Brandt's Blvd. Wallet in Turquoise & Purple

I made this Brandt's Blvd. wallet (ChrisW Design pattern) last year. I have been using this wallet for myself for a few months now. I love this wallet. It has plenty of space for cards, a phone, cash, coins and more. Use it as a wallet in a purse or alone with the detachable wrist strap. I made this one in batik and hand dyed fabric.

The wallet when closed measures 7 ¼” wide x 4 1/4” high x 7/8” deep.

I added a snap closure to my wallet. You can add a thumb catch closure as the pattern instructs you to do, but I have a ton of these pearly snaps and they are easy to install, so that is what I prefer to use.

Here she is without anything inside. Card slots on the left and ID slot on the right (this can be made with a clear plastic window, but I prefer fabric because it's easier to remove my ID when I need to show it. The zippered pocket is for coins or other items. Behind the zippered pocket is a slip pocket and behind that is another slip pocket. You can place your cash in one and your phone in the other pocket. There is another large slip pocket behind the card slots too. Lots of pockets to hold all your wallet needs.

Here is a photo showing the 2 slip pockets for cash and phone.

Opened up to show the back.

Folded and closed showing the back of the wallet.

I have made a few of these Brandt Blvd. wallets before, but never one for me.  Here is the first one I made and tested. Here is another one I made to match the Daryl's Drive Bag I also made. Christine has several wallet patterns and I have made them all. I was using the Pick a Pocket wallet I made and tested years ago and I love that wallet too. Both wallets are great and I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite.

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Tip of the Morning Tuesday~ Cleaning your Design Wall

I cannot believe it has been soooo long since I shared a Tip of the Morning Tuesday with you. I have a great little tip this morning to share with you all.

If you are a quilter chances are that you have a design board. Whether that design board is as big as your wall or a portable one that you take to your machine to keep your block pieces in the proper order to help you sew; it probably is made with flannel or batting to hold the fabric in place, right? Well if you sew then you know how thread sticks like mad to flannel and batting and your clothing too. For years I used one of those masking tape sticky rollers to roll over my design board, my ironing board and myself too! It picks up the threads well enough, but never seems to get them all and I have to pull off the sticky tape too often and toss it and begin with a new tape. That costs money and you have waste and need to buy refills. But I have a better solution to share with you today.

Behold the silicone dish sponge. These silicone sponges are meant for hand washing dishes. You would think they might be great scrubbers for those dishes with the little bumpy scrubber-like bristles, but they really do not scrub the food off the dishes very well at all. They are great for using as sponges in terms that they do not collect bacteria like a normal type sponge does. You never need to toss this silicone sponge as it doesn't wear out either. It washes dishes okay if  you wash them immediately and nothing dries hard on them. But it just doesn't scrub anything really. I need a tougher scrubber for that job.

Anyhow, back to the tip and design board. What I did discover is that using a silicone sponge on a design board removes all those threads (and excess flannel or batting too) in a couple of easy swipes. Then you can pull off the lint and threads easily from the silicone sponge and toss it or save it to use as stuffing for pillows and pincushions and such. It has a little loop so you can hang it up near your design wall or board too. At least the one I bought has a loop. You can buy them at most stores that sell dish care products (I think). Check your dollar store as they will be the cheapest there. It might even work to remove cat or dog fur off of your pet? They do sell a similar product for that purpose. I do not have any pets now, so I cannot test this idea out, but if you do and it works, that would be another use for this sponge. But I would buy a separate sponge for each job.

My design board isn't too full of thread and lint here. But is has been a lot worse.

A few swipes with the silicone sponge and look at all the lint and thread it picked up. Mostly lint, since my board wasn't as full of thread at the moment.

Easily pulls off the sponge to toss or  save to stuff a pillow with.

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Arabesque Bag in Browns

I sold this Arabesque Bag (Sew Sweetness pattern) at a craft show in November last year. This was the first one I ever made in brown batik fabrics and I love how it came out. I will be making some more bags in browns when I get the chance. This is the original size of this bag (I have made others at 80% and 90% too).

Zipper pull I made for the zippered closure of this bag.

Side to show the depth of the bag.

On the back I am now adding a zippered pocket to all the Arabesque Bags that I make. 

Another zipper pull I made for the back pocket.

Inside the bag is a slip pocket and I sewed a pen pocket on the left, which you can't see, but it's there.

I love making these bags in patchwork strips and will continue to make them in all 3 sizes and in various colors too. I get to make bags and make a little patchwork quilt at the same time, satisfying both the quilter and bag maker in me at the same time. I will make more to sell at the craft shows as well as sell in my Etsy Shop too.
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Scrappy Knit Linen Stitch Scarf

I had a lot of little bits of yarn leftover from several pairs of socks that I have knit over the years. So I decided to knit a scarf using up all the scrappy sock yarn I had. I knit in a linen stitch. I love the linen stitch as it looks great on the right or wrong side of the knitting. I didn't have Fanny yet (my mannequin) to model this scarf when I photographed these photos last year. 

This is the right side of the linen stitch.

This is the wrong side of the linen stitch, which looks more bumpy

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Round Owl Table Topper & a Stuffed Chicken!

This is my day to Show Your Wings Blog Hop. Carol of Just Let me Quilt is hosting this blog hop. When she asked for other bloggers to join her, she said you could make anything with wings. So a bird, flying geese quilt blocks, an airplane, whatever your interpretation of wings might be.

I knew right away what I wanted to do, so I signed up for this blog hop so that I would be motivated to get this made. I had made the Hoot and Holler Table Runner in November (from Wooden Bear Designs) and just loved those cute owls, but I have a round table and so I put the Hoot & Holler table runner for sale in my Etsy Shop. (Hoot & Holler sold in a local gift shop 10/2021). Then I decided I would make a round table topper for my table using the same owls and I thought some pumpkins would look good too. I made the applique owls and a couple of pumpkins. Then I got out my Hula Hoop to use as a template for the round topper (it was the perfect size). But I didn't have enough of any neutral fabric in my collection and I really didn't want to buy more fabric, so I made a scrappy pieced background (from my own free tutorial) and used up a lot of neutral fabrics from my scrap bag instead of buying more fabric. I placed the owls and pumpkins on the background and still had too much background starring back at me. So I cut out another pumpkin, giving me 3 pumpkins and 3 owls and that looked more balanced, but it still needed something else. Then I decided it needed a moon in the center with 3 sizes of stars scattered around the topper. That looked good now. I blanket stitched it all in place and then quilted it and sewed on the bias binding.

I made a scrappy neutral background for my table topper first because I didn't have a large enough neutral fabric. I actually love how the scrappy background turned out better than using one fabric and I used up some more scraps in the process, which is a bonus! But I also ended up with quite a bit of  the other colors of scraps. I tell you I feel like a doodle bug that never gets anywhere with these scraps. They must multiply when I am not looking, LOL!
A Hula Hoop makes the perfect round template too for a large round table topper.

A closer look at the scrappy background.

Another section of the background.

One more section of the background. I hope I haven't bored you to tears already.

This is for sale. Scroll down to the end to purchase this round topper.

And here it is, my cute little owls waving hello to my sweet followers, friends, lurkers and blog hoppers. I am so pleased with this topper how it came out. Mr. P loves it too, but is afraid to use it with all that light background. So we will pull it off our table when we sit down to eat a meal and keep it nice and clean.

Well you must know I am partial to the moon, he he he. I love stars too.

I also have a fondness for pumpkins being born in the Autumn (Nov). This is an Autumn table topper, but cute enough to use any time of the year in my opinion. I got it finished well before Autumn arrives this year.

Hooty Owl (even though it's called Hoot and Holler, I prefer to call him Hooty), is waving hello to all of you. Welcome to my blog and this blog hop he says.

The round oak table we bought right after we got married nearly 38 years ago!!! Our children grew up eating at this table.

Those little owls waving their wings were just perfect for this blog hop and the needed motivation for me to get this topper made and on my table. I love how it came out. This topper took more work and more fabric than the rectangle runner did that I made (even if I had not pieced the background). So I do have to charge more money because of all the time involved making this. (scroll to end to purchase this topper).

I just recently finished making a darling stuffed chicken too, called Cheery Fabric Chicken by Gingercake, so I thought this was another perfect "wing" project to show you.  I am teaching a class at my quilt group in March on how to sew selvages and when I saw this chicken tutorial recently, I knew I wanted to make her with selvage wing pockets. So here she is:

Her wings are pockets made from selvages.

Just a perfect place to tuck in some small embroidery scissors into a pocket.

I used felt for the comb and Ultra Suede scrap for the beak. I must have sewn the beak a bit crooked, because the upper and lower beak are going in opposite directions! But I think it gives her a humorous personality so I left them alone, lol!!! I sewed  on beads for her eyes, but you could also use buttons or satin stitch them in place too.

Don't you love her chicken wire fabric body too? The perfect choice fabric I think. Since she is stuffed, she makes a good pincushion, even if she is a large pincushion.

                         
Please visit the other bloggers on this blog hop. You might just get inspired to Show Your Wings too!

February 18~

What About Rheema?

Hill Valley Quilter

Nutz For Redwork

Kathy's Kwilts and More

Melva Loves Scraps

Creative Blonde

Keepsake Moments

Whims And Fancies

Quilt n Party

Seams To Be Sew

February 19~

Patchouli Moon Studio

Vroomans Quilts

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Songbird Designs

Quilts Fabric and Thread Tales

Kathleen McMusing

Life in the Scrapatch

DesertSky Quilting

Clever Chameleon Quilting

February 20~

Creatin' in the Sticks

MooseStashQuilting

The Joyful Quilter

Home Sewn By Us

Selina Quilts

Websterquilt

Beaquilter

Cynthia's Creating Ark

Ms P Designs USA

Bumbleberry Stitches

Mageez Room

February 21~

Just Let Me Quilt

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Sew Fresh Quilts

Quilt Fabrication

Words & Stitches

All Thingz Sewn

Kathy’s Quilts

For The Love Of Geese

Two Maker Chicks

madeNcorrea

 That Fabric Feeling

The round Owl with Pumpkins & Stars Table Topper is for sale. This round topper has SOLD 10/2021.

Contact me if you would like to purchase this round table topper.

USA shipping only.

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Fabric Covered Trivets

A friend asked me to make her 4 fabric covered trivets. She wanted 2 in black & white with a hint of red and 2 in brown and green. She left it up to me to decide the rest.

These fabric trivet covers are washable and have a 6" square tile inside of them. Easy to make (using scraps) and so useful. I have made several of these for myself years ago. The tutorial is free from Joan of Moosestash Quilting. Thanks again Joan for the great tutorial! I love making these.

These are two black and white with a hint of red trivet covers.

Will the next generation even know what this is??? LOL!

I love making this teapot one. I have used this teapot on several things I have made in the past.

These are the two brown and green fabric trivet covers.

Teapot in batik fabric.

I sewed brown strips for the background of this one.

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Show Your Wings Blog Hop Starts Monday

Starting on Monday next week is the Show Your Wings Blog Hop, hosted by Carol of Just Let Me Quilt. My day is the 19th to show my wings, but there are so many other talented people on this blog hop that you will want to drop by and see what wings they have to share with you too.

Here the schedule for the week:

February 18

What About Rheema?

Hill Valley Quilter

Nutz For Redwork

Kathy's Kwilts and More

Melva Loves Scraps

Creative Blonde

Keepsake Moments

Whims And Fancies

Quilt n Party

Seams To Be Sew

February 19

Patchouli Moon Studio (me)

Vroomans Quilts

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Songbird Designs

Quilts Fabric and Thread Tales

Sew Many Yarns

Kathleen McMusing

Life in the Scrapatch

DesertSky Quilting

Clever Chameleon Quilting

February 20

Creatin' in the Sticks

MooseStashQuilting

The Joyful Quilter

Home Sewn By Us

Selina Quilts

Websterquilt

Beaquilter

Cynthia's Creating Ark

Ms P Designs USA

Bumbleberry Stitches

Mageez Room

February 21

Just Let Me Quilt

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Sew Fresh Quilts

Quilt Fabrication

Words & Stitches

All Thingz Sewn

Kathy’s Quilts

For The Love Of Geese

Two Maker Chicks

madeNcorrea

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Primitive Funky Cats Table Runner

I had started making some cat applique blocks (Alley Cat Tales Primitives Never Enough Cats pattern) with the idea I would make it into a table runner. I had stitched around most of the applique parts, when I got an email from a blog friend & customer of mine who wanted a Spring table runner. She was thinking of stars. I mentioned to her I was in the process of making a cat runner (she is a lover of cats) and I would send her some photos in progress. Well that was it, she said forget the stars she wanted the cats! LOL!!!

I then asked her about the other colors and made some fabric suggestions to the triangle color and the 4-patch colors. I made one 4-patch and selected some fabrics I thought would look good. One was a pink print, but she didn't want the pink. Anyhow, she did like the stripe fabric and the 4-patch and so I took it from there and put it together and quilted it. I knew if this runner made me smile, she would be beaming with delight when she got it. I did enjoy making this, especially the cats. I might just have to make another one some day, but in different colors. It always feels good when something I make goes to a good home.

To give the cats a bit of individual purrsonality, I placed their eyes each a bit differently and gave them each a different mouth too. I also wanted to place the cats each heading in a different direction to add more to the wonky, funky feeling as well.

Primitive Funky Cats Table Runner.

Since the cat blocks were not square, I had to add a strip on one side to make them square so the setting would fit correctly. I like how it looks, so it turned out to be a happy accident. 

I saw a setting similar to this online on a different table runner and liked it, so I decided to give it a try. 

Straight quilting in the triangle areas and free motion quilting on the rest.

Each cat's eyes are a bit different in placement. This one is horizontal.

This cat has diagonal eyes, angling in.

This one has vertical eyes. I didn't quilt on the cats, just around them. I wanted the cats to puff out a bit.

This cat has diagonal eyes angling out like a Siamese. As careful as I am when I photograph black or dark fabric, those dang littl lint monsters come out and just throw themselves onto my dark fabric!!! I can never see them in my camera or my naked eye because they are so sneaky and fast! But there they are once I load my photos. One day I will defeat you little lint monsters!

I took this photo to show how it might look with the pink fabric for the triangles. The pink fabric picked up the pink in the cat noses and the pink in the floral print of the 4-patches too. But it would have been a lot of pink, so I think the blue-green stripe that was chosen was the right choice.

I borrowed my daughter's oval table to photograph the runner on a real table.

Fits just right on my daughter's oval table. Now I can see how it looks on a table.

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