Pumpkin & Stars Table Runner

I have been making table runners for my sister. She wanted holiday table runners. So I mailed this off to her already so she could use it now, rather than give it as a gift in December and have to wait nearly a year to use it. 

This was a free pattern designed by Pat Sloan, that she calls Wonderful Pumpkins. On Pat's runner she sewed on a ton of buttons to her pumpkins though! Well that isn't very practical to have buttons like that on a runner and besides that, it really covers up the fact that the pumpkins were patchwork. So I did not sew on buttons and I made this runner longer too. Pat made hers with 3 pumpkins and I added 2 more pumpkins and 2 more stars to make this my runner longer.  I love this design and it is a great scrap buster project too! I dug into my black, gray, orange, white and purple scrap bags to make this runner. I accidentally made too many blocks, because I forgot about the border when I was figuring this runner, so if I make one more block, I will have a set of 3 pumpkins and can make one the size of Pat's.

Today is also my nephew's birthday, so Happy Birthday Drew!
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Kisslock Purse in Hot Air Balloon Fabric

I am sure you have seen this hot air balloon fabric a lot in a variety of bags now if you are a follower. I bought a few yards of it and wanted to make a variety of items to sell while the Balloon Fiesta was happening in early October. Well I only got to put a few items in the gift shop. Either I had my item limit in the shop already and things didn't sell quickly enough to put in more items. So this one never made it to the shop, but hopefully someone will purchase it at one of the 2 craft shows I am doing next week. 

Sales have been down this year at the gift shop probably due in part to ART (Albuquerque Rapid Transit) project that has Central Ave all torn up to put in a transit line. The poor businesses actually on the line have been so negatively impacted while this has been going on. If they can hang on long enough until the project is finished, it will hopefully bring them customers back again. But meanwhile no one wants to even go near the traffic mess if they do not have to. I think it is supposed to be finished by the end of the year. 

Meanwhile, getting back to this bag. I had some of these purse frames that I bought and wanted to use. The bag goes together easily enough, but sewing it on the frame is what really takes time and patience! This frame has a lot of holes to sew in to. I used foam stabilizer so the bag can stand up nicely. I will slowly make more bags with these frames in a variety of fabrics, but because of the hand sewing the frame in place, I will take my time in making these. I really loved these framed bags a few years ago and made several, but then wanted to try other bags and so I really need to get back to making more of these, maybe I will try other style bag shapes using this frame and see how they turn out. 

This is the back of the bag.

There is a divided pocket on the front. I added some rickrack too.

The frame opens nice and wide and has slip pockets inside too.

I am linking this to Elm Street Quilts Bag It 2017.
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Pass the Hot Dish, a Fabric Basket Casserole Carrier

I was a pattern tester for this Pass the Hot Dish basket from Around the Bobbin. While this was a quick and easy sew that Lisa originally designed in 3 sizes, it proved to be a challenge to get our pans to fit correctly inside the basket as Lisa found out that there are a lot of variances to each size. So Lisa worked hard to get make changes to the pattern and in doing so narrowed this pattern down to 2 sizes (9x9 and 9x13), but each of those sizes have different heights now too, a regular and tall size. I just received the updated pattern from Lisa, so I have not tried the new improved sizes yet.

I made the smallest (8x8) size first when testing and I got it finished the day Lisa emailed me the pdf. When my pan didn't fit, I started on the 9x9 size. Meanwhile, Lisa started realizing that 8x8 pans are tapered and really aren't 8x8, so that is why she dropped the 8x8 size from the pattern. But I am using these basket to hold some sewing items and they are great for that too.

These basket store flat too, so they don't take up much space at all. You can make them in fabrics to go with holidays too. If you have a clear glass dish to place inside they probably look better than my stained old tin, lol!

This is the 9x9 size I made. 

I chose to make the inside and outside of this basket in the same vegetable print fabric, with a purple accent for the handles.

The handles fold inside to store flat.

During the test the only way this would fit is to really push it down, which wouldn't work if there was hot food in this pan. So Lisa went back to the drawing board to improve on the size.

Here I am showing the small (8x8) inside the 9x9 basket. Lisa eliminated the 8x8 size as it just didn't work at all with the pans.

The inside can be the same or different fabric. I chose 2 different fabrics for this basket.

This was the smallest size (8x8) I tested and that Lisa took out of the pattern because it didn't work at this size at all. I put a large Fiesta Ware bowl inside because my pan didn't fit. I am using this basket on my ironing board to store a few tools in and it works great as a basket for that.

I plan on making some more of these, using the updated pattern. Like I said before these are a fast sew. Great for gift giving any time of the year! 

So pop on over to Around the Bobbin and get your Pass the Hot Dish pattern. There is a 15% discount through October 30th too! Just scroll down to get the code on her blog. You will see the other tester versions on her blog as well. I guess my pan was too stained looking to include my photos? Maybe she forgot to add mine because I was the first one finished? Oh well that's how it goes sometimes.

Linking this to Elm Street Quilts Bag It 2017.

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Knit Doll Blankets for Charity

The quilt group I belong to has an on-going need for us to make doll bed quilts. They partnered with a wood working group of men who are making darling doll beds that have a headboard and foot board. They give the doll bed, a cloth doll and a quilt (or knit blanket) to a young girl at Christmas time, who might not otherwise receive a gift. 

I made several quilts that I already donated. Then one day I was looking at my rather large yarn stash, especially of miscellaneous skeins of yarn, and I thought why not knit some blanket instead of making quilts? So in the evening while watching movies, I knit not only these, but I have already knit a lot of other ones too that I turned in already. My yarn stash is slowly dwindling, I am knitting and some young child will have a blanket for her doll. A win-win!

