Red, White and Blue Hand Bag

God Bless America Clasp Purse - Front

For the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2014, my goal was to create a purse a month. I fell behind schedule, but did not give up on that goal. This is the 11th purse, so I only have one more to go.

The clutch purse was created with my May CQJP 2014 block. Several of the seams were embellished with stitches from Take A Stitch Tuesday (TAST), which was offered by Sharon B. of Pintangle.com.

Excluding the crazy quilting, the general pattern for the bag was made following the guide shared in this tutorial at Sweet Bee Buzzings for a smaller coin purse.

Last December, I decided to participate with the All People Quilt UFO Challenge 2017. (More details are here.) This block was #5 on my list. #5 was the project selected for August.

The purse has been donated to be auctioned off later this week to raise funds for engineering scholarships in Oregon. 

I do hope the new owner likes it.

Related Posts:

TAST 7/21/2014 - here

CQJP 2014 May Block - here

UFO Challenge 2017 - My List - here

Thank you for stopping by!

Renee

I am joining Monday Stitchery Link Party #132 at Super Mom No-Cape! I do hope you will stop by to see what others are working on and to see the free vintage Halloween embroidery patterns offered today.

August 2017

July had its ups and downs. One of the best memories of the month was participating in a Paint Nite event with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and my husband. I like the sunflower I painted last year better than my beach scene on a crate (mine is the one on the right), but I had a great time. And, I love the scene my husband created!

As for my July goals, here is how I did...

#4 A holly seam was embellished on the crazy quilt stocking I am making for my son. 

#5 A zipper pouch with a wristlet was created with my CQJP 2013 January block. This was my 4th finish with the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge. You may read more about it here. 

#8 Although I did not stitch every single day, I made a lot of progress and had a lot of fun participating with The Stitching Hour 2017  hosted by Ambitious Stitches on Instagram. You may see my posts on Instagram here.

Here is my updated list for the APQ 2017 UFO Challenge. (My original post about the challenge is here. It includes photos of all 12 items on my list.)

August Goals:

1. Complete 2 items for Etsy shop, including an under-the-sea eye glasses case.

2. Finish a gift for my friend's daughter. All of the pieces have been cut out now - it just needs to be sewn together.

3. Sew together the wall quilt with the 6 blocks from the CQI Hearts Round Robin. (This was #2 on my APQ UFO Challenge and was selected for May.)

4. Finish embellishing the stocking I am making for my eldest son. (It is pictured above. This was #10 on my APQ UFO Challenge and was selected for June.)

5. Finish the buttonhole stitches and other embroidery on block 5 of the Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month hosted by Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy and friends. And finish the fish border, which is block 6. 

6. Finish block 7 of the Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month. It is super cute and may be seen here. 

7. For August, #5 was selected as the project to complete for the AQP UFO Challenge. So, I need to sew my May CQJP 2014 block into a purse. (You may read more about this block here.)

Top 5 Posts Viewed in July:

1. 4th Annual Piggy Bank Savings Challenge - here

2. July 2017 - here

3. June 2017 - here  (The #1 viewed post in June.)

4. May 2017 - here

5. Twilight Duel Update #20 - July 2017 - here 

Thank you for stopping by!

Renee

CQJP 2014 November Block Wristlet Completed

Crazy Quilted Zipper Pouch Wristlet with Coordinating Tissue-Pack Cover

This hand-embroidered crazy quilted zipper pouch is my first finish of 2017.  

While embroidering this piece, I extended the stitching on the seams slightly past the basted seam allowances. (I will explain why below.) When cutting the block, I was careful not to cut the stitching. I did not want to risk it unraveling. (You can see I am a knotty stitcher. A friend of mine was recently snubbed for using knots in her embroidery. Most of the work I do ends up in projects intended for use, so I like to know everything is firmly secured.)

I like to be sure the embroidery extends into the seams.

To me, it looks better than that way.

Once again, I referred to THIS TUTORIAL on YouTube from the Missouri Star Quilt Company. I only made a few changes. (I LOVE this tutorial!)

Because my middle fabrics were not the same size, I sewed them onto the long pink strip. I wanted the top pink sections to line up when the pouch was assembled.

I trimmed the embroidered block first. (I triple checked I would not be cutting any hidden embroidery threads beneath.) Then, I cut the panel for the back with the same dimensions.

