Blue patchwork bags

After all kids started school beginning of the month and the moms had some hard weeks to organise life around school schedules and afternoon activities, we finally had the time last week to restart the sewing group and even got a new member. So much fun to talk sewing again!

One of the ladies wanted to try on easy patchwork, but not a whole blanket! So I proposed making only one block and integrate it into a bag or pouch. They all agreed, ouff!

Of course I have to make an example first. Somehow the outcome of my first idea are three pieces:

First I made one log-cabin block, but it was much too big to turn it into a pouch. So I made a smaller one and made this little pouch (about 19x22cm and on the base 5cm wide). There is no zip and for making it more unlikely that something fells out, I closed the opening on every side for 1,5cm. I liked the blue/bordeaux patchwork, but with the blue pouch it looked a little boring, so I added some quilted flowers.

I doubled the left over block and put it for a modern touch on a transparent bag. Had some stiff transparent material left ;-) The patchwork block is not only decoration but a pocket. The size of the bag is 38x33cm and 10cm wide. For now the side seams are still turning a bit inside, but it will change in time when using it.

And finally with the scraps of the patchwork fabrics I made a key chain.

This is a nice set and will become a Christmas present :-)

I still have some more patchwork bag ideas that I will try out. And also I'll see what the sewing-girls want to do! Curious too?

A bientôt,
Jane

Autumn flowers garden

I took a little time for sketching and made a really nice drawing with autumnal flowers. I am really happy how it turned out! 

I thought it might look nice in color too, so I scanned it and printed it and colored with color-pencils.

But in the end I think I like the black and white version better. There I really have the impression to see (with my inner eyes) the sun that is shining so much lower now and all the warm golden colors. Probably I am just not skilled enough to bring those colors on paper. If you like to try, you can download the picture here (only for non-professional use), print it and have fun coloring!

Hope you enjoy a wonderful autumn too!

A bientôt,
Jane

Twitchy bird photo-shooting

Have a look at this funny guy!

My latest crafting and the first project for art classes that started beginning of the month after the long summer break. Unfortunately we had been so busy in class that I forgot to take photos of the brothers and sisters of my new friend. 

Today I took him outside for a photo-shooting. Even with the help of younger-son it wasn't easy. Birdy is so very nervous and twitchy and always looking in other directions ... probably curious to explore his new world!

Before reaching the flower beds he also had to survive a cat attack!

What a morning, for a young bird that can't fly! 

He now is exhausted and sleeping on my desk. Finally calm ;-)

A bientôt,
Jane

Outdoor wind-light candle-holder

Just before the outdoor season ends, I finally have the time/motivation to post some pictures of a crafting project I realised in July with the kids of my crafting class: A candle-holder for wind-lights to have in the garden.

This is from a boy of my crafting class

We took little glass pots (from yoghurt) and fixed with thin wire a handle on them decorated with pearls. Those wind-lights are hanging from wooden rods as well as pearl-spirals and bands.

Photo taken during crafting class

The rods from the kids forms crosses, that are either for hanging up or with a stick to put into the garden, as not everyone has a tree or other possibility to hang up something like this.

In the garden of an other student

My one has wooden pearls because they were the only ones I had when I tried the project, but for the kids I bought plastic ones, so they last longer outside (by the way: it is really hard to find plastic pearls with a middle diameter in pretty colors). And my light pots are hanging on one single rod, as I knew already that I wanted to hang them under our balcony.

Really hard to have nice pictures in the twilight. 

I hope you too had nice evenings outside after the sun set and enjoyed the summer! Now it gets already dark much earlier and it's quite cold to stay out in the evening. We need all our garden blankets :-)

A bientôt,
Jane

Fish pebbles

This week we had a little 3 year old girl as guest (with her parents). We took her to the river where I am often with my kids. When she heard we are going to a little river she only talked about how she wanted to catch some fish with a bowl. Knowing that there are rarely fishes, I took some pencils with me to draw on stones. And look she found some fishes ;-) 

So easy to make a child happy :-)

And I found a nice round stone and transformed it into a new paperweight.

Have fun outside in the summer!

A bientôt,
Jane

Long sleeves shirt

After making the green tunic-dress in march I looked for another pattern for longs-leeved-tops, that I can maybe vary when I want to do the next time a project like that. I found and bought one nearly immediately (this one) and also I bought jersey and cut out the pieces who then had some month of waiting in my sewing room under lots of other things. In two weeks we are having guests and I need to tidy up the sewing room who then becomes again guests-room. So this weekend I sat down and finished some projects like hemming a shorts of my son, repairing the hook of a towel, putting a new elastic in the pyjama of other son and finally sewing the shirt. 

As always I made the sleeves longer than in the pattern, because I hate sleeves that are too short. With store bought tops they usually are! That's why I started to sew shirts myself.

I am not jet sure if I really like the loose fit of the body. Not so visible on the photos but it's opening up from the waist on. Anyway this could be adjusted easily in the pattern when I do it the next time.

Look at the neck line. I think it's nearly perfect. I feared a bit the V-neck, but patterns of that lady are always working and there are free video-tutorials, so really everybody could do this.

The next shirt will follow after the summer! Good excuse to go Jersey shopping in vacation ;-)

A bientôt,
Jane

Let's disco!

Younger son became lately 9 years old (can't believe how fast those years passed) and wanted to have a disco party (can't believe how grown up he is - his elder brother is still years away from dancing parties)! 

In a disco it has to be dark with light effects! At this time of year it is only dark in the basement (at least at a reasonable time for a kids party), so my husband and me spend lots of hours tidying up (very nice side effect, that now I have a very clean and empty basement). My husband is great with technic and electricity, so he managed to install the light and music system. I'm better in decoration, so I covered the walls (or better the shelfs around the walls) with a long blue plastic canvas and old blue curtains and old blue bedsheets. I have a box full of old fabrics that I won't use for sewing, but that helped me already within a few decoration situations.

On the canvas son-number-two and me painted with normal wall paint dancing people inspired by this artist.

Nice background, isn't it?

The kids had been really impressed with the disco feeling and had a lot of fun!

A bientôt,
Jane