the things I made in August

I started off the month tidying out some bits and pieces in the sewing room and came across some quilted bits that I'd intended to use for craft bags. I used them up for some oven gloves instead.

Next I made a couple of masks to go with the floaty frocks I made last month. The floaty frocks have sadly all been washed and hung back in the wardrobe for next year but, if we're still wearing masks next summer, these will get an airing then too!

Joanna had told us a while ago about an episode of Family Guy where the characters had met up with some of the Star Trek Next Generation characters. (I think that's right!) Anyway, one of the characters from Family Guy had asked why his washing up sponge got mouldy and smelly and, apparently, Jean Luc Picard said these words. It made us laugh so I had to make an embroidery for Joanna using the words. She found the sponge here and I added the words in my Embrilliance program. I plan to make one for my kitchen some time too.

I used up a piece of fabric that's been gathering dust on my shelves for ages. I didn't have quite enough to make my usual nightie pattern so I dug out another pattern (Butterick 5854, long out of print) and some lace and made that instead. I wore it a few times before the nights started getting a bit chilly so this will probably now sit on the bottom of the nightie pile until next summer. At least it's off the sewing room shelves!

I made a wee runner for the top of our hostess trolley. Yes, we have a hostess trolley and it's used faithfully every Christmas!

I then made a bigger runner for our pine cabinet.

I then decided to make another runner for each of them using Christmas fabrics. At the moment, the Christmas ones are sitting under the rest-of-the-year ones because I just couldn't be bothered putting them away!

This is the one for the hostess trolley:

And the one for the pine cabinet.

I bought a couple of new towels so they needed cotton tapes on them so they can be hung. Didn't take long.

I made a wee top for Emily. This is the Liberty top from Puperita which, for some reason isn't on her site any more. This is the front:

And the back:

I've been keeping up with the Summer Quiltalong I talked about in last month's post.These are Old Maid's Puzzle blocks:

5 piece chain blocks:

Windmill blocks:

I made one more double wedding ring block.

Lastly, these are just some of the tomatoes Douglas has been growing in the greenhouse. I worried that they weren't getting very big but it turns out they're cherry and baby plum tomatoes and so they're meant to be wee! They might be small but they are delicious!

July was a busy month!

I was gathering all the photos of what I'd made in July and was astounded at how much I'd done. I don't know why as I spend as long as I can in my sewing room - it really is my happy place! So let's make a start.

I had some Christmas stockings cut out and ready to make so I got on with those.

3 with red backs and linings:

2 with yellow backs and linings:

4 with green backs and linings.

They're all now hanging on the back of the spare room door with all the other stockings in the tartan bee stock - 60 in total!! - ready for whatever I plan to do with them.

I then made myself a couple of tops. These are both Simplicity 2599 - long out of print!

Then I made some tops for Emily and Isla. The first one is made from the leftovers of the pink top I made above.

They're both made from the Peppy top by Puperita.

I really must get these sent to Canada soon!

I've been wearing dresses for weeks. I don't usually wear dresses but, when the heat got so hot (!), it was lovely to be able to waft around in a floaty frock! I decided I needed more so I made this one. It's a mix of the bodice from the Style Arc Montana dress and the skirt and flounce from the Tammy Handmade Rhea dress. I LOVE it!

I decided to make another one. I had to jiggle the pattern pieces around on this one to get it out of what I had. I LOVE this one too!

Then on to some patchwork. Long before I started doing patchwork, I decided, if I ever tried it, I wanted to make a Double Wedding Ring Quilt. That's the one with interlocking circles - here are some photos to see what I mean. I didn't do anything about making one because it just looked so complicated and I didn't care for the rounded edges.

Then, Donna Jordan of Jordan Fabrics did a tutorial on youtube of how to make it using specially designed rulers. OMG! I wanted to do it. I got the rulers, tried it out and left it lying for a while. Then I decided now was the time so I cut out some bits for backgrounds etc:

Cut out the shapes for one block ...

...and put it together:

Then I made another 2:

...and another one:

I've decided that this will be a long term project so I won't be rushing it. I'll just get the bits ready for one block at a time and put it together. It's going to be FAB when it's done!

Finally, remember last November I posted about a quiltalong that I did for a Christmas quilt? Well, Beth now has a Summertime Quiltalong started on her youtube channel and I decided to join in. So far, we've made 3 blocks - 2 of each.

These are the Shoofly block:

These are the Propeller block:

These are the Thrifty block.

I'm enjoying these as she's only posting them every few days so I'm not getting bogged down with them. I'm also not cutting up any fabrics other than the backgrounds. Well, of course I'm cutting them but not out of "new" fabrics. I'm trying to just use bits from my massive scrap mountains!

Yep, July was a very busy month!