Patchwork Wallet

Patchwork Travel Wallet

There are so many things you can make with 2.5" squares and it's my fave size to play with.  After making a few drawstring bags, I thought let me make a travel wallet! Since the pandemic started last year, I have not made travel wallets much. And patchwork one should be fun to make, right?

I'm using my own Safari Travel Wallet for this one. If you plan to make one, I pieced the patchwork panel 5 x 4. You have to adjust the length and width according to the pattern. And instead of using all-purpose interfacing, I used lightweight fusible interfacing and batting. This will make the wallet sturdier. 

In the interior, I used different prints of fabrics too and it really gives a fun one-of-a-kind look. Now, I wish I could travel! Let's hope and pray, we can start traveling without much worry! 

For the closure, normally I use a Kam snap button, but this time I used the sew-on magnetic snap! I am glad I bought a few before the Pandemic! I always stock up on bag hardware since we don't get it here. Bag making /quilting supplies and tools are hard to find in retail in India. So, I tend to buy in bulk whenever I get a chance.   

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The photo below is of a lake on the way to my sons' school. Since the school started last week, I still feel very worried and uneasy but on one side, I feel that it is necessary for them to start going out and learning to be disciplined in following the Covid-19 protocols. We have not let them go on the school bus as yet, luckily the school is only 15 mins drive. So I enjoy my morning ride to drop them :).

Wild Cotton Tree

The wild cotton trees along the highway are blooming. Spring is here!  I hope you stay warm and well wherever you are!

Until next time, thank you for stopping by!

Happy Sewing

- Elvira -

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Sunbonnet Sue and DIY KIT

I was going through my UFO bins last week and found one Sunbonnet Sue Applique which I did a couple of years ago. I think it must be around 2012 or so when I made my Sunbonnet Journal Cover. I love doing cute applique once in a while. I guess now I'm being too busy that sometimes I forgot to have fun.

Now what to do with this orphan block? Well, why not just frame it!! I bought a set of frames from amazon a few months ago and still have a few small ones that fit perfectly for my Sunbonnet. I simply cut the piece to fit in the frame and voila, I got a new wall decor. 

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Yesterday made another drawstring bag using Indian mulmul fabrics. I cut them into 2.5" squares and sew them together. Working with lightweight fabric is challenging, so always use a smaller stitch length and proper needle size.

I did hand quilting in this bag and I love how soft it is when finished. Hand quilting definitely gives a soft cuddly feeling. Love it! I must do more :)

This time, I made box bottom type and added a D ring on the side so that I can attach a long strap and carry it as a sling bag. I am inspired by the wuxia dramas that I’ve been watching for the past few months. The bag turned out so cute!!

See behind the scenes in this video below. 

If you want to learn how to make the bag and not sure about the materials, now you can purchase the DIY KIT in my webshop. In 

I will add more DIY KIT for beginners bag makers or quilters and some will come with Pdf Patterns.

I realized that many people hesitate to start because of the lack of information regarding bag making and quilting in India. Especially for bag making, it took me years to finally found the right materials that go into creating a decent bag. 

This week, I have a couple of hand quilting projects to complete. That's my main goal for this week. I hope I won't be distracting to making other things as I just got my new Quilts Japan last week! 

Thank you for stopping by!

Stay safe & Happy Sewing

Elvira

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Patchwork Drawstring Bags

What do you do when you're not in the mood to sew? Well, I took out my 2.5" container and admiring my neatly stacked 2.5" squares, and started piecing idly. I did not have any specific plan, but as I went on chain piecing a few ideas pop up in my head. I even have an ambitious dream of a scrappy quilt. Ha! 

But then I decided to do a humble small project as a mood booster and this cute small drawstring bag is born. It's made up of 64 pieces of 2.5" squares. Padded and quilted by machine. 

Each bag measured approximately 7.5" x 7.5" and it's fully lined. I used contrast stripes for the string/cord casing. I used a macrame cotton cord from Amazon India here and I kinda like the look of it. But next time I'll get a thinner one. For the stopper, I used Chandan wood (sandalwood) beads. 

(Update: If you want to make one the Pattern Kit available in the shop)

Patchwork Drawstring Bag

I was really inspired by Sensei Shizuko Kuroha's post on Instagram the other day. Well, I don't know how to read Japanese but from the translation, she more or less said "make everyday stuff that is small and useful". What she said really stuck in my head. I keep thinking, that often we make something that ends up piling up in the cupboard without being used (Like this quilt or this pillow). For me sometimes just for a sentimental reason :).  Although I also used my makes every day from bags, wallets, pillows, table runners, etc there are a few stuff that I still don't have the heart to use or give away. I guess I must learn to be more generous :D.

