge.

My friend Birgit gave me this floral fabric some time ago and I just love it, but I didn't know what to do with it. Until now! I've decided to line the bag with the brown African print (as I bought a brown zip for 20p at a local charity shop). I know it's not a perfect match, but it's inside and will not be seen much I hope :-)

I think I need to rest now... I have been sewing like a maniac. But I'll leave you with a few more pictures of life around here.
DS1 on a bouncy castle at a local event yesterday...
The weather was glorious (a few rain drops from a passing thunderstorm, but otherwise gorgeous!)

DH and kids on the ride-on-mower...

Mid-morning traffic jam...

BQL April Bag

Here's my April effort for the BQL Bag Challenge.



The patterned fabric is from South Africa. A Makoti wax print that I bought from a fabric shop called Lapland in Montagu. I had bought the gusset fabric for my hexagon quilt as I wanted to add more red to it, but after I'd washed my fabrics these two ended up on top of each other and I thought they just had to be something together... so they are my April bag.

Here's my 'baby' eating alphabet noodles from Germany.

Both kids love these noodles and DS1 likes to try find the letters for his name, while DS2 just likes to get them in (or near) his mouth LOL

BQL Bag challenge(d)

Here is my March BQL Bag Challenge made from some recently purchased fabrics from the Hilltop Quiltshop in Swellendam. I was really proud of myself that I have used fabrics that I recently bought instead of just 'stashing' them away for another day. These dyed fabrics were such fun to use! I don't think they'll last long. I will have to start dyeing my own fabrics (I must I must!!)

I was a bit challenged making this bag and so a bit of reverse sewing was unfortunately required :O(

Oh, well at least it's made an I'll enjoy taking it to the supermarket with me :O)