Hello and welcome to my day on the Christmas in July Blog Hop being hosted by the amazing Melva from Melva Loves Scraps.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a real fan of Christmas. I used to decorate the park next to my little store with over 5000 lights and had an incredibly talented seamstress create the perfect costume for my (ex) husband to be Father Christmas in Barkerville, BC for their Victorian Christmas celebration.
I also had a traditional modern Santa costume for him to be the jolly guy at Nursing Homes and any other Christmas celebrations where someone needed the Christmas elf to show up.
Now here I am many years later and my DH is the world’s biggest Grinch so we do not celebrate Christmas.
Instead I make items to donate to the organization that does the Christmas hampers. Over the years I have made several different items to be included in the celebration when they hold their Christmas dinner. That night they set up the adjoining room for all of the children to be able to go in and pick an item to gift to their parents and volunteers help them gift wrap it.
I try to have a dozen or more items to donate.
I do make gifts for family and for my quilting group so July is usually my starting point for projects.
This year I decided to make sling bags and totes because I found some patterns I liked; one at our annual Guild Yard Sale and the other in a friend’s copious pattern collection!
My problem started when a friend needed to borrow one of my backup machines. Then my regular machine had to go in for regular servicing. I was finishing making a case for my newest treasure; a Featherweight, when my machine (my second backup) went “clunk” and then the needle broke. I said a prayer and put a new needle in after checking to make sure no bits got in to the machine and giving it a thorough cleaning. I took one stitch and “ping”; the needle broke. You guessed it! I had bent the shaft while attempting to sew through 8 layers of fabric and batting.
To keep my sanity I need to play with fabric, so I kept myself busy paper piecing hexies of various sizes and from scraps and fat quarters.
Then my next step was to learn how to use my Featherweight. I’d never oiled it, or threaded it or even set it up since I’d bought it. My life has been a bit convoluted and crazy since I bought my Christmas present to me last December. one of the quilters in my group at the Guild has a Featherweight so she gave me the run down and shared some extra feet at a quilting day at the Guild last week. She also showed me the thread stand she has that fits on the Featherweight so I’ve since ordered one.
My next steps were to choose fabrics, get fabrics cut and interfacing ironed on.
The photos don’t do these fabrics justice. It is a few pieces of a hoarded saved collection from Connecting Threads “Neutral Love” from 2013. I have a fondness for paisleys so needed a special project to use it up. I added a few other pieces of fabric from my stash because I never seem to be able to make a pattern (other than quilts) without altering it!
This is the version I decided on:
except I wanted to make it multi-coloured:
and the front flap needs a pocket to put things in with a hidden zipper so I made the pocket:
The bags will have quilted pockets inside to protect a laptop or iPad and room enough for all of the necessities we need to carry to a meeting or a quilting day at the Quild.
Each of the bags or totes will have a panel of my EPP hexies incorporated in them in some way, either a pocket or inset in the body of the bag or tote.
I was happy having my project planned and cut out and a machine to be able to put it together and then this past week real life stepped up to a crazy pace as my DH is having issues. He has MS and his condition has been declining resulting in numerous tests, medical appointments and making decisions regarding end of life planning.
If life co-operates I’ll have the first of 6 or 8 sling bags and totes made using my EPP hexies within the next week. For the rest of my donations I’ll make a mix of other projects and at least one of these:
So I do not have my bag finished to show you, but I am including a link to a similar pattern for those cute snappy bags I love to make. It uses old measuring tapes (my DH had a construction company and when we sold the property I found over 50 with worn numbers and I just couldn’t throw them out and needed to upcycle them 🤣)
I have a favourite recipe to share that has been made for generations in my family. At this time of year I make it but add different things to it for summer enjoyment ( grated lemon peel, chopped walnuts or pecans, grated orange peel, chopped mint and a couple of fresh raspberries on top before baking, etc.)
Here’s the lineup for all of the participants:
July 24
Melva at Melva Loves Scraps ~ hostess
Diann at Little Penguin Quilts
Carol Andrews at Quilt Schmilt
July 25
Vivian at Bronx Quilter
Gail at Quilting Gail
Linda at Texas Quilt Gal
I do have a little giveaway for some fabric since I feel like I’ve dropped the ball by not being able to share a finished project, but real life, you know. To enter leave me a comment with your favourite colour or holiday and I’ll curate a bundle just for you! In your comment, please also let me know where you live. I’ll not limit it to just Canadian residents and the draw will be on Sunday, July 27 by a random number generator.
Also I’d advise you to keep an eye on Melva blog, Melva Loves Scraps to keep posted for her announcement for another Blog Hop which she will be hosting later this year for Christmas.
Thank you for visiting and I do hope you get a chance to check out the other blogs to see what fun projects they have created for you to enjoy! 😁 Carol
Quilt Schmilt 
Okay you are officially the “Queen of Christmas” especially since you already have the robe! That is a wonderful holiday event that you contribute to and I love that the kids get to pick from the donated presents and then get help with wrapping them. So that also make you the top Christmas Elf because of all the gifts you donate to it! Life never fails to get in the way when you commit to a deadline! I hope you are able to help stabilize your DH’s condition. I had to laugh at your Featherweight story: my life with mine started the exact same way — I’d never used it until my other machines went kaput in the middle of Xmas sewing. Fanny Featherweight and I have been fast travel friends ever since and I made her a tote bag since she didn’t come with a case. Thank goodness for handwork when the machines are down. Keep up the great work on all of your very generous holiday gift work!
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Thank you Vivian for your lovely comment. Isn’t it funny how life steps in to help us make decisions; love Christmas but don’t celebrate; then give it to others, your machines break down, discover the treasure you already have, life interferes with stitching time; find an alternative 😉
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I’m so sorry to read about your DH and will pray for you both. It looks like you have a lot of beautiful projects going on. Love the hexies incorporated into your bags, and the measuring tapes are great! Your stories of past Christmases are heartwarming.
Don’t put me into the mix for the fabrics, I am swimming in fabric! Do take care of yourself. 🙂
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Hi Linda. It’s so nice to read your comment. Prayers are always welcome and appreciated. Thank you. Aren’t those snappy bags too cute?
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I laughed at your recipe. All my favorite recipes look like that! There are a lot I can’t rewrite as they are in my mother’s handwriting. The way you celebrate Christmas is lovely and generous. On to holidays and fabric – my favorite holiday is Christmas and I use traditional Christmas colors to decorate – red, gold, green, cream. No pink or turquoise for me. However if I’m lucky enough to win, I’d rather have turquoise and lime green as I am currently working on a project where both the background and back will be scrappy in those colors. SarahsGiftNShip at gmail dot com . Happy stitching!
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Hi Sarah. In my mind the grubbier the recipe; the better it is! Sounds like your mother’s handwriting is like mine; irreplaceable. I’m happy to read you favour Christmas. I have stepped out with some “modern” Christmas fabrics or colours for specific projects, but like you also prefer traditional when I did decorate. Mmm. Turquoise and lime green? That sounds scrumptious! 😉
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So many fun pictures. I think my favorite holiday would be Christmas. When wee gather together with my hobby’s family.
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Thank you Jocelyn. Getting together at Christmas with hubby’s family sounds like a wonderful way to spend it. 😃
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Congratulations Jocelyn. You are the winner of my bundle of fabric. Please email me your address at QuiltSchmilt@gmail.com. 🤗 Carol
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Thank you Carol.
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You are so very welcome. Thank you for commenting. 😃
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Life does have a way of getting in the way, and when it is your DH, he is definitely the top priority. Sending you quilty hugs, Carol! The bag you’re working on looks awesome – lots of pockets and zippers are always handy. And I love the Christmas Snowflake/Star Quilt. It’s just gorgeous!
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Thank you Diann for your lovely comment. Hugs are always welcome. I think the bags should be practical; never enough pockets and I hope the recipients enjoy them. I’m so pleased you like the Snowflake/Star quilt. It’s one of my favourites so I need to actually figure out/write down a pattern since it worked out almost as good as I hoped. 😉
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You are a very busy lady!!! And on top of it all, you are generous and kind! I hope that DH gets a little better and can enjoy that beautiful golf course! Take care of you, too!
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Thank you Gail, but busy is a definition of you my friend. Some days DH can still manage a few hikes of golf so I’m content with that for him. Stitching time keeps me calm, happy and sane so yes, I’m taking care of me too 🤗
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I forgot to say that I like that you are ‘upcycling’ all those tape measures … one tape measure does a lot of little bags! Your Christmas quilt looks great! And those sling bags will be snatched up by someone wanting to give their mom a special treat! HUGS!
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lol. Thank you again. The tape measure reminds me of the saying when life gives you lemons…..(my oldest granddaughter says I’m either crazy or a hoarder 😆). I can’t wait to finish the sling bag prototype and see what other modifications I might need to make 😉
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I’m going to try again-I think my first comment disappeared. I’m so sorry to hear about your DH, Carol. Prayers.
And yes, love those snappy bags! Great that you saved so many metal measure tapes.
Gifting hand made items during Christmas is such a great idea!!!
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Thank you Nancy. Your prayers are very appreciated.
Upcycling for gifts is always fun as is being able to help my community.
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I am so sorry to hear about your husband Carol. My husband had a stroke last August and hasn’t been doing well since. Some things are really hard to go through so I will pray for you and your husband. Your bag will be so awesome with all the extra things you are adding. And your quilt is really gorgeous! I am glad that you shared all of them. Thank you for your giveaway. I live in Georgia USA and my favorite color is green. I really would love to win since the 27th is also my birthday. lol
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Thank you Joyce. I’m so sorry to hear about your husband and will add him to my prayers. That bag is turning out to be a fun pattern modification and I’m happy you enjoyed my projects. Good luck! 🤗
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Hopefully one of your machines will come back soon! At least you got started and learned how to use your Featherweight. Some times you just need the right motivation to learn something new!
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Hi Kate. I am using my Featherweight and I think she has become my favourite machine! She sings while she’s stitching and stitches beautifully. Now I might need to find a way to keep her set up always! I could get rid of my comfy chair I guess! 😉
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