I need a Time-Turner

 I've had fun this week with my new loom, trying out different things. But of course that means less time on other works in progress. There is only so much time in the day, even when you are retired. The loom has been living on the end of the dining room table but DS is very supportive and is happy for me to be enjoying something new.

I finished the mug rugs, there was one wonky one and some wonky places in the edges but in general I was quite pleased with them. We were going to visit DS and his girlfriend yesterday so I was thinking about giving them the mug rugs for their new house.  DH thought they were too big and he didn't like the colours much.  So I made four more smaller coasters in a blue plaid look, and managed to finish them up in time for the visit.  To my delight, the girlfriend much preferred the mug rugs (although they asked for the smaller coasters as well) and immediately put them to use in serving us tea.  Lovely to see something you've made get put to use and valued.  They've also asked if they can have some more handmade quilts for the new house - I have obviously raised my boy right.

I finally finished the CrossStitcher magazine Christmas Ornament this week.  My kit turned out to have about five times as many beads as I needed, and only half the specified number of star sequins, but I'm still pleased with how it turned out.  I finished it off by gluing some cord around the edges.  The magazine saw it on Facebook and got in touch asking if they can put it on their Letters page which will be fun if it happens.

This week I used some of my TV time to applique nine orange circles to the centres of my Checkered Dresden Plate blocks.  Orange is not my favourite colour but it suited the quilt and I had a good match to the jelly roll colours in my stash to use.  I need to rotate the blocks to sort out the corner square fabrics then sew them together.  Funny how projects kind of take on a life of their own and want to look a certain way even if it isn't a look that maybe suits your personal taste.

But instead of sewing blocks together, I've been playing with a Lori Holt Zippy Bags panel, a fun panel in home dec weight fabric in her characteristic modern feedsack prints, that makes up into four large (14" x 12") and four small (9" x 8") project bags. The panel also includes coordinating pull tabs.  The instructions in her tutorial are pretty basic, with zigzagged edges internally, and the bags are not see-through.  I decided to modify a large one to have a vinyl front instead because I like to be able to see what is in things.  I quilted the back piece for some stability. It turned out pretty well (apart from the double binding which was a disaster in terms of catching it on the back, next time I will glue first) so I will probably do the other three large bags the same way. I used my own stash fabrics for the binding and to add the vinyl panel top. I had to switch to my industrial machine for the final binding seams, my domestic Janome couldn't hack it.

For the smaller bags, I came up with a variation on a quick zip pouch tutorial I saw on Youtube, which finishes the internal seams with French seams for a much neater look.  I stiffened the bag with some fusible woven interfacing.  This came out pretty well so I will do the other three small bags the same.

Still no takers on the dollshouses, apart from a woman who bought my 1:24 scale house then shortly thereafter cancelled the purchase stating that she hadn't realised it was half scale instead of 1/12th scale.  I felt tempted to ask how she thought I was going to post a full-size dollshouse but decided life is too short and accepted the cancellation.  I have a load of stuff I need to take to the charity shop as well.  The dollshouse room is still looking like a disaster zone in the meantime.