The sewing machine ate my homework....

Having been reunited with my sewing machine in February, we have since become good friends. In fact, as a result, the kitchen and I are now at some slight enmity (I think the bench scraper is jealous).

These are the creations that have been keeping me busy:

I've wanted to try crazy quilting for some time and finally decided to try the technique on a cushion.

Easy enough, though a tad time consuming. I arranged the scraps on a circle of interfacing and hand basted each piece before crazy stitching all over the whole piece.

Purses are also something I've been yearning to try my hand at. Inspiration struck, and this is the bag that was formed. The bottom section that was originally gathered merely for looks became a zippered pocket (zipper is positioned on the side), the perfect size for a small novel.

Later, I made a few alterations to the design (actually lining that zippered pocket was one of them), and created this--which happened, to my delight, to match the dress I wore on Resurrection Day.

I never know what to do with the back of a purse-- should it be plain, or decorated in some way? I envisioned a flower on the back of this one, so after sketching it on the fabric with a fabric marker, I back stitched it on. One of the few times something has turned out exactly the way I imagined it.

Embroidery is a skill I'd love to cultivate more. I got plenty of practice with the satin stitch on the following item.

I love that pillow. :)


I needed a gift for a friend of mine who recently had a birthday and so I made this mini clutch-like bag for her. It's about the perfect size for storing bookmarks (that's what I would use it for) or for storing a comb and other essentials inside a larger purse.