No. 10 for the CHOOKSHED Challenge ….6th project bag made.

 I am really having fun making all these project bags/pouches.

Here is my pouch no.6 for the month.

The panel is making it so easy to assemble and decide on fabric. I just have to choose a lining.

Linking up with https://dreamworthyquilts.blogspot.com/2025/02/chookshed-challenge-mid-month-check-in.html

The puzzle is finished and some pin cushions

 I sit at the table to eat and while doing so I put a few pieces of the puzzle in.

IT IS FINISHED. Now to decide what to do with it…

So, we decided that we would like this to be framed now it is finished. I went off shopping and bought a large black photo frame. Removed the cardboard mat. Painted the backing board black. Smothered the newly painted board with pva/craft/elmers craft glue mixed with water. I covered the whole board which sealed the paint as well. This way I didn’t have to measure where the puzzle would be, given it’s weird shape.

Mmmmmm how to get it from the table to a frame.

EASY. 

I should have taken a photo but didn’t think of it. I was just excited I worked something out…

I ironed a sheet of freeza paper to the top of the jigsaw puzzle. Did a quick test. YES, it’s holding.

Then pick it up and place the jigsaw on to the backing board. 

IT WORKED .

Put my quilting rulers on top of puzzle and a heavy tub to weigh it down until the glue dries.

Assemble the frame.

Put hooks on the wall and here we have it displayed.

I have made some more pin cushions too.

A fun pouch for CHOOKSHED challenge

 I am having fun making my project bags this month. This was what I listed to do for my no. 10  on the challenge. I’m so happy to be getting them made.

Ok this isn’t going to be a normal lined bag but one with a vinyl front. So, this is the one I chose. It was one of the larger pouches in the panel.

I cut the sections apart and quoted the back of the pouch just with the wadding. I had a play and tried out a lot of stitches on my machine. You can’t really see them on the outside but on the wadding you can see the patterns. 

After watching a few of the tutorials I mixed steps of them together and came up with a lined, vinyl front pouch, with no exposed seams.

It worked out great.

Passing away the time

 So while I am sitting at home with my hubby as he recovers, passing away time, we have set up a jigsaw puzzle on the table. We won this when we went to the OZ HOGS Melbourne group meeting. 

A Harley Davidson jigsaw puzzle.

It is hard….. 3 colours and a different shape. Some of the pieces don’t even interlock.

And only 3 colours… oh so hard.

Tony hasn’t got the patience for it so I do a little bit every few days. It will be good once done.

Another project bag with a see through vinyl front using my Kawandi.

 I made a Kawandi cloth quite a few months ago. This took a full charm pack because I cut the pieces up small.

with the intention of making a bag but life changed, choices changed and it was packed away. Clean up time happened and out it came.

I decided to make it into a project bag with a clear front so I can see what is in it. So I gathered a long zip, a piece of vinyl and some red binding fabric.

I machine sewed a binding on all the way around the vinyl using a longer than normal stitch

Then made 2 * 4” lengths for the loops.

Because the Kawandi is a finished piece I sewed the zip straight to an end as well as the vinyl.

I just topstitched the fabric and vinyl to the top of the zip

Next, I sewed the loops onto each side over the ends of the zip.

Time to cut the zips off level

Sew the loops to the other side and reinforce the zip

Attaching the bottom edge of the vinyl to the Kawandi is a bit tricky. Open the zip, layer the kawandi on top of the binding on the vinyl and top stitch.

The pouch is now joined into a tube.

Lay flat and trim even on both side edges.

Topstitch close to the edges.

And your pouch is ready to use.

This has now got my Kawandi tablecloth project in it.

I have also been watching more YouTube tutorials and found Elizabeth Ann Can Stitch has some great ones.

Scraps, zippered pouch, placemat and leaders and Enders

 More finishing up with some scraps. These are the scraps from a quilt I have recently made.

Piecing them together.

To make a placemat.

Still some leftovers

Made into a zippered pouch with a clear plastic window. Good to store my thimbles, binding clips or ???

I sewed it so there was a base for it to stand by itself.

This means I can link up with Soscrappy for this years RSC. Blue….

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/2025/02/scraphappy-saturday-catching-up-on-ufos.html

I have also set up my leaders and Enders while I sew these scraps together. More scraps all ready cut out.

Fish School - Leaders and Enders 2021 block instructions

I have a sample of both sides pinned to my ironing board so I get the placement and ironing correct.

Clean up and mending

During my clean up I found a lot of mending. Not only mine but my bosses as well.

Oops, I think I have had this for 12 months.

So I started with a favourite dress of mine. I have 2 of these in different colours.

I remember wearing this to work. As it is a long dress, I only wore it on 40 degree days, the wheels on my desk chair got caught and tore it.

Anyway. 

The first skirt.. elastic had lost its stretch and needed replacing.

My dress needed taking up due to the fabric being caught in the wheels of my desk chair at work.

The 3rd… the bust was to big and gaped at the sides showing all of my bra.

4th dress was my bosses. The waist seam had frayed and just needed a little mend job.

My black dress has a side seam exposed. That was an easy fix.

I’m not a fan of mending but this cleared a big pile in my sewing room.

I am enjoying these pouches.

 My CHOOKSHED challenge this month was to make some project bags. Well I have started with a zippered pouch using Tony’s chocolate wrappers. I used an iron on vinyl on the wrappers then just added the zip, loops and a lining.

The other side

And 2 wrappers become one pouch. My friend suggested we use it for Tony’s medications….

Next up was a project bag … a Riley Blake Design producers.…. My Happy Place by Lori Holt … Be in my Bonnet. The directions on the panel explains how to make the pouch without lining. I watched and followed her tutorial HERE that has a lining BUT the seams are exposed.

I found some pretty red fabric to use as the lining.

It went together really easily and quick. It’s a handy little size.

Next up was a larger pouch.

It has a lining too.

No exposed seams.

I watched this TUTORIAL which showed a great way of finishing the bag and lining

I am loving them

Don’t these look cute together.

I baked a cake…. While slow stitching my Kawandi tablecloth.

 I pulled out some slow stitching while I had the oven on baking a cake. This is definitely a slow stitching project. But it is very relaxing.

Linking up with https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/ for Slow Sunday Stitching & RSC - February - Blue

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/2025/02/scraphappy-saturday-bold-and-blue.html

I was going to visit my old workplace and thought I’d bake a cake. I also have visitors coming.

I don’t need a cake for each so a shared one was perfect. I don’t need love this cake. My friend many years ago made this for when I visited. I find it very easy to bake. It can also be great as a gluten free option. This is what I made as my boss is gluten intolerant.

MOIST APPLE CAKE

Here is the recipe……

INGREDIENTS.

225g plain flour or gluten free 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon bi carb soda

100g butter. Diced. (Room temp)

225g castor sugar

2 apples sliced or thick diced (if using gluten free flour add an extra half an apple)

50g chopped walnuts

50g sultanas (I used cranberries)

2 eggs well beaten

1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

HOW TO MAKE.

Sift flour, salt, bi carb together.

Rub in butter

Stir in sugar, apples, walnuts and fruit.

Mix in eggs and vanilla essence.

Pour into greased or glad baked lined tin.

Cook on 170 deg c. for approx 1 hr 15 - 1 1/2 hrs. 

Check with skewer. If comes out clean.. ITS DONE

If you want to when serving sprinkle with some icing sugar for decoration.