Three Small Finishes

There has been some sewing here. Some finishes, even! (And a lot of handsewing this week, pics to come.)

My husband recently asked that I make him something. Anything. He just wanted something handmade by me. How could I say no to that request? It's like when my four-almost-five-year-old asked me for a new quilt. A girl just can't say no. I decided to make my husband an iPad case using this tutorial. I used scraps from Fava's quilt and bound it in a print from B&C's Happy Go Lucky Line. The inside is the same print. It's a little wild for him, but he likes it and insists he's going to rock it everywhere.

The tutorial was okay. Steps were clear and easy to follow, and I liked the suggested diagonal stripes, so I went with that. I had stripes of differing widths, and I chose not to additionally quilt the final product since the QAYG should secure it well enough. (My husband thought QAYG was magic, and he listened to my description of how it works and then asked questions. Love that guy.) What I should have done was watch the entire tutorial video before starting, but I didn't. I'm the kind of girl who doesn't fully read a recipe until I'm actually in the throes of cooking. So far, everything has turned out well enough, so why wouldn't this? And it's fine, really. But what I didn't notice before I began is that there is no instruction for a closure on the case. You fold it over and let it be. But my husband needs a closure, so I handstitched velcro under the flap. I would have preferred to add a different type of closure earlier in the process, but it is what it is.

I finished this zippy bag, and I'm almost done with a near-matching friend. I used noodle-head's Gathered Clutch tutorial, which I've made before. This one was a lot easier though because I started with a taller piece of fabric for the front. Last time, I had to cut my pieces smaller than specified because the gathering made them go wild. Also, I have a lot more sewing experience under my belt now, and I was a relatively new sewist then, so I'm sure that had something to do with it as well. I used a metal zipper on this one--a first for me--and I'm quite happy with this little lovely.

Finally, my friend J's CHRISTMAS present. Yes, Christmas 2014. I KNOW. It's shameful. But it's done! I can't show the front just yet because I don't want John to see it before I actually give it to him. I'm partially through constructing S's gift, and then I only have ONE MORE late Christmas gift.

My mama is visiting for a few more days, and while we've already accomplished a lot, we still have tons to do! Hope y'all have a lovely Monday!