Inspired by a New Friend!

When I visited my daughter in the Netherlands, I took a crocheting class at the "Haak In".  Corrie teaches how to "Up Cycle" plastic bags into usable items.  She inspired me to crochet again! Website - http://www.haakin.nl/ and Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/corriescreatie/timeline

I learned how to crochet in high school in my Home Economics Classes. My first project was a dish cloth and then we made shawls.  I made a pretty pink shawl and wore it to the high school dances.  When I was in college, I worked with fabrics strips and made crocheted rugs.

Over the years, I have crocheted afghans, rugs, and hot pads and table mats.  
Corrie inspired me to crochet again.

I have been making circular hot pads and table mats using fabric strips.
This is one I made recently and sold it on ebay.

I was so inspired, I even created a fried egg table mat from yellow and white fabric strips.

In the class, Corrie shared how to cut the plastic bags so they end up in one very strip of plastic.  I made a crocheted cover for a plastic bottle.  I displayed it on the plastic bag that I used for the strips.

Corrie refreshed me on stitches, that I had completely forgot how to do, when I learned how to make the small pocket purse.

I took photos in Corrie's classroom of all the crocheted items created from plastic bags. 

I signed the guest book at "Haak In".

At the end of the class Corrie draped her crocheted shawls on us for a picture. The shawls were made from plastic strips combined with black yarn.

Outside she has two huge plastic yarn balls on display. They were larger than a beach ball.

She has a large flower made from the plastic bags on display out front.

I speak only English and sometimes not very well. Corrie spoke Dutch and a little English.  It was a delight learning a new craft with a bit of a language barrier. And when I don't understand something, I tend to laugh at myself!
In the next photo, I was laughing and crying as we said our good byes!

We will keep in touch through emails and facebook and I will visit her when I return to the Netherlands to visit my daughter and her family.

During, the class we talked about our love of creating. Corrie creates with plastic bags and I create with quilted fabric.  I showed her my purse and pocket purse and checkbook purse that I made with my quilted fabric. Corrie asked if I would make a quilted pocket purse with quilted roses for her.

I quilted roses with a red thread on black fabric with a white backing fabric. I just sent it off to the Netherlands this week.

 Corrie asked me to quilt my name on the front of the purse with the year.

It is hard to photograph black fabric and to get enough light it makes the little fibers show up.

When I quilted the fabric, I quilted a large piece of fabric and made enough to create several pocket purses.  They make great gifts for friends and family.

Several years ago, I taught quilted tote bag classes and I also wrote a pattern for the quilted pocket purse.  My pattern is available as a PDF Downloadable Pattern at Craftsy.com in my pattern store. Click Here.

I am so happy I made a new friend in another country and super delighted to learn a new craft and rekindle my crocheting with plastic and fabrics.

I made this crochet mat from the scraps from ...

my "Up Cycled Grocery Bag" that I made from Project Quilting, while in the Netherlands. I made it from clothes and used a borrowed sewing machine. Click Here for that post. I added some green scraps to the crochet mat as my daughter loves green.

I love learning new things, 
I love creating and crafting with friends, 
and I love sharing my experiences!

Enjoy!

Marcia

Hodgepodge Patchwork -- Cell Phone Purses

This Winter for Project Quilting I created a table topper for my dinning room table made from only 2 colors. I made it look like a gum wrapper chain.  I had some extra scraps and I pieced them together. I quilted it at the same time that I quilted the table topper.

I had no idea what I would make with it.  It was too small for a place mat.  It could be used as a rectangular hot pad.

  
It measured 10 inches wide by 13 inches long. Well, last week I taught a tote bag class in my home. I got out all my quilted pieces.  I needed to demonstrate how I add the binding on the sides.  If I cut it in half.  5 inches by 13 inches long, I could make a cell phone purse or two!

5 inches wide fit nicely around my phone. I wanted a flap on the top of it.  I will share the free instructions for the cell phone purse at the end of this post.  For this purse, I added the flap and velcro. If you sew, I think you can see from the photos, how I bound the flap and attached the velcro. But the free instructions will help you with the binding and the strap.  See this photo for the flap and the strap attachment.

See how the flap securely folds over to hold in the cell phone.

It is easy to open and pull out also.

The back of my cell phone purse.

I made the strap long enough to go over my head and arm for traveling or for just wearing it as a large quilted necklace.

Yes, I made two!

The back sides of the purses.

Free instructions for making a cell phone purse - Click Here.

Post about the Gum Wrapper Table Topper - Click Here. More free instructions.

Post about the Quilted Tote Bag -- Click Here.

Available in a PDF Downloadable Pattern on Craftsy.com

Visit Marcia Wachuta - Crafty Sewing and Quilting's Craftsy Pattern Store »

In this post, I share free instructions and on how to turn a small quilt into a quilted tote bag. Lots of photos!

Enjoy your day!
Marcia

Hodgepodge Patchwork Tuesday Featuring Sunday's Scraps!

The Scrappy Squares Place Mat is available as a PDF Downloadable at Craftsy.com in my Craftsy Pattern Store for only $1.00.  Click HERE for the direct link to my Store.

There were three leftover pieces from the Rainbow Quilt from last week.

I love to create using my scraps.

Here are my three scraps.  One seven inch square and two 3 3/4 inch squares.

I went through some of my colorful fat quarters.

I was looking for the right print.

I chose this print. It wasn't even a full fat quarter, but it will be larger enough to make a place mat.

I pressed/ironed the pieces and the print fabric.

I cut the Heat n Bond Lite a little smaller than the pieces.

I pressed/ironed the Heat n Bond to the back of the squares. Then I rotary trimmed the edges.

I cut the squares into random sizes of squares and rectangles. No exact sizes.

I peeled the papers off the backs.

 I scattered them around on the print fabric.

I layered them in a row to see how that would look.

I decided there were scraps from the print fabric I could use too!

I pressed/iron Heat n Bond Lite to the back of the scraps of the print fabric.

Rotary trimmed it and cut it into randomly sized squares.

Scattered them on the fabric.

Finally decided to layer the prints on the solids with a bit of an offset look.

Pressed/ironed them in place.

I left a few just solid.

I like it!

I chose the green dot print for the back of it.

I chose an 80/20 batting.

Pinned it.

Green thread or multi colored thread?  I selected the green thread.

Yes --- I am quilting it on my regular sewing machine!

I selected an embroidery stitch -- a stretch stitch.

I started in the corners of the squares, close to the edges.  That way, I could angle up and not have to start and stop quite as much.

I like how the back looks too!

I stitched around the edge.

My plan it to leave it with the raw edges, but it certainly could have binding.

A close up of the corner --- see how the batting is shorter for the raw edge effect.

One completed place mat made from scraps!

Looks great with my corning ware and blue cup....

and an old bowl too.

I love it with the appetizer plate!

Do you remember these other two projects?

The one on the left, I called Mix and Match.  I made from scraps too.

The one on the right is from Project Quilting -- Quilts Built by Imagination.

All were created in a very similar way.

Enjoy your day!
Marcia