Necktie Wine Bag

I saw wine gift bags like this during our recent visit to Walla Walla and resolved to try the technique myself.  It's pretty easy: sew sections of four neckties (points up) into a tube, leaving a small gap between two sections to let the drawstring escape.  Attach a drawstring sleeve to the inside and thread a cord through.  Stitch a straight seam across the bottom (RST) and cut off excess fabric from the inside.

Because the neckties are already lined, the inside part that shows is nicely finished without any work on the sewer's part.  The bags I noticed in Walla Walla had corks strung on the ends of the drawstrings, which I think is a nice touch.

You can click this photo to see a larger image.

Baby Blanket

Look what I made!  Not the baby - that was Emily's nearly-year-long-project.  No, I made another blanket for our nephew John to lie on (and spit on and what not).

Again, the size is about 36" × 36". Batting is layered between flannel pieces within the stitched circles, but the middle of the blanket has no batting, which keeps it thin and light.

The opposite side has a dappled yellow pattern.  As you can see here, John has his doubts about this design choice.  I figure he'll get used to it.

The pattern is from Simple Gifts to Stitch by Jocelyn Worral.
You can click either of these photos to view a larger image.

Natalie's Apron

Here is an apron I made as a bridal shower gift for my friend Natalie. As you can see, I did some appliqué on the pockets to keep things interesting. I made my own bias tape for the pockets as well.

The apron is reversible.

You can click any of these photos to view a larger image.
The apron pattern is from Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter.

Lap Quilt

This project was a long time in the making.

Top: cotton
Back: minky!





You can click either of these photos to view a larger image.

Many thanks to Grandma Bertha, who helped me design the top, and to my mother-in-law Mary, for her inexhaustible patience with thread tension and with me.

Baby Blanket

Here's another one - very similar to the blanket I made last month.
Again, the size is about 36" × 36". Batting is layered between flannel pieces within the stitched circles, but the middle of the blanket has no batting.



The pattern is from Simple Gifts to Stitch by Jocelyn Worral.
You can click this photo to see a larger image.

Baby Blanket

I made another baby blanket for another expecting friend. It's a receiving size: about 36" × 36". This pattern simply calls for two pieces of flannel stitched together, with quilt batting between the layers within the stitched circles. The middle of the blanket has no batting and is just thin and cozy.



The pattern is from Simple Gifts to Stitch by Jocelyn Worral.
You can click this photo to see a larger image.

Emily's Apron

This apron was a gift to my sister Emily for her birthday last August. I never got a chance to photograph her in it until this month. Here she is, just two days before her wedding and cute as can be.

The apron is reversible.



I made my own bias tape for the pockets as well.



You can click any of these photos to view a larger image.
The apron pattern is from Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter.