Lola pouch by Sew Quirky

 

The Lola lunch buddy is one of my 2026 UFOs, but I have also entered it into the 2026 Jersey Eisteddfod, so it needs to be handed in by 1 March. I have enlarged the dalmatian applique from A4 to A3 and plan to make it into a cushion for my daughter. The pattern was in a Sew Quirky mystery box and came with a kit. 

I have substituted the metallic sunglasses for the gold as enlarging the pattern meant there wasn't enough and I added the aqua vinyl which goes well with the speckled Essex dyed linen I've chosen for the background. So far, I have prepped all of the pieces and fused them to the background. The fun starts now with adding applique and free motion stitching.

February WIP challenge

My February UFO for our group UFO challenge was my thimble blocks from a sewalong with @happysewucky some time ago. I chose the largest block to make into a project bag. I added a border of Kona in the colour breakers and then did a 1" cross hatch grid using a pale pink Ruby Star Society print as the backing.

I even remembered to add a little rainbow label into the binding. The Ruby Star Society + print was the perfect binding and accent fabric paired with a leopard print vinyl from Studio7t7 and a pink striped zip from Purple Stitches.

I may use some more of the thimble blocks for another project, but I now need to work on a project that I have entered for our local Eisteddfod.

Paris, je t'aime II

It's February so time to start another section of this pattern by Verushka Karate. I am wishing that I had done section 2 first as it is not big or complicated and only has one element which is appliqued. 

I know that March will be busy for me so I will stitch section 3 which is small and has no applique. Limiting myself to one section a month is working so far for me as it is a manageable chunk, and I can also work on other projects. I still have to find the pouch of leftover fabrics from La Vie en Rose which has many of the same fabrics.

January challenge

Number 7 was chosen as our group challenge for January 2026. hank fully I made a toile as the bodice of the pattern with its princess seams did not suit my shape. Instead, I used the Aspen dress and turned it into a pinafore. I tried the burrito method for the first time and drafted a facing for the bodice using the principles from the Noa dress. 

A different perspective

It is good to look at things with a different perspective. I often cut large volumes of fabric at our kitchen island as it is a better height for minimizing bending and it' a clear space which my sewing room is generally not clear.

I stitched up a quick toile of the Noa dress in a secondhand duvet cover. I am so pleased that I did that as the bodice did not fit at all. I also don't have the skills to alter princess seams so that the bodice would fit. I decided instead that I would make a winter version of the Aspen dress by Fabric Godmother. Having cut out the bodice and skirt, of course, there wasn't enough fabric for sleeves! So I have now altered the pattern for the Aspen dress to turn it into a Noa style pinafore. Wish me luck.

WIP Wednesday- honey of a tiny town

This is not a big cross stitch project by any stretch of the imagination, so I had hoped to finish it in January. Continuing bouts of vertigo have slowed my progress, but I have worked the full width of the piece. The next series of Bridgerton is released on 29 January, so I predict binge watching and cross stitch.

Now I need to work on my January UFO challenge project which is a tale of woe!

Rainbow clock

One of my Christmas presents from Lizzie and Matt was this £2 clock from Ikea. I have included the reverse of the clock so you can pick one up too.

I planned out the basic colours on a scrap piece of paper and then picked suitable skeins from DMC threads that were waiting to be put away. Having stitched those numbers, I then picked out the remaining colours from my storage boxes. I used three 12" lengths of DMC six stranded floss.

I have now hung the clock in my sewing room in an alcove where I store my overlocker.