 As you can see, I also made sure the outer edges of my crazy quilted block were trimmed away.

Other changes I made to the tutorial were adding a zig-zag stitch to secure the raw edges in the bag. And, I added a wristlet strap following a section of THIS TUTORIAL at Emmaline Bags.

The back of the bag is fairly simple. It measures roughly 6 3/4-inches wide and 7 3/4-inches tall.

Using THIS TUTORIAL, I made a coordinating tissue-pack cover.

This zipper-pouch wristlet was donated to my son's drama club for a raffle. It is my hope it will help raise funds for their annual trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. 

Links to other posts that journal the creation of this zipper-pouch wristlet are listed below:

1. Photo of pieced block
2. Two seams created with TAST Stitches 15 & 16
3. Two more seams created with TAST Stitches 17 & 18
4. A seam created with TAST Stitch 24
5. A motif created with TAST Stitch 39 (Note: This was later changed, as I felt the button was just too big.)
6. Two motifs created with TAST Stitches 46 & 48
7. The completed block

Additional Notes:
This finishes another item on my CQJP 2014 list. You may learn more about the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2014 HERE. My 2014 goal was to create a purse a month. I still have one block to embellish and 2 purses to create.

This project was #6 on my list for the 2017 UFO Challenge shared at All People Quilt. You may read more about the challenge HERE and see my list HERE.

Several additions to this piece were inspired by stitches introduced through Sharon B.'s Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST). You may learn more about TAST HERE.

As mentioned in the post sharing the completed embroidery, Sharon B.'s Crazy Quilt Templates Set 2 were used to create one of the seams and a motif on this piece. A photo of that section was shared in the Summer 2016 edition of the Crazy Quilt Quarterly Magazine. (I am not affiliated with the templates or the magazine. Submissions are currently needed for the Summer 2017 edition of the magazine, which will feature a button theme. You may learn more HERE. The deadline is February 1st.)

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Renee

CQJP 2014 November Block Completed!

Better late than never? 

In November of 2013, I signed up for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2014 (CQJP 2014).

I planned to create a crazy quilted purse each month.

It is 2016 and I am still working toward completing that goal.

The November block is now complete!

I had so much fun embellishing this one.

(I think this spider is one of my favorites.)

For those of you that follow my blog, you may recognize some of the seams from previous Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST) posts.

This dragonfly (butterfly?) and the seam beneath it were both created with the use of Sharon B.'s Crazy Quilt Template Set 2.

I was more than a little flattered when Sharon asked me if I would like a set in exchange for an honest review. 

Um... Wow. Yes, please!

Then, Pamela Kellogg asked if I would write a review for 

the Crazy Quilt Quarterly Magazine. 

Absolutely!

The above photo is on page 34 of the Summer 2016 edition of the Crazy Quilt Quarterly Magazine. 

(I am not affiliated with the templates, but I do love using them.

I am not affiliated with the magazine, but I love reading it and encouraging crazy quilters to submit their work!)

If you are curious about my other blocks for CQJP 2014, here are links to the completed blocks and the purses/totes completed so far:

January block and purse (this one took a ribbon.)

February block and purse

March block and purse

April block and purse

May block

June block and purse

July block and purse

August block and purse

September block and purse

October block and purse

The December block is pieced and ready for embellishment.

I should finish CQJP 2014 by the end of this year.

Today, I am linking with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #81 

at Super Mom - No Cape!

The free embroidery pattern is Jack-o-Lanterns and Bats!

If you do any hand embroidery, I encourage you to join the party.

Speeking of Jack-o-Lanterns and spooky things, the Eerie Nights Blog Hop continues throughout this week. I encourage you to check it out. I will be sharing my creations on Wednesday, the 26th.

Thanks for stopping by!

Renee

Happy New Year Wishes!

Close up from my January block.

I have to say, I am SO thankful for the many friends I have made through this blog. I am incredibly blessed. I wish each and every one of you an amazing 2016 full of good health and happy memories.

There are a few last projects I finished for the holidays I thought I would share before the new year creeps in.

In October, I sewed the topiary I created as part of Kathy Shaw's ICQC #102 course into a tissue cover. My mom received it with her Christmas gifts, as she loves pink.

Earlier this month, I used my March CQJP 2013 block to create a tote bag for the gift exchange we held with the friends we play Pinochle with every month. 

