Different Strokes for Different Folks

Earlier this year, I signed up for a crafty exchange with Nancy of Blogging, Near Philadelphia. From what I could figure from Nancy's blog, she is a fan of Civil War reproduction fabrics. Most of my friends know that CW fabrics are way outside of my box and almost never find their way into my home. The only time that I will work with them is when I make a gift for someone who likes them. Thankfully, I had this in my stash (winnings from a giveaway a long time ago).

Nancy tells me that she loves it! I'm so happy that she does -- it makes working with these fabrics worthwhile!

The pattern is called Charm Party Tote which I found in a quilt magazine a number of years ago. Since then (as you can tell from this photo), I'm made quite a few of them...

PIF Part 3

Check my two previous posts for parts 1 and 2...

This is a tissue pack holder that I included in Mary-Frances' PIF gift. I learned this technique from Linda Halpin when she came for a workshop to my guild quite a number of years ago. Ami Simms also has Linda's pattern on her site.

The last thing I made was this (belated) birthday postcard for Mary-Frances. It was belated because I wanted to show off all of these projects at this month's guild meeting before I sent them off to her in Calgary, Canada. If you'd like to learn how to make one, I have a tutorial for this kind of postcard on my right sidebar.

And after making all of the projects you've seen in these three PIF posts, I literally had just this small plastic bag filled with scraps. And at my guild meeting, I gave the bag to a member who uses leftovers like this for dog-bed filler.

So, not a bit of those two yards that I started out with ended up in the trash. That's my version of Zero Waste Design.

PIF Continued

The next thing I made for Mary-Frances (see previous post) was a tea wallet from a tutorial I found here. It holds four teabags and is great for taking along in your purse on retreats and things.

Here's what the inside looks like...

I think I'll make one for myself soon.

Another One Off The List

Last December or so, I wrote a blog post offering a Pay It Forward gift to one of my readers. The lucky recipient was Mary-Frances of Outside the Line blog. What you see in the above photo started out as two 1-yard pieces of coordinating fabric that had been in my stash for a few years waiting for the right time to be made into a project.

The first thing I made was the bag ...

It's from a pattern in Quilt Magazine (perhaps the Apr/May 2010 issue) called Daytripper Bag by Jana Nielson of Izzy and Ivy Designs.

When I made the bag, I had a few squares of fabric left when I boxed the corners for the bottom, so I used those squares to make Mary-Frances a matching mug rug...

Stay tuned later this week for closeup photos of the other goodies that Mary-France received...

Fun Opportunity

Some of you may remember that I recently blogged about picking a Pay It Forward recipient. The winner is Mary-Frances of Outside the Line blog. I've been in touch with Mary-Frances and she has now posted a PIF post on her blog as well. She is inviting readers to participate, so be sure to go to the PIF post on her blog and read about how to sign up! She'll be so happy to hear from you.

There hasn't been too much quilty stuff going on in my life this past week -- I've been too busy with visiting my son (yeah!) for Parents' Weekend and then a wine-tasting trip with my husband to several wonderful wineries around Seneca Lake (one of NY's Finger Lakes). Now it's back to reality, hopefully with some quilting/sewing again.

Pay It Forward

Here is a wonderful idea that I got from Bree at Me and My 2 Guys. She is making something for me (yeah!), so in return, I pledge to Pay It Forward (loved the movie!).

If you are one of the first 3 fellow bloggers who reply to this post, you will receive a cute handmade gift from me. What you have to then do in turn is make a Pay it Forward post on your blog and then make a gift for each of your first 3 respondees (or is it responder?).

You must have a blog to be eligible, so if you don't have one and want to sign up for a free handmade gift from me...create a blog! It's really quite simple (and free). Mine is done using Google's Blogger, but there are other ways to do it, too. Try it, you'll get hooked.

Once you sign up by commenting on this post, I will then have 365 days to make and post the gifts I make for the 3 respondees. Once they get their 3 respondees, they will then have 365 days to make and post the gifts they make for them. And so on, and so on...you get the picture...

So in the spirit of Christmas and Pay it Forward, who would like a little gift from me?