This summer I took some knitting with me on holidays. It is easy to carry and do anywhere.

I know you might not all be interested in my knitting, but it seems I have some periods or phases when I play with different textile mediums.

I still love my sewing, but sometimes I need more time and place to do it, where knitting or crochet is smaller and you can do just a bit and put it away.

In fact it is one of the risks : it gets put away, and stays there for longer than planned.

 So these are my socks, always the same pattern as the previous ones.

Now I found some gorgeous wool and am starting some mittens on a round needle, but both at the same time. It is a kind of challenge, we'll see if I can manage.

New cushions on the sofa

In fact the inserts are the old ones, but the covers are new.
I didn't take photos for a tutorial but they are very quick to make. I bought 1 metre and a half (60 inches) of this synthetic furry fabric, and managed to make 4 cushion covers. Each one is roughly 40 cm (16 inches) square finished.

I cut my fabric 42 cm(16 3/4") large by 95 cm(37 1/2") long. It doesn't have to be so precise on the length.
Next you need to sew a double return to make a hem on the 2 short ends.

Now put your pad or insert in the middle, and overlap the ends of your cushion cover, right sides outside. You can decide where you want the overlap to be. Pin the fabrics together. There is no need to measure with this method, it will fit.
Take the insert out through one of the open sides, turn the cover outside in and pin the open sides closed. You need to sew along each of the 2 sides, and then zigzag the edges if necessary (it was for my furry fabric).

Turn it right side out and you have finished. Bravo.
There was no need to put a zip (go to a store and buy one) or to make button holes and hand sew the buttons. It was also very fast.

I was amazed at the mess this fabric made on my floor. Lots of little threads went everywhere.

And I will have to cover more cushions as I realised that the fabric on some of them was getting worn out. It's a shame as I liked them, but then it gives me the opportunity to make something new.

Pink Union Jack purse

This little purse on the theme of the Union Jack, the British flag, is all pink ! It was a request from DD1 to be used at school and keep her dinner money.
I made it some time ago but had lost the pictures on the computer.
In real life it doesn't look so pristine any more, but is still very much loved.

I had seen things similar in the shops, so the idea is not original, and I thought I could make one myself. It proved  a little more complicated than I thought, but I've done it.

After the front panel was done, I sewed the zip together with the front, back and lining. The rest is easier, although I am not always happy with the ends of the zips. The sides go a bit round, and I don't know what to do about it.

I made it on holidays in France, and it reminds me of a lovely quiet time.

Kokeshi bag

My lovely niece who lives in Le Havre loves the Japanese Kokeshi dolls. She has books about them, and some small reproductions in hard plastic. I made her a bag with a pieced Kokeshi on the front.
Here it is shown by DD3 in her school uniform, just to give you an idea of the size.

The pattern was taken from Quilt Mania, number 77, which was published in the spring.

I used one of their designs, although the round part of the bottom of the face disappears on my bag. I wonder why I took so much trouble to piece this part, and would recommend that you just make a square face.
Here is a close view of the doll finished on the quilted panel that was to become the front, bottom and back of the bag.

Of course I added some little pockets inside, in 2 different purple fabrics.

The edging on the top was made with my sewing machine on a cross stitch point.

I hope she gets to use this bag a lot, as it was given in June this year when we visited for the first communion of her brother and the baptism of her sister.

I'll try to publish more posts from now as I stopped working. More time to sew, hooray.