Zip, Zip, Zip

Zippers! They have been the bane of my sewing for years. I dreaded them when I sewed garments, and I feared them when someone suggested making totes or bags.

But today, I wanted to try my hand at giving you a little insight. I've eased up on my self proclaimed dread, and you know what? It isn't as bad as I feared. Making the  little pouches has given me a new incentive and bravery :-)

So here goes -
I like buying zippers from the quilt shops. They run about a dollar and can be cut to the right size. Always use a zipper with polyester teeth. This is so you can cut it to the length desired.

The first thing I am going to do is cut the end of the zipper off. Then cut a piece of fabric about 1 1/2" by 4". This will be the tab at the ends of the zipper.

 Fold the 1 1/2" piece in half and then fold the two ends inside and press.

Place the zipper inside the folded fabric and sew next to the open seam.

Zip the zipper down and cut the other end off, one inch shorter than your bag. Add the folded fabric to this side and sew.

Next place the zipper FACE DOWN onto your fabric.

Sew the zipper, moving the zipper pull out of the way to give you as much room as possible under the foot. 

Now turn the zipper down unto the inside fabric and top stitch to hold it in place.

Doing good?

Okay now do the same thing to the second piece of your bag. Line up the zipper with the top edge, sew and top stitch.

And there you have it!  Zippered up and ready to complete your bag!

Just as an added side note. When you sew up the sides of your bag, be sure that your zipper is in the open position. That will allow you to turn the bag out to the right side.

Happy Quilting!!

 Finish it up Friday 
Creative Goodness 
Can I get a Whoop Whoop? 
Sew Darn Crafty

Bread for the Journey

Fall Leaf Tutorial

Fall is a fun time of year. But in Central Florida, we do not experience the change of color. So I make my own fall leaves.

Cut two WOF by 4" to make a binding string.
Sew together then ironed them in half, folded onto themselves...

and fold again to sew. I used a zig zag stitch.

I traced around a leaf to use as a pattern.

And you know those left over pieces of batting?

They will work perfectly for this garland.

Cut 6" x 11 1/2" from several different pieces of fall fabric.

Fold the fabric in half, pin your pattern on the TOP piece of fabric,
and be sure that your stem is on the fold.

Cut around the TOP piece of fabric only. Then place your batting in between the folded fabric, and sure that your string is at the top of fold.....

(showing fabric for the free form leaf)

Pin.

Sew around the edges of the sandwiched leaf. The edges will be raw unless you finish with a zig zag stitch.

Cut around the edges of the leaf.

This is probably a pretty basic way to do this, but I wanted to show you how I made the free form leaf and how it is attached to the string. Making it two sided allows you to use the garland where both sides are finished.

And here is the garland, decorating my mantle.

Great way to use up scraps of fabric and batting.

Happy Quilting!

 Finish it up Friday 
Creative Goodness 
Can I get a Whoop Whoop?

Sweet Tweets Treats

Do you enter blog giveaways? They are especially fun when you follow along on a blog hop. I've won a few times and even had my own giveaways. But winning the grand prize is so very special.

I was taken by the new book Sweet Tweets by Erin Cox . I thought the little birds were so adorable. So to my great surprise and delight, Erin notified me that I had won her grand prize!

Isn't this the cutest thing ever?  But wait there is more.

Not only did she send the book, she made one of the projects.

I can't tell you how adorable this little pouch is. But there is more!

Fabric! "Hello Darling" by Bonnie and Camille. Can you hear me squealing :-)

And you know what? The little pouch was filled with goodies. Everything needed to make the sweet little projects in the book.

 Now how cool is all that?  

Be sure to stop by Erin's blog Why Not Sew and give her some quilty love.

Happy Quilting! I know I will.

Bread for the Journey

Christmas giving

Several years ago I made this table runner and gave it to a friend.

Not sure if you can tell, but the border fabric had a blue background.

After digging around in my Christmas stash I decided it was time to make this runner again.

This time I'm planning on using traditional red and green.

Are you ready for Christmas giving?

Happy Quilting!

Okay, one more

Just one more for now.

Guess I've gotten the zippered bag fever! I made this pouch for a friend who was visiting from up north. She sews and quilts and I thought of her when I pulled out this fabric. I hope you enjoy using it Bonnie :-)

Fabric Tuesday 
Linky Tuesday 
Finish it up Friday 
Creative Goodness

Bread for the Journey

And then there were two

Yes, the second zippered pouch is complete.

 How do you like the beach scene?

Happy Quilting!

  Needle and Thread Thursday

Can I get a Whoop Whoop!

Finish it up Friday
Creative Goodness

Here is the latest

Are you working on Christmas projects? I'm hoping to complete at least one per week. Not that I have that many, but it's my goal anyway. Here is the latest.

These little pouches are fun to make. The zippers are still a little bit of a learning curve for me. But I'm working on it.

What are you making this year?

Happy Quilting!

Linky Tuesday

Bread for the Journey

If it's October...

then it's time to finish Christmas gifts.

One down, several to go!

Happy Quilting!

Can I get a Whoop Whoop!

Finish it up Friday
Creative Goodness

Sentiments

Do you ever wonder what happens to the quilts you've made? Have you gifted them or made them for family members? I think the highest praise a quilter can garner is to know that a quilt you made is well loved.

My youngest son and his wife recently moved to a larger townhouse. While my DH and I helped them move, something caught my eye.

I made this quilt for my son when he was seven or eight years old. He loved dinosaurs and slept with it every single night. About six years ago, when the backing became worn and areas pulled loose, I replaced the backing.

And there it was, folded and piled in his bedroom. It really sort of took me by surprise. I asked DIL about it and she said he sleeps with it every night.  Awwwwww!  I felt like it was a big hug from me :-)

There's always a reason for Happy Quilting!