My fabric basket is overflowing with doll blankets. I even gave them the basket too.

When I run out of yarn I use another yarn to finish. Sometimes I use 2 or more smaller balls and alternate the yarns as I knit. Mostly I am just knitting garter stitch, but I did knit a few others in other stitches.

I haven't kept track of how many blankets and quilts that I made and donated so far, but I am sure it has to be somewhere between 50-75. It's a fun and easy project to do and it's so portable too, so I can work on it anywhere.
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Clematis Bag Enlarged

The annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta was here in early October and the gift shop where I sell my things takes in a lot of hot air balloon crafts to sell during that time. I made a few items with hot air balloon fabric to sell and I think I sold 3 things. The rest will be in the shop through the end of the year, so I hope they sell for Christmas.

One of the bags I made was this Clematis bag (remember all the Clematis Wristlet bags I made?), that I enlarged and added an adjustable strap so it can be worn across the body. I like this larger size as a handbag. This was the first one I tried making at this size, and I will be making more; in fact I just finished another large one that I made in different colors (no balloons). This pattern is from Blue Calla Patterns and it's a free pattern. This Balloon Clematis did sell too!

I used denim for the base and the strap.

I even used a hot air balloon charm on the zipper pull I made. This charm is large.

On this larger Clematis I added a zippered pockets as well as the slip pocket that is in the pattern.

I am linking this to Elm Street Quilts Bag It 2017.
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I Love Home BOM #2

I am making the I love Home Blocks from Jacquelynne Steves, which is a free Block-of-the-Month for 4 months. (Just need to sign up to get the pdf patterns). 

So here is my second block. I used rickrack this time for the roofs, and added some more rickrack around the door and above and below the windows.  I thought I would paint some "smoke" coming out of the chimneys too. I enjoy making these blocks. I used batik fabrics all from my scrap bag too! I haven't even cut out this month's block yet and November is practically here, which means the last block is coming. I better get going!!!

Close up look at my rick rack roofs and smoke out the chimneys.

This is block one that I quilted and made into an individual quilt to hang. 

Jacquelynne also has a Facebook Group that you can join where people who are making these blocks can post their blocks for others to see. I have seen a lot of really nice blocks on her FB group. Some are making their blocks themed like Spring, Fall, Winter, Summer; while others are making some Halloween, Christmas, etc. I love house blocks and I love applique, so I may make these blocks again, making it into a larger quilt too....we'll see.
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16 Clematis Wristlets plus 2 Smaller Zippered Pouches

I made 16 Clematis Wristlets, a free pattern by Blue Calla Designs; plus 2 smaller zippered pouches too. I am going to do only one craft show in November and I hope to sell these there. Whatever doesn't sell there will go to a gift shop. If you see something here you would like to buy please email me asap before it gets sold.

I loved putting together the fabrics for all these bags. A lot of the fabrics I used came from my scrap bags too. Some I only had enough to make the bottom of the bag and maybe the wrist strap too. It was fun coordinating the fabric colors and seeing how much I could use up from my scraps. But of course if I cut larger fabric for linings, there begins the leftovers of those that were added to the scrap bags and so on and on it goes, never ending scraps! Well I do love using the scraps first.

Clematis #1 is a Route 66 fabric print of road signs and gas station signs (remember when they were called service stations?)

Clematis #1 with yellow zipper and red accent fabric. This one has sold!

Inside Clematis #1.

Clematis #1 again with a smaller non- Clematis bag. I only had a bit of the fabric left, so I made a smaller Route 66 sign fabric bag.

Clematis #2 inside

Clematis #2 is denim with a cowboy boot and hat fabric. This one has sold!

Look I even had a cowboy boot charm to add to the zipper pull.

Clematis #2

Clematis #3 is a hot air balloon fabric print.

Inside Clematis #3

Clematis #4 is a blue print with a lighter blue denim bottom.

This is the back of Clematis #4, since the print looks a bit different on the back side I thought I would show it too.

Clematis #4 inside.

Another small non- Clematis zippered pouch. This one has already sold!

Clematis #5 is a building night scene fabric that has glitter in the fabric. Blue zipper and red accents.

Inside Clematis #5.

Clematis #6 pinks and greens with a yellow zipper.

Inside Clematis #6 is a 30's yellow print fabric.

Clematis #7 & #8

Clematis #7 has blue accents with a green zipper.

Clematis #8 has red accents with a black zipper.

Clematis #7 inside.

Clematis #8 inside.

Clematis #9 is a red bandanna fabric with denim bottom.

Inside Clematis #9

Clematis #10 is a paisley print with a blue bottom and light blue zipper.

Clematis #10 inside.

Clematis #11 has the same paisley print as the above bag, but is on the bottom of this one. Red zipper and blue print top fabric.

Clematis #11 inside.

Clematis #12 is a pink and brown top print and a brown accent with a brown zipper. This one has sold!

Inside Clematis #12 is a light brown print.

Clematis #13 is stripes and dots. Coordinating fabrics.

Inside Clematis #13

Clematis #14 has a purse print fabric with the stripe print accent. The wrist strap was a coordinating fabric in a paisley, but I only had enough of that to make the strap and the inside pocket below.

Clematis #14 inside with the paisley print pocket.

Clematis # 15 is another paisley in pinks and blues with a blue bottom and pink strap.

Inside Clematis #15 blue gingham print and pink polka dot pocket.

Clematis #16 is a print of greens and blues with touches of yellow and red. The print if you look closely is 4 cats around the flower. Red zipper.

Inside Clematis #16 is a gold print and the exterior print pocket.

Linking up to Elm Street Quilts Bag It 2017.

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