And when you're having fun, you cannot just make one bag, right? 

Another great news is the Kawandi QAL is officially started on Facebook Group. I'm so excited but still could not make up my mind what size I'm going to make. Most probably I will do a lap size quilt, cos  I plan to use my dupatta (Indian stoles) for the backing layers. Brinda ma'am explained in Facebook live session last Sunday how to go about it. Now all sorts of ideas running around in my head, so I'll just think about it slowly. I hope I can share with you soon about my progress. 

Thank you for stopping by,

Happy Sewing!

 Elvira

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Back to School

 Hello there,

I hope everyone is doing great. Here my sons have started going to school and I'm worried. I keep nagging them to keep their mask on. I sent a few face masks, hand sanitizer, and sanitizer wet wipes. The school sent videos to us, parents, on how they're doing the Covid-19 protocols in school, and it looked pretty convincing for us. But as parents (or moms) we can't help to be worried, right? I have to constantly remind them to keep their mask on, not to touch their face, to change the mask when it gets dirty, not to share their tiffin and water, etc.

Now that the boys are going to go regularly, I thought I'll make a variety of face mask style for them. I made them try a different style and my younger one said ok ok (reminder: never ask your teen when they're playing online games) but my elder son still prefers the Trio Face Mask. He finds it easier to keep it on for a long period as it doesn't stick to his face. 

Spacious and breath easy design

I made the plaid face mask for him last month and he's been wearing it always. The plaid fabric is suit material, wool mix fabric, and lined with cotton poplin. The plain fabric is quite stiff, so it stands out, not floppy. 

My younger one also prefers the Trio Face Mask and the 3D face mask, even though I send the pleated mask too but he will only wear those 2 masks. 

Anyway, I got another Quilts Japan magazine last week and I tried the face mask pattern in the book. I quite like it. I called it a Kpop style. It's quite fitted into your face, as like other Japanese face masks. I guess because the Japanese are generally don't talk so much in public places, so this kind of mask is perfect. But I really love the look of it when worn. 

Kpop Style Face Mask

Well, getting back to new normal is not an easy transition, but life must go on. We must be disciplined to maintain the Covid Protocol prescribed by the government and the scientist. They said it takes 3 weeks to adapt to the new habit. Now, the toughest part to get the boys to go straight to the bathroom when they come back from school. I guess children just love to annoy their mom! 

I hope with the vaccination is now being conducted, we can see the end of this Pandemic. Please keep your mask on and avoid crowded places as much as you can. 

Take care & stay safe!

Elvira

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Resources:

How to make Trio Singer Face Mask

How to Make 3D Face Mask

How to Make Pleated Surgical Face Mask

Mini Mobile Sling Bags

 

I've been working on a few mini mobile sling bags. This is one of my fave projects to make and gift.  I personally use it to keep my hard disc, to carry when I go for an errand, to keep my power bank, and even fit in my pocket camera (this is handy when I travel). 

One of my fellow Indian Etsy sellers asked me yesterday, how do I manage to do what I do? I really don't have a definite answer. I just enjoy what I am doing, sewing, embroidery,  quilting, making videos, tutorials, etc. But trust me, there's a lot of work before I posted an update on social media or blog. Like these Sling Bags, I started a few weeks ago. I am batching my work a lot and I have a box full of ongoing projects. Cutting, ironing, sewing, taking photos, editing and posting don't happen in one or two days. 

Sometimes, I don't get time to sew for a few days and when I am free at night I will not be in the mood to sew, that's when I pick up my hand sewing projects. 

Anyway, here are a few mobile pouches cum sling bags that are available in my Etsy Shop as well as my Webshop. I ship internationally from my Webshop too. 

Green Paisley Phone Bag | ETSY | WEBSHOP

This time, I use some of my fave Indian fabrics and combined them with linen fabric. 

Brown Paisley | ETSY| WEBSHOP

Red Riding Hood Bag 

This pink quotes sling bag is my current fave!  I got the fabric from my Japan trip Tokyo Quilt Festival 2 years ago and so glad I finally use it for this bag. 

Marie Curie Quote Bag | ETSY | WEBSHOP

Blue Warli Phone Bag | ETSY | WEBSHOP

This is another fave from this batch of sling bags. Love the combination of floral print and stripe. The floral fabric is popular in my fabric shop. I have another combo in a similar print. 

The best thing about this sling bag is you can use it as a waist/hipster bag. I used to wear it as a waist bag a couple of years ago but now I prefer it as a  sling bag or just make a wristlet and carry it in my hand. 

