I've been waiting since November to share items I made as thank you and Christmas gifts for friends and family. The reason I had to wait is that one friend received her gift this week. Since she reads my blog, I didn't want to reveal her present.
I made these items and gave them away:
- 5 Dayna Packs
- 5 sets of three Humbug bags - small, medium, and large
- 2 bowl buddies (lower right, made with orphan blocks)
- and 1 zipper M&M pouch
I really like the Dayna Packs! I made the first one (not shown) following the pattern's poorly written instructions. (Yes, I'm warning you.) The next five I made (shown here) were made following a YouTube hack that adds a second, larger zipper pocket at the top of the bag! Much, much better!
The Dayna Pack is advertised as a fanny pack (Does anyone over the age of 30 wear those?), but I've found it's the perfect, body-hugging, cross body bag.
The Dayna Pack at the top is made with peace fabric from Spoonflower, and cork. I gave that one to my Peace, Love, and Ukulele club leader. She thanked me and I saw last week that she's using it! Yay!
The Humbug Bag is a very old pattern. I've practically worn out my set - small, medium, and large - from use as cosmetic/toiletries travel bags. A very practical thing to own and use.
This set now belongs to my on-line Bible study leader, and was made by piecing 1½" squares into a rectangle that I quilted before sewing into a Humbug.
For one Humbug in this set, I used an improv block, always quilting before sewing.
I like threading each ribbon with a wood bead because it gives the bag some weight, though I'm sure a large plastic bead would work. Maybe better. I machine wash my bags.
These are really a snap to make, and I was on a roll finding scraps and blocks to work with, and choosing colors to make coordinating sets.
As much as I'd like to say that everyone liked their gifts, in fact, I haven't heard from several recipients. No thanks are necessary. Just hoping everyone finds them useful.
Activities have begun again this week, in earnest!
From Monday through Saturday, I have eight activities to attend - ukulele, line dancing (twice), Bible study (twice), and Quilting Guild of The Villages and Central Florida MQG (thrice). From that, you might be able to discern that it's "snowbird season," when part-time residents and visitors "flock" to Florida for the winter. Activities are ramped-up to fulfill the desires of the influx of people who'll be around until April or so.
Quilting Guild of The Villages will have its biannual quilt show - Showcase of Quilts - January 24-25. I'll have two quilts (two allowed per member) in the modern category. Linda