We filled it with "Snow" soap, a santa towel, a matching tissue-pack cover and a peeking snowman tissue-pack cover. The recipient loved it.

This block has always been dear to me. Our first house was yellow with a tree out in front and we did plant a circle of flowers around it. And the "sidewalk" fabric was created with stretchy fabric that was once the cuffs around the legs of the first pair of jeans my eldest son received. They were a gift from his aunt. His grandparents gave him a tiny red wagon, too.

I sewed this tote together using my CQJP 2013 April block, but cannot count it as a finish yet. After I turned it right-side-out and stitched the lining shut, I realized I sewed the handles on wrong. After my seam ripper and I have a long date, I will share it again...

My CQJP 2014 April block was made into the pocket on a tote bag for my niece. Blue and yellow are two of her favorite colors. It has a matching tissue-pack cover. She also received a fluffy white infinity scarf and fingerless blue gloves with her tote for Christmas.

This block incorporated several stitches from TAST 2013.

For fun, I made the inside pocket blue.

The tote bags were made with some adaptations to this pattern. And the tissue-pack covers were made with adaptations to this pattern.

I did have one more small finish in 2015, but I submitted the photos to Pamela Kellogg for the Spring 2016 edition of the Crazy Quilt Quarterly Magazine. So, it shall remain a secret for a while longer. 

Happy New Year! 
Renee

Note: Edited December 21, 2019 to correct link to tissue cover pattern on Pinterest.

CQJP 2014 September Block - Oregon State University Tote Completed!

Oregon State University Tote Bag

I created this Oregon State University tote bag for a relative and gave it to her for Christmas. (She thinks I should make these and sell them. It uses licensed fabrics though.)

The pocket was created using my Crazy Quilt Journal (CQJP) 2014 September block. 

Oregon State University Tote Bag and Tissue Case Cover

The tote was lined with Oregon State University fabric and I made a matching tissue case cover. I also slipped a pair of OSU earrings into the tote before wrapping it up for Christmas.

I adapted this pattern for the tote bag and adapted this pattern for the tissue case cover.

I am linking up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party at Super Mom - No Cape! again this week. It is a great place to visit for a free embroidery pattern and to find links to more eye candy. This week's embroidery pattern is a tropical bird. If you do any hand stitching and have a blog, I encourage you to join the fun!

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

CQJP 2014 October Purse Completed!

Some of you may remember the We Support You Blog Hop I participated in way back in January.

For that blog hop, I made a quilt, a change purse and attempted to make a sew-in-frame purse for a dear person in our life that was battling cancer.

The purse I tried to make was my first attempt at making a pattern for a beautiful heart clasp frame I purchased from crazyquiltingsupplies.com. 

I accidentally sewed the top together with a 3/8-inch seam instead of a 1/4-inch seam, making the purse too small to fit the frame.

Front

Fear of failure kept this project on the shelf until this weekend. I dreaded it still may not fit the frame - even after a date with my seam ripper. Luckily, it did fit! 

Back

This was a learning experience though. Next time, I would angle the bottom out more. Boxing the bottom brought it in further than I hoped, so the frame appears to stick out a bit at the hinges. I do hope the recipient likes it anyway!

I just love Riley Blake Designs Think Pink fabric line.

Here, you can see a tiny bit of the pocket I added inside the purse. The stitches holding the frame in place are mostly hidden. I am trying to perfect that skill.

I found a silver chain and clasps to attach it to the purse in the jewelry section at Jo-Ann Fabric. 

This was my October block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2014. My goal with CQJP 2014 was to make 12 purses using the blocks for each month of the challenge. One more is now complete and marked off of my mental To Do List!

I believe the sign ups for CQJP 2016 will begin in November. The challenge is to complete one crazy quilt block a month (the block must be a minimum 8-inch square size this year.) The idea is to assemble them into a quilt at the end of the year to "promote the art of crazy quilting".  I plan to finally finish up my CQJP 2014 projects so I feel comfortable participating in CQJP 2016.  If you want to see some more eye candy being created this year, take a look through the CQJP 2015 blog.

Today, I am joining the Monday Stitchery Link Party at Super Mom - No Cape! I do hope you will pop over to see the free embroidery pattern and to see the lovely work others have shared this week. If you have done any hand embroidery and have a blog, feel free to link up and join the fun!

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee