Aeroplane Bag

Hey World!

I hope this post finds you all healthy and happy.

I have been sewing up a storm these past couple months.

Now that my big swap projects are complete,

I will have more time to devote to this little blog of mine.

I WAY over committed in the world of swaps.

(please don't take that the wrong way...

....it's all legit and very legal)

LOL

I am very proud to say that all projects were completed

and shipped on time.  My track record has not been broken.

I'll fill you in on the other items I've made 

(and I cannot WAIT to show you what I've received),

but today I'll start with the Aeroplane bag I made for my partner 

in the Sew Sew Modern 5 group.  The pattern is by Sara Lawson.

It's a great pattern, but I still can't say that I love zippers.

I also made a matching drawstring pouch.  You can find the tutorial for this 

HERE

For the pouch I fussy cut 40 2-1/2" squares.

I also fussy cut 2-1/2" squares for the bag, but lost count!

If you do make the bag, and want to use the fussy cut squares,

keep in mind you'll loose some at the top of the bag due to cutting the pattern template.

so put your 'boring' ones on the top sides.

Also keep in mind where your straps will end up.

I had put of out of print Heather Ross fabric in this bag.

Well, the poor little thing can't even be seen because of the strap.

So, if using 2-1/2" squares, again, keep your more 'boring' fabrics 4 squares in from the sides and 4 squares up from the bottom where your straps will go.  I would suggest using your pops of color here and not a fussy cut.

There are two sizes the bag can be made in.

This suggestions I'm giving are for the large size.

I should have made a test bag first, but as I mentioned above,

I over committed on swaps, so time was not my friend.

The large zipper did give me some grief.  Just go slow and watch your top stitching

so the fabric doesn't interfere with the zipper pull.

Other than that, this is really a great pattern.  I was joking on IG that I 

probably won't be making another one.

But I have some cute nieces that I think will enjoy these bags for Christmas.

More to come on that story!

The cute twill placed on the linen can be found 

HERE

I heard about it from my friend Amy over at 

Amy Made That

How about a look at the lining
(kind of sounds like...."Hey...check out my panties" when I say that)

Both sides of the lining have the zipper pockets.

Here's a closer look at both sides of the drawstring pouch

Looking forward to sharing more with you in the next few days!

Remember.....

today is a good day for a good day.

:)

XOXO 

to all!!

Cindy

S.W.A.K.

Hey there!

In case you haven't realized by now,

I'm addicted to swaps.

Majorly addicted.

I'm really not ready to admit it yet,

but superficially, 

I'm stating this fact.

:)

There's just something to say about happy mail.

It makes me jump up and down when I get happy mail

(please don't try and visualize me jumping up and down)

I'm currently in three swaps, 

but the one I'm sharing today is a year long one,

which involves sending out these cute little paper pieced envelopes

to whomever's month it is.

The blocks are from the book Patchwork Please

by Ayumi Takahashi.

WARNING

If you try this at home,

they are addicting

and I will not be held responsible

for whatever happens.

(just had to put that out there)

I'm sharing some photos of the blocks I've made so far this year

(minus a couple because I've run out of time trying to find them on my camera).

Each block is made according the likes of the person receiving.

Some of the photos are a bit poor in quality,

so I do apologize!  Apparently I didn't double check myself,

and they have long since been shipped to their new owners.

With each block we are to also send a little 'postage stamp'.

You can find the instructions from Nana Company 

HERE

And I had to save the best for last.

If I were to make a block for myself,

this would be it.

All blocks were sewn with Aurifil thread.

This is the only thread I use.

Yes, I have become a thread snob.

I hope you all have a fantastic day!

Happy Monday!

xoxo

Cindy

A Cindy Original

Hello!

A friend of mine asked me if 

I would make a bag for her niece,

who will be having a new little one soon.

Absolutely!

As my blogger friend, Melissa, tells me,

"Let the fabric speak to you".

So I looked in my stash and found this little cutie.

As I was 'listening',

the bunting and the hedge hogs were just begging to be brought into the bag.

I fussy cut the hedge hogs and had just enough of this twill left

to create this little addition on to the bag.

The twill came from The Little Red Cottage.

I had to order more since that was my last little bit.

Now isn't that a shame?

:)

I also brought in some extra detail.

I thread painted the flower and actually painted the stem and leaves.

And what is a bag without some pockets and a place to put your keys?
(I think my sister needs this...she is CONSTANTLY misplacing her keys!)

Finally, I made my own little label to mark the bag with.

From what I hear the bag was a success, which makes me incredibly happy.

What projects have you been working on?

xoxo

Cindy

Simple & Sweet Scrappy Swap

A quick little post on what I'm currently working on in the sewing world.

The 4S (Simple & Sweet Scrappy Swap) group is busy

making things for our secret partners.

This round we are making fabric baskets

from a tutorial offered by Birch Fabrics.

You can find the tutorial

HERE

We will fill them with goodies such as thread,

ribbons, scissors, seam rippers,

fancy lace, twill, charm packs, 

or whatever little goodies your partner

has made specific reference to.

I am creating my basket using the Economy Block

that I've been seeing all over Flickr and Instagram

(btw...if you are on Instagram, you can follow me under cindys0707).

This block is CRAZY fun to do.

It's just as much fun picking out the fabric as it is to make.

The 5" block pattern is free on Craftsy.

A big shout out to Rita Hodge of Red Pepper Quilts

for sharing this!

Right now I have the front and back panels just about finished.

I'm still deciding on quilting or may some embroidery.  I'm not quite sure yet,

so I'm letting this sit a while until I can 'feel' what to do with it.

The fussy cut fabric is by Tasha Noel for Riley Blake. 

The band at the top and the red in the block is Ruby by Bonnie & Camille.

The flowers are from the Penny Lane line for Riley Blake and the outer fabric is

from Henry Glass Fabrics.

I am really excited to finish this and am hoping my secret partner will love it.

I'll share the finished project in my next post 

along with the drawstring bag I made (and the one I received!) from the last

4S round.

I hope you all find some time to be creative in your day!

Happy Friday!

Woot Woot!

xoxo

Cindy

Surprise!

Hello!

I'm still here!

It has been a crazy few months.

 I'm getting myself back on track.....slowly.

Even though I haven't been blogging,

I've still been sewing.

To start my "welcome back",

I'll just get right in to a few projects I've done.

I did some sewing for Christmas gifts.

One  gift was created using fabrics provided to me by

Terry's Fabrics.

Terry's Fabrics are a great home deco quality at a great price.
I honestly cannot say enough nice things about this company
and their fabrics.

In this case, I used Emi, and exclusive Prestigious Textiles design in the color Mimosa.

Hey...did someone say MIMOSA?  Wait...I'll be right back.  I need a drink.......

I made pillows for my brother and his honey.  OK, so they have been together for years,

and engaged for quite some time, so for all practical reasons,

I'm calling her my sister-in-law.

She is just like a sister to me anyway.  :)

The "K" and "L" were purchased from Sweetwater on Etsy.

This is also one of my favorite shops to find unique items.

The pieces were 'coffee dyed' prior to being sewn on the pillow.

Their home is very rustic, so I thought doing this, along with adding 

the burlap embellishment, would be the perfect touch 

of coziness.

I also made a pillow for my awesome mom.

I have to say that this is one of the most favorite pillows I've made.

And even though I love my mom to bits,

I did almost keep this one for myself,

but I think she deserves it more than I do, 

so mom won.

:)

One of my favorite things to do is thread paint.

Even in small touches, it just makes me smile.

The snowman was creating using a Sizzix die.

(I love Sizzix!)

You may not remember, but I do pattern testing for Aria Lane.

I LOVE their patterns.

Very modern, incredibly informative, easy to follow, and

their directions are spot on.

The quilt I can show you now is Modern Morocco.

The front is so elegant.

My special blogger friend, Melissa, of 100 billion stars sent

me a BEAUTIFUL care package a while ago.  In it contained fabric from Free Spirit.  

From this luscious care package I used Tangier Ikat by Dena Designs, along with Kona white

to make this quilt sample.  I think those fabrics

worked perfectly with this design.

Thank you again so very much, Melissa!!

It was also my first time doing pieced curves.

I LOVED it!

Don't let the curves throw you for a loop.

This pattern is wonderful.

One thing I love about the patterns from Aria Lane

is the instructions provided for a pieced back.

Simple, but yet adds the perfect finishing touch.

For the back I used Amy Butler fabric, and I apologize because I don't have 

the information as to what line this is from!

And on a final note, since I've already made this post incredibly long,

my most recent project was this bag made for a little 10 year old girl for her birthday.

I apologize for the quality of this photo.  I had to make this bag rather quickly

and didn't realize the picture quality was so bad. 

That's what I get for hurrying to make the bag,

and hurrying to take a picture before I had to give it away.

My sister requested a bag for her friend's daughter,

so I used my own creative juices to put this together.

No pattern....I've made enough bags in my sewing history

that it's now rather easy to put together.

And of course, I had to use a little thread art on both the front and back of this bag.

And add cute little touches to make it perfect for a young little lady.

All projects were made using Aurifil thread.  This is the only thread I use anymore.

I have so much more to share with you, but I think this post has exceeded it's limit.

I hope you have all been well

and are thriving in your own creative juices!

I'll be back in a couple days....promise.

xoxo

Cindy