One One Eleven

/ Saturday 1 January 2011 /
Happy New Year!  Old Man 2010 has been carried off feet first and Happy Baby 2011 is filled with the optimism and ebullience of youth.  We can none of us see the future, which is for the best, but we can hope for a year filled with joy, love and friendship, good health, and mental stimulation.  And, while we're at it, let's hope for a little prosperity as a garnish!  This year, please G-d, will be a year I mark two momentous milestones: my silver wedding anniversary and my daughter leaving the nest.  AND, if I have my way, I will also make many quilts and sewn goods!  Welcome, 2011!

I've had some time off, since the university closes down for the winter break.  I brought a stack of work home with me, but have done very, very little of it, I'm ashamed to say.  All that indolence ends in a matter of hours, alas.  Monday is our statutory holiday for New Year's Day, so I have two more days before I have to report to the salt mine, but I simply must make some headway on the pile of work I brought home and dumped in the closet.
Yesterday I made two little pouches that have been on my list for awhile.  I wanted to practice putting zippers in, since I haven't used a zipper foot since I was sixteen and made my prom dress.

The pouch in this photo comes from this tutorial.  It is about 5" x 9", and is  lined with cotton batting.  The exterior fabric is Heather Ross FFA2 linen/cotton blend.  Because the exterior fabric was thicker than regular quilting cotton and the cotton batting adds another degree of thickness, the corners on the top of the pouch aren't sharp.   I'm using this pouch to store my Quilt Patis diamond templates, and in this photo you can see the green cotton lining.  There are no raw edges inside, which keeps it all very neat.

If I were to make this again, I would cut the cotton batting smaller and make sure it is not included in the seam allowance to avoid the bulk.  Since it is quilted onto the linen, it doesn't need to be caught in the seam allowance to keep it from shifting.

I followed this tutorial to make the purple pouch.  I used scrap Echino linen from the Love Birds quilt I made back in August.  This one is lined with non-fusible interfacing to give shape to the box pouch, and lined with a Kaffe Fasset print.  This pouch was very, very quick to make, but, although it is lined, the seams are exposed on the inside of the pouch.  I used pinking shears to eliminate raveling, but it is not as neat and tidy as the orange pouch.  It makes for a handy place to store the thread I am using to sew up my EPP diamonds.

Surprisingly (to me), these were a big hit with my husband and daughter.  They both said, independently, "Wow, it looks like these came from a store!"  Which, of course, is the most back-handed compliment one can give to a crafter, no?  However, the right spirit was behind the words; my daughter then asked if I would teach her how to make them, so that she could give them to her friends, in the "university care packages" they are all making to give each other for next year, when they have all gone their separate ways.  But of course I will!

13 comments:

{ Lara } on: 1 January 2011 at 16:15 said...

Love the pouches! Especially the FFA pouch! Gorgeous! Happy new year!

{ *Staci* } on: 1 January 2011 at 16:37 said...

These are wonderful. I love the stitching on the FFA one and the bird fabric is adorable.
Happy New Year! :)

{ Jennifer } on: 1 January 2011 at 18:06 said...

Those pouches are cute; it looks like you did good work with your zipper foot!

I have wanted to make pouches for a while, but never have. I like the box pouch, but would prefer to have no exposed edges. Maybe you could use the patten pieces for the box pouch and the process for the orange pouch to avoid unfinished edges?

I'm not really a genius when it comes to sewing anything. At least I can neatly install a zipper...

{ Rach } on: 1 January 2011 at 22:54 said...

Love those pouches! You picked some great fabrics!

{ Unknown } on: 2 January 2011 at 04:38 said...

Oh, what super little bags - they are just perfect, well done. Oh now you have me thinking of this years presents ;0)
Happy New Year to you and yours

{ antique quilter } on: 2 January 2011 at 04:42 said...

these pouches are adorable, you did a great job, very professional looking!!!!
I may have to try one, but ah the zipper foot haven't used it in years!
Happy New Year, enjoy your day off today!
Kathie

{ Jennifer } on: 3 January 2011 at 10:48 said...

Awesome! I love making zippered pouches and your's look great!

Jennifer :)

{ Rene' } on: 5 January 2011 at 08:41 said...

Happy New Year Lesly!!! It sounds like 2011 will be a great year for your family. Those pouches do look professionally made! I love seeing the pouches and handbags out there in blogland but am hesitant to try my hand with zippers...it has been a while for me as well. Great seeing your 2010 quilt mosaic as well. You had a productive year. Looking forward to seeing your 2011 projects.

Anonymous on: 5 January 2011 at 12:40 said...

There was a tutorial on the "Split Yarn" blog for zipper pouches, and she had you start and stop sewing the lining to the zipper/exterior fabric 1/4" from the end of the seam, leaving the seam allowance on the lining free. I don't know why, but that makes the corners ALLOT more square. I have made tons of zips, and wonky corners are a pet peeve. (!) To line the box bag, you can either sew the lining and exterior separate and then hand-sew the lining in, or sew them both to the zipper, and then sew the side seams and box the corners separately, leaving a space open in the lining so you can turn it inside out.

Brenda in Iowa.

{ Dee } on: 6 January 2011 at 13:02 said...

Happiest of new year's to you and may all your hopes and wishes come true!

The pouches are very cool looking and almost make me (yes, me) want to try them! lol

{ Candied Fabrics } on: 7 January 2011 at 12:14 said...

Those are lovely pouches, but I too hate raw edges inside...and look, the helpful Brenda up above has provided an answer! Yay helpful commenter's!

{ ParisMaddy } on: 8 January 2011 at 11:09 said...

Fabulous use of the limited sewing time that you mentioned you have. Love your pouches. The orange fabric is like a yummy sherbet push-up. Impressive zipper work, too! I hadn't put a zipper in for a very long time but then I made a skirt last year that needed one.

Happy New Year, Lesly.

~ Madeline

{ Glenda Penner } on: 9 January 2011 at 22:01 said...

Pouches!? How perfect for a first post of the new year. They are a bite size project, a doable size, a versatile item. They make me think of travel; little bags stuffed in the bottom of a suitcase holding all the important debris. Happy travels in to the New Year. I am so happy to have found you as I've wandered through the labyrinth of blogdom.

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