 I am a bit tired today from making pre-cut batting. I really need to resume my exercise. I got a whole roll of 60 meters of cotton batting and since I don't have a place to keep the roll (it's 100 inches long), I decided to make 3 meters cut and if you're in India and looking for cotton batting, do check it out in the shop. Only have a few packs though. It's bleached cotton 150 GSM and 100 Inches Wide. 

Cotton Batting 

That's all for today. I hope you keep creatively busy and stay safe! Thank you for reading my blog!

Happy Sewing,

Elvira

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Simple Kantha Coasters for Two

Today is quite a busy day. Besides the usual home chores, I have several orders to send out in the afternoon, so I spent the first half of the day packing and printing labels. I am using DHL e-com and FedEx to shipping out my Etsy orders. 

Sometimes, we're scared to start something new because we're so comfortable in our current situation. This is what's been happening to me in the past year or so. As much as I enjoy making wallets and small bags, I truly miss the joy of "just create" something! Experimenting with my crafts and sharing joy with others. And if you're an Etsy seller, sometimes the pressure is more. You feel like everybody is doing much better than you, especially if you spend more time on social media (Instagram or Facebook). This year, it will be about me enjoying making my craft. I will not take too many custom orders so that I will have more time to learn new things, experiment, and sharing a few tutorials or sewing tips with you all. 

Ok, so this is what I've been working on after the Heartbeat Kantha Coasters! I have this beautiful block print fabric and want to make something with it. I guess, when you start your first step, the inspiration will just flow into your brain. I know I wanted to do more kantha but not sure what design. I wanted something simple and one day after dinner, I thought, why not using the design from the fabric, and this simple linen Kantha coaster is born. The design is about 3" in diameter and the inner circle is about 1" in diameter (I used my machine's bobbin to draw the circle). I used tricot interfacing for these coasters. I'll write more about it in my next post, Insha Allah. And if you want to try the design, be my guest! I'm trying to draft the template, hopefully, I'll have more time this week to complete it. 

Kantha and Block Print Coasters

I sent out 2 sets of Kantha coasters today and I'm so happy and grateful for the response I received on my small quilt shop! I really love making these small quilted coasters and practicing my hand quilting while I binge-watching my C-Drama on Viki after dinner. 

    

A customer wanted a round and rectangular coaster set. The round coaster was a bit of a challenge to do in a kawandi style of quilting, but it was a great experience. Maybe I will make a few more round coasters. Hmm, another idea to try! 

It's been quite cold in the past few days but today is better. After dealing with couriers almost the whole afternoon, I decided to make muffins but didn't turn out so good, because I found out afterward that the oven was set on upper heat only. This is why you should not multitask or arguing with your son while baking LOL. But the boys enjoyed it, anyway. I need to lookup more muffin recipes! 

That's all for today. Thank you for stopping by! 

Take care & stay safe!

Elvira

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Heartbeat Kantha Coasters

I wanted to make this coaster for a long time. I drafted the pattern and was actually thinking of doing an applique and embroidery combo. But after learning Kantha embroidery, I thought I could just use the kantha stitch and I love how this turned out. 

Ikat Heartbeat Coasters

 

The materials needed (for 1 coaster) are:

1. 6 x 6 inches cotton fabric - 3 pieces

(I'm using Linen for the beige coasters and handloom ikat for the indigo one)

2. Anchor pearl (Perle) cotton no. 8  or 3 strands of embroidery yarn (I am using this for the linen one). 

This is a super-fast project and very beginner's friendly. All you have to is download the template  HERE and follow the instructions. Next, watch the video below.  (in the video I did freehand drawing using an erasable pen, but I created a template for you :).

Don't worry if your stitches are not even, it's hand-sewn, it's organic. You will get better as you go along. 

The kantha stitch is done on one layer of fabric only. If you want to do it on all through the 3 layers, be my guest! I did it on single layers, because it's easier for me :)

Feel free to experiment! 

I'll be making a few coasters for my small quilt shop. It's one of those projects that you can do while watching your fave shows or drama :)

Linen Coasters

If you're wondering about my photo props, the teapot mini plate I got from The House of Tea in Central Mall Delhi Aerocity a few years ago, and the mini teacups, I got them as a gift from a shop in Uji when we went in 2019. I love buying cute decorative stuff or souvenirs, most of them are useful as photo props :D. My boys always wondering, what I am going to do with all those. 

I better get going now, I have a few more coasters and bags to finish, but very little time to craft nowadays. Thank you for visiting my blog and stay safe!!

Happy Sewing, 

Elvira

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