WIP Wednesday a bag and a happy nephew

This week had some fun sewing for me- I got a call a few months back from my sister with a special request.  Her son, my first nephew, told her that he really wanted a new roll up from me that held his sharpies.  He was about to have his 7th birthday, and in his mind he had WAY OUTGROWN the crayon roll I made him when he was 4.  He was a big boy now and big boys needed sharpie roll ups not crayon roll ups.  He is quite the budding artist- known to spend days on just one super detailed picture that has been meticulously drawn and colored in with the precise lines of a fine tip sharpie.  His art is whimsical and imaginative and the pieces I have are certainly things I will always treasure.  I feel I will be able to say "I knew him when" someday.  So naturally I couldn't refuse his request- it makes my heart happy to know my nieces and nephews still treasure my craft and look to me when they need that certain handmade item that can't be purchased.  I decided to not use a print for his roll up, but to instead use his favorite colors in solids so he could grow with it- I have dreams of him being a 20 something art college major with is trusty but well loved sharpie roll up by his side.  I layered this like a quilt and free motion quilted the outer piece in a meandering square design- to me it looked masculine, which is hard to achieve in a free motion quilting design.  I was very pleased with how it turned out and as you can see by the picture below so was he- I got to be on the phone when he opened it and he squealed with excitement and promptly set down the phone to stuff it full of all his new sharpies.  I loved hearing his excitement and thank his mother for letting be a part of it all. 
I also got my birthday bag all finished- this was all pieced with my dresden template used in different ways.  I used Bryant Park fabric for the print and the lining as well as a coordinating gray solid.  I started this bag way back in May for a birthday gift to myself and haven't had the time to finish it up until this week.  I am very happy with how it turned out and know I will use it a bunch.  I think it will be the perfect bag for my laptop, books and crocheting projects when I travel. 

that's it for my sewing this week- I am excited to show you what I have planned for next week but it will have to wait til then.  Hope you all had a great sewing week too and can't wait to see all the other great posts.  I am linking to Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday

a well received gift

So... my darling niece got her present in the mail late last week and to say it was well received was an understatement.  How cute is she and how priceless is that smile??!! I would go to the moon and back to bring a smile like that to a nieces or nephews face and it makes my heart so happy.  I have to give a big thank you to her mom for capturing such a precious moment and I only wish I could have been there to experience the glee myself.

Hexie doll quilt for a special little girl

My niece Ruby just had her 3rd birthday and I decided to make her a little dolly quilt and pillow so she could have fun putting her dollies to bed.  She has quite the imagination and loves to pretend, so I thought it would be right up her alley.  I made her a little hexie quilt- which isn't perfect, but is perfectly suited to her.  It was a bit of a challenge to sew these by machine- I have always marked the quarter inch edges in the past, but after seeing this tutorial I was encouraged to try it with no marking.  I will say that it wasn't a perfect method for me, as some of the seams were a bit wonky and didn't want to lie flat, but I think with more practice or bigger hexies perfection could be achieved.  Luckily my sweet 3 year old niece isn't too judgmental of my sewing skills so I think it will be well received.  This was a great project to try a new technique on, small and quick.  I put the whole thing together in an evening.  I can't wait to hear what she thinks of it when she gets it.  
I am linking to Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday