Some Little Things

Over the last few weeks, I've snuck in a few small projects. Three were gifts, and the first here - the Wall Pocket - was for my own reorganized stash closet. The pattern is in Sotak Handmade's book, That Handmade Touch. Actually, three of the projects I'm going to show you are from Svetlana - two from her book, and one purchased from her website shop.

Anyway, back to the Wall Pocket. It's a simply-constructed pocket with a leather hanging handle. 

I added a little hand-stamped label on mine just for fun, and the finished pocket is holding supplies in my stash closet. It makes me smile every time I see it, and I want to make a companion for it.

I also needed a handmade gift, and chose to make the Shetland Quilted Pouch, a pattern from Svetlana's website. I made the small version (6" x 5" x 2")  out of original Cotton + Steel fabrics, and left mine unquilted. Those C+S fabrics are fun to mix and match.

Needing a second handmade gift, I chose another project from That Handmade Touch, one I'd made several times before, the On-the-Go Project bag. Always a fun one, I luckily found just enough of this print from Lizzy House's Andover Catnap Collection hiding in my stash - a fabric I knew the recipient liked and would appreciate. By some act of fate, I actually had some black leather straps on hand, perfect for this bag. Between those and the drawstring cord, it was a good reminder to keep some bag-making supplies on hand for times such as this.

And lastly, I tried Poppyprint's The Tote Tute, which I'd seen many times on Instagram. Again, I just happened to have what I needed on hand, including a length of 1" cotton webbing for the handles. I used cotton canvas left from a previous project - Emmie K Geo Pop Canvas Chevy in Lagoon, and construction was really fun.

Where the strap ends come together, I covered the join in a square of leather stamped with the first letter in my daughter Rachel's name, just to personalize it a bit. Considering I used the tote as a gift bag for her birthday present, that felt like a nice touch.

I find it fun to make these kinds of small projects in amongst the larger quilt projects. Sometimes they're helpful when I'm not sure what quilt I want to make next. They're also great for exploring the ole stash and finding the perfect combinations.