Over the last few weeks I’ve been busy making entries for our local show where there is a very well supported handicraft section. Last year for the first time ever (I’ve been entering for over 20 years!!) I won the cup for the most points in handicrafts, so I’m defending my cup!! Luckily I have very few local followers on my blog, so I don’t think my secrets are out too far!

Over the weekend I’ve made a couple of accessories to go with one of my bags and a new toy…

One of the bags I’ve made is a knitting bag from a Butterick pattern 5006, I had a few wobbles making it but it all came out ok in the end, I think I’ll be using it a lot afterwards to keep my crochet in. The pattern also includes some accessories, I’ve decided to ‘kit out’ the bag to try and display it better, so I’ll pop a pattern in a pocket, some scissors in another and some balls of wool inside. I’ve also made the coordinating knitting needle holder and pincushion from the pattern.

I used all the leftover fabric from the bag, the knitting needle case is quite big (I suppose it has to be as knitting needles are quite long!!) so the fabric I had left wasn’t quite big enough to do the main piece and the flap in one. I pieced the flap separately which actually worked better as it meant the trees weren’t upside down inside! The pattern called for iron on wadding, I found some scrap batting left from quilts and used spray basting to stick it together.

It went together fairly easily, the ribbon tie was a lucky match as it was a free gift on a magasine months ago, the colours match perfectly.

The pin cushion is one of those with pockets round the side for reels of thread. It all gathers up into a bit of a dolly bag. It needed quite a big piece of fabric and the bag fabric is all very one directional. I would have preferred to use the triangle fabric but I had no where near enough for that. In the end I chose the rabbit fabric, I think it looks cute. The pincushion is attached with a spot of stick-on Velcro, it has a base of cardboard to keep the bottom flat.

So that’s my knitting bag kitted out…

I’ve made two toys for the show, both will be pincushions afterwards! One is a huge hippopotamus called Mary (don’t blame me, I didn’t name her!) the other is a cute owl called Archimedes, he’s really cute, but I decided he is just too small to be called a toy. I found a pattern on my computer called Dave the Dachshund, well I’ve made Dot the Dach!

It’s a very simple pattern and I used up some spotted Clarke furnishing fabric. I fussy-cut the ears but purely by chance a spot landed right on the eye on both sides, perfect! I just needed a spot of felt in the middle and a cone of felt around her nose. She’s very simple, but she would actually be a perfect toy for a small child as she is easily grab-able. When my kids were toddlers a favourite toy was a giraffe I made, they held it round it’s neck!